Habitability: CAMELOT 4

During 1988 to 1989 the NASA/USRA Advanced Design Program sponsored research and design efforts aimed at developing habitability criteria and at defining a habitability concept as a useful tool in understanding and evaluating dwellings for prolonged stays in extraterrestrial space. The Circulating Auto sufficient Mars-Earth Luxurious Orbital Transport (CAMELOT) was studied as a case in which the students would try to enhance the quality of life of the inhabitants by applying architectural design methodology. The study proposed 14 habitability criteria considered necessary to fulfill the defined habitability concept, which is that state of equilibrium that results from the interaction between components of the Individual Architecture Mission Complex, which allows a person to sustain physiological homeostatis, adequate performance, and acceptable social relationships. Architecture, design development, refinements and revisions to improve the quality of life, new insights on artificial gravity, form and constitution problems, and the final design concept are covered

Optimal scheduling of smart microgrids considering electric vehicle battery swapping stations

Smart microgrids belong to a set of networks that operate independently. These networks have technologies such as electric vehicle battery swapping stations that aim to economic welfare with own resources of smart microgrids. These resources should support other services, for example, the supply of energy at peak hours. This study addresses the formulation of a decision matrix based on operating conditions of electric vehicles and examines economically viable alternatives for a battery swapping station. The decision matrix is implemented to manage the swapping, charging, and discharging of electric vehicles. Furthermore, this study integrates a smart microgrid model to assess the operational strategies of the aggregator, which can act like a prosumer by managing both electric vehicle battery swapping stations and energy storage systems. The smart microgrid model proposed includes elements used for demand response and generators with renewable energies. This model investigates the effect of the wholesale, local and electric-vehicle markets. Additionally, the model includes uncertainty issues related to the planning for the infrastructure of the electric vehicle battery swapping station, variability of electricity prices, weather conditions, and load forecasting. This article also analyzes how both the user and the providers maximize their economic benefits with the hybrid optimization algorithm called variable neighborhood search - differential evolutionary particle swarm optimization. The strategy to organize the infrastructure of these charging stations reaches a reduction of 72% in the overall cost. This reduction percentage is obtained calculating the random solution with respect to the suboptimal solution

Isidella elongata (Cnidaria: Alcyonacea) facies in the western Mediterranean Sea: Visual surveys and descriptions of its ecological role

Isidella elongata is a candelabrum-shaped alcyonacean forming important facies on the bathyal muddy bottoms of the Mediterranean Sea, currently considered a sensitive habitat and heavily impacted by deep-sea fisheries. Until a few decades ago, this facies was a widespread habitat of the deep Mediterranean seabed and I. elongata was a common species in the trawling fishery's bycatch. Despite its current persistence in dense aggregations being very scarce, a dense facies of I. elongata was revealed during several ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) surveys carried out from 2010 to 2014 on the muddy bottoms between two seamounts east of Ibiza (Balearic Sea). The facies developed in an area between 480 and 615 m in depth where trawling is forbidden, with an extraordinary density of about 2300–2683 colonies/ha, representing one of the biggest facies of I. elongata currently known for the Mediterranean Sea considering the surface covered and the colonies' density. The associated community was surveyed, with 50 taxa identified. Moreover, a canyon southwest of Formentera characterised by the presence of I. elongata together with a high trawling impact was investigated. The density of the colonies was 53–62 colonies/ha and only 19 taxa of associated fauna were observed. The results of the two areas are compared and discussed in the framework of the protection of such an important habitat

Swift heavy ion damage to sodium chloride: synergy between excitation and thermal spikes

Systematic data on the effect of irradiation with swift ions (Zn at 735 MeV and Xe at 929 MeV) on NaCl single crystals have been analysed in terms of a synergetic two-spike approach (thermal and excitation spikes). The coupling of the two spikes, simultaneously generated by the irradiation, contributes to the operation of a non-radiative exciton decay model as proposed for purely ionization damage. Using this scheme, we have accounted for the π-emission yield of self-trapped excitons and its temperature dependence under ion-beam irradiation. Moreover, the initial production rates of F-centre growth have also been reasonably simulated for irradiation at low temperatures ( < 100 K), where colour centre annealing and aggregation can be neglected

At the southeast fringe of the Bantu expansion: genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships to other sub-Saharan tribes

Here, we present 12 loci paternal haplotypes (Y-STR profiles) against the backdrop of the Y-SNP marker system of Bantu males from the Maputo Province of Southeast Africa, a region believed to represent the southeastern fringe of the Bantu expansion. Our Maputo Bantu group was analyzed within the context of 27 geographically relevant reference populations in order to ascertain its genetic relationship to other Bantu and non Bantu (Pygmy, Khoisan and Nilotic) sub-equatorial tribes from West and East Africa. This study entails statistical pair wise comparisons and multidimensional scaling based on YSTR Rst distances, network analyses of Bantu (B2a-M150) and Pygmy (B2b-M112) lineages as well as an assessment of Y-SNP distribution patterns. Several notable findings include the following: 1) the Maputo Province Bantu exhibits a relatively close paternal affinity with both east and west Bantu tribes due to high proportion of Bantu Y chromosomal markers, 2) only traces of Khoisan (1.3%) and Pygmy (1.3%) markers persist in the Maputo Province Bantu gene pool, 3) the occurrence of R1a1a-M17/M198, a member of the Eurasian R1a-M420 branch in the population of the Maputo Province, may represent back migration events and/or recent admixture events, 4) the shared presence of E1b1b1-M35 in all Tanzanian tribes examined, including Bantu and non-Bantu groups, in conjunction with its nearly complete absence in the West African populations indicate that, in addition to a shared linguistic, cultural and genetic heritage, geography (e.g., east vs. west) may have impacted the paternal landscape of sub-Saharan Africa, 5) the admixture and assimilation processes of Bantu elements were both highly complex and region-specific

CAN TEPARY BEAN BE A MODEL FOR IMPROVEMENT OF DROUGHT RESISTANCE IN COMMON BEAN?

