Paper Session I-A - Learning about Life on Space Station

The International Space Station as humanity’s outpost in low Earth orbit, is an ideal platform for studying how to live in space, as well as to conduct research to learn more about life. A long-duration microgravity platform such as ISS allows the study of biological and physiological processes free of the one constant force to which they have been subjected since the origin of life on Earth: gravity. Although construction of ISS is still under way, the US Laboratory Module Destiny has been outfitted with its full complement of 10 research facilities, two of them dedicated to life sciences research. In the coming years, Destiny will be joined by the European Space Agency’s Columbus and by Japan’s Kibo research modules with additional facilities, and then by the Centrifuge Accommodation Module containing a centrifuge for variable gravity research. Research has been ongoing for only 2 of its planned 15 years of orbital life, so we have clearly just opened the door to learning about life on Space Station

Spacelab Life Sciences-1

This report provides an historical overview of the Spacelab Life Sciences-1 (SLS-1) mission along with the resultant biomaintenance data and investigators' findings. Only the nonhuman elements, developed by Ames Research Center (ARC) researchers, are addressed herein. The STS-40 flight of SLS-1, in June 1991, was the first spacelab flown after 'return to orbit', it was also the first spacelab mission specifically designated as a Life Sciences Spacelab. The experiments performed provided baseline data for both hardware and rodents used in succeeding missions

Pollination and seed set of meadowfoam

Published June 1991. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalo

Exploring racial differences in the obesity gender gap

PURPOSE: To investigate whether the gender gap in obesity prevalence is greater among US Blacks than Whites in a study designed to account for racial differences in socioeconomic and environmental conditions. METHODS: We estimated age-adjusted, race-stratified gender gaps in obesity (female obesity minus male obesity, defined as BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2)) in the National Health Interview Survey 2003 (NHIS) and the Exploring Health Disparities in Integrated Communities-Southwest Baltimore 2003 study (EHDIC-SWB). EHDIC-SWB is a population-based survey of 1381 adults living in two urban, low-income, racially integrated census tracts with no race difference in income. RESULTS: In NHIS, the obesity gender gap was larger in Blacks than Whites: 7.7 percentage-points (ppts) (95% confidence interval (CI): 3.4, 11.9) in Blacks versus −1.5 ppts (95% CI: −2.8, −0.2) in Whites. In EHDIC-SWB, the gender gap was similarly large for Blacks and Whites: 15.3 ppts (95% CI: 8.6, 22.0) in Blacks versus 14.0 ppts (95% CI: 7.1, 20.9) in Whites. CONCLUSIONS: In a racially integrated, low-income urban community, gender gaps in obesity prevalence were similar for Blacks and Whites