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NASA NTRS2022

Generating Landslide Density Heatmaps for Rapid Detection Using Open-access Satellite Radar Data in Google Earth Engine

Rapid detection of landslides is critical for emergency response, disaster mitigation, and improving our understanding of landslide dynamics. Satellite-based synthetic aperture radar (SAR) can be used to detect landslides, often within days of a triggering event, because it penetrates clouds, operates day and night, and is regularly acquired worldwide. Here we present a SAR backscatter change approach in the cloud-based Google Earth Engine (GEE) that uses multi-temporal stacks of freely available data from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellites to generate landslide density heatmaps for rapid detection. We test our GEE-based approach on multiple recent rainfall- and earthquake-triggered landslide events. Our ability to detect surface change from landslides generally improves with the total number of SAR images acquired before and after a landslide event, by combining data from both ascending and descending satellite acquisition geometries and applying topographic masks to remove flat areas unlikely to experience landslides. Importantly, our GEE approach does not require downloading a large volume of data to a local system or specialized processing software, which allows the broader hazard and landslide community to utilize and advance these state-of-the-art remote sensing data for improved situational awareness of landslide hazards.

Alexander L Handwerger↗
NASA NTRS1973

Rapid detection of bacteria in foods and biological fluids

Simple and inexpensive apparatus, called "redox monitoring cell," rapidly detects presence of bacteria. Bacteria is detected by measuring drop in oxygen content in test solution. Apparatus consists of vial with two specially designed electrodes connected to sensitive voltmeter.

Fealey, R. D.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Sensitive, Rapid Detection of Bacterial Spores

A method of sensitive detection of bacterial spores within delays of no more than a few hours has been developed to provide an alternative to a prior three-day NASA standard culture-based assay. A capability for relatively rapid detection of bacterial spores would be beneficial for many endeavors, a few examples being agriculture, medicine, public health, defense against biowarfare, water supply, sanitation, hygiene, and the food-packaging and medical-equipment industries. The method involves the use of a commercial rapid microbial detection system (RMDS) that utilizes a combination of membrane filtration, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence chemistry, and analysis of luminescence images detected by a charge-coupled-device camera. This RMDS has been demonstrated to be highly sensitive in enumerating microbes (it can detect as little as one colony-forming unit per sample) and has been found to yield data in excellent correlation with those of culture-based methods. What makes the present method necessary is that the specific RMDS and the original protocols for its use are not designed for discriminating between bacterial spores and other microbes. In this method, a heat-shock procedure is added prior to an incubation procedure that is specified in the original RMDS protocols. In this heat-shock procedure (which was also described in a prior NASA Tech Briefs article on enumerating sporeforming bacteria), a sample is exposed to a temperature of 80 C for 15 minutes. Spores can survive the heat shock, but nonspore- forming bacteria and spore-forming bacteria that are not in spore form cannot survive. Therefore, any colonies that grow during incubation after the heat shock are deemed to have originated as spores.

Kern, Roger G.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Rapid detection and quantification of features such as damage or flaws in composite and metallic structures

An apparatus, system, and method for non-destructible evaluation (NDE) of a material use thermography to rapidly detect and/or generally locate a feature such as, for example, damage or a defect in the material. The apparatus, system, and method also use ultrasound to specifically locate the feature in the material for quantification and/or evaluation either by an operator or by an external device suited for such purpose. Accordingly, the apparatus, system and method are particularly useful for NDE in applications such as the analysis of the structure of an aircraft, for example, in which the scale of the material to be analyzed is large, thus requiring the rapid NDE afforded by thermography, and in which quantification and/or evaluation of a feature must be performed with precision, thus requiring the relatively high-resolution NDE afforded by ultrasound.

Farley, Gary L.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Rapid Detection of the Varicella Zoster Virus

1.Technology Description-Researchers discovered that when the Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) reactivates from latency in the body, the virus is consistently present in saliva before the appearance of skin lesions. A small saliva sample is mixed with a specialized reagent in a test kit. If the virus is present in the saliva sample, the mixture turns a red color. The sensitivity and specificity emanates from an antibody-antigen reaction. This technology is a rapid, non-invasive, point of-of-care testing kit for detecting the virus from a saliva sample. The device is easy to use and can be used in clinics and in remote locations to quickly detect VZV and begin treatment with antiviral drugs. 2.Market Opportunity- RST Bioscience will be the first and only company to market a rapid, same day test kit for the detection of VZV in saliva. The RST detection test kit will have several advantages over existing, competitive technology. The test kit is self contained and laboratory equipment is not required for analysis of the sample. Only a single saliva sample is required to be taken instead of blood or cerebral spinal fluid. The test kit is portable, sterile and disposable after use. RST detection test kits require no electrical power or expensive storage equipment and can be used in remote locations. 3.Market Analysis- According to the CDC, it is estimated that 1 million cases of shingles occur each year in the U.S. with more than half over the age of sixty. There is a high demand for rapid diagnostics by the public. The point-of-care testing (POCT) market is growing faster than other segments of in vitro diagnostics. According to a July 2007 InteLab Corporation industry report the overall market for POCT was forecast to increase from $10.3 billion in 2005 to $18.7 billion by 2011. The market value of this test kit has not been determined. 4.Competition- The VZV vaccine prevents 50% of cases and reduces neuralgia by 66%. The most popular test detects VZV-specific IgM antibody in blood. Other tests include running a sample in a polymerase chain reaction analyzer, enzyme immunoassay, latex agglutination, indirect fluorescent antibody and fluorescent antibody to membrane antigen assay. These existing tests require laboratory analysis by trained personnel, expensive equipment, invasive procedures and a longer period of time to obtain test results.

