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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1998

Advanced Air Bag Technology Assessment

As a result of the concern for the growing number of air-bag-induced injuries and fatalities, the administrators of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) agreed to a cooperative effort that "leverages NHTSA's expertise in motor vehicle safety restraint systems and biomechanics with NASAs position as one of the leaders in advanced technology development... to enable the state of air bag safety technology to advance at a faster pace..." They signed a NASA/NHTSA memorandum of understanding for NASA to "evaluate air bag to assess advanced air bag performance, establish the technological potential for improved technology (smart) air bag systems, and identify key expertise and technology within the agency (i.e., NASA) that can potentially contribute significantly to the improved effectiveness of air bags." NASA is committed to contributing to NHTSAs effort to: (1) understand and define critical parameters affecting air bag performance; (2) systematically assess air bag technology state of the art and its future potential; and (3) identify new concepts for air bag systems. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) was selected by NASA to respond to the memorandum of understanding by conducting an advanced air bag technology assessment. JPL analyzed the nature of the need for occupant restraint, how air bags operate alone and with safety belts to provide restraint, and the potential hazards introduced by the technology. This analysis yielded a set of critical parameters for restraint systems. The researchers examined data on the performance of current air bag technology, and searched for and assessed how new technologies could reduce the hazards introduced by air bags while providing the restraint protection that is their primary purpose. The critical parameters which were derived are: (1) the crash severity; (2) the use of seat belts; (3) the physical characteristics of the occupants; (4) the proximity of the occupants to the airbag module; (5) the deployment time, which includes the time to sense the need for deployment, the inflator response parameters, the air bag response, and the reliability of the air bag. The requirements for an advanced air bag technology is discussed. These requirements includes that the system use information related to: (1) the crash severity; (2) the status of belt usage; (3) the occupant category; and (4) the proximity to the air bag to adjust air bag deployment. The parameters for the response of the air bag are: (1) deployment time; (2) inflator parameters; and (3) air bag response and reliability. The state of occupant protection advanced technology is reviewed. This review includes: the current safety restraint systems, and advanced technology characteristics. These characteristics are summarized in a table, which has information regarding the technology item, the potential, and an date of expected utilization. The use of technology and expertise at NASA centers is discussed. NASA expertise relating to sensors, computing, simulation, propellants, propulsion, inflatable systems, systems analysis and engineering is considered most useful. Specific NASA technology developments, which were included in the study are: (1) a capacitive detector; (2) stereoscopic vision system; (3) improved crash sensors; (4) the use of the acoustic signature of the crash to determine crash severity; and (5) the use of radar antenna for pre-crash sensing. Information relating to injury risk assessment is included, as is a summary of the areas of the technology which requires further development.

Phen, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Impact of Track Structure Effects on Shielding and Dosimetry

Galactic cosmic rays (GCR) consisting of nuclei of all the known elements with kinetic energies extending from tens to millions of MeV pose a significant health hazard to future deep space operations. Even half of the radiation exposures expected in ISS will result from GCR components. The biological actions of these radiations are known to depend on the details of the energy deposition (not just linear energy transfer, LET, but the lateral dispersion of energy deposition about the particle track). Energy deposits in tissues are dominated by the transfer of tens to hundreds of eV to the tissue's atomic electrons. In the case of low LET radiations, the collisions are separated by large dimensions compared to the size of important biomolecular structures. If such events are also separated in time, then the radiation adds little to the background of radicals occurring from ordinary metabolic processes and causes little or no biological injury. Hence, dose rate is a strong determinant of the action of low LET exposures. The GCR exposures are dominated by ions of high charge and energy (HZE) characterized by many collisions with atomic electrons over biomolecular dimensions, resulting in high radical- density events associated with a few isolated ion paths through the cell and minimal dose rate dependence at ordinary exposure levels. The HZE energy deposit declines quickly laterally and merges with the background radical density in the track periphery for which the exact lateral distribution of the energy deposit is the determinant of the biological injury. Although little data exists on human exposures from HZE radiations, limited studies in mice and mammalian cell cultures allow evaluation of the effects of track structure on shield attenuation properties and evaluation of implications for dosimetry. The most complete mammalian cell HZE exposure data sets have been modeled including the C3H10T1/2 survival and transformation data of Yang et al., the V79 survival and mutation data of various groups, and the Harderian gland tumor data of Alpen et al. Model results for the Harderian gland tumor data in comparison with data from Alpen et al. The Harderian target cell initiation cross section compares closely with the transformation cross section found for the C3H10T1/2 cell transformation data of Yang et al. The most notable feature of the cross sections are the multivalued cross sections for a given LET which implies the corresponding relative biological effectiveness (RBE) is dependent not only on the LET but also the ion type. This fact is at variance with the latest ICRP recommended quality factor which is a defined function of only the LET.

