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1
Bimm, Jordan. "Andean Man & the Astronaut." Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences 51, no. 3 (June 1, 2021): 285–329. http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/hsns.2021.51.3.285.
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In 1958, Bruno Balke, a former German Luftwaffe doctor working for the United States Air Force (USAF), led a team of airmen up Colorado’s Mount Evans. Could acclimatization to the thin mountain air boost the oxygen efficiency of future astronauts living in artificial low-pressure spacecraft environments? To judge their improvement, Balke, an expert in the nascent field of space medicine, compared their performance not with military test-pilots, but with high-altitude Indigenous people he had studied in the Peruvian Andes. This article expands discussions of race in space history beyond Black scientists, mathematicians, and pilots in the Civil Rights era to this earlier case of the permanent residents of Morococha, Peru, who participated in efforts to define an ideal spacefaring body. More than recovering the story of a nearly forgotten group of astronaut-adjacent test-subjects, this article shows how racial discrimination in space medicine functioned by inclusion. Balke studied and even celebrated the bodies of Morocochans, but never considered them potential astronauts. This article begins with Balke’s participation in the 1938 Nazi-funded expedition to summit Nanga Parbat in the Himalayas, and his follow-on work acclimatizing Luftwaffe pilots during World War Two. Then it focuses on his USAF work in the 1950s studying miners living and working in Morococha, Peru, and his attempt to replicate their altitude tolerance in American airmen on Mount Evans. Recovering Balke’s work places the high-altitude Indigenous person and the mountaineer alongside the familiar figure of the pilot in the genealogy of the early American astronaut.
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Stewart, Rod. "Psychology of Spaceflight: II. Suggested Bases of Space Motion Sickness: Perceptual Disorientation and Elevated Stomach pH." Perceptual and Motor Skills 60, no. 1 (February 1985): 189–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.2466/pms.1985.60.1.189.
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Suggested causes of space-motion sickness are inferred from the experiences of a group of astronaut candidates and from the vomit pH values of nonastronauts. Both groups experienced simulated weightlessness in an airplane.
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Glasser, Leanne, Emily Young, and Pauline Sameshima. "The Supermodel Astronaut Challenge: traversing frames of mind." Qualitative Research Journal 19, no. 4 (November 11, 2019): 415–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/qrj-02-2019-0023.
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Purpose The Supermodel Astronaut (SMA) Challenge began with a group of women in a graduate class who joined together to take the pledge “I Am Enough.” The goals of the pledge are to practice positive affirmative actions of self-acceptance, self-grace, self-improvement and positive encouragement of oneself and others. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach The SMA Challenge involves an online video pledge to encourage women and girls to demonstrate their opposition to the promotion of singular ideals of body perpetuated through media. Various individuals and groups have created music videos titled SMA to the soundtrack created by Ellen Tift (the originator of the project). Findings Here, framed by Daignault’s (1983) theories on curriculum construction, the authors critically reflect on their support of the idea of the video, but also their apprehension and insecurities in participating in the video production. Originality/value From reflections, writings and dialogic discussions, they determined five embodied frames of mind that supported them in traversing the liminal space of new learning: imagining the possible, learning in doing, settling in vulnerability, journeying through empowerment and heightening self-reflection.
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Ireland-Piper, Danielle, and Steven Freeland. "Human Rights and Space: Reflections on the Implications of Human Activity in Outer Space on Human Rights Law." Groningen Journal of International Law 9, no. 1 (September 28, 2021): 101–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.21827/grojil.9.1.101-127.
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What are the implications of human activity in outer space for international human rights law? In this article, we reflect on these questions with a view to advancing dialogue on the intersection between space law and human rights. We do so by considering the impact of extra-terrestrial human activities such as access to space and remote-sensing activities, space debris, space mining, the weaponisation and militarization of space, and the assertion of criminal jurisdiction extra-terrestrially. Ultimately, we conclude that human activity in space has significant consequences for the advancement of human rights. While, in our view, existing legal frameworks on international human rights law apply extra-terrestrially, there is still scope for specialist frameworks guarding human rights law in the context of human activity in outer space.
"To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit."
~ Stephen Hawking, Astrophysicist
"Space is for everybody. It's not just for a few people in science or math, or for a select group of astronauts. That's our new frontier out there, and it's everybody's business to know about space."
~ Christa McAuliffe, Teacher and Challenger Astronaut
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Truchon, Laurence, Catherine Lacombe, Myriam Doyon, Jean-Sébastien Tremblay-Roy, Claude Cyr, Ghassan Choker, Sébastien Roulier, Yves Patenaude, and Miriam Santschi. "46 Preparation for MRI through imaginary visualization of an astronaut’s rocket journey to space for children 3 to 7 years old." Paediatrics & Child Health 25, Supplement_2 (August 2020): e19-e20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/pch/pxaa068.045.
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Abstract Background Medical imaging by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is now frequently used in the pediatric population. Up to now, sedation is used almost systematically to provide adequate immobilization during the exam. However, sedation is not without risks. Objectives The objective of this study is to evaluate whether a prior familiarization to MRI procedures with a video staging the imaginary world of an astronaut’s rocket journey into space will decrease the number of required sedations for an MRI for children aged 3 to 7 years old. Design/Methods A total of 136 children between 3 and 8 years of age, referred for an MRI between April 2016 and October 2019, were recruited for this prospective non-randomized quasi-experimental study. The control group (April 2016 to August 2017, n=73) received the usual sedation protocol for MRI used in our center. A pictorial step-by-step brochure and a three-minute video explaining the parallel between the MRI reality and the imaginary world of an astronaut was developed and shown to the intervention group (July 2018 to October 2019, n=63) before the MRI. Compared to the control group, any MRI in the intervention group was first attempted without sedation. Results A significant decrease in the number of sedations was observed in the intervention group (n=18; 28.6%) compared to the control group (n=47; 64.4%) (odds ratio: 0.22; p <0.001). The effect of the intervention was even stronger for younger children (3 and 4 years old) (odds ratio: 0.03) compared to older children (5 years old and above) (odds ratio: 0.3). After logistic regression, age remained the sole other significant factor to influence the need for sedation, even in the intervention group. Conclusion A video and a brochure staging the imaginary world of an astronaut’s rocket journey into space showed just before a MRI significantly reduces the rate of sedation in children aged 3 to 7 years, especially for young children. We believe the implementation of interventions using imaginary visualization in this age group should be widely used to limit the necessity of sedation.
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Patel, Rutulkumar, Scott Welford, and Stanton L. Gerson. "The Effects of Galactic Cosmic Radiation Exposure on Hematopoietic Stem Cell Dysfunction and Oncogenesis." Blood 128, no. 22 (December 2, 2016): 5297. http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/blood.v128.22.5297.5297.
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Abstract Natural sources of radiation in space include galactic cosmic rays (GCR), solar energetic particles (SPE) and trapped energetic particles in a planetary magnetic field. These different sources of space radiation consist of protons of various energies, particle nuclei of high energy and charge (HZE) and neutrons of different energies. These sources are difficult to shield because of their high energies and dense ionization patterns, thus posing significant health risks to astronauts on long term inter-planetary missions. Efforts to protect astronauts from harmful cosmic radiation require a deeper understanding of the effects of GCR on human health. In particular, very little is known about the effects of GCR exposure on the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) population and whether disruptions in genetic stability in HSCs could result in the development of hematopoietic malignancies in astronauts on deep space missions. The average age of shuttle crew has risen above 46 years, and our work and others have shown that HSCs display diminished function with age. Recent data from our group has demonstrated that middle-aged individuals show frequent defects in DNA mismatch repair (MMR) in HSCs. MMR corrects DNA mismatches generated by DNA polymerase during replication which prevents mutations from becoming permanent in dividing cells. Thus, MMR plays a crucial role in the DNA damage response pathway to prevent short-term mutagenesis and long-term tumorigenesis. Several human MMR proteins have been identified as MutS and MutL homologues consisting of MSH2 and MLH1 heterodimers that functions in DNA mismatch/damage recognition, endonuclease activity and termination of mismatch-provoked excision. Our group has shown that humans accumulate microsatellite instability (MSI) with acquired loss of MLH1 protein in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells as a function of age. Therefore, we employed a DNA mismatch repair deficient mouse model (MLH1+/- and MLH1-/-) to study the effects of different radiation sources including 56Fe, 28Si, 4He, 1H and ᵞ-rays on HSCs to examine HSCs of potential astronaut population under GCR conditions. The complete blood count (CBC) data after 5 months and 9 months of whole body irradiation with different ions showed a slight dose-dependent decrease in all blood counts but absence of any significant difference in CBC of MLH1+/+ vs MLH1+/- mice. In addition, CFU and competitive repopulation data demonstrated a radiation quality effects on HSC function, but not an MLH1 effect. These results demonstrate that hematopoietic stem cell function is normal and that a MLH1 defect does not differentiate progenitor and mature effector cells following HZE radiation. To study long term effects of different ions on the potential for disease progression in a MLH1 dependent manner, we performed whole body irradiation with 56Fe, 28Si, 1H and ᵞ-rays on MLH1+/+ and MLH1+/- mice and followed them up to 18 months post exposure. We observed that MLH1+/- mice show dramatic increases in lymphomagenesis 10-12 months after 56Fe irradiation compared to wild type mice, with greater than 60 % of MLH1+/- mice developed lymphomas at doses 10 cGy and 100 cGy compared to less than 10 % of wild type. For comparison, roughly 10 % of MLH1+/- mice developed lymphomas when mice were treated with whole body sparsely ionizing ᵞ-rays at 100 cGy compared to none of the control. Thus the date show that MMR defects in HSCs lead to sensitization to radiation induced hematopoietic malignancy and that radiation quality effects exacerbate the sensitivity. The findings could have profound effects on astronaut screening, as well as lead to important questions regarding safety of ion therapy and development of second malignancies for cancer patients who remain on Earth. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
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LIU, HAOTING, FENGGANG XU, QIANXIANG ZHOU, ZHIZHEN LIU, FAN LI, CHUNHUI WANG, and SHANGUANG CHEN. "HEALTHY STATE MONITOR OF UPPER LIMB FOR SPACE FLIGHT TASK BASED ON SIGNAL ANALYSES OF MULTIPLE MUSCLE FORCES." Journal of Mechanics in Medicine and Biology 17, no. 04 (December 14, 2016): 1750061. http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/s0219519417500610.
