User needs, benefits and integration of robotic systems in a space station laboratory

The methodology, results and conclusions of the User Needs, Benefits, and Integration Study (UNBIS) of Robotic Systems in the Space Station Microgravity and Materials Processing Facility are summarized. Study goals include the determination of user requirements for robotics within the Space Station, United States Laboratory. Three experiments were selected to determine user needs and to allow detailed investigation of microgravity requirements. A NASTRAN analysis of Space Station response to robotic disturbances, and acceleration measurement of a standard industrial robot (Intelledex Model 660) resulted in selection of two ranges of low gravity manipulation: Level 1 (10-3 to 10-5 G at greater than 1 Hz.) and Level 2 (less than = 10-6 G at 0.1 Hz). This included an evaluation of microstepping methods for controlling stepper motors and concluded that an industrial robot actuator can perform milli-G motion without modification. Relative merits of end-effectors and manipulators were studied in order to determine their ability to perform a range of tasks related to the three low gravity experiments. An Effectivity Rating was established for evaluating these robotic system capabilities. Preliminary interface requirements were determined such that definition of requirements for an orbital flight demonstration experiment may be established

Interactive Image Processing for Electron Microscopy: Matching Hardware with Software

The image processing techniques used \u27a posteriori\u27 to extract information from electron micrographs are surveyed, including particularly image averaging, selective averaging, 3-D reconstruction, and high resolution focal series restoration; recent developments in online image pick up and control have led to fully automatic focussing, stigmating and alignment by a frame store system equipped with a real time correlator board. The diversity of the techniques encountered calls for large integrated program systems with flexible command languages; however, a dilemma exists between providing the user with convenient control of special hardware facilities such as frame stores and array processors, and preventing the programs from becoming so specific that they are extremely short lived. Some of the compromises made in the Semper system are noted

The voltage-gated potassium channel Shaker promotes sleep via thermosensitive GABA transmission

Genes and neural circuits coordinately regulate animal sleep. However, it remains elusive how these endogenous factors shape sleep upon environmental changes. Here, we demonstrate that Shaker (Sh)-expressing GABAergic neurons projecting onto dorsal fan-shaped body (dFSB) regulate temperature-adaptive sleep behaviors in Drosophila. Loss of Sh function suppressed sleep at low temperature whereas light and high temperature cooperatively gated Sh effects on sleep. Sh depletion in GABAergic neurons partially phenocopied Sh mutants. Furthermore, the ionotropic GABA receptor, Resistant to dieldrin (Rdl), in dFSB neurons acted downstream of Sh and antagonized its sleep-promoting effects. In fact, Rdl inhibited the intracellular cAMP signaling of constitutively active dopaminergic synapses onto dFSB at low temperature. High temperature silenced GABAergic synapses onto dFSB, thereby potentiating the wake-promoting dopamine transmission. We propose that temperature-dependent switching between these two synaptic transmission modalities may adaptively tune the neural property of dFSB neurons to temperature shifts and reorganize sleep architecture for animal fitness. Ji-hyung Kim and Yoonhee Ki et al. show that low temperatures suppress sleep in Drosophila by increasing GABA transmission in Shaker-expressing GABAergic neurons projecting onto the dorsal fan-shaped body, while high temperatures potentiate dopamine-induced arousal by reducing GABA transmission. This study highlights a role for Shaker in sleep modulation via a temperature-dependent switch in GABA signaling

TrakEM2 Software for Neural Circuit Reconstruction

A key challenge in neuroscience is the expeditious reconstruction of neuronal circuits. For model systems such as Drosophila and C. elegans, the limiting step is no longer the acquisition of imagery but the extraction of the circuit from images. For this purpose, we designed a software application, TrakEM2, that addresses the systematic reconstruction of neuronal circuits from large electron microscopical and optical image volumes. We address the challenges of image volume composition from individual, deformed images; of the reconstruction of neuronal arbors and annotation of synapses with fast manual and semi-automatic methods; and the management of large collections of both images and annotations. The output is a neural circuit of 3d arbors and synapses, encoded in NeuroML and other formats, ready for analysis

Definition of a near real time microbiological monitor for space vehicles

Efforts to identify the ideal candidate to serve as the biological monitor on the space station Freedom are discussed. The literature review, the evaluation scheme, descriptions of candidate monitors, experimental studies, test beds, and culture techniques are discussed. Particular attention is given to descriptions of five candidate monitors or monitoring techniques: laser light scattering, primary fluorescence, secondary fluorescence, the volatile product detector, and the surface acoustic wave detector

Raman Spectroscopy of the Sampleite Group of Minerals

Raman and infrared spectroscopy has enabled insights into the molecular structure of the sampleite group of minerals. These minerals are based upon the incorporation of either phosphate or arsenate with chloride anion into the structure and as a consequence the spectra refect the bands attributable to these anions, namely phosphate or arsenate with chloride. The sampleite vibrational spectrum reflects the spectrum of the phosphate anion and consists of ν1 at 964, ν2 at 451 cm-1, ν3 at 1016 and 1088 and ν4 at 643, 604, 591 and 557 cm-1. The lavendulan spectrum consists of ν1 at 854, ν2 at 345 cm-1, ν3 at 878 cm-1 and ν4 at 545 cm-1. The Raman spectrum of lemanskiite is different from that of lavendulan consistent with a different structure. Low wavenumber bands at 227 and 210 cm-1 may be assigned to CuCl TO/LO optic vibrations. Raman spectroscopy identified the substitution of arsenate by phosphate in zdenekite and lavendulan

Lower respiratory tract myeloid cells harbor SARS-CoV-2 and display an inflammatory phenotype

SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia may induce an aberrant immune response with brisk recruitment of myeloid cells into the airspaces. Although the clinical implications are unclear, others have suggested that infiltrating myeloid cells may contribute to morbidity and mortality during SARS-CoV-2 infection.1–3 However, few reports have characterized myeloid cells from the lower respiratory tract, which appears to be the primary site of viral-induced pathology, during severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia