Fecundity of Quail in Spacelab Microgravity

Flight experiments in which fertilized Japanese quail eggs were allowed to develop to various ages in space, and the results of the following laboratory tests are described. Laboratory-based experiments concerned with the embryonic development of Japanese quail in gravity using simulated vibrations and G-force are reported. Effect of turning and ambient temperature at various days of incubation on the development of Japanese quail, and method to feed and water adult and newly hatched Japanese quail in microgravity using a gelatin-based diet as a solid water supply, are also described

Examination of returned solar-max surfaces for impacting orbital debris and meteoroids

Previous theoretical studies predicted that in certain regions of earth orbit, the man-made earth orbiting debris environment will soon exceed the interplanetary meteoroid environment for sizes smaller than 1 cm. The surfaces returned from the repaired Solar Max Mission (SMM) by STS 41-C on April 12, 1984, offered an excellent opportunity to examine both the debris and meteoroid environments. To date, approximately 0.7 sq. met. of the thermal insulation and 0.05 sq. met of the aluminum louvers have been mapped by optical microscope for crater diameters larger than 40 microns. Craters larger in diameter than about 100 microns found on the initial 75 micron thick Kapton first sheet on the MEB (Main Electronics Box) blanket are actually holes and constitute perforations through that blanket. The following populations have been found to date in impact sites on these blankets: (1) meteoritic material; (2) thermal paint particles; (3) aluminum droplets; and (4) waste particles

Structured randomness: Jamming of soft discs and pins

Simulations are used to find the zero temperature jamming threshold, $\phi_j$, for soft, bidisperse disks in the presence of small fixed particles, or "pins", arranged in a lattice. The presence of pins leads, as one expects, to a decrease in $\phi_j$. Structural properties of the system near the jamming threshold are calculated as a function of the pin density. While the correlation length exponent remains $\nu = 1/2$ at low pin densities, the system is mechanically stable with more bonds, yet fewer contacts than the Maxwell criterion implies in the absence of pins. In addition, as pin density increases, novel bond orientational order and long-range spatial order appear, which are correlated with the square symmetry of the pin lattice.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures, 1 table; This is v2 of an article, revised thanks to peer revie

Effects of light and temperature on germination of Pyxidanthera brevifolia Wells (Diapensiaceae)

Pyxidanthera brevifolia is an evergreen semiwoody cushion plant endemic to the Sandhills of North and South Carolina, with the majority of populations occurring on Fort Bragg Military Reservation in North Carolina. Currently the species is listed as Endangered in North Carolina and is designated as a Species at Risk (SAR) by the US Department of Defense. Previous studies have suggested that seeds may not be viable because they failed to germinate under controlled conditions. Our objectives in this study were to attempt germination of Pyxidanthera brevifolia seeds, determine the best temperature conditions for germination, and understand more about germination requirements to aid in future restoration efforts. Using seeds that had been stored at room temperature for six months, we performed a germination experiment at the NCSU Phytotron with six treatments, all combinations of three temperature regimes (low (18 uC day / 14 uC night), medium (22/18 uC), and high (26/ 22 uC)) and two light conditions (light and dark). We monitored the experiment for 13 weeks, recording the number of seeds germinating per dish and the number of days to germination for seeds in each treatment. We found that Pxyidanthera brevifolia produces germinable seeds and that there are significant effects of light and temperature on germination. Highest germination occurred under low temperature and high light conditions (78%); the combination of high temperature and no light produced the lowest germination (6%). Seeds exposed to light germinated significantly earlier at the coolest temperature, compared to medium and high temperatures. These results indicate that it is possible to germinate seeds of this rare plant and suggest that germination of Pyxidanthera brevifolia likely occurs in late fall and is dependent on adequate light availability

Observation and analysis of in situ carbonaceous matter in Nakhla: Part I

New analyses of indigenous secondary material in the martian meteorite Nakhla reveal amorphous carbon-rich veins and dendrites. The texture and chemistry of this material resembles that of biogenically altered sub-ocean basaltic glasses

Cosmic Dust Catalog

Since May 1981, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has used aircraft to collect cosmic dust (CD) particles from Earth's stratosphere. Specially designed dust collectors are prepared for flight and processed after flight in an ultraclean (Class-100) laboratory constructed for this purpose at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas. Particles are individually retrieved from the collectors, examined and cataloged, and then made available to the scientific community for research. Cosmic dust thereby joins lunar samples and meteorites as an additional source of extraterrestrial materials for scientific study. This catalog summarizes preliminary observations on 468 particles retrieved from collection surfaces L2021 and L2036. These surfaces were flat plate Large Area Collectors (with a 300 cm2 surface area each) which was coated with silicone oil (dimethyl siloxane) and then flown aboard a NASA ER-2 aircraft during a series of flights that were made during January and February of 1994 (L2021) and June 7 through July 5 of 1994 (L2036). Collector L2021 was flown across the entire southern margin of the US (California to Florida), and collector L2036 was flown from California to Wallops Island, VA and on to New England. These collectors were installed in a specially constructed wing pylon which ensured that the necessary level of cleanliness was maintained between periods of active sampling. During successive periods of high altitude (20 km) cruise, the collectors were exposed in the stratosphere by barometric controls and then retracted into sealed storage container-s prior to descent. In this manner, a total of 35.8 hours of stratospheric exposure was accumulated for collector L2021, and 26 hours for collector L2036

