Physiological Effects during Aerobatic Flights on Science Astronaut Candidates

Spaceflight is considered the last frontier in terms of science, technology, and engineering. But it is also the next frontier in terms of human physiology and performance. After more than 200,000 years humans have evolved under earth’s gravity and atmospheric conditions, spaceflight poses environmental stresses for which human physiology is not adapted. Hypoxia, accelerations, and radiation are among such stressors, our research involves suborbital flights aiming to develop effective countermeasures in order to assure sustainable human space presence. The physiologic baseline of spaceflight participants is subject to great variability driven by age, gender, fitness, and metabolic reserve. The objective of the present study is to characterize different physiologic variables in a population of STEM practitioners during an aerobatic flight. Cardiovascular and pulmonary responses were determined in Science Astronaut Candidates (SACs) during unusual attitude aerobatic flight indoctrination. Physiologic data recordings from 20 subjects participating in high-G flight training were analyzed. These recordings were registered by wearable sensor-vest that monitored electrocardiographic tracings (ECGs), signs of dysrhythmias or other electric disturbances during all the flight. The same cardiovascular parameters were also collected approximately 10 min pre-flight, during each high-G/unusual attitude maneuver and 10 min after the flights. The ratio (pre-flight/in-flight/post-flight) of the cardiovascular responses was calculated for comparison of interindividual differences. The resulting tracings depicting the cardiovascular responses of the subjects were compared against the G-loads (Gs) during the aerobatic flights to analyze cardiovascular variability aspects and fluid/pressure shifts due to the high Gs. Inflight ECG revealed cardiac variability patterns associated with rapid Gs onset in terms of reduced heart rate (HR) and some scattered dysrhythmic patterns (15% premature ventricular contractions-type) that were considered as triggered physiological responses to highG/unusual attitude training and some were considered as instrument artifact. Variation events were observed in subjects during the +Gz and –Gz maneuvers and these may be due to preload and afterload, sudden shift. Our data reveal that aerobatic flight influenced the breathing rate of the subject, due in part by the various levels of energy expenditure due to the increased use of muscle work during these aerobatic maneuvers. Noteworthy was the high heterogeneity in the different physiological responses among a relatively small group of SACs exposed to similar aerobatic flights with similar Gs exposures. The cardiovascular responses clearly demonstrated that SACs were subjected to significant flight stress. Routine ECG monitoring during high-G/unusual attitude flight training is recommended to capture pathology underlying dangerous dysrhythmias in suborbital flight safety. More research is currently being conducted to further facilitate the development of robust medical screening, medical risk assessment approaches, and suborbital flight training in the context of the evolving commercial human suborbital spaceflight industry. A more mature and integrative medical assessment method is required to understand the physiology state and response variability among highly diverse populations of prospective suborbital flight participants

Soil-Structure Interaction for Integrated Design of Weakened and Damped Structures

Previous research has shown the effectiveness of the integrated design of weakening and damping techniques (WeD) for the seismic retrofitting of structures. Indeed, WeD techniques are able to reduce inter-story drifts and total accelerations, the two major performance measures to evaluate the seismic behavior of structures. Past research has been applied to fixed-based structures considering relatively stiff soil conditions. It has been suspected, though, that using such techniques in soft soil sites while considering soil structure interaction, may diminish some of the advantages observed in past research. This paper examines the effect of site conditions and soil-structure interaction on the seismic performance of Weakening and Damping techniques. An established rheological soil-shallow foundation-structure model with equivalent linear soil behavior and nonlinear behavior of the superstructure has been used. A large number of models incorporating wide range of soil, foundation and structural parameters were generated using robust Monte-Carlo simulation. The various structural models, along with the various site conditions, have been used for the comparative study. The design methodologies previously developed by the authors have been applied to each model considering different site conditions leading to the optimal weakening and damping. The results of the comparative study are used to quantify the effects of site conditions and foundation °exibility on the performance of the retrofitted structures

Gauging classical and quantum integrability through out-of-time-ordered correlators