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A novel healthy state monitor method of upper limb for space flight task is proposed. Without taking other complex diagnosis equipment in orbit, this method only uses the ordinary exercise instruments to collect and analyze the multiple muscle forces of astronauts, and deduces where the serious muscle atrophy occurs in their muscle groups of upper limb. First, the typical multiple muscle forces data of upper limb are accumulated. A 45-day 6-degree head-down tilt bed rest experiment together with a multiple muscle forces test experiment are carried out to collect the corresponding data. These data include both the muscle force data of healthy state and the related data of unhealthy state. Second, the Wavelet Packet Transform (WPT) and the Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) methods are used to compute the signal features of these data above. Third, a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier is trained by the related signal features. Finally, the trained SVM can be utilized to evaluate the healthy state of upper limb in orbit for astronaut. If the output of SVM is negative, the C-means method and the Euclidean distance can be used to locate the abnormal muscle forces and muscle groups. The concept of typical muscle group health state evaluation for upper limb is emphasized in this paper. The comparisons among the traditional diagnosis-based method, the electromyogram (EMG)-based muscle forces analysis method, and the proposed method are made. Many experiment results on ground have verified the effectiveness of proposed method.
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Ogunyemi, Dotun. "Defeating Unconscious Bias: The Role of a Structured, Reflective, and Interactive Workshop." Journal of Graduate Medical Education 13, no. 2 (February 25, 2021): 189–94. http://dx.doi.org/10.4300/jgme-d-20-00722.1.
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ABSTRACT Background Unconscious or implicit biases are universal and detrimental to health care and the learning environment but can be corrected. Historical interventions used the Implicit Association Test (IAT), which may have limitations. Objective We determined the efficacy of an implicit bias training without using the IAT. Methods From April 2019 to June 2020, a 90-minute educational workshop was attended by students, residents, and faculty. The curriculum included an interactive unconscious biases presentation, videoclips using vignettes to demonstrate workplace impact of unconscious biases with strategies to counter, and reflective group discussions. The evaluation included pre- and postintervention surveys. Participants were shown images of 5 individuals and recorded first impressions regarding trustworthiness and presumed profession to unmask implicit bias. Results Of approximately 273 participants, 181 were given the survey, of which 103 (57%) completed it with significant increases from pre- to postintervention assessments for perception scores (28.87 [SEM 0.585] vs 32.73 [0.576], P < .001) and knowledge scores (5.68 [0.191] vs 7.22 [0.157], P < .001). For a White male physician covered in tattoos, only 2% correctly identified him as a physician, and 60% felt he was untrustworthy. For a smiling Black female astronaut, only 13% correctly identified her as an astronaut. For a brooding White male serial killer, 50% found him trustworthy. Conclusions An interactive unconscious bias workshop, performed without the use of an IAT, was associated with increases in perceptions and knowledge regarding implicit biases. The findings also confirmed inaccurate first impression stereotypical assumptions based on ethnicity, outward appearances, couture, and media influences.
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Malašauskienė, Dovilė, Ramūnas Antanaitis, Vida Juozaitiene, Mindaugas Televičius, Mingaudas Urbutis, Arūnas Rutkauskas, Agnė Šimkutė, and Giedrius Palubinskas. "Trends in Changes of Automatic Milking System Biomarkers and Their Relations with Blood Biochemical Parameters in Fresh Dairy Cows." Veterinary Sciences 8, no. 3 (March 9, 2021): 45. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/vetsci8030045.
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The aim or this study was to determine the relationship between non-esterified fatty acids and biomarkers from an automatic milking system (AMS). Fresh dairy cows (n = 102) were selected and milked in Lely Astronaut® A3 milking robots. The rumination time (RT), body weight (BW), milk content and composition parameters, milk fat/protein ratio (F/P), and milk electrical conductivity were registered by the same milking robots. For examining non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs), blood samples were acquired from cows in the dry period. According to the NEFA concentrations, all cows were divided into two groups: Group I, with <0.300 mEq/L (n = 66), and Group II, with ≥0.300 mEq/L (n = 36). Albumin (ALB), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and cortisol concentrations were also analyzed once a week up to 30 days in milking. The study revealed that the cows in Group I had higher concentrations of ALB, cortisol, and GGT, but the average concentration of AST was lower. In Group 1, the milk F/P was higher, but the milk yield was lower. We hypothesize that biomarkers from AMS could help in the early diagnosis of metabolic diseases after calving or to control negative energy balance before calving.
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Krishnan, V., B. V. Jay Dhwarak, N. Nithyanandan, and I. Paul Theophilus Rajakumar. "Activated Carbon, Lithium Hydroxide, Calcium Hydroxide Scrubber for Carbon-Di-Oxide Capture from Exhausts of Vehicles." Applied Mechanics and Materials 812 (November 2015): 64–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.812.64.
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Vehicular pollution is one of the main reasons for air pollution in many cities. According to Industrial Environment Carbon, every gallon of gasoline produces 14% total volume of carbon dioxide, this will ultimately lead to air pollution and global warming [10]. To minimize the emission level, physical adsorption [4] can be used for the removal of organic molecule from exhaust gas stream by impulse collision. So our proposed system consists of a filter matrix bed, made of activated carbon, calcium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide [8,9]. Activated carbon is the most widely used adsorbent. It can adsorb a wide range of pollutants with varying dimensions by its broad pore distribution, micro and mesophores. Calcium group can naturally adsorb carbon component and get transformed into lime. Lithium hydroxide is widely used as carbon capturing material in space craft for adsorbing carbon dioxide exhaled by astronaut as a breathing scrubber. So collectively these three carbon sequestrating material can efficiently remove the pollutant by chemisorptions [2].
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Baybars, Meryem Görecek, and Büşra Tuğçe Kayabas. "Determination of Secondary School 4th Grade Students’ Mental Models of the Astronomer." International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE) 7, no. 2 (June 1, 2018): 94. http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v7i2.11371.
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Teaching astronomy to young generations is of great importance because astronomy education helps us to better understand the world we are living in and to find answers to our questions. In this regard, the current study aimed to determine the secondary school 4th grade students’ mental models of the astronomer. The current research is designed as a descriptive study employing the special case study method. The study was conducted in a city located in the western part of Turkey. The study group is comprised of a total of 77 secondary school 4th grade students attending a state school. In line with the purpose of the study, a data collection tool consisted of 2 open-ended questions was developed. In light of the findings of the study, it can be argued that the mental models possessed by the students about the astronomer are the scientific model, the astronaut model and the celestial bodies model
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McCollum, Gin. "Sensorimotor coordination and the structure of space." Journal of Vestibular Research 13, no. 4-6 (December 28, 2003): 157–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/ves-2003-134-602.
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Embedded in neural and behavioral organization is a structure of sensorimotor space. Both this embedded spatial structure and the structure of physical space inform sensorimotor control. This paper reviews studies in which the gravitational vertical and horizontal are crucial. The mathematical expressions of spatial geometry in these studies indicate methods for investigating sensorimotor control in freefall. In freefall, the spatial structure introduced by gravitation – the distinction between vertical and horizontal – does not exist. However, an astronaut arriving in space carries the physiologically-embedded distinction between horizontal and vertical learned on earth. The physiological organization based on this distinction collapses when the strong otolith activity and other gravitational cues for sensorimotor behavior become unavailable. The mathematical methods in this review are applicable in understanding the changes in physiological organization as an astronaut adapts to sensorimotor control in freefall. Many mathematical languages are available for characterizing the logical structures in physiological organization. Here, group theory is used to characterize basic structure of physical and physiological spaces. Dynamics and topology allow the grouping of trajectory ranges according to the outcomes or attractors. The mathematics of ordered structures express complex orderings, such as in multiphase movements in which different parts of the body are moving in different phase sequences. Conditional dynamics, which combines dynamics with the mathematics of ordered structures, accommodates the parsing of movement sequences into trajectories and transitions. Studies reviewed include those of the sit-to-stand movement and early locomotion, because of the salience of gravitation in those behaviors. Sensorimotor transitions and the conditions leading to them are characterized in conditional dynamic control structures that do not require thinking of an organism as an input-output device. Conditions leading to sensorimotor transitions on earth assume the presence of a gravitational vertical which is lacking in space. Thus, conditions used on earth for sensorimotor transitions may become ambiguous in space. A platform study in which sensorimotor transition conditions are ambiguous and are related to motion sickness is reviewed.
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Sharipov, D. R., O. A. Yakimov, and I. Sh Galimullin. "METHOD FOR SELECTING TECHNOLOGICAL TYPE COWS FOR ROBOTIC MILKING." Scientific Notes Kazan Bauman State Academy of Veterinary Medicine 246, no. 2 (June 1, 2021): 272–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.31588/2413-4201-1883-246-2-272-275.
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The technological properties of the udder of cows have been studied under the conditions of using a robotic milking system. The research material was Holstein cows in the peasant (farm) economy of the Republic of Tatarstan, serviced by "Astronaut A4" robotic milking from "Lely Industries N.V.". A method for selecting cows for robotic milking has been developed. At the same time, in the herd, first, cows of the 1st lactation at 2-4 months of lactation are assessed according to the duration of milking and animals with duration of milking from 3 to 6 minutes are selected. Then, cows are selected from this group, whose lactation intensity indicator at 2-4 months of lactation exceeds the average value of this group by 0.5 sigma (M + 0.5σ), where M – the arithmetic mean of the indicator; σ – the standard deviation of the indicator. The proposed selection method makes it possible to form a breeding core and increase the milk yield in 305 days of lactation in the group of first-calf cows by 9.5 % (P˂0.01), daily milk yield – 14.4 % (P˂0.001), the milk flow rate – 33 % (P ˂ 0.001) and reduce the duration of cows' stay in the boxing by 17.5 %, the duration of milking cows – 21.7 %. When using this method, the efficiency of using robotic technology for milk production is increased.
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Thirsk, R. B. "Health care for deep space explorers." Annals of the ICRP 49, no. 1_suppl (July 31, 2020): 182–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0146645320935288.
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[Formula: see text] There is a growing desire amongst space-faring nations to venture beyond the Van Allen radiation belts to a variety of intriguing locations in our inner solar system. Mars is the ultimate destination. In two decades, we hope to vicariously share in the adventure of an intrepid crew of international astronauts on the first voyage to the red planet. This will be a daunting mission with an operational profile unlike anything astronauts have flown before. A flight to Mars will be a 50-million-kilometre journey. Interplanetary distances are so great that voice and data communications between mission control on Earth and a base on Mars will feature latencies up to 20 min. Consequently, the ground support team will not have real-time control of the systems aboard the transit spacecraft nor the surface habitat. As cargo resupply from Earth will be impossible, the onboard inventory of equipment and supplies must be planned strategically in advance. Furthermore, the size, amount, and function of onboard equipment will be constrained by limited volume, mass, and power allowances. With less oversight from the ground, all vehicle systems will need to be reliable and robust. They must function autonomously. Astronauts will rely on their own abilities and onboard resources to deal with urgent situations that will inevitably arise. The deep space environment is hazardous. Zero- and reduced-gravity effects will trigger deconditioning of the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and other physiological systems. While living for 2.5 years in extreme isolation, Mars crews will experience psychological stressors such as loss of privacy, reduced comforts of living, and distant relationships with family members and friends. Beyond Earth’s protective magnetosphere, the fluence of ionising radiation will be higher. Longer exposure of astronauts to galactic cosmic radiation could result in the formation of cataracts, impaired wound healing, and degenerative tissue diseases. Genetic mutations and the onset of cancer later in life are also possible. Acute radiation sickness and even death could ensue from a large and unpredictable solar particle event. There are many technological barriers that prevent us from carrying out a mission to Mars today. Before launching the first crew, we will need to develop processes for in-situ resource utilisation. Rather than bringing along large quantities of oxygen, water, and propellant from Earth, future astronauts will need to produce some of these consumables from local space-based resources. Ion propulsion systems will be needed to reduce travel times to interplanetary destinations, and we will need systems to land larger payloads (up to 40 tonnes of equipment and supplies for a human mission) on planetary surfaces. These and other innovations will be needed before humans venture into deep space. However, it is the delivery of health care that is regarded as one of the most important obstacles to be overcome. Physicians, biomedical engineers, human factors specialists, and radiation experts are re-thinking operational concepts of health care, crew performance, and life support. Traditional oversight of astronaut health by ground-based medical teams will no longer be possible, particularly in urgent situations. Aborting a deep space mission to medically evacuate an ill or injured crew member to Earth will not be an option. Future crews must have all of the capability and responsibility to monitor and manage their own health. Onboard medical resources must include imaging, surgery, and emergency care, as well as laboratory analysis of blood, urine, and other biospecimens. At least one member of the crew should be a broadly trained physician with experience in remote medicine. She/he will be supported by an onboard health informatics network that is artificial intelligence enabled to assist with monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment. In other words, health care in deep space will become more autonomous, intelligent, and point of care. The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) has dedicated a day of its 5th International Symposium in Adelaide to the theme of Mars exploration. ICRP has brought global experts together today to consider the pressing issues of radiation protection. There are many issues to be addressed: Can the radiation countermeasures currently used in low Earth orbit be adapted for deep space? Can materials of low atomic weight be integrated into the structure of deep space vehicles to shield the crew? In the event of a major solar particle event, could a safe haven shelter the crew adequately from high doses of radiation? Could Martian regolith be used as shielding material for subterranean habitats? Will shielding alone be sufficient to minimise exposure, or will biological and pharmacological countermeasures also be needed? Beyond this symposium, I will value the continued involvement of ICRP in space exploration. ICRP has recently established Task Group 115 to examine radiation effects on the health of astronaut crew and to recommend exposure limits. This work will be vital. Biological effects of radiation could not only impact the health, well-being, and performance of future explorers, but also the length and quality of their lives. While humanity has dreamed of travel to the red planet for decades, an actual mission is finally starting to feel like a possibility. How exciting! I thank ICRP for its ongoing work to protect radiation workers on Earth. In the future, we will depend on counsel from ICRP to protect extraterrestrial workers and to enable the exploration of deep space.
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Televičius, Mindaugas, Vida Juozaitiene, Dovilė Malašauskienė, Ramunas Antanaitis, Arūnas Rutkauskas, Mingaudas Urbutis, and Walter Baumgartner. "Inline Milk Lactose Concentration as Biomarker of the Health Status and Reproductive Success in Dairy Cows." Agriculture 11, no. 1 (January 8, 2021): 38. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11010038.
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In this study, cow reticulorumen content pH and temperature together with the activity were registered using smaXtec boluses, specially designed for animal care. Body weight, rumination time, milk fat/protein ratio, milk yield, milk lactose, milk electrical conductivity, milk somatic cell count and consumption of concentrated feed were registered by Lely Astronaut® A3 milking robots. The cows in this study were assigned into two groups according to the milk lactose concentration: group 1—milk lactose < 4.70% (n = 20), group 2—milk lactose ≥ 4.70% (n = 15). The following cows were further classified according to milk fat and protein ratio: F/P < 1.2 (class 1), F/P = 1.2 (class 2) and F/P > 1.2 (class 3). According to our results, we can conclude that inline registered milk lactose concentration can be used to indicate the health status and reproductive success of fresh dairy cows. Cows with an increased lactose concentration (≥4.70%) showed more activity (54.47%) and had less risk of mastitis (determined by lower milk electrical conductivity (EC) and somatic cell counts (SCC)) and metabolic disorders, determined by milk F/P. A higher glucose concentration was also apparent in the cows with higher lactose concentration. Registered lower levels of milk lactose can be used for early identification of metabolic disorders and mastitis (set at milk SCC ≥ 100 thousand/mL). Lactose levels in cows’ milk were positively associated with their reproductive success.
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Televičius, Mindaugas, Vida Juozaitiene, Dovilė Malašauskienė, Ramunas Antanaitis, Arūnas Rutkauskas, Mingaudas Urbutis, and Walter Baumgartner. "Inline Milk Lactose Concentration as Biomarker of the Health Status and Reproductive Success in Dairy Cows." Agriculture 11, no. 1 (January 8, 2021): 38. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11010038.
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In this study, cow reticulorumen content pH and temperature together with the activity were registered using smaXtec boluses, specially designed for animal care. Body weight, rumination time, milk fat/protein ratio, milk yield, milk lactose, milk electrical conductivity, milk somatic cell count and consumption of concentrated feed were registered by Lely Astronaut® A3 milking robots. The cows in this study were assigned into two groups according to the milk lactose concentration: group 1—milk lactose < 4.70% (n = 20), group 2—milk lactose ≥ 4.70% (n = 15). The following cows were further classified according to milk fat and protein ratio: F/P < 1.2 (class 1), F/P = 1.2 (class 2) and F/P > 1.2 (class 3). According to our results, we can conclude that inline registered milk lactose concentration can be used to indicate the health status and reproductive success of fresh dairy cows. Cows with an increased lactose concentration (≥4.70%) showed more activity (54.47%) and had less risk of mastitis (determined by lower milk electrical conductivity (EC) and somatic cell counts (SCC)) and metabolic disorders, determined by milk F/P. A higher glucose concentration was also apparent in the cows with higher lactose concentration. Registered lower levels of milk lactose can be used for early identification of metabolic disorders and mastitis (set at milk SCC ≥ 100 thousand/mL). Lactose levels in cows’ milk were positively associated with their reproductive success.
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Barátová, Silvia, Miroslav Šlosár, and Alena Andrejiová. "Examination of Basic Variety Characteristics of Sweet Corn in Conditions of the Southern Slovakia." Acta Horticulturae et Regiotecturae 19, no. 1 (May 1, 2016): 4–7. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/ahr-2016-0002.
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Abstract The production of sweet corn has been increased recently. It is a very delicious vegetable species with wide variety assortment. Nowadays, new varieties which come to markets are characterized by improved properties, higher sugar content and their stability in storage. Thus, it is necessary to know basic variety parameters for better orientation in wide corn assortment. According to earliness, sweet corn varieties were classified to following groups: very early or early (RISING SUN F1; 874 F1; SF 1073 F1; SF 583 F1); middle-late (SF 681 F1; 1027 F1; ASTRONAUT F1); late (GALAXY F1; SPACE SHIP F1) and very late (MATADOR F1). The day number from tassel anthesis to harvest is an important parameter of sweet corn for potential grower and its lowest value was found at variety RISING SUN F1. On the basis of gained results, we classified all evaluated varieties to the group of super-sweet corn (sh-2) with slow decline of sugar content and storage possibility in cold conditions from 4 to 7 days after harvest. The sugar content of sweet corn is a parameter having important role for purchase by consumers. The variety had statistically significant impact to the sugar content and its highest value was determined at variety 874 F1.
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Kulegel, Selin, and Unsal Umdu Topsakal. "Secondary School Students’ Perceptions About Space Camp: Space Camp Turkey." Journal of Education and Learning 9, no. 3 (May 28, 2020): 154. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/jel.v9n3p154.
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The aim of this research is to investigate the effects of outdoor learning environments such as space camp on the perceptions of secondary school students about astronomy, career choices, and development of 21st century skills. Izmir space camp trip was organized in 2019. Qualitative study was conducted with secondary school 5th grade students attending the space camp (N = 24). Semi-structured interview form, focus group interview, space camp evaluation form and researcher observation notes were used as data collection tools. Data analysis was evaluated with content analysis and open coding. Students participated in the program of stars and planets adventure. In this program, the participants had the opportunity to use astronaut training simulators that give the feeling of living and working in space, to perform simulated shuttle missions, to learn new information from experts in the field and to get more detailed information about the professions. At the end of the study, it was revealed that out of school learning environments such as space camps had a positive effect on students. As a result of the study, it has been observed that the students perform their duties in a team collaboration in shuttle mission and develop their critical, questioning and thinking skills by experiencing the discussions about the subject with the experts. In addition, the misconception about Pluto was also determined.
