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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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At least 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1990

Effects of microgravity on rat bone, cartlage and connective tissues

The response to hypogravity by the skeletal system was originally thought to be the result of a reduction in weight bearing. Thus a reduced rate of new bone formation in the weight-bearing bones was accepted, when found, as an obvious result of hypogravity. However, data on non-weight-bearing tissues have begun to show that other physiological changes can be expected to occur to animals during spaceflight. This overview of the Cosmos 1887 data discusses these results as they pertain to individual bones or tissues because the response seems to depend on the architecture and metabolism of each tissue under study. Various effects were seen in different tissues from the rats flown on Cosmos 1887. The femur showed a reduced bone mineral content but only in the central region of the diaphysis. This same region in the tibia showed changes in the vascularity of bone as well as some osteocytic cell death. The humerus demonstrated reduced morphometric characteristics plus a decrease in mechanical stiffness. Bone mineral crystals did not mature normally as a result of flight, suggesting a defect in the matrix mineralization process. Note that these changes relate directly to the matrix portion of the bone or some function of bone which slowly responds to changes in the environment. However, most cellular functions of bone are rapid responders. The stimulation of osteoblast precursor cells, the osteoblast function in collagen synthesis, a change in the proliferation rate of cells in the epiphyseal growth plate, the synthesis and secretion of osteocalcin, and the movement of water into or out of tissues, are all processes which respond to environmental change. These rapidly responding events produced results from Cosmos 1887 which were frequently quite different from previous space flight data.

Doty, S.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Tensegrity: the architectural basis of cellular mechanotransduction

Physical forces of gravity, hemodynamic stresses, and movement play a critical role in tissue development. Yet, little is known about how cells convert these mechanical signals into a chemical response. This review attempts to place the potential molecular mediators of mechanotransduction (e.g. stretch-sensitive ion channels, signaling molecules, cytoskeleton, integrins) within the context of the structural complexity of living cells. The model presented relies on recent experimental findings, which suggests that cells use tensegrity architecture for their organization. Tensegrity predicts that cells are hard-wired to respond immediately to mechanical stresses transmitted over cell surface receptors that physically couple the cytoskeleton to extracellular matrix (e.g. integrins) or to other cells (cadherins, selectins, CAMs). Many signal transducing molecules that are activated by cell binding to growth factors and extracellular matrix associate with cytoskeletal scaffolds within focal adhesion complexes. Mechanical signals, therefore, may be integrated with other environmental signals and transduced into a biochemical response through force-dependent changes in scaffold geometry or molecular mechanics. Tensegrity also provides a mechanism to focus mechanical energy on molecular transducers and to orchestrate and tune the cellular response.

Review↗
NASA NTRS1990

Vestibular receptor cells and signal detection: bioaccelerometers and the hexagonal sampling of two-dimensional signals

The inner ear contains sensory organs which signal changes in head movement. The vestibular sacs, in particular, are sensitive to linear accelerations. Electron microscopic images have revealed the structure of tiny sensory hair bundles, whose mechanical deformation results in the initiation of neuronal activity and the transmission of electrical signals to the brain. The structure of the hair bundles is shown in this paper to be that of the most efficient two-dimensional phased-array signal processors.

NASA Program Space Physiology and Countermeasures↗
NASA NTRS2000

Exploiting the Temperature Dependence of Magnetic Susceptibility to Control Convection in Fundamental Studies of Solidification Phenomena

