Experimental assembly of structures in EVA: Hardware morphology and development issues

A large body of data was obtained by MIT during neutral boyancy testing at Marshall Space Flight Center from 1980 to the present. These efforts, and the most significant results are summarized. The Experimental Assembly of Structure in EVA (EASE) flight experiment was undertaken to validate these results and flown on the STS 61-B in November 1985. The EASE experiment hardware is discussed and how the experiment goals dictate its size, shape, and operational characteristics, are illustrated

Structural Assembly Demonstration Experiment (SADE)

The purpose of the Structural Assembly Demonstration Experiment (SADE) was to create a near-term Shuttle flight experiment focusing on the deployment and erection of structural truss elements. The activities of the MIT Space Systems Laboratory consist of three major areas: preparing and conducting neutral buoyancy simulation test series; producing a formal SADE Experiment plan; and studying the structural dynamics issues of the truss structure. Each of these areas is summarized

Structural assembly demonstration experiment, phase 1

The goal of this phase of the structural assembly and demonstration experiment (SADE) program was to begin to define a shuttle flight experiment that would yield data to compare on-orbit assembly operations of large space structures with neutral buoyancy simulations. In addition, the experiment would be an early demonstration of structural hardware and human capabilities in extravehicular activity (EVA). The objectives of the MIT study, as listed in the statement of work, were: to provide support in establishing a baseline neutral buoyancy testing data base, to develop a correlation technique between neutral buoyancy test results and on-orbit operations, and to prepare the SADE experiment plan (MSFC-PLAN-913)

Space Environmental Effects on the Optical Properties of Selected Transparent Polymers

Transparent polymer films are currently considered for use as solar concentrating lenses for spacecraft power and propulsion systems. These polymer films concentrate solar energy onto energy conversion devices such as solar cells and thermal energy systems. Conversion efficiency is directly related to the polymer transmission. Space environmental effects will decrease the transmission and thus reduce the conversion efficiency. This investigation focuses on the effects of ultraviolet and charged particle radiation on the transmission of selected transparent polymers. Multiple candidate polymer samples were exposed to near ultraviolet (NUV) radiation to screen the materials and select optimum materials for further study. All materials experienced transmission degradation of varying degree. A method was developed to normalize the transmission loss and thus rank the materials according to their tolerance of NUV. Teflon(Tm) FEP and Teflon(Tm) PFA were selected for further study. These materials were subjected to a combined charged particle dose equivalent to 5 years in a typical geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO). Results from these NUV screening tests and the 5 year GEO equivalent dose are presented

Registration of hard white winter wheat germplasms KS14U6380R5, KS16U6380R10, and KS16U6380R11 with adult plant resistance to stem rust

Resistance to the Ug99 group of races of the stem rust fungus Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici is limited in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) germplasm adapted to the Great Plains of the United States. Our objective was to generate regionally adapted hard winter wheat germplasm with combinations of adult plant resistance genes that are expected to provide durable resistance. KS14U6380R5 (Reg. no. GP-1043, PI 689115), KS16U6380R10 (Reg. no. GP-1044, PI 689116), and KS16U6380R11 (Reg. no. GP-1045, PI 689117) were derived from backcrosses of the hard white winter wheat germplasm KS05HW14 to the stem rust-resistant Kenyan spring wheat cultivar ‘Kingbird’. KS14U6380R5, KS16U6380R11, and KS16U6380R10 were developed by pedigree selection and were initially evaluated as U6380-11-2R-0A, U6380-210-2R-0A, and U6380-148-4R-2T, respectively. The germplasms were developed by the USDA-ARS and jointly released with the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station. These germplasms provide parents for development of hard winter wheat cultivars with durable resistance to stem rust

HDAC9 is implicated in atherosclerotic aortic calcification and affects vascular smooth muscle cell phenotype.

Aortic calcification is an important independent predictor of future cardiovascular events. We performed a genome-wide association meta-analysis to determine SNPs associated with the extent of abdominal aortic calcification (n = 9,417) or descending thoracic aortic calcification (n = 8,422). Two genetic loci, HDAC9 and RAP1GAP, were associated with abdominal aortic calcification at a genome-wide level (P < 5.0 × 10-8). No SNPs were associated with thoracic aortic calcification at the genome-wide threshold. Increased expression of HDAC9 in human aortic smooth muscle cells promoted calcification and reduced contractility, while inhibition of HDAC9 in human aortic smooth muscle cells inhibited calcification and enhanced cell contractility. In matrix Gla protein-deficient mice, a model of human vascular calcification, mice lacking HDAC9 had a 40% reduction in aortic calcification and improved survival. This translational genomic study identifies the first genetic risk locus associated with calcification of the abdominal aorta and describes a previously unknown role for HDAC9 in the development of vascular calcification