Out-of-time-ordered correlators (OTOCs) have been proposed as a probe of chaos in quantum mechanics, on the basis of their short-time exponential growth found in some particular setups. However, it has been seen that this behavior is not universal. Therefore, we query other quantum chaos manifestations arising from the OTOCs, and we thus study their long-time behavior in systems of completely different nature: quantum maps, which are the simplest chaotic one-body system, and spin chains, which are many-body systems without a classical limit. It is shown that studying the long-time regime of the OTOCs it is possible to detect and gauge the transition between integrability and chaos, and we benchmark the transition with other indicators of quantum chaos based on the spectra and the eigenstates of the systems considered. For systems with a classical analog, we show that the proposed OTOC indicators have a very high accuracy that allow us to detect subtle features along the integrability-to-chaos transition.Fil: Fortes, Emiliano M.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física; ArgentinaFil: Garcia-Mata, Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Físicas de Mar del Plata. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Físicas de Mar del Plata; ArgentinaFil: Jalabert, Rodolfo. Université de Strasbourg; FranciaFil: Wisniacki, Diego Ariel. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física; Argentin

Observations of the first electromagnetic counterpart to a gravitational wave source by the TOROS collaboration

We present the results of prompt optical follow-up of the electromagnetic counterpart of GW170817 by the Transient Optical Robotic Observatory of the South Collaboration (TOROS). We detected highly significant dimming in the light curves of the counterpart over the course of only 80 minutes of observations obtained ∼35 hr after the trigger with the T80-South telescope. A second epoch of observations, obtained ∼59 hr after the event with the EABA 1.5m telescope, confirms the fast fading nature of the transient. The observed colors of the counterpart suggest that this event was a blue kilonova relatively free of lanthanides

Cloaking resonant scatterers and tuning electron flow in graphene

We consider resonant scatterers with large scattering cross-sections in graphene that are produced by a gated disk or a vacancy, and show that a gated ring can be engineered to produce an efficient electron cloak. We also demonstrate that this same scheme can be applied to tune the direction of electron flow. Our analysis is based on a partial-wave expansion of the electronic wave-functions in the continuum approximation, described by the Dirac equation. Using a symmetrized version of the massless Dirac equation, we derive a general condition for the cloaking of a scatterer by a potential with radial symmetry. We also perform tight-binding calculations to show that our findings are robust against the presence of disorder in the gate potential.NMRP acknowledges support from EC under Graphene Flagship (Contract No. CNECT-ICT604391), the hospitality of the Instituto de Física of the UFRJ, and stimulating discussions with Bruno Amorim on the Lippamnn-Schwinger equation for Dirac electrons. TGR thanks the Brazilian agencies CNPq and FAPERJ and Brazil Science without Borders program for nancial support. FAP acknowledges CAPES (Grant No. BEX 1497/14-6) and CNPq (Grant No. 303286/2013-0) for financial suppor

Response Surface Optimization of Inulin and Polyphenol Extraction from Artichoke (Cynara scolymus (L.)) Solid Wastes

[EN] Featured Application Recovery of bioactive compounds from artichoke solid wastes. Artichoke wastes after processing represent 60-70% of the raw material and are a potential source of inulin and polyphenols, bioactive compounds that can be valorized as food ingredients or nutraceutical products. The aim of this work was to assess and optimize the extraction of these compounds from artichoke wastes using water or water-ethanol mixtures as extracting agents. For simultaneous inulin and polyphenol extraction and to achieve high antioxidant activity in extracts, the best process conditions using water as an extracting agent were T = 89 degrees C and t = 139 min, where 80% of the inulin content, 60% of the total phenolic content (TPC) and 56% of the antioxidant activity (Aox) were obtained. For water-ethanol extractions, the best results were obtained with EtOH = 22.4%, T = 81 degrees C and t = 217 min, leading to extraction yields of 90% of TPC, 38% of Aox and 58% of inulin content. From these results, we recommend the use of water for the recovery of inulin and polyphenols from artichoke wastes. Although the extraction yield of polyphenols is lower in water treatments, the amount extracted is considerable and it is a greener option when compared with water-ethanol mixtures.Garcia-Castello, EM.; Mayor, L.; Calvo-Ramirez, A.; Ruiz-Melero, R.; Rodríguez López, AD. (2022). Response Surface Optimization of Inulin and Polyphenol Extraction from Artichoke (Cynara scolymus (L.)) Solid Wastes. Applied Sciences. 12(6):1-15. https://doi.org/10.3390/app1216795711512

