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Box 3, Folder 2, MGN Misc. transcriptions
Get PDFThe Boyd Carter Papers represent a significant archival collection housed in the Hispanic Studies Collection in Texas Tech University's CMLL building. Dr. Boyd Carter was a distinguished scholar of Latin American literature who was active from the 1940s to his death in 1980. He held professorships at the University of Nebraska, Southern Illinois University, and the University of Missouri before concluding his career at Texas Tech University (1978-1980). Upon joining TTU, Carter donated his extensive archive to the university, including rare books, microfilm collections, bibliographical notes, and periodicals focusing on Latin American literature from 1850-1950, with particular emphasis on the famed Mexican writer Manuel Gutiérrez Nájera
Blinx The Time Sweeper (John 17).
No full textVideo format available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2346/10209
Optimizing Portable Life Support System Sizing Given Crew Capabilities and In-Situ Recharging
Get PDFRyan Mahon, University of Maryland, United StatesMeredith Embrey, University of Maryland, United StatesWyatt Bland, University of Maryland, United StatesAvery Pierson, University of Maryland, United StatesMatthew Frenia, University of Maryland, United StatesNicolas U. Bolatto, University of Maryland, United StatesDavid L. Akin, University of Maryland, United StatesICES403: Extravehicular Activity: Space Suit and Surface
Mobility OperationsThe 54th International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in Prague, Czechia, on 13 July 2025 through 17 July 2025.During the Apollo era portable life support systems (PLSS)
for extravehicular activities (EVAs) were entirely
self-contained in the suit backpack, and were comparable in
mass to the wearer and the pressure garment. EVA durations
were limited by the sizes of oxygen tank and the water
reservoir for the sublimation cooling system, the battery
energy storage, and the capacity of the lithium hydroxide
(LiOH) canister to absorb carbon dioxide. Resupply of the
PLSS involved a partial tear-down to replace batteries and
LiOH canisters. For future lunar and Mars exploration,
however, robotic systems should be ubiquitous, and advances
in life support technologies should minimize or eliminate
the need to replace modules between EVAs, allowing the
potential for in-situ recharging via umbilical. In such a
scenario, smaller PLSS units would be worn by EVA crew for
independent surface traverses, with recharging taking place
while riding on a rover from site to site. This study
starts with an experimental investigation of human
load-carrying capabilities under lunar and Mars gravity
levels using underwater body segment parameter ballasting.
Backpack weights are varied while the test subject walks at
different speeds on an underwater treadmill. Data is
obtained by subjective evaluations, as well as measured
parameters such as speeds for walk-run transition and
physiological workloads. In parallel, a design study will
be performed on shorter-duration PLSS design, investigating
the best architectures for specific life support hardware
for shorter durations and to facilitate full system
recharging via an umbilical connection. Estimates of
required recharge times as a fraction of disconnected usage
duration will identify required time on rover between
independent surface sorties. Analogue testing with the UMd
BioBot system will seek to identify desirable and minimum
acceptable durations for independent surface activities, to
bring this all together into a consistent framework for
enhanced EVA operations
Considerations for Increasing Habitability for Autonomous Deep-Space Habitat Operations
Get PDFSophia A. Zaccarine, University of Colorado - Boulder, United StatesDavid M. Klaus, University of Colorado - Boulder, United StatesICES506: Human Exploration Beyond Low Earth Orbit: Missions
and TechnologiesThe 54th International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in Prague, Czechia, on 13 July 2025 through 17 July 2025.Deep-space human missions will require increasing
operational autonomy for the onboard crew and habitat as
extensive Earth support and reliance is impractical and, at
times, impossible. The habitat and crew must become an
‘autonomous system’, capable of operating for finite time
periods without external aid from Earth-based ground
support such as teleoperators, ground facilities, and other
space assets. Since logistical resupply becomes unfeasible
in deep-space and Earth-based communications are delayed,
additional onboard capabilities are required of the
deep-space habitat that move toward self-sufficiency.