Common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the most important grain legume for human consumption and drought stress affects over 60% of dry bean production worldwide. Field studies were conducted over two seasons at Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Palmira, Colombia to (i) evaluate phenotypic differences in drought resistance; and (ii) identify adaptive traits that can be used in on-going breeding programmes of common bean for developing drought resistant genotypes. A total of 36 genotypes, including elite inbred and interspecific lines and landraces of common bean and tepary bean were evaluated under field conditions with two levels of water supply (irrigated and rainfed). Results showed that two accessions of tepary bean, P. acutifolius (G 40159 and G 40068) and two elite lines (RAB 650, SEA 23) of common bean were outstanding in their adaptation to terminal drought stress. The superior performance of these genotypes under drought stress was associated with their ability to mobilise photosynthates from leaves and stems to developing grain. Tepary bean was superior to common bean in combinig several desirable traits that contribute to greater level of adaptation to terminal drought stress. Canopy biomass, pod partitioning index, stem biomass reduction and pod harvest index could serve as useful traits to improve the efficiency of breeding programmes to select superior genotypes of common bean under terminal drought stress.Le haricot common ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) est une l\ue9gumineuse la plus importante pour la consummation humaine don\u2019t la s\ue9cheresse affecte plus de 60% de bean production mondiale. Des \ue9tudes en champs \ue9taient conduits en deux saisons au Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Palmira, Colombia afin de (i) \ue9valuer les diff\ue9rences ph\ue9notypiques pour la r\ue9sistance \ue0 la s\ue9cheresse; et (ii) identifier les traits adaptifs pouvant \ueatre utilis\ue9s dans les programmes en cours d\u2019am\ue9lioration du haricot commun pour le d\ue9veloppement des g\ue9notypes resistant \ue0 la s\ue9cheresse. Trente six g\ue9notypes incluant des hybroides \ue9lites et interseptiques ainsi que des haricot de races locales et haricot tepary \ue9taient \ue9valu\ue9s au champs avec deux niveaux d\u2019approvisionnement en eau (irrigation et pluvial). Les r\ue9sultats ont montr\ue9 que deux accessions du haricot tepary, P. acutifolius (G 40159 et G 40068) et deux lign\ue9es \ue9lites (RAB 650, SEA 23) de haricot commun s\u2019\ue9taient distingu\ue9es de par leur adaptation au stress hydrique. La performance sup\ue9rieur de ces g\ue9notypes sous stress hydrique \ue9tait associ\ue9e avec leur capacit\ue9 de mobiliser les photosyntates des feuilles et tiges pour le d\ue9veloppement de grains. Le haricot tepary \ue9tait sup\ue9rieur au haricot commun en terme de combinainson de plusieurs taits d\ue9sirables qui contribuent au niveau plus \ue9lev\ue9 d\u2019adaptation au stress hydrique. La biomasse de canop\ue9e, l\u2019indice de la repartition des gousses, la r\ue9duction de la biomasse des tiges et l\u2019indice de r\ue9colte de gousses pourrainet servir comme des traits utiles pour am\ue9liorer l\u2019efficacit\ue9 des programmes d\u2019am\ue9lioration pour pour s\ue9lectionner les g\ue9notypes sup\ue9rieurs de haricot commun sous stress hydrique

Benzopyrazine-Based Small Molecule Inhibitors As Trypanocidal and Leishmanicidal Agents: Green Synthesis, In Vitro, and In Silico Evaluations

World Health Organization (WHO) identified twenty tropical disease categories as neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)1. Chagas’ disease (also known as American trypanosomiasis) and leishmaniasis are two major classes of NTDs. The total number of mortality, morbidity, and disability attributed each year due to these two categories of diseases in magnitudes is much higher than the so-called elite diseases like cancer, diabetes, AIDS, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Impoverished communities around the world are the major victim of NTDs. The development of new and novel drugs in the battle against Chagas’ disease and leishmaniasis is highly anticipated. An easy and straightforward on-water green access to synthesize benzopyrazines is reported. This ultrasound-assisted procedure does not require any catalyst/support/additive/hazardous solvents and maintains a high atom economy. A series of eleven benzopyrazines has been synthesized, and most of the synthesized compounds possess the drug-likeness following Lipinski’s “Rule of 5”. Benzopyrazines 3 and 4 demonstrated moderate leishmanicidal activity against L. mexicana (M378) strain. The selective lead compound 1 showed good leishmanicidal, and trypanocidal activities (in vitro) against both L. mexicana (M378) and T. cruzi (NINOA) strains compared to the standard controls. The in vitro trypanocidal and leishmanicidal activities of the lead compound 1 have been validated by molecular docking studies against four biomolecular drug targets viz. T. cruzi histidyl-tRNA synthetase, T. cruzi trans-sialidase, leishmanial rRNA A-site, and leishmania major N-myristoyl transferase