It is well known that convection is a dominant mass transport mechanism when materials are solidified on Earth's surface. This convection is caused by gradients in density (and therefore gravitational force) that are brought about by gradients in temperature, composition or both. Diffusion of solute is therefore dwarfed by convection and the study of fundamental parameters, such as dendrite tip shape and growth velocity in the absence of convection is nearly impossible. Significant experimental work has therefore been carried out in orbiting laboratories with the intent of minimizing convection by minimizing gravity. One of the best known experiments of this kind is the Isothermal Dendritic Growth Experiment (IDGE), supported by NASA. Naturally such experiments are costly and one objective of the present investigation is to develop an experimental method whereby convection can be- halted, in solidification and other experiments, on the surface. A second objective is to use the method to minimize convection resulting from the residual accelerations suffered by experiments in microgravity. The method to be used to minimize convection relies on the dependence of the magnetic susceptibility of a fluid on temperature or composition (whichever is driving convection). All materials experience a force when placed in a magnetic field gradient. The direction and magnitude of that force depend on the magnetic susceptibility of the material. Consequently the force will vary if the susceptibility varies with temperature or composition. With a magnetic field gradient in the right direction (typically upward) and of the right magnitude, this variation in the magnetic force can be made to exactly cancel the variation in the gravitational force. Expressed another way, normal buoyancy is exactly countered by a "magnetic buoyancy". To demonstrate the principle, a solution of MnC12 in water has been used. First the variation of the susceptibility of this paramagnetic solution with temperature and concentration was measured. Then a "cell", containing this solution and 50mm long by 15mm high by 155mm wide, was placed in a superconducting magnet at Marshall Space Flight Center. The magnetic field was measured at various positions within the bore of the magnet using a Hall effect probe. In this way, a position was found where the magnetic field gradient was predominantly upward; the magnitude of the gradient could then be adjusted by adjusting the current of the magnet. The ends of the cell consisted of machined copper blocks maintained at controlled temperatures by circulating water from constant temperature baths. The walls of the cell were of rectangular section glass tubing so that the cell contents could be seen. Velocities arising from thermal gradients within the cell were measured by particle image velocimetry (PIV). Particles used for this purpose were silver-coated hollow glass spheres of micrometers diameter and nearly the same density as the solution. A central vertical plane of the cell was illuminated by a laser beam passing through a cylindrical lens. Digital images of the particles were captured on a CCD camera and fed to a computer so that frame-to-frame movements of particles traveling with the fluid were captured. These images were employed to compute velocity maps using commercial PIV software. In a typical experiment the cold end of the cell was maintained at 10C and the warm end at 30 C. With no current in the magnet, i.e.- with natural -convection allowed to occur, the fluid was observed to circulate with an average speed of approximately 0.3 millimeters per second. It was visually apparent that this circulation was diminished as the current was increased. At currents of approximately 20A the flow was halted, to within the precision of the PIV measurements. At yet higher currents the convection was reversed with the hotter solution sinking and the cooler solution rising. At 40A this reversed convection had speeds averaging 0.43 millimeters per second. The measurements of susceptibility and density allow an estimate of the field gradient necessary to halt convection in the experiment. That estimate was 7.8T (squared) per meter and the convection was observed to halt in the magnet at a current giving 7.21T (squared) per meter from the magnetic field measurements. Calculations of the flow have been carried out using the computational fluid dynamics software FLUENT and show good agreement with the measurements.

Seybert, C. D.↗
NASA NTRS1973

California coast nearshore processes study

The author has identified the following significant results. This report contains the techniques used for enhancing and analyzing nearshore processes from ERTS-1 and aircraft data. Four California nearshore sites are used as test cells including the San Francisco area, Monterey Bay, Santa Barbara Channel, and Los Angeles area. Techniques used for analyzing the test cells included direct photographic processing, computer compatible tape gain change enhancement, discrete point density analysis and plotting, and densitometer enhancement. Using these methods, it is possible to measure the seaward extent of the suspended sediment transport and to differentiate sediment levels within the individual sediment lobes. The movement of riverine discharged suspensates and coastal sediments by currents was an intricate part of the sediment transport analysis. The larger estuaries in the test cell areas were also studied for flushing characteristics.