Wilson, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS2001

The Role of Space Medicine in Management of Risk in Spaceflight

The purpose of Space Medicine is to ensure mission success by providing quality and comprehensive health care throughout all mission phases to optimize crew health and performance and to prevent negative long-term health consequences. Space flight presents additional hazards and associated risks to crew health, performance, and safety. With an extended human presence in space it is expected that illness and injury will occur on orbit, which may present a significant threat to crew health and performance and to mission success. Maintaining crew health, safety and performance and preventing illness and injury are high priorities necessary for mission success and agency goals. Space flight health care should meet the standards of practice of evidence based clinical medicine. The function of Space Medicine is expected to meet the agency goals as stated in the 1998 NASA Strategic Plan and the priorities established by the Critical Path Roadmap Project. The Critical Path Roadmap Project is an integrated NASA cross-disciplinary strategy to assess, understand, mitigate, and manage the risks associated with long-term exposure to the space flight environment. The evidence based approach to space medicine should be standardized, objective process yielding expected results and establishing clinical practice standards while balancing individual risk with mission (programmatic) risk. The ability to methodically apply available knowledge and expertise to individual and mission health issues will ensure appropriate priorities are assigned and resources are allocated. NASA Space Medicine risk management process is a combined clinical and engineering approach. Competition for weight, power, volume, cost, and crew time must be balanced in making decisions about the care of individual crew with competing agency resources.

Clark, Jonathan B.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Airline Chair-rest Deconditioning: Induction of Immobilization Thromboemboli?

Air passenger miles will likely double by year 2020. The altered and restrictive environment in an airliner cabin can influence hematological homeostasis in passengers and crew. Flight-related deep various thromboemboli (DVT) have been associated with at least 577 deaths on 42 of 120 airlines from 1977 to 1984 (25 deaths/million departures), whereas many such cases go unreported. However, there are four major factors that could influence formation of possible flight-induced DVT: sleeping accomodations (via sitting immobilization), travelers' medical history (via tissue injury), cabin environmental factors (via lower partial pressure of oxygen and lower relative humidity), and the more encompassing chair-rest deconditioning (C-RD) syndrome. There is ample evidence that recent injury and surgery (especially in deconditioned hospitalized patients) facilitate thrombophlebitis and formation of DVT that may be exacerbated by the immobilization of prolonged air travel. In the healthy flying population immobilization factors associated with prolonged (> 5 hr) C-RID such as total body dehydration, hypovolemia and increased blood viscosity, and reduced various blood flow (pooling) in the legs may facilitate formation of DVT. However, data from at least four case-controlled epidemiological studies did not confirm a direct causative relationship between air travel and DART, but factors such as history of vascular thromboemboli, various insufficiency, chronic heart failure, obesity, immobile standing position, more than 3 pregnancies, infectious disease, long-distance travel, muscular trauma and violent physical effort were significantly more frequent in DVT patients than in controls. Thus, there is no clear, direct evidence yet that prolonged sitting in airliner seats, or prolonged experimental chair-rest- or bed- rest-deconditioning treatments cause deep various thromboemboli in healthy people.