Análisis de los metabolitos secundarios producidos por los agentes de control biológico Bacillus amyloliquefaciens CECT 8237 Y CECT 8238

Las cepas de Bacillus amyloliquefaciens CECT 8237 (UMAF6639) y CECT 8238 (UMAF6614) han sido ampliamente estudiadas en trabajos previos de nuestro grupo por su reseñable capacidad de biocontrol. Desde un principio ha destacado su actividad antagonista frente a Podosphaera fusca y ciertas bacterias patógenas de cucurbitáceas, siendo la antibiosis mediada por lipopéptidos tales como iturinas y fengicinas, uno de los principales mecanismos de acción. La secuenciación de los genomas de ambas cepas nos ha permitido localizar un amplio grupo de genes implicados en la síntesis de otros antibióticos ya descritos con anterioridad en otras cepas del género Bacillus. Sin embargo, las cepas CECT 8237 y CECT 8238 siguen mostrando mayor capacidad de biocontrol que otros agentes de biocontrol, lo que nos lleva a pensar en la producción de otras moléculas activas. Por ello, hemos desarrollado herramientas bioinformáticas que han facilitado la identificación de regiones poco conservadas con respecto al género Bacillus, así como regiones presentes solo en las cepas de estudio. También se pudo determinar si la adquisición de estas regiones genómicas por parte de estas bacterias se debía a procesos de transferencia horizontal, debido a las variaciones en el patrón de tripletes de aminoácidos y/o en el contenido en GC de dichas zonas. Actualmente, se está realizando la caracterización de algunas de las regiones identificadas en la cepa CECT 8237, cuyos genes parecen estar implicados en la síntesis de nuevos antibióticos no descritos hasta la fecha. Todos estos resultados refuerzan la hipótesis de que la producción de antibióticos es el mecanismo de acción determinante en la actividad de biocontrol de estas bacterias.Este trabajo ha sido financiado por ayudas del Plan Nacional de I+D+I del Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (AGL2010-21848-CO2-01) e Incentivos a Proyectos de Excelencia de la Junta de Andalucía (P10-AGR-5797), ambos cofinanciados con fondos FEDER (UE) y una ayuda del Plan Propio de Investigación de la Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

21-cm synthesis observations of VIRGOHI 21 - a possible dark galaxy in the Virgo Cluster

Many observations indicate that dark matter dominates the extra-galactic Universe, yet no totally dark structure of galactic proportions has ever been convincingly identified. Previously we have suggested that VIRGOHI 21, a 21-cm source we found in the Virgo Cluster using Jodrell Bank, was a possible dark galaxy because of its broad line-width (~200 km/s) unaccompanied by any visible gravitational source to account for it. We have now imaged VIRGOHI 21 in the neutral-hydrogen line and find what could be a dark, edge-on, spinning disk with the mass and diameter of a typical spiral galaxy. Moreover, VIRGOHI 21 has unquestionably been involved in an interaction with NGC 4254, a luminous spiral with an odd one-armed morphology, but lacking the massive interactor normally linked with such a feature. Numerical models of NGC 4254 call for a close interaction ~10^8 years ago with a perturber of ~10^11 solar masses. This we take as additional evidence for the massive nature of VIRGOHI 21 as there does not appear to be any other viable candidate. We have also used the Hubble Space Telescope to search for stars associated with the HI and find none down to an I band surface brightness limit of 31.1 +/- 0.2 mag/sq. arcsec.Comment: 8 pages, accepted to ApJ, uses emulateapj.cls. Mpeg animation (Fig. 2) available at ftp://ftp.naic.edu/pub/publications/minchin/video2.mp