Opportunities for potential benefits, or improvements
beyond State of the Art (SoA) design practice for human
habitats are identified and explored in this paper for
their contributions to improving habitability. Where
self-sufficiency captures required functionality,
potentially beneficial opportunities that can improve crew
well-being can be mapped to habitability. This research
paper proposes a process to characterize habitability by
aligning it with two of the three key tenets of a
human-rated spacecraft: Accommodate and Utilize, while the
third tenet, Protect, which is focused on risk mitigation,
is not addressed in this research effort. Novel
stratifications of ‘Attributes of Accommodate’ (what the
habitat does) and ‘Degrees of Utilize’ (what the crew does)
to assess the tenets of accommodate and utilize are
proposed to detail how a habitat with increasingly
autonomous capabilities influences habitat and crew task
allocation. Components of habitability, distilled from a
broad literature review, are then aligned with proposed
attributes of accommodate and applied to select examples
from past missions
ISRU Technology Developments at the DLR Institute of Space Systems
Get PDFPaul Zabel, German Aerospace Center (DLR), GermanyLuca Kiewiet, German Aerospace Center (DLR), GermanyKunal Kulkarni, German Aerospace Center (DLR), GermanyMateo Rejón López, German Aerospace Center (DLR), GermanySvenja Fälker, German Aerospace Center (DLR), GermanyICES308: Advanced Technologies for In-Situ Resource
UtilizationThe 54th International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in Prague, Czechia, on 13 July 2025 through 17 July 2025.The Synergetic Material Utilization (SMU) research group
was founded in 2021 at the DLR Institute of Space Systems
in Bremen with the primary focus on combining Life Support
Systems and In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) systems.
The group works on a combination of laboratory-scale
experimental setups in relevant environments and
simulations to contribute to the development of ISRU
technologies for Moon and Mars. One research area is
regolith beneficiation, which resulted in the development
of a laboratory scale model for a multi-stage beneficiation
testbed. The testbed achieved a three-fold increase in the
ilmenite weight concentration compared to the unprocessed
input regolith. The goal is to further develop particle
size sorting and magnetic mineral enrichment processes.
Another research area is water extraction and purification
for in-situ propellant and consumables production. Here,
the SMU group has led the EU-funded LUWEX project. Its
objective is to extract, capture, and purify water from
lunar icy regolith, reaching Technology Readiness Level
(TRL) 4/5. Along with validating this water process chain
in a relevant lunar simulated environment, the project
developed a novel method to produce an icy regolith
simulant. As a foundation for LUWEX, an experimental study
was performed on the solubility of regolith simulants in
water. Additionally, several feasibility studies have been
performed on different ISRU topics. One system analysis
focused of an ISRU production plant to extract oxygen and
metals. Furthermore, a second analysis on the oxygen
production costs and logistics on the Moon surface was
carried out, leading to the conclusion that the location
with the best resources is the main driver in location
selection. A third study was conducted on extracting
minerals on Mars suitable for plant cultivation. This
manuscript gives a comprehensive overview about the results
of the different research and development activities
carried out since 2021
Soil biodiversity and function under global change
Get PDFSoil organisms represent the most abundant and diverse organisms on the planet and support almost every ecosystem function we know, and thus impact our daily lives. Some of these impacts have been well-documented, such as the role of soil organisms in regulating soil fertility and carbon sequestration; processes that have direct implications for essential ecosystem services including food security and climate change mitigation. Moreover, soil biodiversity also plays a critical role in supporting other aspects from One Health—the combined health of humans, animals, and the environment—to the conservation of historic structures such as monuments. Unfortunately, soil biodiversity is also highly vulnerable to a growing number of stressors associated with global environmental change. Understanding how and when soil biodiversity supports these functions, and how it will adapt to changing environmental conditions, is crucial for conserving soils and maintaining soil processes for future generations. In this Essay, we discuss the fundamental importance of soil biodiversity for supporting multiple ecosystem services and One Health, and further highlight essential knowledge gaps that need to be addressed to conserve soil biodiversity for the next generations
Advanced Waste Management Strategic Analysis: Human Lunar Return to Sustained Lunar Evolution
Get PDFRay P. Pitts, NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC), United StatesVictor R. Alvarez, NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC), United StatesMichael K. Ewert, NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), United StatesAna M. Spader, NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), United StatesICES304: Physico-Chemical Life Support- Waste Management
Systems- Technology and Process DevelopmentThe 54th International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in Prague, Czechia, on 13 July 2025 through 17 July 2025.Strategic planning and architecture formulation are
instrumental to achieving NASA’s Moon to Mars objectives.