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Antanaitis, Ramūnas, Vida Juozaitienė, Gediminas Urbonavičius, Dovilė Malašauskienė, Mindaugas Televičius, Mingaudas Urbutis, Karina Džermeikaitė, and Walter Baumgartner. "Identification of Risk Factors for Lameness Detection with Help of Biosensors." Agriculture 11, no. 7 (June 29, 2021): 610. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11070610.
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In this study we hypothesized that the lameness of early lactation dairy cows would have an impact on inline biomarkers, such as rumination time (RT), milk fat (%), milk protein (%), milk fat/protein ratio (F/P), milk lactose (L, %), milk electrical conductivity of all udder quarters, body weight (BW), temperature of reticulorumen content (TRR), pH of reticulorumen content (pH), and walking activity (activity). All 30 lame cows (LCs) used in this experiment had a score of 3–4, identified according to the standard procedure of Sprecher et al. The 30 healthy cows (HC) showed a lameness score of one. RT, milk fat, MY, milk protein, F/P, L, milk electrical conductivity of all udder quarters, and BW were registered using Lely Astronaut® A3 milking robots each time the cow was being milked. The TRR, cow activity, and pH of the contents of each cow’s reticulorumen were registered using specific smaXtec boluses. The study lasted a total of 28 days. Days “−14” to “−1” denote the days of the experimental period before the onset of clinical signs of lameness (day “0”), and days “1” to “13” indicate the period after the start of treatment. We found that from the ninth day before the diagnosis of laminitis until the end of our study, LCs had higher milk electrical conductivity in all udder quarters, and higher milk fat to protein ratios. On the 3rd day before the onset of clinical signs of the disease until the day of diagnosis, the milk fat of the LC group was reduced. The activity of the LCs decreased sharply from the second day to the first day after treatment. RT in the HC group tended to decrease during the experiment. pH in LCs also increased on the day of the appearance of clinical signs.
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Reichhardt, Tony. "Space group touts ‘next steps’ for astronauts." Nature 430, no. 6998 (July 2004): 390. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/430390a.
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Sitkowska, Beata, Dariusz Piwczyński, Marcin Brzozowski, and Joanna Aerts. "Quarter milking in primiparous and multiparous cows." Roczniki Naukowe Polskiego Towarzystwa Zootechnicznego 12, no. 4 (December 29, 2016): 35–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0013.5397.
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Cows in their first lactation usually have lower milking parameters than multiparous cows. The purpose of this study was to determine changes in milking parameters in primiparous and multiparous cows in a quarter milking system. This is preliminary research which at a later stage will indicate whether primiparous cows milked in an automatic milking system (AMS) throughout their first lactation will have better milking parameters as multiparous cows. The data for statistical analysis was collected from three dairy herds in which Lely Astronaut A4 automatic milking systems were used. In total, data from 718 cows were analysed (531 lactations of primiparous cows and 477 of multiparous cows). The data was collected over a period of four years beginning in 2012, when the automatic milking system was implemented. After eliminating visits to the milking robot which ended in refusal, we analysed 352,708 milking sessions from primiparous cows and 488,711 from multiparous cows. Multifactorial analysis of variance of the numerical data was performed using a linear model taking into account the effect of herd, lactation stage, milking year and season, and the interaction of these factors. The statistical procedure showed that all linear model components had a highly significant or significant impact on the milking parameters considered. During initial stage of lactation the duration of the stay in the milking robot in the two groups was very similar—396-398 s. During this stage the milking time was about 268 s for the primiparous cows and 280 for the multiparous cows, and the average milk yield was 8.38 kg for the former and 10.40 kg for the latter. During the final stage of lactation (after 200 days) the milking time was 214 s in the primiparous cows and 241 in the multiparous cows, with yield of 7.93 and 8.77 kg of milk, respectively. Both primiparous and multiparous cows stayed longer in the milking robot and were milked longer in the spring and winter, which can be linked to higher milk yield. In both groups of cows it took longer to milk the rear quarters; these differences amounted to about 25 s in the primiparous group and about 40 s in the multiparous group.
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Polupan, Yu P., Yu F. Melnik, О. D. Biriukova, and M. M. Peredriy. "DURABILITY AND EFFICIENCY OF LIFETIME USE OF RED-AND-WHITE DAIRY CATTLE." Animal Breeding and Genetics 59 (May 4, 2020): 78–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.31073/abg.59.09.
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The study was conducted on 325 cows of Ukrainian Red-and-White Dairy and Holstein breeds of the herd of the farm “Khristinovske”. These cows were descended from 28 bulls of 12 lines and related groups. A sufficiently high level of indicators of the duration and effectiveness of lifetime use of cows was established. The average life expectancy of the cows under control was 2750, economic use was 1711, and lactation was 1459 days. An average of 26221 kg of milk, 1097 kg of milk fat and 889 kg of protein were obtained from cows in lifetime (3.63 lactations).
On average, 8.7 kg was milked per day of life from cows, on day of economic use – 14.6 kg, on day of lactation –17.2 kg. Received 657, 1030 and 122 g of milk fat and protein, respectively. On average, the coefficient of economic use rate was 58.5%, the lactation rate was 85.6%, and productive use was 49.9%. For most of the studied features of the duration and effectiveness of lifetime use, multidirectional and low interspecific differentiation were established. Holstein cows had the same cows of Ukrainian Red-and-White Dairy breeds as expectancy of life, economic use, and lactation. Cows of the Holstein breed were dominated by cows of Ukrainian Red-and-White Dairy for milk fat and protein yield for one day of life, economic use, lactation and lactation rate. In animals of Ukrainian Red-and-White Dairy breed with increasing conditional bloodiness by Holstein, duration and effectiveness of lifetime use varied curvilinearly. For the most part, the cows group with 87.5% conditional bloodiness by Holstein had the advantage. A certain level of intergroup differentiation is established by the genetic factors of cows' lineage or related group and father parentage. For the most signes of duration and effectiveness of lifetime use are characterized by the better indicators animals of the P. F. A. Chief 1427381 related group and the genealogical line of R. Citation 267150, and by the worse indicators – P. Astronaut 1458744 line. In some cases, the intergroup difference reaches a significant level (up to P < 0.05). Of the half-sisters by parent groups, the daughters of Tumpi 112367468, Vize 660013269, and Roman 660886883 had the highest prevalence and effectiveness of lifetime use, and the worst were the descendants of Y. J. Gladiator 5840283 and Voron 3206. A dispersion analysis confirmed the genetic predisposition of the phenotypic variability of the studied traits of the duration and effectiveness of economic use of cows. On average, by all counted signs, linear membership determines 6.0% of the total phenotypic variability, and parentage from father – 12.1%. Therefore, when selecting the sires, their linear identity should be taken into account with the unconditional priority of the breeding value of the bulls according to the complex breeding index.
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Hasan, Khader M., Benson Mwangi, Zafer Keser, Roy Riascos, Ashot E. Sargsyan, and Larry A. Kramer. "Brain Quantitative MRI Metrics in Astronauts as a Unique Professional Group." Journal of Neuroimaging 28, no. 3 (February 20, 2018): 256–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jon.12501.
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MESHCHERYAKOV, V. P., YU G. IVANOV, T. N. PIMKINA, and E. V. ERMOSHINA. "METHOD FOR EVALUATING INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MILK EJECTION OF COWS WHEN USING DIFFERENT MILKING TECHNOLOGIES." Izvestiâ Timirâzevskoj selʹskohozâjstvennoj akademii, no. 3 (2021): 66–78. http://dx.doi.org/10.26897/0021-342x-2021-3-66-78.
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The aim of the research is to study the possibility of using a latent period of the ejection of the first portion of milk in order to evaluate the individual characteristics of the milk ejection features of cows using the technology of bucket milking and robotic milking. Two experiments were conducted on cows of Black-Motley breed. Under the first experiment, the individual characteristics of the milk ejection were shown using the technology of bucket milking. Under the second experiment, they were determined for the technology of robotic milking. The first experiment was conducted on 12 mature cows. They were milked with a serial milking machine. The process of lactation was recorded by means of a bucket counter. The parameters of milk ejection were defined by analyzing the curve of lactation and making calculations. The second experiment was conducted on 30 first-calf heifers. Cows were milked on robotic installation the Astronaut A4 of Lely Company (the Netherlands). The data of the information system of herd management Lely T4C have been used for the analysis. Depending on the indicator of a latent period of the first milk portion ejection in both experiments three groups of cows (I–III) have been isolated. The ability of milk ejection in the first group was identified as high, in the second group – average and in the third group – low. Both experiments showed that the value of a latent period of the first milk portion ejection determined the milk ejection ability of cows. The increase in the period of the first milk portion ejection has been found among cows as their milk ejection ability decreses. The currently used milking technology shows that the reduced milk ejection among cows leads to the decrease in the indicators of the average and maximum intensity of milk ejection, the first two minutes of milking and also it leads to longer duration of milking. Using the robotic milking, the authors found that the first-calf heifers with the short period of the first milk portion ejection are characterized by the shortest duration of treating the teats and staying in the milking parlor, the average duration of milk ejection from the each quarter of the udder, as well as high values of the average and maximum intensity of milk ejection. The first-calf heifers with slow milking capacity are characterized by the longest duration of treating the teats and staying in the milking parlor, the average duration of milk ejection from the each quarter of the udder, as well as the lowest values of the average and maximum intensity of milk ejection. This suggests that the selection of first-calf heifers with high milk ejection ability will help to increase the productivity of automatic milking systems during the milking process. It is proposed to use the value of a latent period of the first milk portion ejection in the breeding activities.
