Microorganism Cultivation Platform for Human Life Support

A life support system for providing a growth medium for at least one photosynthetic micro-organism and for converting CO2 to O2, with reduced water use that is as low as about 4 percent of the corresponding amount of water normally required for conventional micro-organism growth. The system includes a liquid transport capillary channel, a mixed culture photosynthetic biofilm and a liquid transport substrate that is positioned between and contiguous to the capillary channel and the biofilm, where the liquid transport rate is adjustable by adjustment of the local humidity. Approximately uniform radiation is received by the biofilm and contributes to microorganism growth

Biological system development for GraviSat: A new platform for studying photosynthesis and microalgae in space

Microalgae have great potential to be used as part of a regenerative life support system and to facilitate in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) on long-duration human space missions. Little is currently known, however, about microalgal responses to the space environment over long (months) or even short (hours to days) time scales. We describe here the development of biological support subsystems for a prototype “3U” (i.e., three conjoined 10-cm cubes) nanosatellite, called GraviSat, designed to experimentally elucidate the effects of space microgravity and the radiation environment on microalgae and other microorganisms. The GraviSat project comprises the co-development of biological handling-and-support technologies with implementation of integrated measurement hardware for photosynthetic efficiency and physiological activity in support of long-duration (3–12 months) space missions. It supports sample replication in a fully autonomous system that will grow and analyze microalgal cultures in 120μL wells around the circumference of a microfluidic polymer disc; the cultures will be launched while in stasis, then grown in orbit. The disc spins at different rotational velocities to generate a range of artificial gravity levels in space, from microgravity to multiples of Earth gravity. Development of the biological support technologies for GraviSat comprised the screening of more than twenty microalgal strains for various physical, metabolic and biochemical attributes that support prolonged growth in a microfluidic disc, as well as the capacity for reversible metabolic stasis. Hardware development included that necessary to facilitate accurate and precise measurements of physical parameters by optical methods (pulse amplitude modulated fluorometry) and electrochemical sensors (ion-sensitive microelectrodes). Nearly all microalgal strains were biocompatible with nanosatellite materials; however, microalgal growth was rapidly inhibited (~1 week) within sealed microwells that did not include dissolved bicarbonate due to CO2 starvation. Additionally, oxygen production by some microalgae resulted in bubble formation within the wells, which interfered with sensor measurements. Our research achieved prolonged growth periods (\u3e10months) without excess oxygen production using two microalgal strains, Chlorella vulgaris UTEX 29 and Dunaliella bardawil 30.861, by lowering light intensities (2–10μmol photons m−2s−1) and temperature (4–12˚C). Although the experiments described here were performed to develop the GraviSat platform, the results of this study should be useful for the incorporation of microalgae in other satellite payloads with low-volume microfluidic systems

Hyperspectral Biofilm Classification Analysis for Carrying Capacity of Migratory Birds in the South Bay Salt Ponds

Tidal marshes are highly productive ecosystems that support migratory birds as roosting and over-wintering habitats on the Pacific Flyway. Microphytobenthos, or more commonly 'biofilms' contribute significantly to the primary productivity of wetland ecosystems, and provide a substantial food source for macroinvertebrates and avian communities. In this study, biofilms were characterized based on taxonomic classification, density differences, and spectral signatures. These techniques were then applied to remotely sensed images to map biofilm densities and distributions in the South Bay Salt Ponds and predict the carrying capacity of these newly restored ponds for migratory birds. The GER-1500 spectroradiometer was used to obtain in situ spectral signatures for each density-class of biofilm. The spectral variation and taxonomic classification between high, medium, and low density biofilm cover types was mapped using in-situ spectral measurements and classification of EO-1 Hyperion and Landsat TM 5 images. Biofilm samples were also collected in the field to perform laboratory analyses including chlorophyll-a, taxonomic classification, and energy content. Comparison of the spectral signatures between the three density groups shows distinct variations useful for classification. Also, analysis of chlorophyll-a concentrations show statistically significant differences between each density group, using the Tukey-Kramer test at an alpha level of 0.05. The potential carrying capacity in South Bay Salt Ponds is estimated to be 250,000 birds