Arginine metabolism in Trichomonas vaginalis infected with Mycoplasma hominis

Both Mycoplasma hominis and Trichomonas vaginalis utilize arginine as an energy source via the arginine dihydrolase (ADH) pathway. It has been previously demonstrated that M. hominis forms a stable intracellular relationship with T. vaginalis; hence, in this study we examined the interaction of two localized ADH pathways by comparing T. vaginalis strain SS22 with the laboratory-generated T. vaginalis strain SS22-MOZ2 infected with M. hominis MOZ2. The presence of M. hominis resulted in an approximately 16-fold increase in intracellular ornithine and a threefold increase in putrescine, compared with control T. vaginalis cultures. No change in the activity of enzymes of the ADH pathway could be demonstrated in SS22-MOZ2 compared with the parent SS22, and the increased production of ornithine could be attributed to the presence of M. hominis. Using metabolic flow analysis it was determined that the elasticity of enzymes of the ADH pathway in SS22-MOZ2 was unchanged compared with the parent SS22; however, the elasticity of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) in SS22 was small, and it was doubled in SS22-MOZ2 cells. The potential benefit of this relationship to both T. vaginalis and M. hominis is discussed

Protein-coding variants implicate novel genes related to lipid homeostasis contributing to body-fat distribution.

Body-fat distribution is a risk factor for adverse cardiovascular health consequences. We analyzed the association of body-fat distribution, assessed by waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index, with 228,985 predicted coding and splice site variants available on exome arrays in up to 344,369 individuals from five major ancestries (discovery) and 132,177 European-ancestry individuals (validation). We identified 15 common (minor allele frequency, MAF ≥5%) and nine low-frequency or rare (MAF <5%) coding novel variants. Pathway/gene set enrichment analyses identified lipid particle, adiponectin, abnormal white adipose tissue physiology and bone development and morphology as important contributors to fat distribution, while cross-trait associations highlight cardiometabolic traits. In functional follow-up analyses, specifically in Drosophila RNAi-knockdowns, we observed a significant increase in the total body triglyceride levels for two genes (DNAH10 and PLXND1). We implicate novel genes in fat distribution, stressing the importance of interrogating low-frequency and protein-coding variants

N-terminal amino acid sequences of chloroform/methanol-soluble proteins and albumins from endosperms of wheat, barley and related species: Homology with inhibitors of α-amylase and trypsin and with 2 S storage globulins

The N-terminal amino acid sequences of two chloroform/methanol soluble globulins from barley and one form wheat are reported. They are homologous with N-terminal sequences previously reported for α-amylase and trypsin inhibitors from cereals and 2 S storage proteins from castor bean and rape. Three albumins were also purified from Aegilops squarrosa and Triticum monococcum. These had N-terminal amino acid sequences most closely related to the α-amylase and trypsin inhibitors. The relationships of this superfamily of seed proteins are discussed

Prefrontal cortical and striatal activity to happy and fear faces in bipolar disorder is associated with comorbid substance abuse and eating disorder

Background: The spectrum approach was used to examine contributions of comorbid symptom dimensions of substance abuse and eating disorder to abnormal prefrontal-cortical and subcortical-striatal activity to happy and fear faces previously demonstrated in bipolar disorder (BD). Method: Fourteen remitted BD-type I and sixteen healthy individuals viewed neutral, mild and intense happy and fear faces in two event-related fMRI experiments. All individuals completed Substance-Use and Eating-Disorder Spectrum measures. Region-of-Interest analyses for bilateral prefrontal and subcortical-striatal regions were performed. Results: BD individuals scored significantly higher on these spectrum measures than healthy individuals (p < 0.05), and were distinguished by activity in prefrontal and subcortical-striatal regions. BD relative to healthy individuals showed reduced dorsal prefrontal-cortical activity to all faces. Only BD individuals showed greater subcortical-striatal activity to happy and neutral faces. In BD individuals, negative correlations were shown between substance use severity and right PFC activity to intense happy faces (p < 0.04), and between substance use severity and right caudate nucleus activity to neutral faces (p < 0.03). Positive correlations were shown between eating disorder and right ventral putamen activity to intense happy (p < 0.02) and neutral faces (p < 0.03). Exploratory analyses revealed few significant relationships between illness variables and medication upon neural activity in BD individuals. Limitations: Small sample size of predominantly medicated BD individuals. Conclusion: This study is the first to report relationships between comorbid symptom dimensions of substance abuse and eating disorder and prefrontal-cortical and subcortical-striatal activity to facial expressions in BD. Our findings suggest that these comorbid features may contribute to observed patterns of functional abnormalities in neural systems underlying mood regulation in BD