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A., Valerie, Huemer M.S., Miwa Hayashi, Fritz Renema, Steve Elkins, Jeffrey W. McCandless, and Robert S. McCann. "Characterizing Scan Patterns in a Spacecraft Cockpit Simulator: Expert Vs. Novice Performance." Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting 49, no. 1 (September 2005): 83–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/154193120504900119.
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Operating a spacecraft is a complex and demanding task that requires years of training and constant monitoring of both navigation and systems parameters. By examining differences in scanning between “expert” and “novice” operators, we can develop cognitive models of scanning behavior or enhance training. In the Intelligent Spacecraft Interface Systems (ISIS) laboratory, we measure eye movements and record performance parameters in a part-task space shuttle cockpit simulator. We trained airline transport pilots (as our “novice” group) on fundamentals of flying an ascent (”launch-to-orbit”) in the space shuttle. We tested three levels of malfunctions occurring during a trial—none (nominal), one malfunction, or three malfunctions—on both pilots and astronauts (our “expert” group). Astronauts had fewer errors and faster reaction times. Eye movement analyses showed that both astronauts and pilots similarly modified their scan strategies depending on the flight segment and how many malfunctions occurred during a trial.
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Lee, Stuart M. C., L. Christine Ribeiro, David S. Martin, Sara R. Zwart, Alan H. Feiveson, Steven S. Laurie, Brandon R. Macias, et al. "Arterial structure and function during and after long-duration spaceflight." Journal of Applied Physiology 129, no. 1 (July 1, 2020): 108–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00550.2019.
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Carotid artery structure and stiffness did not change on average in astronauts during long-duration spaceflight (<12 mo), despite increased oxidative stress and inflammation. Most oxidative stress and inflammation biomarkers returned to preflight levels soon after landing. Brachial artery structure and function also were unchanged by spaceflight. In this group of healthy middle-aged male and female astronauts, spaceflight in low Earth orbit does not appear to increase long-term cardiovascular health risk.
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Shebilske, Wayne, Travis Tubre, Tim Willis, Amber Hanson, Charles Oman, and Jason Ericson. "Simulating Spatial Memory Challenges Confronting Astronauts." Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting 44, no. 11 (July 2000): 350–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/154193120004401105.
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We tested 3D spatial memory for 59 college students in a 50-cm x 50-cm x 50-cm cube. An aperture in the center of each of the cube's six surfaces revealed a picture on a computer monitor. The pictures' locations and orientations changed to simulate multiple perspectives. A pre-trial icon indicated the simulated body orientation, entrance hatch (the picture behind the head), and the target. A trial began with no pictures, and the trainee pressed a key to indicate the target's remembered position. A trail concluded with pictures, and the trainee pressed a key to indicate the target's actual position. Visual orientation illusions suggested that supine trainees should perform better. Memory errors did not support this prediction. Groups who started erect and switch to supine were similar to groups that did the opposite, except for the first 12 trials in which the Erect-Supine Group was better.
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Meck, Janice V., Wendy W. Waters, Michael G. Ziegler, Heidi F. deBlock, Paul J. Mills, David Robertson, and Paul L. Huang. "Mechanisms of postspaceflight orthostatic hypotension: low α1-adrenergic receptor responses before flight and central autonomic dysregulation postflight." American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology 286, no. 4 (April 2004): H1486—H1495. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/ajpheart.00740.2003.
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Although all astronauts experience symptoms of orthostatic intolerance after short-duration spaceflight, only ∼20% actually experience presyncope during upright posture on landing day. The presyncopal group is characterized by low vascular resistance before and after flight and low norepinephrine release during orthostatic stress on landing day. Our purpose was to determine the mechanisms of the differences between presyncopal and nonpresyncopal groups. We studied 23 astronauts 10 days before launch, on landing day, and 3 days after landing. We measured pressor responses to phenylephrine injections; norepinephrine release with tyramine injections; plasma volumes; resting plasma levels of chromogranin A (a marker of sympathetic nerve terminal release), endothelin, dihydroxyphenylglycol (DHPG, an intracellular metabolite of norepinephrine); and lymphocyte β2-adrenergic receptors. We then measured hemodynamic and neurohumoral responses to upright tilt. Astronauts were separated into two groups according to their ability to complete 10 min of upright tilt on landing day. Compared with astronauts who were not presyncopal on landing day, presyncopal astronauts had 1) significantly smaller pressor responses to phenylephrine both before and after flight; 2) significantly smaller baseline norepinephrine, but significantly greater DHPG levels, on landing day; 3) significantly greater norepinephrine release with tyramine on landing day; and 4) significantly smaller norepinephrine release, but significantly greater epinephrine and arginine vasopressin release, with upright tilt on landing day. These data suggest that the etiology of orthostatic hypotension and presyncope after spaceflight includes low α1-adrenergic receptor responsiveness before flight and a remodeling of the central nervous system during spaceflight such that sympathetic responses to baroreceptor input become impaired.
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Fritsch-Yelle, Janice M., Peggy A. Whitson, Roberta L. Bondar, and Troy E. Brown. "Subnormal norepinephrine release relates to presyncope in astronauts after spaceflight." Journal of Applied Physiology 81, no. 5 (November 1, 1996): 2134–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1996.81.5.2134.
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Fritsch-Yelle, Janice M., Peggy A. Whitson, Roberta L. Bondar, and Troy E. Brown. Subnormal norepinephrine release relates to presyncope in astronauts after spaceflight. J. Appl. Physiol. 81(5): 2134–2141, 1996.—Postflight orthostatic intolerance is experienced by virtually all astronauts but differs greatly in degree of severity. We studied cardiovascular responses to upright posture in 40 astronauts before and after spaceflights lasting up to 16 days. We separated individuals according to their ability to remain standing without assistance for 10 min on landing day. Astronauts who could not remain standing on landing day had significantly smaller increases in plasma norepinephrine levels with standing than did those who could remain standing (105 ± 41 vs. 340 ± 62 pg/ml; P = 0.05). In addition, they had significantly lower standing peripheral vascular resistance (23 ± 3 vs. 34 ± 3 mmHg ⋅ l−1⋅ min; P = 0.02) and greater decreases in systolic (−28 ± 4 vs. −11 ± 3 mmHg; P = 0.002) and diastolic (−14 ± 7 vs. 3 ± 2 mmHg; P = 0.0003) pressures. The presyncopal group also had significantly lower supine (16 ± 1 vs. 21 ± 2 mmHg ⋅ l−1⋅ min; P = 0.04) and standing (23 ± 2 vs. 32 ± 2 mmHg ⋅ l−1⋅ min; P = 0.038) vascular resistance, supine (66 ± 2 vs. 73 ± 2 mmHg; P = 0.008) and standing (69 ± 4 vs. 77 ± 2 mmHg; P = 0.007) diastolic pressure, and supine (109 ± 3 vs. 114 ± 2 mmHg; P = 0.05) and standing (99 ± 4 vs. 108 ± 3 mmHg; P = 0.006) systolic pressures before flight. This is the first study to clearly document these differences among presyncopal and nonpresyncopal astronauts after spaceflight and also offer the possibility of preflight prediction of postflight susceptibility. These results clearly point to hypoadrenergic responsiveness, possibly centrally mediated, as a contributing factor in postflight orthostatic intolerance. They may provide insights into autonomic dysfunction in Earthbound patients.
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Hallgren, Emma, Ludmila Kornilova, Erik Fransen, Dmitrii Glukhikh, Steven T. Moore, Gilles Clément, Angelique Van Ombergen, Hamish MacDougall, Ivan Naumov, and Floris L. Wuyts. "Decreased otolith-mediated vestibular response in 25 astronauts induced by long-duration spaceflight." Journal of Neurophysiology 115, no. 6 (June 1, 2016): 3045–51. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.00065.2016.
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The information coming from the vestibular otolith organs is important for the brain when reflexively making appropriate visual and spinal corrections to maintain balance. Symptoms related to failed balance control and navigation are commonly observed in astronauts returning from space. To investigate the effect of microgravity exposure on the otoliths, we studied the otolith-mediated responses elicited by centrifugation in a group of 25 astronauts before and after 6 mo of spaceflight. Ocular counterrolling (OCR) is an otolith-driven reflex that is sensitive to head tilt with regard to gravity and tilts of the gravito-inertial acceleration vector during centrifugation. When comparing pre- and postflight OCR, we found a statistically significant decrease of the OCR response upon return. Nine days after return, the OCR was back at preflight level, indicating a full recovery. Our large study sample allows for more general physiological conclusions about the effect of prolonged microgravity on the otolith system. A deconditioned otolith system is thought to be the cause of several of the negative effects seen in returning astronauts, such as spatial disorientation and orthostatic intolerance. This knowledge should be taken into account for future long-term space missions.
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Lagrange, Anne-Marie, and Johannes Andersen. "ASTRONET: strategic planning for European astronomy." Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union 2, no. 14 (August 2006): 537–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1743921307011738.
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AbstractASTRONET is an ERA-NET led by a group of European funding agencies, including ESO and ESA. Its aim is to establish a comprehensive, long-term planning process for all of European astronomy – at all wavelengths, from the ground and from space, and for all of Europe. By addressing both long-term scientific goals, infrastructure needs, and resource management procedures, ASTRONET seeks to consolidate the continued development of European astronomy as a front-line player in the field.
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Smith, Scott, Martina Heer, and Sara Zwart. "Nutrition and Human Space Flight: Evidence From 4–6 Month Missions to the International Space Station." Current Developments in Nutrition 5, Supplement_2 (June 2021): 863. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzab047_026.
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Abstract Objectives 2020 marked the 20th anniversary of a continuous human presence off the planet. Space flight is challenging, with environmental stressors, a closed food system, and adaptations affecting virtually all body systems. Our objective was to evaluate the time course of biochemical changes during flight, the effects of countermeasures, and the relationship between diet and physiological outcomes. Methods Blood and urine samples were collected before, during, and after flight from 65 astronauts. These were analyzed for a broad-based survey of physiological systems. Detailed diet records were available from 27 astronauts using an iPad App designed for use on ISS. Results The average intake of fruits and vegetables was lower than recommended (2.6 ± 0.9 servings per day), but intakes correlated with outcomes at landing. Specifically, higher intakes were positively correlated with vitamin C status (R2 = 0.43, P < 0.05), and negatively correlated with inflammation (Interferon-γ, R2 = 0.76, P = 0.001) and oxidative stress (malondialdehyde, R2 = 0.51, P < 0.05). Despite limited dietary sources and no UV light exposure, 800 IU vitamin D/d supplements maintained vitamin D status (serum 25OH-vitamin D was 78 ± 4 nmol/L during flight). Cholesterol (298 ± 163 mg/d) and saturated fat (26.1 ± 11 g/d, 10.4 ± 3.1% of kcals) intakes were associated with a 10% and 14% increase in circulating total and LDL cholesterol, respectively (P < 0.001). Perhaps the most notable finding is that one-carbon biochemistry is altered in astronauts who experienced ophthalmic changes during and after flight, where circulating homocysteine concentrations were higher in affected astronauts compared to unaffected astronauts (P < 0.001), and these differences existed before flight. Conclusions Evaluation of countermeasure effectiveness and individual and group responses to spaceflight will continue to be important on the ISS and will inform future space programs including Artemis and Gateway missions to the moon. Those efforts will require similar types of comprehensive assessments to allow the next steps in human exploration of space. By uniting nutrition with other disciplines, the importance of diet in heath can be further enlightened, with potential implications for both space explorers and for those remaining on Earth. Funding Sources This research was funded by the NASA Human Research Program and DLR.
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Babidge, S., J. Cokley, F. Gordon, and E. Louw. "Making media work in space: an interdisciplinary perspective on media and communication requirements for current and future space communities." International Journal of Astrobiology 4, no. 3-4 (October 2005): 259–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1473550405002788.
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As humans expand into space communities will form. These have already begun to form in small ways, such as long-duration missions on the International Space Station and the space shuttle, and small-scale tourist excursions into space. Social, behavioural and communications data emerging from such existing communities in space suggest that the physically-bounded, work-oriented and traditionally male-dominated nature of these extremely remote groups present specific problems for the resident astronauts, groups of them viewed as ‘communities’, and their associated groups who remain on Earth, including mission controllers, management and astronauts’ families. Notionally feminine group attributes such as adaptive competence, social adaptation skills and social sensitivity will be crucial to the viability of space communities and in the absence of gender equity, ‘staying in touch’ by means of ‘news from home’ becomes more important than ever. A template of news and media forms and technologies is suggested to service those needs and enhance the social viability of future terraforming activities.
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Smith, Scott, Martina Heer, and Sara Zwart. "Nutrition and Human Space Flight: Evidence from 4–6 Month Missions to the International Space Station." Current Developments in Nutrition 4, Supplement_2 (May 29, 2020): 1146. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzaa055_031.
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Abstract Objectives 2020 marks the 20th anniversary of a continuous human presence off the planet. Space flight is physically and physiologically challenging, with environmental stressors, a closed food system, and adaptations affecting virtually all body systems. Key objectives for this effort included evaluating the time course of biochemical changes that occur during flight, the effects of exercise countermeasures, and the relationship between dietary intake and physiological outcomes. Methods Blood and urine samples were collected before, during, and after flight from 65 astronauts. These were analyzed for a broad-based survey of physiological systems. Detailed diet records were available from 27 astronauts using an iPad App designed for use on ISS. Results The average intake of fruits and vegetables was lower than recommended (2.6 ± 0.9 servings per day), but intakes correlated with outcomes at landing. Specifically, higher intakes were positively correlated with vitamin C status (R2 = 0.43, P < 0.05), and negatively correlated with inflammation (Interferon-γ, R2 = 0.76, P = 0.001) and oxidative stress (malondialdehyde, R2 = 0.51, P < 0.05). Despite limited dietary sources and no UV light exposure, supplementing with 800 IU vitamin D/day maintained vitamin D status (serum 25OH-vitamin D was 78 ± 4 nmol/L during flight). Cholesterol (298 ± 163 mg/d) and saturated fat (26.1 ± 11 g/d, 10.4 ± 3.1% of kcals) intakes were associated with a 10% and 14% increase in circulating total and LDL cholesterol concentrations, respectively (P < 0.001). Perhaps the most notable finding is evidence that one-carbon biochemistry is altered in astronauts who experienced ophthalmic changes during and after flight, where circulating homocysteine concentrations were higher in affected astronauts compared to unaffected astronauts (P < 0.001), and these differences existed before flight. Conclusions Evaluation of countermeasure effectiveness and individual and group responses to spaceflight will continue to be important on the ISS, and will inform future space programs including Artemis and Gateway missions to the moon. Those efforts will require similar types of comprehensive assessments to allow the next steps in human exploration of space. By uniting nutrition with other disciplines, the importance of diet in heath can be further enlightened, with potential implications for both space explorers and for those remaining on Earth. Funding Sources This research was funded by the NASA Human Research Program and DLR.
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Chandra Shekar, Meena, and John H. Hansen. "Speaker tracking across a massive naturalistic audio corpus: Apollo-11." Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 150, no. 4 (October 2021): A356. http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/10.0008574.
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Apollo-11 was the first manned space mission to successfully bring astronauts to the moon. More than + 400 mission specialists/support team members were involved whose voice communications were captured using the SoundScriber multi-channel analog system. To ensure mission success, it was necessary for teams to engage, communicate, learn, address and solve problems in a timely manner. Hence, in order to identify each speaker’s role during Apollo missions and analyze group communication, we need to automatically tag and track speakers individually since manual annotation is costly and time consuming on a massive audio corpus. In this study, we focus on a subset of 100 h derived from the 10 000 h of the Fearless Steps Apollo-11 audio data. We use the concept of “Where’s Waldo” to identify all instances of our speakers-of-interest: (i) Three Astronauts; (ii) Flight Director; and (iii) Capsule Communicator. Analyzing the handful of speakers present in the small audio dataset of 100 h can be extended to the complete Apollo mission. This analysis provides an opportunity to recognize team communications, group dynamics, and human engagement/psychology. Identifying these personnel can help pay tribute to the hundreds of notable engineers and scientists who made this scientific accomplishment possible. Sponsored by NSF #2016725
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Mehta, Satish K., Indreshpal Kaur, Elizabeth A. Grimm, Christine Smid, Daniel L. Feeback, and Duane L. Pierson. "Decreased non-MHC-restricted (CD56+) killer cell cytotoxicity after spaceflight." Journal of Applied Physiology 91, no. 4 (October 1, 2001): 1814–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jappl.2001.91.4.1814.
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Cytotoxic activity of non-major histocompatibility complex-restricted (CD56+) (NMHC) killer cells and cell surface marker expression of peripheral blood mononuclear cells were determined before and after spaceflight. Ten astronauts (9 men, 1 woman) from two space shuttle missions (9- and 10-day duration) participated in the study. Blood samples were collected 10 days before launch, within 3 h after landing, and 3 days after landing. All peripheral blood mononuclear cell preparations were cryopreserved and analyzed simultaneously in a 4-h cytotoxicity51Cr release assay using K562 target cells. NMHC killer cell lytic activity was normalized per 1,000 CD56+cells. When all 10 subjects were considered as one study group, NMHC killer cell numbers did not change significantly during the three sampling periods, but at landing lytic activity had decreased by ∼40% ( P < 0.05) from preflight values. Nine of ten astronauts had decreased lytic activity immediately after flight. NMHC killer cell cytotoxicity of only three astronauts returned toward preflight values by 3 days after landing. Consistent with decreased NMHC killer cell cytotoxicity, urinary cortisol significantly increased after landing compared with preflight levels. Plasma cortisol and ACTH levels at landing were not significantly different from preflight values. No correlation of changes in NMHC killer cell function or hormone levels with factors such as age, gender, mission, or spaceflight experience was found. After landing, expression of the major lymphocyte surface markers (CD3, CD4, CD8, CD14, CD16, CD56), as determined by flow cytometric analysis, did not show any consistent changes from measurements made before flight.
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Karasinski, John A., Isabel C. Torron Valverde, Holly L. Brosnahan, Jack W. Gale, Ron Kim, Melodie Yashar, and Jessica J. Marquez. "Designing Procedure Execution Tools with Emerging Technologies for Future Astronauts." Applied Sciences 11, no. 4 (February 10, 2021): 1607. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/app11041607.
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NASA’s human spaceflight efforts are moving towards long-duration exploration missions requiring asynchronous communication between onboard crew and an increasingly remote ground support. In current missions aboard the International Space Station, there is a near real-time communication loop between Mission Control Center and astronauts. This communication is essential today to support operations, maintenance, and science requirements onboard, without which many tasks would no longer be feasible. As NASA takes the next leap into a new era of human space exploration, new methods and tools compensating for the lack of continuous, real-time communication must be explored. The Human-Computer Interaction Group at NASA Ames Research Center has been investigating emerging technologies and their applicability to increase crew autonomy in missions beyond low Earth orbit. Interactions using augmented reality and the Internet of Things have been researched as possibilities to facilitate usability within procedure execution operations. This paper outlines four research efforts that included technology demonstrations and usability studies with prototype procedure tools implementing emerging technologies. The studies address habitat feedback integration, analogous procedure testing, task completion management, and crew training. Through these technology demonstrations and usability studies, we find that low- to medium-fidelity prototypes, evaluated early in the design process, are both effective for garnering stakeholder buy-in and developing requirements for future systems. In this paper, we present the findings of the usability studies for each project and discuss ways in which these emerging technologies can be integrated into future human spaceflight operations.
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Wostyn, Peter, Frank De Winne, Claudia Stern, Thomas H. Mader, Charles Robert Gibson, and Peter Paul De Deyn. "Potential Involvement of the Ocular Glymphatic System in Optic Disc Edema in Astronauts." Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance 91, no. 12 (December 1, 2020): 975–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.3357/amhp.5670.2020.