Greenleaf, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Moving Ahead With Eye Power

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory's collaborated with LC Technologies, Inc., to improve LCT's Eyegaze Communication System, an eye tracker that enables people with severe cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, strokes, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) to communicate and control their environment using their eye movements. To operate the system, the user sits in front of the computer monitor while the camera focuses on one eye. By looking at control keys on the monitor for a fraction of a second, the user can 'talk' with speech synthesis, type, operate a telephone, access the Internet and e-mail, and run computer software. Nothing is attached to the user's head or body, and the improved size and portability allow the system to be mounted on a wheelchair. LCT and JPL are working on several other areas of improvement that have commercial add-on potential.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1998

A Thermal Physiological Comparison of Two HazMat Protective Ensembles With and Without Active Convective Cooling

Wearing impermeable garments for hazardous materials clean up can often present a health and safety problem for the wearer. Even short duration clean up activities can produce heat stress injuries in hazardous materials workers. It was hypothesized that an internal cooling system might increase worker productivity and decrease likelihood of heat stress injuries in typical HazMat operations. Two HazMat protective ensembles were compared during treadmill exercise. The different ensembles were created using two different suits: a Trelleborg VPS suit representative of current HazMat suits and a prototype suit developed by NASA engineers. The two life support systems used were a current technology Interspiro Spirolite breathing apparatus and a liquid air breathing system that also provided convective cooling. Twelve local members of a HazMat team served as test subjects. They were fully instrumented to allow a complete physiological comparison of their thermal responses to the different ensembles. Results showed that cooling from the liquid air system significantly decreased thermal stress. The results of the subjective evaluations of new design features in the prototype suit were also highly favorable. Incorporation of these new design features could lead to significant operational advantages in the future.

Williamson, Rebecca↗
NASA NTRS2002

Apolipoprotein E expression and behavioral toxicity of high charge, high energy (HZE) particle radiation

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is a lipid binding protein that plays an important role in tissue repair following brain injury. In the present studies, we have investigated whether apoE affects the behavioral toxicity of high charge, high energy (HZE) particle radiation. METHODS: Sixteen male apoE knockout (KO) mice and sixteen genetically matched wild-type (WT) C57BL mice were used in this experiment. Half of the KO and half of the WT animals were irradiated with 600 MeV/amu iron particles (2 Gy whole body). The effect of irradiation on motor coordination and stamina (Rotarod test), exploratory behavior (open field test), and spatial working and reference memory (Morris water maze) was assessed. ROTAROD TEST: Performance was adversely affected by radiation exposure in both KO and WT groups at 30 d after irradiation. By 60 d after radiation, the radiation effect was lost in WT, but still apparent in irradiated KO mice. OPEN FIELD TEST: Radiation reduced open field exploratory activity 14, 28, 56, 84, and 168 d after irradiation of KO mice, but had no effect on WT mice. MORRIS WATER MAZE: Radiation adversely affected spatial working memory in the KO mice, but had no discernible effect in the WT mice as assessed 180 d after irradiation. In contrast, irradiated WT mice showed marked impairment of spatial reference memory in comparison to non-irradiated mice, while no effect of radiation was observed in KO mice. CONCLUSIONS: These studies show that apoE expression influences the behavioral toxicity of HZE particle radiation and suggest that apoE plays a role in the repair/recovery from radiation injury of the CNS. ApoE deficiency may exacerbate the previously reported effects of HZE particle radiation in accelerating the brain aging process.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS2003

Prediction of muscle performance during dynamic repetitive movement

BACKGROUND: During long-duration spaceflight, astronauts experience progressive muscle atrophy and often perform strenuous extravehicular activities. Post-flight, there is a lengthy recovery period with an increased risk for injury. Currently, there is a critical need for an enabling tool to optimize muscle performance and to minimize the risk of injury to astronauts while on-orbit and during post-flight recovery. Consequently, these studies were performed to develop a method to address this need. METHODS: Eight test subjects performed a repetitive dynamic exercise to failure at 65% of their upper torso weight using a Lordex spinal machine. Surface electromyography (SEMG) data was collected from the erector spinae back muscle. The SEMG data was evaluated using a 5th order autoregressive (AR) model and linear regression analysis. RESULTS: The best predictor found was an AR parameter, the mean average magnitude of AR poles, with r = 0.75 and p = 0.03. This parameter can predict performance to failure as early as the second repetition of the exercise. CONCLUSION: A method for predicting human muscle performance early during dynamic repetitive exercise was developed. The capability to predict performance to failure has many potential applications to the space program including evaluating countermeasure effectiveness on-orbit, optimizing post-flight recovery, and potential future real-time monitoring capability during extravehicular activity.