Lewis, Michelle P.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Rapid Detection of Herpes Viruses for Clinical Applications

There are eight herpes viruses that infect humans, causing a wide range of diseases resulting in considerable morbidity and associated costs. Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is a human herpes virus that causes chickenpox in children and shingles in adults. Approximately 1,000,000 new cases of shingles occur each year; post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) follows shingles in 100,000 to 200,000 people annually. PHN is characterized by debilitating, nearly unbearable pain for weeks, months, and even years. The onset of shingles is characterized by pain, followed by the zoster rash, leading to blisters and severe pain. The problem is that in the early stages, shingles can be difficult to diagnose; chickenpox in adults can be equally difficult to diagnose. As a result, both diseases can be misdiagnosed (false positive/negative). A molecular assay has been adapted for use in diagnosing VZV diseases. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay is a non-invasive, rapid, sensitive, and highly specific method for VZV DNA detection. It provides unequivocal results and can effectively end misdiagnoses. This is an approximately two-hour assay that allows unequivocal diagnosis and rapid antiviral drug intervention. It has been demonstrated that rapid intervention can prevent full development of the disease, resulting in reduced likelihood of PHN. The technology was extended to shingles patients and demonstrated that VZV is shed in saliva and blood of all shingles patients. The amount of VZV in saliva parallels the medical outcome.

Pierson, Duane↗
NASA NTRS1992

Rapid detection and quantification of impact damage in composite structures

It is shown that a multidisciplinary nondestructive evaluation approach for impact damage detection in composite structures can be used to produce a more efficient inspection. The multidisciplinary NDE approach relies on fast large area thermographic inspections along with detailed ultrasonic volumetric imaging. The thermal inspection technique rapidly identifies the impact damage. The ultrasonic volumetric imaging quantifies the impact generated delaminations through the volume of the structure.

Smith, Barry T.↗
NASA NTRS2012

PMA-Linked Fluorescence for Rapid Detection of Viable Bacterial Endospores

The most common approach for assessing the abundance of viable bacterial endospores is the culture-based plating method. However, culture-based approaches are heavily biased and oftentimes incompatible with upstream sample processing strategies, which make viable cells/spores uncultivable. This shortcoming highlights the need for rapid molecular diagnostic tools to assess more accurately the abundance of viable spacecraft-associated microbiota, perhaps most importantly bacterial endospores. Propidium monoazide (PMA) has received a great deal of attention due to its ability to differentiate live, viable bacterial cells from dead ones. PMA gains access to the DNA of dead cells through compromised membranes. Once inside the cell, it intercalates and eventually covalently bonds with the double-helix structures upon photoactivation with visible light. The covalently bound DNA is significantly altered, and unavailable to downstream molecular-based manipulations and analyses. Microbiological samples can be treated with appropriate concentrations of PMA and exposed to visible light prior to undergoing total genomic DNA extraction, resulting in an extract comprised solely of DNA arising from viable cells. This ability to extract DNA selectively from living cells is extremely powerful, and bears great relevance to many microbiological arenas.

LaDuc, Myron T.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Rapid Detection of the Varicella Zoster Virus in Saliva

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes chicken pox on first exposure (usually in children), and reactivates from latency causing shingles (usually in adults). Shingles can be extremely painful, causing nerve damage, organ damage, and blindness in some cases. The virus can be life-threatening in immune-compromised individuals. The virus is very difficult to culture for diagnosis, requiring a week or longer. This invention is a rapid test for VZV from a saliva sample and can be performed in a doctor s office. The kit is small, compact, and lightweight. Detec tion is sensitive, specific, and noninvasive (no needles); only a saliva sample is required. The test provides results in minutes. The entire test is performed in a closed system, with no exposure to infectious materials. The components are made mostly of inexpensive plastic injection molded parts, many of which can be purchased off the shelf and merely assembled. All biological waste is contained for fast, efficient disposal. This innovation was made possible because of discovery of a NASA scientists flight experiment showing the presence of VZV in saliva during high stress periods and disease. This finding enables clinicians to quickly screen patients for VZV and treat the ones that show positive results with antiviral medicines. This promotes a rapid recovery, easing of pain and symptoms, and reduces chances of complications from zoster. Screening of high-risk patients could be incorporated as part of a regular physical exam. These patients include the elderly, pregnant women, and immune-compromised individuals. In these patients, VZV can be a life-threatening disease. In both high- and low-risk patients, early detection and treatment with antiviral drugs can dramatically decrease or even eliminate the clinical manifestation of disease.