For a sustained lunar presence, stepwise capability
maturation plans are required to meet defined
characteristics, needs, and functions, from Human Lunar
Return (HLR) to Sustained Lunar Evolution (SLE). The
technical area of waste management is no exception to this.
A preliminary study was performed to predict advanced waste
management capability infusion points throughout the lunar
M2M segments. Waste generation rates within various
elements for reference missions of each lunar segment were
estimated in relation to mass and volume storage
capacities. Using historical data and subject matter
experts, a waste resource assessment was performed to
identify materials that are of high utility that may
warrant reutilization in future missions. With waste
generation and resource-potential understood, the infusion
of waste processing and recycling methods was assessed by
identifying break-even points for state-of-the-art
technologies with respect to waste reduction and resource
recovery. Trash-to-Gas, Trash Compaction and/or Processing,
and In-Space Manufacturing of recycled materials were
assessed as example cases for advanced waste management
capability infusion more generally. The results of this
study indicate a growth in waste loading from the
early-stage HLR segment, with a substantial increase
starting in the mid-stage Foundational Exploration (FE)
segment through the late-stage SLE missions which will
challenge traditional waste storage concepts on all key
elements. Furthermore, waste resources become apparent
within mid- to late-stage missions, in the realm of
hundreds to thousands of kilograms per resource.
Accordingly, assessed technologies were found to break even
in the FE and/or SLE segments, when analyzing with respect
to either resource recovery or waste reduction. These
findings suggest that an incrementally scaled advanced
waste management capability will likely be required to
satisfy NASA’s objectives for a sustained lunar presence
while providing appropriate stewardship of our closest
celestial body
Assessment of Aedes Aegypti Transcriptional Repertoire in Response to Infection with Genetically Distinct Zika Virus Strains
Get PDFBackground: Past findings demonstrate that arbovirus mutations can improve viral fitness and enhance their replication and transmissibility resulting in epidemics. Knowledge gap exists on the specific mosquito proteins that are co-opted by the resulting viral mutants to enhance their replicative fitness and transmissibility. To fill this gap, we need to first delineate how different arboviral strains impacts the global transcription patterns of a mosquito host.
Method: This thesis aimed at examining the transcriptome profile of the whole bodies of Mexican Aedes aegypti orally exposed to genetically distinct neotropics and old-world zika virus (ZIKV) strains. The transmissibility of the two ZIKV strains by the Mexican Ae. aegypti was examined. The transcriptome sequencing was performed on an Illumina MiSeq platform. The differentially regulated genes were assessed.
Results: The Mexican Ae. aegypti were more susceptible to infection with the neotropical ZIKV than the old-world ZIKV strain. Oral exposure of the Mexican Ae. aegypti to neotropics ZIKV and not old-world ZIKV resulted in a significant suppression of antimicrobial peptides and immune related genes. Furthermore, old-world ZIKV was associated with a subdued expression of genes encoding proteins that are important for membrane translocation. Lastly, both the neotropics and old-world ZIKV strains infection resulted in an enriched ribosome biogenesis factor as well as ribosome proteins.
