NASA space biology accomplishments, 1982

Summaries of NASA's Space Biology Program projects are provided. The goals, objectives, accomplishments, and future plans of each project are described in this publication as individual technical summaries

NASA space biology accomplishments, 1983-84

Approximately 42 project summaries from NASA's Space Biology Program are presented. Emphasis is placed on gravitational effects on plant and animal life. The identification of gravity perception; the effects of weightlessness on genetic integrity, cellular differentiation, reproduction, development, growth, maturation, and senescence; and how gravity affects and controls physiology, morphology, and behavior of organisms are studied

Silvanidae and Laemophloeidae (Coleoptera : Cucujoidea) from the Maltese Islands (Central Mediterranean)

The Silvanidae and Laemophloeidae of the Maltese archipelago are reviewed, based on literature records and, where available, examination of voucher material, as well as the study of additional material collected in recent years. A total of five species of Silvanidae are included of which, Airaphilus nasutus Chevrolat, 1860 and Oryzaephilus mercator (Fauvel, 1889) represent new records for the Maltese Islands. Silvanus lewisi Reitter, 1876, a tropical species, was collected alive from under bark of logs imported from Cameroon (intended for the timber industry). Six species of Laemophloeidae are also recorded from the Maltese Islands, of which, Placonotus testaceus (Fabricius, 1787), Cryptolestes capensis (Waltl, 1834), C. pusilloides (Steel & Howe, 1952) and Leptophloeus juniperi (Grouvelle, 1874) represent new records for the Maltese Islands. The record of Leptophloeus hypobori (Perris, 1855) by Cameron & Caruana Gatto (1907) was found to be incorrect as their material is Cryptolestes capensis (Waltl, 1834).peer-reviewe

Systematic alteration of ATAC-seq for profiling open chromatin in cryopreserved nuclei preparations from livestock tissues.

The use of Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin (ATAC-seq) to profile chromatin accessibility has surged over the past years, but its applicability to tissues has been very limited. With the intent of preserving nuclear architecture during long-term storage, cryopreserved nuclei preparations from chicken lung were used to optimize ATAC-seq. Sequencing data were compared with existing DNase-seq, ChIP-seq, and RNA-seq data to evaluate library quality, ultimately resulting in a modified ATAC-seq method capable of generating high quality chromatin accessibility data from cryopreserved nuclei preparations. Using this method, nucleosome-free regions (NFR) identified in chicken lung overlapped half of DNase-I hypersensitive sites, coincided with active histone modifications, and specifically marked actively expressed genes. Notably, sequencing only the subnucleosomal fraction dramatically improved signal, while separation of subnucleosomal reads post-sequencing did not improve signal or peak calling. The broader applicability of this modified ATAC-seq technique was tested using cryopreserved nuclei preparations from pig tissues, resulting in NFR that were highly consistent among biological replicates. Furthermore, tissue-specific NFR were enriched for binding motifs of transcription factors related to tissue-specific functions, and marked genes functionally enriched for tissue-specific processes. Overall, these results provide insights into the optimization of ATAC-seq and a platform for profiling open chromatin in animal tissues

The Moderating Role of Parental Sleep Knowledge on Children with Developmental Disabilities and Their Parents’ Sleep

Background: Children with intellectual and developmental difficulties often experience sleep problems, which in turn may impact parental sleep patterns. This study explored the role of parental sleep knowledge as a moderator on the relationship between child sleep and parental sleep impairment. Methods: 582 parents or caregivers (92.6% mothers) of children with different developmental disabilities (Age M = 9.34, 29.5% females) such as Down’s syndrome, participated in an online survey. Multiple regression analysis was conducted. Results: Parental sleep knowledge of child sleep was a moderating variable in the relationship between child sleep nocturnal duration and parental sleep impairment. Although overall, sleep knowledge was high in this sample, two specific knowledge gaps were identified namely child sleep duration requirements, and the recognition of signs of a well-rested child. Conclusion: This study has provided evidence that increased parental sleep knowledge can positively impact both child and parental sleep outcomes

A cross-cultural comparison of sleep patterns between typically developing children and children with ASD living in Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom

Background: Sleep is crucial for child development, especially for children with ASD. While it is known that children with ASD experience more severe sleep problems and that these problems tend to persist compared to their typically developing counterparts, these findings tend to come from only Western countries. A cross-cultural study is important to understand if the prevailing understanding of sleep in children with ASD can be extended to different cultural backgrounds. Aim: A cross-cultural study is conducted, involving typically developing children and children with ASD aged 5–12 across two countries: Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. Methods and procedures: Using a combination of questionnaires measuring ASD severity (CARS-2), sleep quality (CSHQ), sociodemographic and lifestyle variables and sleep diaries, 244 children were sampled using a mixture of snowball and convenience sampling methods. Outcomes and results: Children with ASD experience more sleep problems compared to typically developing children in Saudi Arabia, and these problems similarly persist across time. Specifically, it was found that children with ASD in Saudi Arabia experience greater sleep onset latency and a greater number of night awakenings. Additionally, across the ASD groups, it was found that children from Saudi Arabia generally experienced poorer sleep than children in the United Kingdom in terms of shorter sleep duration, although children in the United Kingdom tended to report more instances of sleep anxiety and parasomnias. Conclusions and implications: Several reasons such as parental education about sleep hygiene, cultural influences and social hours were put forward as potential explanations for cross-cultural differences. Findings served to emphasise the importance of culturally-appropriate interventions and public education regarding child sleep

