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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
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Research on the measurement of bone mineral content and body composition ranges from isotopic tracer methods and the adoption of clinical standards to osteoporosis therapy and the effects of nutritional factors on bone loss.
Photon absorptiometry was used to evaluate bone mineral kinetics associated with normal development and the possible perturbations to bone development resulting from hypergravity exposure over a period of six months in developing Beagles. A series of seven measurements were performed at specific times with the first measurement prior to treatment and subsequent measurements at 2, 5, 9, 14, 20 and 26 weeks from the onset of the experiment. Four groups of six male Beagle pups, ranging in age from 85 to 92 days were studied. Two groups were chronically exposed to hypergravity treatments by centrifugation of 2.0 G (18.0 RPM, 11.7 ft radius) and 2.6 G (18.0 RPM, 19.8 ft radius) for the 26 week period. A third group of six dogs served as a caged control to evaluate possible changes due to confinement in small plexiglass cages similar to those of the centrifuge. Thus this control group was subjected to limited exercise due to caging restraint. The fourth group of animals was housed in open runs to allow exercise without the spatial confinement of the smaller plexiglass cages. Results show highly significant differences in body weight, bone length, increase in bone density of control group relative to other groups, and a decrease in bone mineral content in the two gravity treated groups.
The time course of physiological changes that occur during the first 21 days of continuous bed rest was examined. The test involved a total of 14 men in the age range of 25 to 36 years. The subjects were divided into groups and tested on a staggered schedule. Results are presented.
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The Choroidal Eye Oximeter is an electro-optical instrument that noninvasively measures the oxygen saturation of choroidal blood in the back of the human eye by a spectrophotometric method. Since choroidal blood is characteristic of blood which is supplied to the brain, the Choroidal Eye Oximeter can be used to monitor the amount of oxygen which is supplied to the brain under varying external conditions. The instrument consists of two basic systems: the optical system and the electronic system. The optical system produces a suitable bi-chromatic beam of light, reflects this beam from the fundus of the subject's eye, and onto a low-noise photodetector. The electronic system amplifies the weak composite signal from the photodetector, computes the average oxygen saturation from the area of the fundus that was sampled, and displays the value of the computed oxygen saturation on a panel meter.
System permits long-term measurement of strains resulting from applied skeletal loads. Basic scheme utilizes pulse interval modulation.
Physiological changes in human beings were studied during a 21 day bed rest regime. Results of blood analyses indicated clearly that major metabolic adjustments occurred during prolonged bed rest. However, urinary metabolic analyses showed variances attributed to specimen collection inaccuracies and the small number of test subjects.
Methods and apparatus are provided for radiologically determining the bone mineral content of living human bone tissue independently of the concurrent presence of adipose and other soft tissues. A target section of the body of the subject is irradiated with a beam of penetrative radiations of preselected energy to determine the attenuation of such beam with respect to the intensity of each of two radiations of different predetermined energy levels. The resulting measurements are then employed to determine bone mineral content.
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Application of laser doppler techniques to commercially available, low loss fiber optics allows direct reading of blood velocity within tiny blood vessels.
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A lidar system is developed that uses four selected excitation wavelengths to induce chlorophyll 'a' fluorescence which is indicative of both the concentration and diversity of phytoplankton. The operating principles of the system and the results of measurements of phytoplankton fluorescence in a controlled laboratory environment are presented. A comparative study of results from lidar fluorosensor laboratory tank tests using representative species of phytoplankton in single and multispecies cultures from each of four color groups reveals that (1) there is good correlation between the fluorescence of chlorophyll 'a' remotely simulated and detected by the lidar system and in-situ measurements using four similar excitation wavelengths in a flow-through fluorometer; (2) good correlation exists between the total chlorophyll 'a' calculated from lidar-fluorosensor data and measurements obtained by the Strickland-Parsons method; and (3) the lidar fluorosensor can provide an index of population diversity.
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A mathematical model consisting of a uniform, linear, visco-elastic, Euler-Bernoulli beam to represent the ulna or tibia of the vibrating forearm or leg system is developed. The skin and tissue compressed between the probe and bone is represented by a spring in series with the beam. The remaining skin and tissue surrounding the bone is represented by a visco-elastic foundation with mass. An extensive parametric study is carried out to determine the effect of each parameter of the mathematical model on its impedance response. A system identification algorithm is developed and programmed on a digital computer to determine the parametric values of the model which best simulate the data obtained from an impedance test.
The effect of space flight on urine and fecal calcium loss was documented during the three long-term Skylab flights. Neutron activation analysis was used to determine regional calcium loss. Various designs for regional analysis were investigated.
A number of physiological changes have been demonstrated in bone, muscle and blood after exposure of humans and animals to microgravity. Determining mechanisms and the development of effective countermeasures for long duration space missions is an important NASA goal. The advent of tomographic nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMR or MRI) gives NASA a way to greatly extend early studies of this phenomena in ways not previously possible; NMR is also noninvasive and safe. NMR provides both superb anatomical images for volume assessments of individual organs and quantification of chemical/physical changes induced in the examined tissues. The feasibility of NMR as a tool for human physiological research as it is affected by microgravity is demonstrated. The animal studies employed the rear limb suspended rat as a model of mucle atrophy that results from microgravity. And bedrest of normal male subjects was used to simulate the effects of microgravity on bone and muscle.