Space Environments and Effects Concept: Transitioning Research to Operations and Applications

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is embarking on a course to expand human presence beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) while expanding its mission to explore the solar system. Destinations such as Near Earth Asteroids (NEA), Mars and its moons, and the outer planets are but a few of the mission targets. NASA has established numerous offices specializing in specific space environments disciplines that will serve to enable these missions. To complement these existing discipline offices, a concept focusing on the development of space environment and effects application is presented. This includes space climate, space weather, and natural and induced space environments. This space environment and effects application is composed of 4 topic areas; characterization and modeling, engineering effects, prediction and operation, and mitigation and avoidance. These topic areas are briefly described below. Characterization and modeling of space environments will primarily focus on utilization during Program mission concept, planning, and design phases. Engineering effects includes materials testing and flight experiments producing data to be used in mission planning and design phases. Prediction and operation pulls data from existing sources into decision-making tools and empirical data sets to be used during the operational phase of a mission. Mitigation and avoidance will develop techniques and strategies used in the design and operations phases of the mission. The goal of this space environment and effects application is to develop decision-making tools and engineering products to support the mission phases of mission concept through operations by focusing on transitioning research to operations. Products generated by this space environments and effects application are suitable for use in anomaly investigations. This paper will outline the four topic areas, describe the need, and discuss an organizational structure for this space environments and effects application

1972: Abilene Christian College Bible Lectures - Full Text

THE CHURCH AND THE FUTURE Being the Abilene Christian College Annual Bible Lectures 1972 Published by ABILENE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE BOOK STORE ACC Station Abilene, Texas 7960

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

The impact of PICALM genetic variations on reserve capacity of posterior cingulate in AD continuum

Phosphatidylinositolbinding clathrin assembly protein (PICALM) gene is one novel genetic player associated with late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD), based on recent genome wide association studies (GWAS). However, how it affects AD occurrence is still unknown. Brain reserve hypothesis highlights the tolerant capacities of brain as a passive means to fight against neurodegenerations. Here, we took the baseline volume and/or thickness of LOAD-associated brain regions as proxies of brain reserve capacities and investigated whether PICALM genetic variations can influence the baseline reserve capacities and the longitudinal atrophy rate of these specific regions using data from Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) dataset. In mixed population, we found that brain region significantly affected by PICALM genetic variations was majorly restricted to posterior cingulate. In sub-population analysis, we found that one PICALM variation (C allele of rs642949) was associated with larger baseline thickness of posterior cingulate in health. We found seven variations in health and two variations (rs543293 and rs592297) in individuals with mild cognitive impairment were associated with slower atrophy rate of posterior cingulate. Our study provided preliminary evidences supporting that PICALM variations render protections by facilitating reserve capacities of posterior cingulate in non-demented elderly

ARID1B, a molecular suppressor of erythropoiesis, is essential for the prevention of Monge's disease.

At high altitude Andean region, hypoxia-induced excessive erythrocytosis (EE) is the defining feature of Monge's disease or chronic mountain sickness (CMS). At the same altitude, resides a population that has developed adaptive mechanism(s) to constrain this hypoxic response (non-CMS). In this study, we utilized an in vitro induced pluripotent stem cell model system to study both populations using genomic and molecular approaches. Our whole genome analysis of the two groups identified differential SNPs between the CMS and non-CMS subjects in the ARID1B region. Under hypoxia, the expression levels of ARID1B significantly increased in the non-CMS cells but decreased in the CMS cells. At the molecular level, ARID1B knockdown (KD) in non-CMS cells increased the levels of the transcriptional regulator GATA1 by 3-fold and RBC levels by 100-fold under hypoxia. ARID1B KD in non-CMS cells led to increased proliferation and EPO sensitivity by lowering p53 levels and decreasing apoptosis through GATA1 mediation. Interestingly, under hypoxia ARID1B showed an epigenetic role, altering the chromatin states of erythroid genes. Indeed, combined Real-time PCR and ATAC-Seq results showed that ARID1B modulates the expression of GATA1 and p53 and chromatin accessibility at GATA1/p53 target genes. We conclude that ARID1B is a novel erythroid regulator under hypoxia that controls various aspects of erythropoiesis in high-altitude dwellers