Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Aviation

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Extraterrestrial CPR and Its Applications in Terrestrial Medicine

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a well-established part of basic life support (BLS), saving countless lives since its first development in the 1960s. Recently, work has been undertaken to develop methods of basic and advanced life support (ALS) in microgravity and hypogravity. Although the likelihood of a dangerous cardiac event occurring during space mission is rare, the possibility exists. The selection process for space missions nowadays considers individuals at ages and with health standards that would have precluded their selection in the past. The advent of space tourism may even enhance this possibility. This chapter presents a synthesis of the results obtained in studies conducted at the MicroG-PUCRS, Brazil, examining extraterrestrial CPR during ground-based microgravity and hypogravity simulations and during parabolic flights and sustained microgravity. It outlines the extraterrestrial BLS guidelines for both low-orbit and deep-space missions. The former are based on a combination of factors, unique for the environment of space. In a setting like this, increased physiological stress due to gravitational adaptation and the isolated nature of the environmental demands can affect the outcome of resuscitation procedure

A Device for Sampling Earlobe Arterialized Blood in Space and Other Austere Environments

The coming decades will see a large increase in the numbers of people who will have the opportunity to go into space, whether on traditional Earth-orbiting space stations, tourist spaceflights or proposed space hotels. In addition, humans are likely to be spending longer periods of time in the microgravity of space and the reduced gravity environments found on the moon and Mars, with plans for long-duration spaceflight to reach the red planet and habitation of a moon colony. The anatomy, physiology and psychology of humankind are shaped by the gravity we are subject to on Earth, and it is known that the removal or reduction of this force can have a detrimental effect on our health and wellbeing. Therefore, all steps must be taken to monitor these aspects. Currently, there is no safe and acceptable method to collect arterial blood in space, which can be used to obtain valuable blood gas and blood component variables. This chapter will outline the development of a method for safely collecting arterialized blood in space, the research and steps taken to ensure its suitability and applicability, in preparation for this growing presence of humans in space

Research in Microgravity in Physical and Life Sciences: An Introduction to Means and Methods

Microgravity is the state encountered in a vehicle in free fall, whether on Earth, in low Earth orbit or in deep space. Microgravity research has opened up new possibilities for investigations in physical and life sciences that are necessary to enhance our knowledge of how physical systems and the human body, from cells to whole body systems, perform, react and function in microgravity, which will help prepare for the human exploration of outer space. This chapter presents an introduction of the microgravity environment, which can be obtained using different microgravity platforms, including space missions. Simulation of microgravity effects is also used for research and presented here. The chapter further considers the effects of microgravity on several aspects related to the physical sciences and on the adaptation of the human body to this altered gravity environment

Sixty Years of Manned Spaceflight—Incidents and Accidents Involving Astronauts between Launch and Landing

Introduction: Since Gagarin became the first human to travel into space and complete one orbit around the Earth, on 12 April 1961, the number of manned spaceflights has increased significantly. Spaceflight is still complex and has potential risk for incidents and accidents. The aim of this study was to analyze how safe it is for humans to travel in space. Objectives: This paper, therefore, summarizes incidents and accidents covering the six decades of manned spaceflight (1961–2020). Material and methods: Extensive PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar searches were made with search strings of “incidents”, “accident”, “spaceflight”, and “orbit”, and including all vehicles so far. Search terms were combined by AND or OR in search strings. Of the results obtained, studies which evaluated manned spaceflight were included in the study. Data from the National Aeronautics Space Agency (NASA), the Russian Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Chinese Space Agency (CNSA), as well as from the Virgin Galactic and the SpaceX databases, were searched to complete data and to identify all the accomplished manned spaceflights, as well as all incidents and accidents that have occurred in the specific period. Search results were compared to findings on Wikipedia, Encyclopedia Astronautica, and other public webpages. Reference lists of included articles/homepages were also included for further potential data. Results: From 1961–2020, our data revealed an increasing number of manned space flights, n = 327. The number of times an astronaut has been sent to space, n = 1294, resulted in an accumulated n = 19,414 days spent in space. The number of days spent in orbit has constantly increased from 1961 until today. The number of incidents (altogether n = 36) and accidents (altogether n = 5) has constantly decreased. The number of astronauts who have died during spaceflight is represented by n = 19. The current statistical fatality rate is 5.8% (deaths per spaceflight) with the highest fatality rate in the 1960s (0.013 deaths/day spent in space), and the lowest rates in the 1990s and the period from 2010 until the present (no deaths). The most dangerous phases of spaceflight are launch, landing and staying in orbit. Altogether, n = 12 incidents (incident rate per spaceflight: 0.04) and one accident (accident rate: 0.003) during launch have been reported, n = 9 incidents (incident rate: 0.03) and two accidents (accident rate: 0.006) have been reported during landing and n = 10 incidents (incident rate: 0.03) have been reported in orbit. Discussion: Manned spaceflight over the last six decades has become significantly safer. Since 2003, no astronaut fatality has been reported. With greater international cooperation and maintaining of the International Space Station (ISS), the number of manned spaceflights and days spent in space has constantly increased, with constantly lower rates of incidents and accidents