Physical Endurance/physiology↗
NASA NTRS2002

Paralysis recovery in humans and model systems

Considerable evidence now demonstrates that extensive functional and anatomical reorganization following spinal cord injury occurs in centers of the brain that have some input into spinal motor pools. This is very encouraging, given the accumulating evidence that new connections formed across spinal lesions may not be initially functionally useful. The second area of advancement in the field of paralysis recovery is in the development of effective interventions to counter axonal growth inhibition. A third area of significant progress is the development of robotic devices to quantify the performance level of motor tasks following spinal cord injury and to 'teach' the spinal cord to step and stand. Advances are being made with robotic devices for mice, rats and humans.

Review↗
NASA NTRS2002

Expression of a calpastatin transgene slows muscle wasting and obviates changes in myosin isoform expression during murine muscle disuse

Muscle wasting is a prominent feature of several systemic diseases, neurological damage and muscle disuse. The contribution of calpain proteases to muscle wasting in any instance of muscle injury or disease has remained unknown because of the inability to specifically perturb calpain activity in vivo. We have generated a transgenic mouse with muscle-specific overexpression of calpastatin, which is the endogenous inhibitor of calpains, and induced muscle atrophy by unloading hindlimb musculature for 10 days. Expression of the transgene resulted in increases in calpastatin concentration in muscle by 30- to 50-fold, and eliminated all calpain activity that was detectable on zymograms. Muscle fibres in ambulatory, transgenic mice were smaller in diameter, but more numerous, so that muscle mass did not differ between transgenic and non-transgenic mice. This is consistent with the role of the calpain-calpastatin system in muscle cell fusion that has been observed in vitro. Overexpression of calpastatin reduced muscle atrophy by 30 % during the 10 day unloading period. In addition, calpastatin overexpression completely prevented the shift in myofibrillar myosin content from slow to fast isoforms, which normally occurs in muscle unloading. These findings indicate that therapeutics directed toward regulating the calpain-calpastatin system may be beneficial in preventing muscle mass loss in muscle injury and disease.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS2002

Interactions between muscle and the immune system during modified musculoskeletal loading

Interactions between the immune system and skeletal muscle may play a significant role in modulating the course of muscle injury and repair after modified musculoskeletal loading. Current evidence indicates that activation of the complement system is an early event during modified loading, which then leads to inflammatory cell invasion. However, the functions of those inflammatory cells are complex and they seem to be capable of promoting additional injury and repair. Recent findings implicate an early invading neutrophil population in increasing muscle damage that is detected by the presence of muscle membrane lesions. Macrophages that invade subsequently serve to remove cellular debris, and seem to promote repair. However, macrophages also have the ability to increase damage in muscle in which there is an impaired capacity to generate nitric oxide. In vivo and in vitro evidence indicates that muscle-derived nitric oxide can serve an important role in protecting muscle from membrane damage by invading inflammatory cells. Collectively, these findings indicate that the dynamic balance between inflammatory cells, the complement system, and muscle-derived free radicals can play important roles in the secondary damage of muscle during modified musculoskeletal loading.

Review↗
NASA NTRS2002

The effects of chronic alcohol consumption and exercise on the skeleton of adult male rats