Detección de compuestos producidos por dos cepas de Bacillus amyloliquefaciens relacionados con su capacidad bioestimulante y antimicrobiana

Algunos miembros del género Bacillus presentan ciertas características que los convierten en potenciales agentes de biocontrol de enfermedades de plantas. Entre estas ventajas destaca la producción de compuestos antimicrobianos e insecticidas, así como la promoción del crecimiento de la planta y la inducción de las respuestas de defensa de la planta hospedadora. En trabajos previos de nuestro grupo hemos demostrado que las cepas de Bacillus amyloliquefaciens CECT 8237 (UMAF6639) y CECT 8238 (UMAF6614) poseen estas propiedades, las cuales contribuyen a la protección de la planta frente a patógenos fúngicos y bacterianos. Con el fin de identificar los factores bacterianos implicados en esta acción beneficiosa se secuenciaron los genomas de ambas cepas y se llevó a cabo un intenso análisis del contenido génico utilizando una gama de herramientas bioinformáticas. Por un lado, encontramos toda la colección de factores previamente descritos en otras cepas de Bacillus y cuya funcionalidad había sido demostrada en la actividad de biocontrol: i) Genes de biosíntesis de metabolitos secundarios. Junto a los lipopéptidos, detectados en estudios previos, demostramos la producción de seis compuestos adicionales, que podrían contribuir a la inhibición del crecimiento de patógenos. ii) Identificamos los genes de síntesis y analizamos la producción de 2,3-butanodiol y acetoína, dos compuestos volátiles implicados en la inducción de los mecanismos de defensa de la planta. Por otro lado, se localizaron singularidades genéticas en ambos genomas que podrían contribuir al potencial de biocontrol de B. amyloliquefaciens CECT 8237 y CECT 8238. Entre ellas destacamos dos regiones genómicas que hipotéticamente estarían implicadas en la producción de metabolitos secundarios no descritos hasta la fecha. El estudio de estas nuevas regiones genómicas contribuirá a conocer mejor los mecanismos de acción mediante los cuales estas cepas desarrollan su potencial de biocontrol, para así poder mejorar su contribución beneficiosa a la salud de las plantas.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Impact of lens material on objective refraction in eyes with trifocal diffractive intraocular lenses

Purpose: Compare subjective (Rx) and objective (ObjRx) refractions outcomes with two autorefractors models and an aberrometer in eyes implanted with a hydrophobic trifocal IOL (FineVision POD F GF, Physiol, Liége, Belgium) and a hydrophilic one (FineVision POD F, Physiol, Liége, Belgium). Methods: Prospective comparative cohort study, with 100 subjects randomly assigned to either the POD F group (n = 50) or the POD F-GF group (n = 50). Postoperative eye examinations at 1-month visit included seven result sets, one for each assessment method: Rx, AR (automated refraction measured with the autorefractor KR8800), WF-P (Zernike-coefficients-based objective refraction, photopic pupil size), WF-M (Zernike-coefficients-based objective refraction, mesopic pupil size), WF-4 (Zernike-coefficients-based objective refraction, 4 mm pupil), OPD-C (automated refraction measured with the aberrometer OPD in the central pupil/photopic conditions), and OPD-M (automated refraction measured with the aberrometer OPD under mesopic conditions). Results: Mean differences between ObjRx and Rx reached statistical significance for sphere and spherical equivalent (M) only with OPD-C in the POD F-GF group. All ObjRx methods showed significant differences with Rx in the POD F group, with some values differing by more than 0.50 D (-0.58 D in M for the WF-P). Bland Altman plots showed better agreement for the astigmatic components, and for sphere and spherical equivalents in both IOL groups measured with AR and OPD-M. Conclusions: None of the objective methods of refraction evaluated in this study were as reliable as the subjective refraction, irrespective of the lens material, but POD F-GF ObjRx seems to differ less with Rx than POD F ObjRx values.Award-winningPostprint (author's final draft