A BIOMECHANICAL RESEARCH IN BRAZIL: SURVEY OF LABORATORIES AND RESEARCH, MAINLY THE BALANCE AND POSTURE AREA

The aim of this study was to present the profile of the Brazilian labs currently conducting researches in Biomechanics. The sample was selected based on the list of labs and research groups published by the Brazilian Society of Biomechanics. The results have shown that human gait, balance and posture are the most studied areas among the participating labs. The coordinator’s interest appears as a fundamental factor in the choice of those lines. Most of them admitted to having received some sort off financial or material support from public and/or private establishments for the research development. It was also demonstrated that research labs have been evaluating sedentary young adults, between 19 and 30 years old. It’s believed that this study may motivate the restructuring of the Brazilian Biomechanics’ knowledge

EVALUATION OF SURFACE ELECTROMYOGRAPHY DURING THE PERFORMANCE OF FOUR DIFFERENT ABDOMINAL EXERCISES

This study aimed to evaluate muscle’s response to four different abdominal exercises by means of surface electromyography (sEMG). Six male volunteers (24 ± 4,47 yo) with at least 6 months experience in the performance of regular abdominal exercise participated in this study. sEMG data was collected by means of a 4 channel electromyography. Data was normalized by the mean of each channel and was analyzed using ANOVA and Sheffé Post Hoc test (p< 0.05). The results of this study showed that the two conventional abdominal exercises presented a higher sEMG signal in the supra, rather than in the infra umbilical area. During the infra and complete abdominal exercises, the stronger sEMG signals were observed in the external oblique and rectusfemoral muscles

Telegerontology: Knowledge Exchange Related to Elderly Healthcare Between Brazilian and Portuguese Universities

Telegerontology (TeleGero) is one of the educational activities promoted by the eHealth Lab/MicroG, in co-operation with the Postgraduate Course in Gerontology and Geriatrics at PUCRS. This initiative began more than 10 years ago through videoconference connections, aimed at publicising the activities of different Brazilian teaching and research centres in the area of geriatrics and gerontology. A total of 6 Brazilian states (São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Amazonas, Rio Grande do Sul, Pernambuco, Paraná) and Portuguese educational institutions participate in TeleGero, all linked through a server. The thirteen representative members, doctors/professors and other collaborators promote interaction between the Brazilian and Portuguese universities. This work occurs on a monthly basis, from January to November, with lectures focused on topics related to care of the elderly, and based on scientific projects and clinical experiences. A mediator guides group discussions in the videoconferences and time is set-aside during the presentations for questions to the speaker, resulting in greater interaction between the Brazilian and Portuguese participants. Researchers from the engineering area, who are part of the eHealth Lab/MicroG, provide specialised technical support for the videoconferences. The communication system consists of a computer connected to the internal network of PUCRS (intranet) and Teleport Software, connected to peripherals (microphones, sound system and video camera), which guarantees a secure and dynamic connection between the research groups