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INTRODUCTION: A significant proportion of the astronauts who spend extended periods in microgravity develop ophthalmic abnormalities, including optic disc edema, optic nerve sheath distention, globe flattening, chorioretinal folds, hyperopic refractive error shifts, and nerve fiber layer infarcts. A constellation of these neuro-ophthalmic findings has been termed spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome. An increased understanding of factors contributing to this syndrome is one of the top priorities for ESA and NASA because the length of missions is expected to increase substantially in the future. As discussed in the present article, the very recent discovery of an ocular glymphatic clearance system can potentially help to unlock mechanisms underlying microgravity-induced optic disc edema. Observations pertaining to the ocular glymphatic pathway provide supporting evidence for the hypothesis, originally proposed by our group, suggesting that the glymphatic outflow from the eye into the optic nerve may be impeded under prolonged microgravity conditions, leading to optic disc edema.Wostyn P, De Winne F, Stern C, Mader TH, Gibson CR, De Deyn PP. Potential involvement of the ocular glymphatic system in optic disc edema in astronauts. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2020; 91(12):975977.
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Gronwald, Barbara Janina, Karina Kijak, Karolina Jezierska, Helena Anna Gronwald, Kamil Kosko, Mikołaj Matuszczak, Hanna Barbara Bielawska-Victorini, Wojciech Podraza, Leszek Orzechowski, and Danuta Lietz-Kijak. "Influence of Freeze-Dried Diet on Oral Hygiene Indicators in Strict Isolation Condition of an Analog Space Mission." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 3 (January 26, 2022): 1367. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031367.
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Analog space missions were created to study the human factor in extraordinary conditions that would occur in future space habitats. Isolation has been shown to cause stress and disrupt individuals’ daily routine, which can also affect their oral hygiene and lead to an increased risk of dental caries and gingivitis. The astronauts’ specific freeze-dried diet is associated with “lazy” chewing, potential dehydration and vitamin A deficiency, which may adversely affect their saliva. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of the freeze-dried diet on selected oral hygiene indicators in analog astronauts (AA) enduring strict isolation conditions during six consecutive analog space missions at the LunAres Research Station. During the experiment the oral hygiene and gingival inflammation status measurements were conducted on the group of AAs at the beginning and at the end of each mission. Measurements included four oral hygiene indicators: API, sOHI, PI by Silness and Loe and GBI by Ainamo and Bay. Each AA’s individual scores were noted and analyzed. Statistically significant reduction in the amount of plaque and intensity of gingival bleeding was observed over the course of the study, which could indicate positive results of applied oral hygiene procedures despite unfavorable dietary and stressful isolation conditions.
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Et, Sümeyra Zeynep, and Esra Kabataş Memiş. "The Perceptions of Five Years Old Group Students’ about Scientists." Journal of Education and Training Studies 5, no. 2 (January 12, 2017): 140. http://dx.doi.org/10.11114/jets.v5i2.2167.
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The purpose of this research is to reveal the perceptions of students of five years old group about scientists. The practice was implemented with 76 students having education in five-age group continuing to various nursery schools located in the center of Kastamonu province. Before starting the practice, the teacher asked the questions of “Who is the scientist?” and made them thought with the aim of ensuring the awareness of students against scientist. Afterwards, the researchers asked the students to narrate their pictures while they collect the drawings. The paintings were coded by the researchers by using the descriptive analysis method. The codification was made individually at first and then together with all the researchers with the aim of ensuring the reliability of research. In the light of collected information, it was generally seen in the pictures of students that the work environment of scientists is constituted by the space and world and their gender is generally men and also, there was a small number of women scientist profile. It was also determined that the students emphasized the extraterrestrial life and drew the scientists as similar to astronauts and they used space crafts and planets in their paintings. In another finding, scientists were seen as the people who mostly conduct research and use potion in general. Another attractive research finding is that; a small number of students draw the scientist as person who use computer and study lesson. In the light of these findings, it can be told that the students were affected extremely from their environment (the movies and cartoon they watched, their families, etc.…).
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Richards, Jason T., Charles M. Oman, Wayne L. Shebilske, Andrew C. Beall, Andrew Liu, and Alan Natapoff. "Training, transfer, and retention of three-dimensional spatial memory in virtual environments." Journal of Vestibular Research 12, no. 5-6 (August 1, 2003): 223–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/ves-2003-125-604.
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Human orientation requires one to remember and visualize spatial arrangements of landmarks from different perspectives. Astronauts have reported difficulties remembering relationships between environmental landmarks when imagined in arbitrary 3D orientations. The present study investigated the effects of strategy training on humans' 1) ability to infer their orientation from landmarks presented ahead and below, 2) performance when subsequently learning a different array, and 3) retention of configurational knowledge over time. On the first experiment day, 24 subjects were tested in a virtual cubic chamber in which a picture of an animal was drawn on each wall. Through trial-by-trial exposures, they had to memorize the spatial relationships among the six pictures around them and learn to predict the direction to a specific picture when facing any view direction, and in any roll orientation. Half of the subjects ("strategy group") were taught methods for remembering picture groupings, while the remainder received no such training ("control group"). After learning one picture array, the procedure was repeated in a second. Accuracy (% correct) and response time learning curves were measured. Performance for the second array and configurational memory of both arrays were also retested 1, 7, and 30 days later. Results showed that subjects "learned how to learn" this generic 3D spatial memory task regardless of their relative orientation to the environment, that ability and configurational knowledge was retained for at least a month, that figure rotation ability and field independence correlate with performance, and that teaching subjects specific strategies in advance significantly improves performance. Training astronauts to perform a similar generic 3D spatial memory task, and suggesting strategies in advance, may help them orient in three dimensions.
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Dai, Truong Xuan, Hoang Nghia Son, Ho Nguyen Quynh Chi, Hoang Nghia Quang Huy, Nguyen Thai Minh, Nguyen Thi Thuy Tram, Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen, et al. "Simulated Microgravity Induces the Proliferative Inhibition and Morphological Changes in Porcine Granulosa Cells." Current Issues in Molecular Biology 43, no. 3 (December 10, 2021): 2210–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/cimb43030155.
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Astronauts are always faced with serious health problems during prolonged spaceflights. Previous studies have shown that weightlessness significantly affects the physiological function of female astronauts, including a change in reproductive hormones and ovarian cells, such as granulosa and theca cells. However, the effects of microgravity on these cells have not been well characterized, especially in granulosa cells. This study aimed to investigate the effects of simulated microgravity (SMG) on the proliferation and morphology of porcine granulosa cells (pGCs). pGC proliferation from the SMG group was inhibited, demonstrated by the reduced O.D. value and cell density in the WST-1 assay and cell number counting. SMG-induced pGCs exhibited an increased ratio of cells in the G0/G1 phase and a decreased ratio of cells in the S and G2/M phase. Western blot analysis indicated a down-regulation of cyclin D1, cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (cdk4), and cyclin-dependent kinase 6 (cdk6), leading to the prevention of the G1-S transition and inducing the arrest phase. pGCs under the SMG condition showed an increase in nuclear area. This caused a reduction in nuclear shape value in pGCs under the SMG condition. SMG-induced pGCs exhibited different morphologies, including fibroblast-like shape, rhomboid shape, and pebble-like shape. These results revealed that SMG inhibited proliferation and induced morphological changes in pGCs.
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Getsov, Peter, Tsvetan Tsvetkov, Georgi Sotirov, Iliana Nacheva, Zoya Hubenova, Maria Doneva, and Petia Metodieva. "Application of cryotechnology in the creation of space foods for crews working in extreme conditions." Aerospace Research in Bulgaria 32 (2020): 193–208. http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/arb.v32.e16.
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The article presents the achievements in the field of cryobiology and is related to the work for ESA project. Space food is a variety of food products specially formulated and processed for space flight use. Food should meet specific requirements to ensure balanced nutrition for those working in extreme conditions while being easily and safely stored, prepared and consumed in low gravity environments. It is reviewed domestic and foreign market for space foods and defined requirements to astronauts; for other users: military; extreme professions; extreme sports, for hospitals and children gardens. There are summarizes the nutritional requirements for all mentioned above group users of space foods. There is shown Bulgarian experience in research and development of space foods and comparison of the Bulgarian Space Menu.
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Finseth, Tor T., Nir Keren, Michael C. Dorneich, Warren D. Franke, Clayton C. Anderson, and Mack C. Shelley. "Evaluating the Effectiveness of Graduated Stress Exposure in Virtual Spaceflight Hazard Training." Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making 12, no. 4 (May 29, 2018): 248–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1555343418775561.
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Psychological and physiological stress experienced by astronauts can pose risks to mission success. In clinical settings, gradually increasing stressors help patients develop resilience. It is unclear whether graduated stress exposure can affect responses to acute stressors during spaceflight. This study evaluated psychophysiological responses to potentially catastrophic spaceflight operation, with and without graduated stress exposure, using a virtual reality environment. Twenty healthy participants were tasked with locating a fire on a virtual International Space Station (VR-ISS). After orientation, the treatment group ( n = 10) practiced searching for a fire while exposed to a low-level stressor (light smoke), while the control group ( n = 10) practiced without smoke. In the testing session, both groups responded to a fire while the VR-ISS unexpectedly filled with heavy smoke. Heart rate variability and blood pressure were measured continuously. Subjective workload was evaluated with the NASA Task Load Index, stress with the Short Stress State Questionnaire, and stress exposure with time-to-complete. During the heavy smoke condition, the control group showed parasympathetic withdrawal, indicating a mild stress response. The treatment group retained parasympathetic control. Thus, graduated stress exposure may enhance allostasis and relaxation behavior when confronted with a subsequent stressful condition.
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Vik, A., A. O. Brubakk, T. R. Hennessy, B. M. Jenssen, M. Ekker, and S. A. Slordahl. "Venous air embolism in swine: transport of gas bubbles through the pulmonary circulation." Journal of Applied Physiology 69, no. 1 (July 1, 1990): 237–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1990.69.1.237.