Nanostructures Technology, Research, and Applications

Contains reports on twenty-four research projects and a list of publications.Joint Services Electronics Program Grant DAAHO4-95-1-0038Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency/Semiconductor Research Corporation SA1645-25508PGU.S. Army Research Office Grant DAAHO4-95-1-0564Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency/U.S. Navy - Naval Air Systems Command Contract N00019-95-K-0131Suss Advanced Lithography P. O. 51668National Aeronautics and Space Administration Contract NAS8-38249National Aeronautics and Space Administration Grant NAGW-2003Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency/U.S. Army Research Office Grant DAAHO4-951-05643M CorporationDefense Advanced Research Projects Agency/U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Contract N66001-97-1-8909National Science Foundation Graduate FellowshipU.S. Army Research Office Contract DAAHO4-94-G-0377National Science Foundation Contract DMR-940034National Science Foundation Grant DMR 94-00334Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency/U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research Contract F49620-96-1-0126Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Contract SV630304National Aeronautics and Space Administration Grant NAG5-5105Los Alamos National Laboratory Contract E57800017-9GSouthwest Research Institute Contract 83832MIT Lincoln Laboratory Advanced Concepts ProgramMIT Lincoln Laboratory Contract BX-655

From basic mechanisms to clinical applications in heart protection, new players in cardiovascular diseases and cardiac theranostics: meeting report from the third international symposium on "New frontiers in cardiovascular research"

In this meeting report, particularly addressing the topic of protection of the cardiovascular system from ischemia/reperfusion injury, highlights are presented that relate to conditioning strategies of the heart with respect to molecular mechanisms and outcome in patients' cohorts, the influence of co-morbidities and medications, as well as the contribution of innate immune reactions in cardioprotection. Moreover, developmental or systems biology approaches bear great potential in systematically uncovering unexpected components involved in ischemia-reperfusion injury or heart regeneration. Based on the characterization of particular platelet integrins, mitochondrial redox-linked proteins, or lipid-diol compounds in cardiovascular diseases, their targeting by newly developed theranostics and technologies opens new avenues for diagnosis and therapy of myocardial infarction to improve the patients' outcome

Algae and Cyanobacteria Behavior with Fixed Variables for Space Missions

The study of photosynthesis for nutrient and oxygen cycling in closed systems is vital for the future of human space explorations, as they must be self-sustainable for long durations of time. Algae and cyanobacteria are the most basic organisms known to perform photosynthesis and are also potential food sources, so it is important to explore their behavior in the conditions of space. AlgaeSat is a small satellite mission that will study the affects of microgravity and ionizing radiation on various types of algae. Growth rate and photophysiological changes will be measured Pulse Amplitude Modulated (PAM) fluorescence. In order to choose the best suited candidates, different strains of algae will be grown in varied conditions, which is the area of focus in this study

Wavelength Selective Photovoltaics for Low Cost Electricity Generation

With the increasing demand for renewable energy resources, photovoltaic (PV) technologies are being rapidly developed. These technologies include methods of generating electrical power by converting solar radiation into usable energy, commonly using solar panels. However, to generate enough energy to meet the world’s electricity demands, it may be required that PV solar farms are installed in agricultural and desert areas, competing with food production, crops for biofuels, and/or the conservation of desert ecosystems. High efficiency solar cells may help with the land-use issues, but they are hard to manufacture at low costs. This study proposes the solution of enabling wide scale development of low cost photovoltaic cell technology that can coexist on land used for algal biofuel. To do this, we compared the growth (optical density and chlorophyll a extraction per cell) and photosynthetic behavior (O2 production) of different types of algae by exposing them to increasing intensities of light filtered through pink waveshifting photovoltaic (WSPV) polymer sheets. The sheets selectively absorb wavelengths between 400 and 600nm, allowing wavelengths above 600 to pass though. We will see how green algae grow under these conditions, and ultimately collect the unused light and convert it into electricity by the low cost polymer sheets