Conclusion: Our present findings provide insights into genotype-by-genotype interactions between pathogen and host. The identification of mosquito host proteins manipulated by the different ZIKV strains is very interesting and, in the future, can open new avenues for development of novel therapeutic strategies
The Role of High-Protein Instant Ramen Noodles in Inducing and Maintaining Satiety: Acute, Randomized, Crossover Study
No full textFor weight loss, it is difficult to follow reduced-calorie diets for a long time, as they usually result in increased feelings of hunger, increased desire to eat, and decreased feeling of fullness, making it difficult for individuals to adhere to weight-loss diets. It may help to have greater satiety along with a reduced calorie diet. The protein content of foods is correlated with satiety value. As such, meals with a higher protein content promote satiety and can reduce energy intake during subsequent meal(s). Evaluating commonly consumed high-protein foods for their potential to increase satiety and reduce subsequent energy intake may enable their incorporation into diets to facilitate long-term weight loss. This study was conducted to test a meal of high protein instant ramen noodles compared to a standard protein instant ramen noodles for greater induction of satiety, reduction of hunger, improvement of glycemic response, and reduction of subsequent short-term energy intake. The study recruited twenty-five (25) generally healthy men and women between the ages of 25 and 45 years with body mass index (BMI) of 20-30kg/m2. A 2-condition, randomized, crossover postprandial study was conducted. Following an overnight fast, subjects consumed in a random order, a 71 g breakfast of high-protein ramen noodles (320 kcal; protein 20 g [25% kcal]; carbohydrates 29 g [36% kcal]; fat 14 g [39% kcal]) or 71 g breakfast of standard protein ramen noodles (311 kcal; protein 6 g [8% kcal]; carbohydrates 41 g [53% kcal]; fat 13 g [38% kcal]). A washout period of 3-35 days separated the conditions. The primary outcome was appetite score. Secondary outcomes were energy intake at buffet lunch, appetite sensations (perceived hunger, perceived satiety, perceived fullness, perceived desire for prospective food consumption, the desire to eat something fatty, the desire to eat something salty, the desire to eat something sweet and the desire to eat something savory), levels of glucose, insulin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (Glp1), peptide YY (PYY) and Ghrelin. Fasting blood samples were drawn at baseline before the test breakfast and at 30, 60, 120, and 180 minutes after breakfast for assessment of glucose, insulin, Glp-1, PYY and ghrelin. Subjects filled out Visual Analogue Scales (VAS) during each blood draw to assess perceived hunger, perceived satiety, perceived fullness, perceived desire for prospective food consumption, the desire to eat something fatty, the desire to eat something salty, the desire to eat something sweet, and the desire to eat something savory. After 180 minutes (3 hours), the subjects were presented with a buffet lunch and asked to eat until satisfied. The lunch served and leftovers were weighed and recorded to determine lunchtime intake of energy, macronutrients, and some micronutrients. All data were analyzed using linear mixed models. The results showed that the appetite score was similar between the conditions (p>0.05). However, after the high-protein ramen noodles breakfast, the participants had significantly lower prospective food consumption and subsequently consumed significantly fewer calories (94 kcal; 95% CI: 8.63, 179.75 kcal; p<0.04), fat (5 g, 95% CI: 0.34, 9.68 g; p<0.05), and sodium (214mg, 95% CI: 41.02, 387.74 mg; p<0.02) during lunch compared to following the standard protein ramen noodles breakfast. The desire to eat something savory and the desire to eat something sweet were also higher in the high-protein group compared to the standard protein condition (p<0.05). There was no difference in perceived hunger, satiety, the desire to eat something fatty, the desire to eat something salty, as well as glucose, and the appetite hormones (GLP-1, PYY, and ghrelin). In conclusion, high-protein instant ramen noodle breakfast acutely decreases prospective food consumption and subsequent lunch time energy intake compared to a standard protein instant ramen noodle. This finding provides an opportunity to test the long-term effect of high-protein noodles in reducing energy intake for the promotion of weight loss