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The assumption that the lung is an effective filter for gas bubbles is of importance for certain occupations (e.g., divers, astronauts) as well as in the accomplishment of several medical procedures. The filtering capacity was tested in pigs by use of continuous air infusion into the right ventricle and a transesophageal echocardiographic transducer for detection of air in the left atrium. Twenty pigs, anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium and mechanically ventilated, were divided into groups that received air at infusion rates of 0.05 (group 1a, n = 7), 0.10 (group 2, n = 6), and 0.20 (group 3, n = 5) ml.kg-1.min-1. Two pigs served as controls. The breakthrough incidence was 0, 67, and 100%, respectively. Group 1a received a second infusion of 0.10 ml.kg-1.min-1 (group 1b, n = 7), and spillover of bubbles occurred in only 14% of these pigs. Infusion of gas caused a maximum increase in mean pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) of 129 +/- 9% to 39.2 +/- 1.3 (SE) mmHg, with no significant difference between the groups. Breakthrough was observed only in animals with a dramatic reduction in mean arterial pressure and a PAP that returned to almost-normal values at spillover time. Our results suggest that the threshold value for breakthrough of air bubbles in pigs is reduced compared with that in dogs. The hemodynamic consequences at a given infusion rate are, however, greatly enhanced.
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Cao, Peihong, Shinji Kimura, Brandon R. Macias, Toshiaki Ueno, Donald E. Watenpaugh, and Alan R. Hargens. "Exercise within lower body negative pressure partially counteracts lumbar spine deconditioning associated with 28-day bed rest." Journal of Applied Physiology 99, no. 1 (July 2005): 39–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.01400.2004.
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Astronauts experience spine deconditioning during exposure to microgravity due to the lack of axial loads on the spine. Treadmill exercise in a lower body negative pressure (LBNP) chamber provides axial loads on the lumbar spine. We hypothesize that daily supine LBNP exercise helps counteract lumbar spine deconditioning during 28 days of microgravity simulated by bed rest. Twelve sets of healthy, identical twins underwent 6° head-down-tilt bed rest for 28 days. One subject from each set of twins was randomly assigned to the exercise (Ex) group, whereas their sibling served as a nonexercise control (Con). The Ex group exercised in supine posture within a LBNP chamber for 45 min/day, 6 days/wk. All subjects underwent magnetic resonance imaging of their lumbar spine before and at the end of bed rest. Lumbar spinal length increased 3.7 ± 0.5 mm in the Con group over 28-day bed rest, whereas, in the Ex group, lumbar spinal length increased significantly less (2.3 ± 0.4 mm, P = 0.01). All lumbar intervertebral disk heights (L5–S1, L4–5, L3–4, L2–3, and L1–2) in the Con group increased significantly over the 28-day bed rest ( P < 0.05). In the Ex group, there were no significant increases in L5–S1 and L4–5 disk heights. Lumbar lordosis decreased significantly by 3.3 ± 1.2° during bed rest in the Con group ( P = 0.02), but it did not decrease significantly in the Ex group. Our results suggest that supine LBNP treadmill exercise partially counteracts lumbar spine lengthening and deconditioning associated with simulated microgravity.
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Valyakh, M. A., D. V. Kats, N. G. Glazko, and M. V. Baranov. "Hypogravity as a risk factor for increased intraocular pressure." Bulletin of Russian State Medical University, no. 3 (June 19, 2019): 48–51. http://dx.doi.org/10.24075/brsmu.2019.041.
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Space medicine has long studied the impact of reduced gravity on the human body. Increasing complaints of insufficient visual acuity during and after space flights have been recently drawing a lot of attention to the effects of hypogravity on astronauts’ vision. Abnormally high intraocular pressure (IOP) is one of the most clinically important changes occurring during space missions. It is a serious condition that often causes irreversible damage to the optic nerve and blindness. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of reduced gravity on IOP. The study recruited 48 young healthy men with the mean age of 22 years, who formed 2 equally sized groups. In the experimental group, hypogravity was simulated by placing the subjects into the orthostatic position for 21 days. IOP was measured at 4 time points using a Maklakov tonometer. Z-approximation of the Wilcoxon T test was applied. The average increase in IOP in the experimental group was 3.42 ± 0.03 mmHg (р < 0.01). The changes were, however, transient, and IOP levels went back to normal right after the exposure to hypogravity conditions was terminated.
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Loganovsky, K., P. Fedirko, D. Marazziti, K. Kuts, K. Antypchuk, I. Perchuk, T. Babenko, et al. "BRAIN AND EYE AS POTENTIAL TARGETS FOR IONIZING RADIATION IMPACT: PART II – RADIATION CEREBRO-OPHTALMIC EFFECTS IN CHILDREN, PERSONS EXPOSED IN UTERO, ASTRONAUTS AND INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGISTS." Проблеми радіаційної медицини та радіобіології = Problems of Radiation Medicine and Radiobiology 26 (2021): 57–97. http://dx.doi.org/10.33145/2304-8336-2021-26-57-97.
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Background. Ionizing radiation (IR) can affect the brain and the visual organ even at low doses, while provoking cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and visual disorders. We proposed to consider the brain and the visual organ as potential targets for the influence of IR with the definition of cerebro-ophthalmic relationships as the «eye-brain axis». Objective. The present work is a narrative review of current experimental, epidemiological and clinical data on radiation cerebro-ophthalmic effects in children, individuals exposed in utero, astronauts and interventional radiologists. Materials and methods. The review was performed according to PRISMA guidelines by searching the abstract and scientometric databases PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, PsycINFO, Google Scholar, published from 1998 to 2021, as well as the results of manual search of peer-reviewed publications. Results. Epidemiological data on the effects of low doses of IR on neurodevelopment are quite contradictory, while data on clinical, neuropsychological and neurophysiological on cognitive and cerebral disorders, especially in the left, dominant hemisphere of the brain, are nore consistent. Cataracts (congenital – after in utero irradiation) and retinal angiopathy are more common in prenatally-exposed people and children. Astronauts, who carry out longterm space missions outside the protection of the Earth’s magnetosphere, will be exposed to galactic cosmic radiation (heavy ions, protons), which leads to cerebro-ophthalmic disorders, primarily cognitive and behavioral disorders and cataracts. Interventional radiologists are a special risk group for cerebro-ophthalmic pathology – cognitive deficits, mainly due to dysfunction of the dominant and more radiosensitive left hemisphere of the brain, and cataracts, as well as early atherosclerosis and accelerated aging. Conclusions. Results of current studies indicate the high radiosensitivity of the brain and eye in different contingents of irradiated persons. Further research is needed to clarify the nature of cerebro-ophthalmic disorders in different exposure scenarios, to determine the molecular biological mechanisms of these disorders, reliable dosimetric support and taking into account the influence of non-radiation risk factors. Key words: ionizing radiation, brain, eye, cerebro-ophthalmic effects, radiation emergencies, prenatal irradiation, space flights, interventional radiology.
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Cohen, Helen S. "Update on the status of rehabilitative countermeasures to ameliorate the effects of long-duration exposure to microgravity on vestibular and sensorimotor function." Journal of Vestibular Research 13, no. 4-6 (December 28, 2003): 405–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/ves-2003-134-622.
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This paper is an overview of current research on development of rehabilitative countermeasures to ameliorate the effects of long-term exposure to microgravity on sensorimotor function during space flight. After many years of work we do not yet have operational countermeasures, probably for several reasons: 1) changes in the use of vestibular input are manifested in many ways, 2) due to multiple mechanisms for funding research, investigators doing related research may not coordinate their work, and 3) relatively few scientists work on this problem. The number of investigators and physicians who routinely deal with the functional problems of astronauts and the limitations of working in the space environment is tiny; the number of investigators who are therapists, and who therefore have experience and expertise in developing rehabilitation programs, is miniscule. That's the bad news. The good news is that as a group, we are little but mighty. Therefore, the entire group of investigators can plan to take a more coordinated, collaborative approach than investigators in larger fields. Also, serendipitously, individual research groups have begun approaching different rehabilitative aspects of this problem. If we make a greater effort toward a coordinated, multidimensional approach, guided by rehabilitation concepts, we will be able to provide operational sensorimotor countermeasures when they are needed.
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Vaziri, N. D., Y. Ding, D. S. Sangha, and R. E. Purdy. "Upregulation of NOS by simulated microgravity, potential cause of orthostatic intolerance." Journal of Applied Physiology 89, no. 1 (July 1, 2000): 338–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jappl.2000.89.1.338.
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Prolonged exposure to microgravity during spaceflight or extended bed rest results in cardiovascular deconditioning, marked by orthostatic intolerance and hyporesponsiveness to vasopressors. Earlier studies primarily explored fluid and electrolyte balance and baroreceptor and vasopressor systems in search of a possible mechanism. Given the potent vasodilatory and natriuretic actions of nitric oxide (NO), we hypothesized that cardiovascular adaptation to microgravity may involve upregulation of the NO system. Male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to a control group or a group subjected to simulated microgravity by hindlimb unloading (HU) for 20 days. Tissues were harvested after death for determination of total nitrate and nitrite (NOx) as well as endothelial (e), inducible (i), and neuronal (n) NO synthase (NOS) proteins by Western blot. Separate subgroups were used to test blood pressure response to norepinephrine and the iNOS inhibitor aminoguanidine. Compared with controls, the HU group showed a significant increase in tissue NOx content and an upregulation of iNOS protein abundance in thoracic aorta, heart, and kidney and of nNOS protein expression in the brain and kidney but no discernible change in eNOS expression. This was associated with marked attenuation of hypertensive response to norepinephrine and a significant increase in hypertensive response to aminoguanidine, suggesting enhanced iNOS-derived NO generation in the HU group. Upregulation of these NOS isotypes can contribute to cardiovascular adaptation to microgravity by promoting vasodilatory tone and natriuresis and depressing central sympathetic outflow. If true in humans, short-term administration of an iNOS inhibitor may ameliorate orthostatic intolerance in returning astronauts and patients after extended bed rest.