Pirie, D. M.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Isolation of Resistance-Bearing Microorganisms

To better exploit the principles of gas transport and mass transport during the processes of cell seeding of 3D scaffolds and in vitro culture of 3D tissue engineered constructs, the oscillatory cell culture bioreactor provides a flow of cell suspensions and culture media directly through a porous 3D scaffold (during cell seeding) and a 3D construct (during subsequent cultivation) within a highly gas-permeable closed-loop tube. This design is simple, modular, and flexible, and its component parts are easy to assemble and operate, and are inexpensive. Chamber volume can be very low, but can be easily scaled up. This innovation is well suited to work with different biological specimens, particularly with cells having high oxygen requirements and/or shear sensitivity, and different scaffold structures and dimensions. The closed-loop changer is highly gas permeable to allow efficient gas exchange during the cell seeding/culturing process. A porous scaffold, which may be seeded with cells, is fixed by means of a scaffold holder to the chamber wall with scaffold/construct orientation with respect to the chamber determined by the geometry of the scaffold holder. A fluid, with/without biological specimens, is added to the chamber such that all, or most, of the air is displaced (i.e., with or without an enclosed air bubble). Motion is applied to the chamber within a controlled environment (e.g., oscillatory motion within a humidified 37 C incubator). Movement of the chamber induces relative motion of the scaffold/construct with respect to the fluid. In case the fluid is a cell suspension, cells will come into contact with the scaffold and eventually adhere to it. Alternatively, cells can be seeded on scaffolds by gel entrapment prior to bioreactor cultivation. Subsequently, the oscillatory cell culture bioreactor will provide efficient gas exchange (i.e., of oxygen and carbon dioxide, as required for viability of metabolically active cells) and controlled levels of fluid dynamic shear (i.e., as required for viability of shear-sensitive cells) to the developing engineered tissue construct. This bioreactor was recently utilized to show independent and interactive effects of a growth factor (IGF-I) and slow bidirectional perfusion on the survival, differentiation, and contractile performance of 3D tissue engineering cardiac constructs. The main application of this system is within the tissue engineering industry. The ideal final application is within the automated mass production of tissue- engineered constructs. Target industries could be both life sciences companies as well as bioreactor device producing companies.

Venkateswaran, Kasthuri, J.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Oscillating Cell Culture Bioreactor

To better exploit the principles of gas transport and mass transport during the processes of cell seeding of 3D scaffolds and in vitro culture of 3D tissue engineered constructs, the oscillatory cell culture bioreactor provides a flow of cell suspensions and culture media directly through a porous 3D scaffold (during cell seeding) and a 3D construct (during subsequent cultivation) within a highly gas-permeable closed-loop tube. This design is simple, modular, and flexible, and its component parts are easy to assemble and operate, and are inexpensive. Chamber volume can be very low, but can be easily scaled up. This innovation is well suited to work with different biological specimens, particularly with cells having high oxygen requirements and/or shear sensitivity, and different scaffold structures and dimensions. The closed-loop changer is highly gas permeable to allow efficient gas exchange during the cell seeding/culturing process. A porous scaffold, which may be seeded with cells, is fixed by means of a scaffold holder to the chamber wall with scaffold/construct orientation with respect to the chamber determined by the geometry of the scaffold holder. A fluid, with/without biological specimens, is added to the chamber such that all, or most, of the air is displaced (i.e., with or without an enclosed air bubble). Motion is applied to the chamber within a controlled environment (e.g., oscillatory motion within a humidified 37 C incubator). Movement of the chamber induces relative motion of the scaffold/construct with respect to the fluid. In case the fluid is a cell suspension, cells will come into contact with the scaffold and eventually adhere to it. Alternatively, cells can be seeded on scaffolds by gel entrapment prior to bioreactor cultivation. Subsequently, the oscillatory cell culture bioreactor will provide efficient gas exchange (i.e., of oxygen and carbon dioxide, as required for viability of metabolically active cells) and controlled levels of fluid dynamic shear (i.e., as required for viability of shear-sensitive cells) to the developing engineered tissue construct. This bioreactor was recently utilized to show independent and interactive effects of a growth factor (IGF-I) and slow bidirectional perfusion on the survival, differentiation, and contractile performance of 3D tissue engineering cardiac constructs. The main application of this system is within the tissue engineering industry. The ideal final application is within the automated mass production of tissue- engineered constructs. Target industries could be both life sciences companies as well as bioreactor device producing companies.

Freed, Lisa E.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Model for the computation of self-motion in biological systems

A technique is presented by which direction- and speed-tuned cells, such as those commonly found in the middle temporal region of the primate brain, can be utilized to analyze the patterns of retinal image motion that are generated during observer movement through the environment. The developed model determines heading by finding the peak response in a population of detectors or neurons each tuned to a particular heading direction. It is suggested that a complex interaction of multiple cell networks is required for the solution of the self-motion problem in the primate brain.

Perrone, John A.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Axisymmetric Implementation for 3D-Based DSMC Codes

The primary objective in developing NASA s DSMC Analysis Code (DAC) was to provide a high fidelity modeling tool for 3D rarefied flows such as vacuum plume impingement and hypersonic re-entry flows [1]. The initial implementation has been expanded over time to offer other capabilities including a novel axisymmetric implementation. Because of the inherently 3D nature of DAC, this axisymmetric implementation uses a 3D Cartesian domain and 3D surfaces. Molecules are moved in all three dimensions but their movements are limited by physical walls to a small wedge centered on the plane of symmetry (Figure 1). Unfortunately, far from the axis of symmetry, the cell size in the direction perpendicular to the plane of symmetry (the Z-direction) may become large compared to the flow mean free path. This frequently results in inaccuracies in these regions of the domain. A new axisymmetric implementation is presented which aims to solve this issue by using Bird s approach for the molecular movement while preserving the 3D nature of the DAC software [2]. First, the computational domain is similar to that previously used such that a wedge must still be used to define the inflow surface and solid walls within the domain. As before molecules are created inside the inflow wedge triangles but they are now rotated back to the symmetry plane. During the move step, molecules are moved in 3D but instead of interacting with the wedge walls, the molecules are rotated back to the plane of symmetry at the end of the move step. This new implementation was tested for multiple flows over axisymmetric shapes, including a sphere, a cone, a double cone and a hollow cylinder. Comparisons to previous DSMC solutions and experiments, when available, are made.

Stewart, Benedicte↗
NASA NTRS1985

Polyamines as Possible Modulators of Gravity-induced Calcium Transport in Plants

Data from various laboratories indicate a probable relationship between calcium movement and some aspects of graviperception and tropistic bending responses. The movement of calcium in response to gravistimulation appears to be rapid, polar and opposite in direction to polar auxin transport. What might be the cause of such rapid Ca(2+) movement? Data from studies on polyamine (PA) metabolism may furnish a clue. A transient increase in the activity of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and titers of various PAs occurs within 60 seconds after hormonal stimulation of animal cells, followed by Ca(2+) transport out of the cells. Through the use of specific inhibitors, it was shown that the enhanced PA synthesis from ODC was essential not only for Ca(2+) transport, but also for Ca(2+) transport-dependent endocytosis and the movement of hexoses and amino acids across the plasmalemma. In plants, rapid changes in arginine decarboxylase (ADC) activity occur in response to various plant stresses. Physical stresses associated with gravisensor displacement and reorientation of a plant in the gravitational field could similarly activate ADC and that resultant increases in PA levels might initiate transient perturbations in Ca(2+) homeostasis.

Galston, A. W.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Blanket technology

It was concluded that systems requirements would force a reassessment of the conventional approach to interconnecting cells into blanket or array modules. Defense applications (hardening) were identified as the key requirement that would force a movement away from the standard method (solder) of forming array circuits. The panel also agreed that requirements associated with the impending NASA Space Station and in-bound missions would lead to alternative interconnecting approaches. It was concluded that the diverse requirements of future space missions (high temperature and extended thermal cycling) might not be met by one approach, such as parallel-gap resistance welding. The panel suggested that other options such as high temperature solders and brazing be considered for the various mission requirements that were anticipated. The panel agreed that blanket technology was potentially suitable for in-orbit annealing to temperatures of 200 C provided that conventional soldered connecting techniques were replaced by "welding".