BACKGROUND: Lifestyle factors are known to affect skeletal development and integrity. Specifically, running has been reported to increase risk of fatigue fractures, whereas chronic alcohol consumption has been shown to reduce bone formation and bone mass. The combined effect of exercise and alcohol on the skeleton has yet to be explored, although alcohol consumption is common among certain physically active populations (e.g., military recruits, college athletes). It was hypothesized that chronic alcohol consumption would accentuate the inherent risk associated with endurance running exercise. METHODS: Six-month-old male Sprague Dawley rats were assigned to one of five groups: baseline, exercise-alcohol diet, exercise-normal diet, sham-alcohol diet, and sham-normal diet. Alcohol-fed rats (35% caloric intake) received a liquid diet ad libitum. Normal animals were pair-fed the identical diet with a maltose dextrin caloric substitute. Exercise was conducted on a motorized treadmill 5 days/wk for 16 weeks. Sham rats were placed on a stationary treadmill for matching time periods. Fluorochrome labels were administered 3 days before baseline and at 10 and 2 days before animals were killed. Heart, soleus, and rectus femoris muscles were wet weighed to assess the effects of training. Tibiae were collected for static and dynamic histomorphometric measurements on cancellous and cortical bone. RESULTS: Muscle weights were larger in the exercised rats versus the sham rats. Alcohol had no significant effect on skeletal muscle weight but did result in larger heart weights in both alcohol-treated groups. Cancellous and periosteal bone formation rates were significantly decreased in the alcohol-fed rats versus rats on the normal diet and were associated with a significant reduction in trabecular thickness in the tibial metaphysis. Cortical and cross-sectional areas were also significantly lower in the alcohol-fed groups compared with the non-alcohol-fed groups. Exercise had no significant effect on cancellous or cortical bone measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic alcohol consumption significantly reduced bone formation. Exercise had no effect on the bone and did not attenuate any of the negative effects of alcohol. The results suggest that alcohol consumption weakens the skeleton and increases the incidence of endurance-exercise-related bone injuries. Thus, individuals who are participating in endurance exercise and consuming alcohol may be at greater risk for exercise-related skeletal injuries. Further investigation of the potential for alcohol to induce detrimental effects on the hearts of individuals participating in endurance exercise is indicated.

NASA Discipline Cell Biology↗
NASA NTRS2001

Evidence for factors modulating radiation-induced G2-delay: potential application as radioprotectors

Manipulation of checkpoint response to DNA damage can be developed as a means for protecting astronauts from the adverse effects of unexpected, or background exposures to ionizing radiation. To achieve this goal reagents need to be developed that protect cells from radiation injury by prolonging checkpoint response, thus promoting repair. We present evidence for a low molecular weight substance excreted by cells that dramatically increases the duration of the G2-delay. This compound is termed G2-Arrest Modulating Activity (GAMA). A rat cell line (A1-5) generated by transforming rat embryo fibroblasts with a temperature sensitive form of p53 plus H-ras demonstrates a dramatic increase in radiation resistance after exposure to low LET radiation that is not associated with an increase in the efficiency of rejoining of DNA double strand breaks. Radioresistance in this cell line correlates with a dramatic increase in the duration of the G2 arrest that is modulated by a GAMA produced by actively growing cells. The properties of GAMA suggest that it is a low molecular weight heat-stable peptide. Further characterization of this substance and elucidation of its mechanism of action may allow the development of a biological response modifier with potential applications as a radioprotector. GAMA may be useful for protecting astronauts from radiation injury as preliminary evidence suggests that it is able to modulate the response of cells exposed to heavy ion radiation, similar to that encountered in outer space.

NASA Discipline Radiation Health↗
NASA NTRS1994

Bone tissue engineering: the role of interstitial fluid flow

It is well established that vascularization is required for effective bone healing. This implies that blood flow and interstitial fluid (ISF) flow are required for healing and maintenance of bone. The fact that changes in bone blood flow and ISF flow are associated with changes in bone remodeling and formation support this theory. ISF flow in bone results from transcortical pressure gradients produced by vascular and hydrostatic pressure, and mechanical loading. Conditions observed to alter flow rates include increases in venous pressure in hypertension, fluid shifts occurring in bedrest and microgravity, increases in vascularization during the injury-healing response, and mechanical compression and bending of bone during exercise. These conditions also induce changes in bone remodeling. Previously, we hypothesized that interstitial fluid flow in bone, and in particular fluid shear stress, serves to mediate signal transduction in mechanical loading- and injury-induced remodeling. In addition, we proposed that a lack or decrease of ISF flow results in the bone loss observed in disuse and microgravity. The purpose of this article is to review ISF flow in bone and its role in osteogenesis.