Transmission risk of COVID-19 in high school and college water polo

BACKGROUND: Concerns that athletes may be at a higher risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission has led to reduced participation in sports during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to assess COVID-19 incidence and transmission during the spring 2021 high school and college water polo seasons across the United States. METHODS: This prospective observational study enrolled 1825 water polo athletes from 54 high schools and 36 colleges. Surveys were sent to coaches throughout the season, and survey data were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: We identified 17 COVID-19 cases among 1223 high school water polo athletes (1.4%) and 66 cases among 602 college athletes (11.0%). Of these cases, contact tracing suggested that three were water polo-associated in high school, and none were water polo-associated in college. Quarantine data suggest low transmission during water polo play as only three out of 232 (1.3%) high school athletes quarantined for a water polo-related exposure developed COVID-19. In college, none of the 54 athletes quarantined for exposure with an infected opponent contracted COVID-19. However, in both high school and college, despite the physical condition of water polo athletes, both high school (47%) and college athletes (21%) had prolonged return to play after contracting COVID-19, indicating the danger of COVID-19, even to athletes. CONCLUSIONS: While COVID-19 spread can occur during water polo play, few instances of spread occurred during the spring 2021 season, and transmission rates appear similar to those in other settings, such as school environments

High Dengue Case Capture Rate in Four Years of a Cohort Study in Nicaragua Compared to National Surveillance Data

Dengue is a major public health problem in tropical and subtropical regions; however, under-reporting of cases to national surveillance systems hinders accurate knowledge of disease burden and costs. Laboratory-confirmed dengue cases identified through the Nicaraguan Pediatric Dengue Cohort Study (PDCS) were compared to those reported from other health facilities in Managua to the National Epidemiologic Surveillance (NES) program of the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health. Compared to reporting among similar pediatric populations in Managua, the PDCS identified 14 to 28 (average 21.3) times more dengue cases each year per 100,000 persons than were reported to the NES. Applying these annual expansion factors to national-level data, we estimate that the incidence of confirmed pediatric dengue throughout Nicaragua ranged from 300 to 1000 cases per 100,000 persons. We have estimated a much higher incidence of dengue than reported by the Ministry of Health. A country-specific expansion factor for dengue that allows for a more accurate estimate of incidence may aid governments and other institutions calculating disease burden, costs, resource needs for prevention and treatment, and the economic benefits of drug and vaccine development

The impact of the demographic transition on dengue in Thailand: Insights from a statistical analysis and mathematical modeling

Background: An increase in the average age of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) cases has been reported in Thailand. The cause of this increase is not known. Possible explanations include a reduction in transmission due to declining mosquito populations, declining contact between human and mosquito, and changes in reporting. We propose that a demographic shift toward lower birth and death rates has reduced dengue transmission and lengthened the interval between large epidemics. Methods and Findings: Using data from each of the 72 provinces of Thailand, we looked for associations between force of infection (a measure of hazard, defined as the rate per capita at which susceptible individuals become infected) and demographic and climactic variables. We estimated the force of infection from the age distribution of cases from 1985 to 2005. We find that the force of infection has declined by 2% each year since a peak in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Contrary to recent findings suggesting that the incidence of DHF has increased in Thailand, we find a small but statistically significant decline in DHF incidence since 1985 in a majority of provinces. The strongest predictor of the change in force of infection and the mean force of infection is the median age of the population. Using mathematical simulations of dengue transmission we show that a reduced birth rate and a shift in the population's age structure can explain the shift in the age distribution of cases, reduction of the force of infection, and increase in the periodicity of multiannual oscillations of DHF incidence in the absence of other changes. Conclusions: Lower birth and death rates decrease the flow of susceptible individuals into the population and increase the longevity of immune individuals. The increase in the proportion of the population that is immune increases the likelihood that an infectious mosquito will feed on an immune individual, reducing the force of infection. Though the force of infection has decreased by half, we find that the critical vaccination fraction has not changed significantly, declining from an average of 85% to 80%. Clinical guidelines should consider the impact of continued increases in the age of dengue cases in Thailand. Countries in the region lagging behind Thailand in the demographic transition may experience the same increase as their population ages. The impact of demographic changes on the force of infection has been hypothesized for other diseases, but, to our knowledge, this is the first observation of this phenomenon