Observation and analysis of in situ carbonaceous matter in Nakhla: part II

Analysis of in situ carbonaceous matter in the Nakhla SNC meteorite has been carried out using a variety of techniques. Laser raman data shows the carbonaceous matter to be highly complex and static mass spectrometry has shown it to have an isotopic composition of '18 to '20' C

Development and validation of a risk score for chronic kidney disease in HIV infection using prospective cohort data from the D:A:D study.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major health issue for HIV-positive individuals, associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Development and implementation of a risk score model for CKD would allow comparison of the risks and benefits of adding potentially nephrotoxic antiretrovirals to a treatment regimen and would identify those at greatest risk of CKD. The aims of this study were to develop a simple, externally validated, and widely applicable long-term risk score model for CKD in HIV-positive individuals that can guide decision making in clinical practice

The association between serum biomarkers and disease outcome in influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infection: results of two international observational cohort studies

BACKGROUND Prospective studies establishing the temporal relationship between the degree of inflammation and human influenza disease progression are scarce. To assess predictors of disease progression among patients with influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 infection, 25 inflammatory biomarkers measured at enrollment were analyzed in two international observational cohort studies. METHODS Among patients with RT-PCR-confirmed influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infection, odds ratios (ORs) estimated by logistic regression were used to summarize the associations of biomarkers measured at enrollment with worsened disease outcome or death after 14 days of follow-up for those seeking outpatient care (FLU 002) or after 60 days for those hospitalized with influenza complications (FLU 003). Biomarkers that were significantly associated with progression in both studies (p<0.05) or only in one (p<0.002 after Bonferroni correction) were identified. RESULTS In FLU 002 28/528 (5.3%) outpatients had influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infection that progressed to a study endpoint of complications, hospitalization or death, whereas in FLU 003 28/170 (16.5%) inpatients enrolled from the general ward and 21/39 (53.8%) inpatients enrolled directly from the ICU experienced disease progression. Higher levels of 12 of the 25 markers were significantly associated with subsequent disease progression. Of these, 7 markers (IL-6, CD163, IL-10, LBP, IL-2, MCP-1, and IP-10), all with ORs for the 3(rd) versus 1(st) tertile of 2.5 or greater, were significant (p<0.05) in both outpatients and inpatients. In contrast, five markers (sICAM-1, IL-8, TNF-α, D-dimer, and sVCAM-1), all with ORs for the 3(rd) versus 1(st) tertile greater than 3.2, were significantly (p≤.002) associated with disease progression among hospitalized patients only. CONCLUSIONS In patients presenting with varying severities of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infection, a baseline elevation in several biomarkers associated with inflammation, coagulation, or immune function strongly predicted a higher risk of disease progression. It is conceivable that interventions designed to abrogate these baseline elevations might affect disease outcome

Comparing airborne algorithms for greenhouse gas flux measurements over the Alberta oil sands

To combat global warming, Canada has committed to reducing greenhouse gases to be (GHGs) 40 %–45 % below 2005 emission levels by 2025. Monitoring emissions and deriving accurate inventories are essential to reaching these goals. Airborne methods can provide regional and area source measurements with small error if ideal conditions for sampling are met. In this study, two airborne mass-balance box-flight algorithms were compared to assess the extent of their agreement and their performance under various conditions. The Scientific Aviation’s (SciAv) Gaussian algorithm and the Environment and Climate Change Canada’s top-down emission rate retrieval algorithm (TERRA) were applied to data from five samples. Estimates were compared using standard procedures, by systematically testing other method fits, and by investigating the effects on the estimates when method assumptions were not met. Results indicate that in standard scenarios the SciAv and TERRA mass-balance box-flight methods produce similar estimates that agree (3%–25%) within algorithm uncertainties (4%– 34%). Implementing a sample-specific surface extrapolation procedure for the SciAv algorithm may improve emission estimation. Algorithms disagreed when non-ideal conditions occurred (i.e., under non-stationary atmospheric conditions). Overall, the results provide confidence in the box-flight methods and indicate that emissions estimates are not overly sensitive to the choice of algorithm but demonstrate that fundamental algorithm assumptions should be assessed for each flight. Using a different method, the Airborne Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer – Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) independently mapped individual plumes with emissions 5 times larger than the source SciAv sampled three days later. The range in estimates highlights the utility of increased sampling to get a more complete understanding of the temporal variability of emissions and to identify emission sources within facilities. In addition, hourly on-site activity data would provide insight to the observed temporal variability in emissions and make a comparison to reported emissions more straightforward