AD-HOC principles of minimum energy expenditure as corollaries of the constructal law the cases of river basins and human vascular systems

In a recent paper [1] Reis showed that both the principles of extremum of entropy production rate, which are often used in the study of complex systems, are corollaries of the Constructal Law. In fact, both follow from the maximization of overall system conductivities, under appropriate constraints. In this way, the maximum rate of entropy production (MEP) occurs when all the forces in the system are kept constant. On the other hand, the minimum rate of entropy production (mEP) occurs when all the currents that cross the system are kept constant. In this paper it is shown how the so-called principle of "minimum energy expenditure" which is often used as the basis for explaining many morphologic features in biologic systems, and also in inanimate systems, is also a corollary of Bejan's Constructal Law [2]. Following the general proof some cases namely, the scaling laws of human vascular systems and river basins are discussed as illustrations from the side of life, and inanimate systems, respectively.

Double trouble: French colonialism in Morocco and the early history of the Pasteur institutes of Tangier and Casablanca (1895-1932)

Morocco was the last North African country in which a Pasteur institute was created, nearly two decades later than in Tunisia and Algeria. In fact, two institutes were opened, the first in Tangier in 1913 and the second in Casablanca in 1932. This duplication, far from being a measure of success, was the material expression of the troubles Pastorians had experienced in getting a solid foothold in the country since the late 19th century. These problems partly derived from the pre-existence of a modest Spanish-Moroccan bacteriological tradition, developed since the late 1880s within the framework of the Sanitary Council and Hygiene Commission of Tangier, and partly from the uncoordinated nature of the initiatives launched from Paris and Algiers. Although a Pasteur Institute was finally established, with Paul Remlinger as director, the failure of France to impose its colonial rule over the whole country, symbolized by the establishment of an international regime in Tangier, resulted in the creation of a second centre in Casablanca. While elucidating many hitherto unclear facts about the entangled origins of both institutes, the author points to the solidity of the previously independent Moroccan state as a major factor behind the troubled translation of Pastorianism to Morocco. Systematically dismissed or downplayed by colonial and postcolonial historiography, this solidity disrupted the French takeover of the country and therefore Pastorian expectations.

Mitochondrial demographic history of the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon), an expanding carnivore in the Iberian Peninsula

Describing the genetic patterns and the demographic history of expanding species is essential for providing insights into the processes linked with range dynamics. We analysed the mitochondrial diversity of the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) across the Iberian Peninsula, where the species is currently expanding northwest. A total of 242 individuals were analysed, together with nine representatives from the North African dispersal source. Haplotype segregation and strong differentiation between Iberian and North African populations confirmed the longterm presence of the species in the Iberian Peninsula. The distribution of mitochondrial diversity fitted the pattern of a historically diversified population in southern Iberia, from which the recent dispersals into northern areas may have occurred. Higher levels of haplotype and nucleotide diversities in the northern areas, together with the heterogeneous distribution of pairwise population differentiations and the weak signal for isolationbydistance suggest the existence of longdispersal migrants across the Iberian Peninsula. Sudden and spatial expansion scenarios of H. ichneumon in the Iberian Peninsula were supported by mismatch analysis and marginally supported by neutrality tests. However, the precise time of occurrence of the detected expansion remains unclear. Future studies should incorporate additional markers in order to further clarify the population dynamics of the Egyptian mongoose in its Iberian range.