Scott-Monck, J.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Multipurpose Hyperspectral Imaging System

A hyperspectral imaging system of high spectral and spatial resolution that incorporates several innovative features has been developed to incorporate a focal plane scanner (U.S. Patent 6,166,373). This feature enables the system to be used for both airborne/spaceborne and laboratory hyperspectral imaging with or without relative movement of the imaging system, and it can be used to scan a target of any size as long as the target can be imaged at the focal plane; for example, automated inspection of food items and identification of single-celled organisms. The spectral resolution of this system is greater than that of prior terrestrial multispectral imaging systems. Moreover, unlike prior high-spectral resolution airborne and spaceborne hyperspectral imaging systems, this system does not rely on relative movement of the target and the imaging system to sweep an imaging line across a scene. This compact system (see figure) consists of a front objective mounted at a translation stage with a motorized actuator, and a line-slit imaging spectrograph mounted within a rotary assembly with a rear adaptor to a charged-coupled-device (CCD) camera. Push-broom scanning is carried out by the motorized actuator which can be controlled either manually by an operator or automatically by a computer to drive the line-slit across an image at a focal plane of the front objective. To reduce the cost, the system has been designed to integrate as many as possible off-the-shelf components including the CCD camera and spectrograph. The system has achieved high spectral and spatial resolutions by using a high-quality CCD camera, spectrograph, and front objective lens. Fixtures for attachment of the system to a microscope (U.S. Patent 6,495,818 B1) make it possible to acquire multispectral images of single cells and other microscopic objects.

Mao, Chengye↗
NASA NTRS1975

A comparison of observed and simulated properties of sudden stratospheric warmings

Review of observational data and dynamical numerical simulations of stratospheric warmings. Classes of warmings, major and minor (major if poleward movement of planetary-scale thermal systems entails reversal of polar circulation at 10 mb or below), trajectories of warm cells, vertical and horizontal scale of warm-air systems, the time-scale of warming, initial zonal flow conditions prior to a warming, circulation reversals, and details of the energy budget before and after a warming are discussed. The 1963 and 1973 types of warmings are contrasted: the strong baroclinic conversion of eddy potential to eddy kinetic energy was not repeated in the latter, but both events were preceded by very large fluxes from the troposphere. Numerical model simulations by various authors are compared and evaluated.

Quiroz, R. S.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Slow and Steady: Ocean Circulation. The Influence of Sea Surface Height on Ocean Currents

The study of ocean circulation is vital to understanding how our climate works. The movement of the ocean is closely linked to the progression of atmospheric motion. Winds close to sea level add momentum to ocean surface currents. At the same time, heat that is stored and transported by the ocean warms the atmosphere above and alters air pressure distribution. Therefore, any attempt to model climate variation accurately must include reliable calculations of ocean circulation. Unlike movement of the atmosphere, movement of the ocean's waters takes place mostly near the surface. The major patterns of surface circulation form gigantic circular cells known as gyres. They are categorized according to their general location-equatorial, subtropical, subpolar, and polar-and may run across an entire ocean. The smaller-scale cell of ocean circulation is known' as an eddy. Eddies are much more common than gyres and much more difficult to track in computer simulations of ocean currents.

Haekkinen, Sirpa↗
NASA NTRS1997

Plastids and gravitropic sensing

Data and theories about the identity of the mass that acts in gravitropic sensing are reviewed. Gravity sensing may have evolved several times in plants and algae in processes such as gravitropism of organs and tip-growing cells, gravimorphism, gravitaxis, and the regulation of cytoplasmic streaming in internodal cells of Chara. In the latter and in gravitaxis, the mass of the entire cell may function in sensing. But gravitropic sensing appears to rely upon the mass of amyloplasts that sediment since (i) the location of cells with sedimentation is highly regulated, (ii) such cells contain other morphological specializations favoring sedimentation, (iii) sedimentation always correlates with gravitropic competence in wild-type plants, (iv) magnetophoretic movement of rootcap amyloplasts mimics gravitropism, and (v) starchless and intermediate starch mutants show reduced gravitropic sensitivity. The simplest interpretation of these data is that gravitropic sensing is plastid-based.

