Surface, Water, and Air Biocharacterization (SWAB) Flight Experiment

The determination of risk from infectious disease during spaceflight missions is composed of several factors including both the concentration and characteristics of the microorganisms to which the crew are exposed. Thus, having a good understanding of the microbial ecology aboard spacecraft provides the necessary information to mitigate health risks to the crew. While preventive measures are taken to minimize the presence of pathogens on spacecraft, medically significant organisms have been isolated from both the Mir and International Space Station (ISS). Historically, the method for isolation and identification of microorganisms from spacecraft environmental samples depended upon their growth on culture media. Unfortunately, only a fraction of the organisms may grow on a specific culture medium, potentially omitting those microorganisms whose nutritional and physical requirements for growth are not met. To address this bias in our understanding of the ISS environment, the Surface, Water, and Air Biocharacterization (SWAB) Flight Experiment was designed to investigate and develop monitoring technology to provide better microbial characterization. For the SWAB flight experiment, we hypothesized that environmental analysis using non-culture-based technologies would reveal microorganisms, allergens, and microbial toxins not previously reported in spacecraft, allowing for a more complete health assessment. Key findings during this experiment included: a) Generally, advanced molecular techniques were able to reveal a few organisms not recovered using culture-based methods; however, there is no indication that current monitoring is "missing" any medically significant bacteria or fungi. b) Molecular techniques have tremendous potential for microbial monitoring, however, sample preparation and data analysis present challenges for spaceflight hardware. c) Analytical results indicate that some molecular techniques, such as denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), can be much less sensitive than culture-based methods. d) More sensitive molecular techniques, such as quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR), were able to identify viral DNA from ISS environments, suggesting potential transfer of the organism between crewmembers. In addition, the hardware selected for this experiment represented advances for next-generation sample collection. The advanced nature of this collection hardware was noted, when the Sartorius MD8 Air Port air sampler from the SWAB experiment remained on board ISS at the request of JAXA investigators, who intend to use it in completion of their microbial ecology experiment

The Current-Temperature Phase Diagram of Layered Superconductors

The behavior of clean layered superconductors in the presence of a finite electric current and in zero-magnetic field behavior is addressed. The structure of the current temperature phase diagram and the properties of each of the four regions will be explained. We will discuss the expected current voltage and resistance characteristics of each region as well as the effects of finite size and weak disorder on the phase diagram. In addition, the reason for which a weakly non-ohmic region exists above the transition temperature will be explained.Comment: 8 pages (RevTeX), 4 encapsulated postscript figure

Intake of Fish and Omega-3 (n-3) Fatty Acids: Effect on Humans During Actual and Simulated Weightlessness

Space flight has many negative effects on human physiology, including bone and muscle loss. Bone and muscle are two systems that are positively affected by dietary intake of fish and n-3 fatty acids. The mechanism is likely to be related to inhibition by n-3 fatty acids of inflammatory cytokines (such as TNF) and thus inhibition of downstream NF-kB activation. We have documented this effect in a 3-dimensional cell culture model, where NF-kB activation in osteoclasts was inhibited by eicosapentaenoic acid, an n-3 fatty acid. We have also indentified that NF-kB activation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of Space Shuttle crews. We found that after Shuttle flights of ~2 wk, expression of the protein p65 (evidence of NF-kB activation) was increased at landing (P less than 0.001). When evaluating the effects of n-3 fatty acid intake on bone breakdown after 60 d of bed rest (a weightlessness analog). We found that after 60 d of bed rest, greater intake of n-3 fatty acids was associated with less N-telopeptide excretion (Pearson r = -0.62, P less than 0.05). We also evaluated the relationship of fish intake and bone loss in astronauts after 4 to 6 mo missions on the International Space Station. Higher consumption of fish during flight was associated with higher bone mineral density (Pearson r = 0.46, P less than 0.05). Together, these findings provide evidence of the cellular mechanism by which n-3 fatty acids can inhibit bone loss, and preliminary human evidence of the potential for n-3 fatty acids to counteract bone loss associated with space flight. This study was supported by the NASA Human Research Program

Energy Conversion Research

Contains reports on three research projects.U. S. Air Force (Research and Technology Division) under Contract AF33(615)-3489 with the Air Force Aero Propulsion Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohi

Flux Lattice Melting and Lowest Landau Level Fluctuations

We discuss the influence of lowest Landau level (LLL) fluctuations near H_{c2}(T) on flux lattice melting in YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-\delta}$ (YBCO). We show that the specific heat step of the flux lattice melting transition in YBCO single crystals can be attributed largely to the degrees of freedom associated with LLL fluctuations. These degrees of freedom have already been shown to account for most of the latent heat. We also show that these results are a consequence of the correspondence between flux lattice melting and the onset of LLL fluctuations.Comment: 4 pages, 2 embedded figure

Candida Transmission and Sexual Behaviors as Risks for a Repeat Episode of Candida Vulvovaginitis

Objective: To assess associations between female and male factors and the risk of recurring Candida vulvovaginitis. Methods: A prospective cohort study of 148 women with Candida vulvovaginitis and 78 of their male sexual partners was conducted at two primary care practices in the Ann Arbor, Michigan, area. Results: Thirty-three of 148 women developed at least one further episode of Candida albicans vulvovaginitis within 1 year of follow-up. Cultures of Candida species from various sites of the woman (tongue, feces, vulva, and vagina) and from her partner (tongue, feces, urine, and semen) did not predict recurrences. Female factors associated with recurrence included recent masturbating with saliva (hazard ratio 2.66 [95% CI 1.17-6.06]) or cunnilingus (hazard ratio 2.94 [95% CI 1.12-7.68]) and ingestion of two or more servings of bread per day (p ≤ 0.05). Male factors associated with recurrences in the woman included history of the male masturbating with saliva in the previous month (hazard ratio 3.68 [95% CI 1.24-10.87]) and lower age at first intercourse (hazard ratio 0.83 [95% CI 0.71-0.96]). Conclusions: Sexual behaviors, rather than the presence of Candida species at various body locations of the male partner, are associated with recurrences of C. albicans vulvovaginitis.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/63382/1/154099903322643901.pd

The Impact of Apollo-Era Microbiology on Human Space Flight

The microbiota of crewmembers and the spacecraft environment contributes significant risk to crew health during space flight missions. NASA reduces microbial risk with various mitigation methods that originated during the Apollo Program and continued to evolve through subsequent programs: Skylab, Shuttle, and International Space Station (ISS). A quarantine of the crew and lunar surface samples, within the Lunar Receiving Laboratory following return from the Moon, was used to prevent contamination with unknown extraterrestrial organisms. The quarantine durations for the crew and lunar samples were 21 days and 50 days, respectively. A series of infections among Apollo crewmembers resulted in a quarantine before launch to limit exposure to infectious organisms. This Health Stabilization Program isolated the crew for 21 days before flight and was effective in reducing crew illness. After the program developed water recovery hardware for Apollo spacecraft, the 1967 National Academy of Science Space Science Board recommended the monitoring of potable water. NASA implemented acceptability limits of 10 colony forming units (CFU) per mL and the absence of viable E. coli, anaerobes, yeasts, and molds in three separate 150 mL aliquots. Microbiological investigations of the crew and spacecraft environment were conducted during the Apollo program, including the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project and Skylab. Subsequent space programs implemented microbial screening of the crew for pathogens and acceptability limits on spacecraft surfaces and air. Microbiology risk mitigation methods have evolved since the Apollo program. NASA cancelled the quarantine of the crew after return from the lunar surface, reduced the duration of the Health Stabilization Program; and implemented acceptability limits for spacecraft surfaces and air. While microbial risks were not a main focus of the early Mercury and Gemini programs, the extended duration of Apollo flights resulted in the increased scrutiny of impact of the space flight environment on crew health. The lessons learned during that era of space flight continue to impact microbiology risk mitigation in space programs today

Life History and Habitat of the Rare Patch-nosed Salamander (Urspelerpes brucei)

We examined the life history and habitat characteristics for the Patch-nosed Salamander, Urspelerpes brucei. Body-size measurements of individuals captured using litter bags and by hand from 2008 to 2010 indicated that the larval period lasts at least 2 y, salamanders attain reproductive maturity at or shortly after metamorphosis, and adults have very little variation in body size. Occupied streams are characterized by small size, little water, and narrow, steep-walled ravines. Within occupied streams, larval capture rate was significantly and negatively related to mean water depth, underscoring the importance of protecting headwaters. We hypothesize that the only known population of U. brucei east of the Tugaloo River was isolated from the west-bank populations by the tremendous increase in w