Review↗
NASA NTRS1986

Health significance and occurrence of injured bacteria in drinking water

Enteropathogenic and indicator bacteria become injured in drinking water with exposure to sublethal levels of various biological, chemical and physical factors. One manifestation of this injury is the inability to grow and form colonies on selective media containing surfactants. The resulting underestimation of indicator bacteria can lead to a false estimation of water potability. m-T7 medium was developed specifically for the recovery of injured coliforms (both "total" and fecal) in drinking water. The m-T7 method was used to survey operating drinking water treatment and distribution systems for the presence of injured coliforms that were undetected with currently used media. The mean recovery with m-Endo LES medium was less than 1/100 ml while it ranged between 6 and 68/100ml with m-T7 agar. The majority of samples giving positive results with m-T7 medium yielded no detectable coliforms with m-Endo LES agar. Over 95% of the coliform bacteria in these samples were injured. Laboratory experiments were also done to ascribe the virulence of injured waterborne pathogens. Enteropathogens including Salmonella typhimurium, Yersinia enterocolitica and Shigella spp. required up to 20 times the chlorine levels to produce the same injury in enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) and nonpathogenic coliforms. Similar results were seen with Y. enterocolitica exposed to copper. The recovery of ETEC was followed by delayed enterotoxin production, both in vitro and in the gut of experimental animals. This indicates that injured waterborne enteropathogenic bacteria can be virulent.

NASA Discipline Number 13-40↗
NASA NTRS1986

Growth and tuberization of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) under continuous light

The growth and tuberization of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) maintained for 6 weeks under four different regimes of continuous irradiance were compared to plants given 12 hours light and 12 hours dark. Treatments included: (a) continuous photosynthetic photon flux of 200 micromoles per square meter per second cool-white fluorescent (CWF); (b) continuous 400 micromoles per square meter per second CWF; (c) 12 hours 400 micromoles per square meter per second CWF plus 12 hours dim CWF at 5 micromoles per square meter per second; (d) 12 hours [400] micromoles per square meter per second CWF plus 12 hours dim incandescent (INC) at 5 micromoles per square meter per second and a control treatment of 12 hours light at 400 micromoles per square meter per second CWF and 12 hours dark. The study included five cultivars ranging from early- to late-season types: 'Norland,' 'Superior,''Norchip,' 'Russet Burbank,' and 'Kennebec,' Tuber development progressed well under continuous irradiation at 400 micromoles per square meter per second and under 12 hours irradiance and 12 hours dark, while tuber development was suppressed in all other light treatments. Continuous irradiation at 200 or 400 micromoles per square meter per second resulted in severe stunting and leaf malformation on 'Superior' and 'Kennebec' plants, but little or no injury and vigorous shoot growth in the other cultivars. No injury or stunting were apparent under 12-dim light or 12-dark treatments. Plants given 12 hours dim INC showed significantly greater stem elongation but less total biomass than plants in other treatments. The continuous light encouraged shoot growth over tuber growth but this trend was overridden by providing a high irradiance level. The variation among cultivars for tolerance to continuous lighting indicates that potato may be a useful species for photoinhibition studies.

NASA Program CELSS↗
NASA NTRS2001

Neuroprotection for the new millennium. Matchmaking pharmacology and technology

A major theme of the 1990s in the pathophysiology of nervous system injury has been the multifactorial etiology of irreversible injury. Multiple causes imply multiple opportunities for therapeutic intervention--hence the abandonment of the "magic bullet" single pharmacologic agent for neuroprotection in favor of pharmacologic "cocktails". A second theme of the 1990s has been the progress in technology for neuroprotection, minimally- or non-invasive monitoring as well as treatment. Cardiac stenting has eliminated the need, in many cases, for open heart surgery; deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease has offered significant improvement in quality of life for many who had exhausted cocktail drug treatment for their disease. Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus offers a novel treatment for Parkinson's disease where a technological advance may actually be an intervention with effects that are normally expected from pharmacologic agents. Rather than merely "jamming" the nervous system circuits involved in Parkinson's disease, deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus appears to improve the neurotransmitter imbalance that lies at the heart of Parkinson's disease. It may also slow the progression of the disease. Given the example of deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus for Parkinson's disease, in future one may expect other technological or "hardware" interventions to influence the programming or "software" of the nervous system's physiologic response in certain disease states.

Review Literature↗