Review, Tutorial↗
NASA NTRS1983

Calcium movements and the cellular basis of gravitropism

Evidence that calcium is a significant factor in gravitropism of plants is examined, together with the regulatory mechanism that controls calcium efflux in plant cells. Calcium has been found to accumulate on the upper surface of a plant placed in a horizontal attitude, which is followed by growth to the vertical within a half-hour. It has also been determined that the upper surface of the plant simultaneously experiences a reduced growth rate, compared to the lower surface. The substance calmodulin has been identified as the calcium-binding regulatory protein most influential in the transduction process leading to gravitropism, while chlorpromazine can inhibit its effects. The calcium is transported by ATPase located in the cell membrane. A possibility that the calcium pump is regulated by a feedback mechanism involving the presence of calmodulin is discussed.

Roux, S. J.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Immunofluorescent Detection of DNA Double Strand Breaks induced by High-LET Radiation

Within cell nuclei, traversing charged heavy ion particles lead to the accumulation of proteins related to DNA lesions and repair along the ion trajectories. Irradiation using a standard geometric setup with the beam path perpendicular to the cell monolayer generates discrete foci of several proteins known to localize at sites of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs). One such molecule is the histone protein H2AX (gamma-H2AX), which gets rapidly phosphorylated in response to ionizing radiation. Here we present data obtained with a modified irradiation geometry characterized by a beam path parallel to a monolayer of human fibroblast cells. This new irradiation geometry leads to the formation of gamma-H2AX aggregates in the shape of streaks stretching over several micrometers in the x/y plane, thus enabling the analysis of the fluorescence distributions along the particle trajectories. Qualitative analysis of these distributions presented insights into the DNA repair kinetics along the primary track structure and visualization of possible chromatin movement. We also present evidence of colocalization of gamma-H2AX with several other proteins in responses to ionizing radiation exposure. Analysis of gamma-H2AX has the potential to provide useful information on human cell responses to high LET radiation after exposure to space-like radiation.

Cucinotta, Francis A.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Integration of vestibular and head movement signals in the vestibular nuclei during whole-body rotation

Single-unit recordings were obtained from 107 horizontal semicircular canal-related central vestibular neurons in three alert squirrel monkeys during passive sinusoidal whole-body rotation (WBR) while the head was free to move in the yaw plane (2.3 Hz, 20 degrees /s). Most of the units were identified as secondary vestibular neurons by electrical stimulation of the ipsilateral vestibular nerve (61/80 tested). Both non-eye-movement (n = 52) and eye-movement-related (n = 55) units were studied. Unit responses recorded when the head was free to move were compared with responses recorded when the head was restrained from moving. WBR in the absence of a visual target evoked a compensatory vestibulocollic reflex (VCR) that effectively reduced the head velocity in space by an average of 33 +/- 14%. In 73 units, the compensatory head movements were sufficiently large to permit the effect of the VCR on vestibular signal processing to be assessed quantitatively. The VCR affected the rotational responses of different vestibular neurons in different ways. Approximately one-half of the units (34/73, 47%) had responses that decreased as head velocity decreased. However, the responses of many other units (24/73) showed little change. These cells had signals that were better correlated with trunk velocity than with head velocity. The remaining units had responses that were significantly larger (15/73, 21%) when the VCR produced a decrease in head velocity. Eye-movement-related units tended to have rotational responses that were correlated with head velocity. On the other hand, non-eye-movement units tended to have rotational responses that were better correlated with trunk velocity. We conclude that sensory vestibular signals are transformed from head-in-space coordinates to trunk-in-space coordinates on many secondary vestibular neurons in the vestibular nuclei by the addition of inputs related to head rotation on the trunk. This coordinate transformation is presumably important for controlling postural reflexes and constructing a central percept of body orientation and movement in space.

Non-NASA Center↗