Pierson, Duane L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Rapid detection and quantification of impact damage in composite structures

NDE results from thermographic and volumetric ultrasonic techniques are presented to illustrate the multidisciplinary NDE approach to impact-damage detection in such composite structures as are increasingly prevalent in helicopters. Attention is given to both flat-panel and 'y-stiffened' panel specimens; these were fabricated either with kevlar or carbon fiber through-the-thickness reinforcements. While thermal inspection identifies impact damage, volumetric imaging quantifies the impact-generated delaminations through the volume of the structure.

Zalameda, Joseph N.↗
NASA NTRS2021

PURE mRNA display and cDNA display provide rapid detection of core epitope motif via high‐throughput sequencing

The reconstructed in vitro translation system known as the PURE system has been used in a variety of cell‐free experiments such as the expression of native and de novo proteins as well as various display methods to select for functional polypeptides. We developed a refined PURE‐based display method for the preparation of stable messenger RNA (mRNA) and complementary DNA (cDNA)‐peptide conjugates and validated its utility for in vitro selection. Our conjugate formation efficiency exceeded 40%, followed by gel purification to allow minimum carry‐over of components from the translation system to the downstream assay enabling clean and efficient random peptide sequence screening. We chose the commercially available anti‐FLAG M2 antibody as a target molecule for validation. Starting from approximately 1.7 × 10(exp 12) random sequences, a round‐by‐round high‐throughput sequencing showed clear enrichment of the FLAG epitope DYKDDD as well as revealing consensus FLAG epitope motif DYK(D/L/N)(L/Y/D/N/F)D. Enrichment of core FLAG motifs lacking one of the four key residues (DYKxxD) indicates that Tyr(Y) and Lys (K) appear as the two key residues essential for binding. Furthermore, the comparison between mRNA display and cDNA display method resulted in overall similar performance with slightly higher enrichment for mRNA display. We also show that gel purification steps in the refined PURE‐based display method improve conjugate formation efficiency and enhance the enrichment rate of FLAG epitope motifs in later rounds of selection especially for mRNA display. Overall, the generalized procedure and consistent performance of two different display methods achieved by the commercially available PURE system will be useful for future studies to explore the sequence and functional space of diverse polypeptides.

cDNA display, FLAG epitope, mRNA display, peptide ↗
NASA NTRS2023

Using Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) column CO2 retrievals to rapidly detect and estimate biospheric surface carbon flux anomalies

The global carbon cycle is experiencing continued perturbations via increases in atmospheric carbon concentrations, which are partly reduced by terrestrial biosphere and ocean carbon uptake. Greenhouse gas satellites have been shown to be useful in retrieving atmospheric carbon concentrations and observing surface and atmospheric CO2 seasonal-to-interannual variations. However, limited attention has been placed on using satellite column CO2 retrievals to evaluate surface CO2 fluxes from the terrestrial biosphere without advanced inversion models at low latency. Such applications could be useful to monitor, in near real time, biosphere carbon fluxes during climatic anomalies like drought, heatwaves, and floods, before more complex terrestrial biosphere model outputs and/or advanced inversion modelling estimates become available. Here, we explore the ability of Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) column-averaged dry air CO2 (XCO2) retrievals to directly detect and estimate terrestrial biosphere CO2 flux anomalies using a simple mass-balance approach. An initial global analysis of surface–atmospheric CO2 coupling and transport conditions reveals that the western US, among a handful of other regions, is a feasible candidate for using XCO2 for detecting terrestrial biosphere CO2 flux anomalies. Using the CarbonTracker model reanalysis as a test bed, we first demonstrate that a well-established mass-balance approach can estimate monthly surface CO2 flux anomalies from XCO2 enhancements in the western United States. The method is optimal when the study domain is spatially extensive enough to account for atmospheric mixing and has favorable advection conditions with contributions primarily from one background region. We find that errors in individual soundings reduce the ability of OCO-2 XCO2 to estimate more frequent, smaller surface CO2 flux anomalies. However, we find that OCO-2 XCO2 can often detect and estimate large surface flux anomalies that leave an imprint on the atmospheric CO2 concentration anomalies beyond the retrieval error/uncertainty associated with the observations. OCO-2 can thus be useful for low-latency monitoring of the monthly timing and magnitude of extreme regional terrestrial biosphere carbon anomalies.

Andrew F. Feldman↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

In-Lab Rapid Analytical Detection of Lunar Volatiles By Universal Gas Analyzer With Comparison to GC-MS System

Introduction: The curation of permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) [1] on the lunar surface is centered around studies based upon the observed volatiles from the LCROSS mission [2]. The rapid detection of important volatile gases and vapors present in planetary bodies and Astromaterials by a standalone analytical device is an area of intense research interest in our group and Planetary Exploration & Astromaterials Research Laboratory (PEARL) facility and this work is relevant to the future preparation of viable lunar simulants for testing curation efforts down the road. The groundbreaking results obtained from the LCROSS Mission [2] open the requirements for the direct detection of volatiles present in regolith materials collected from the lunar surface. The mass spectrometry of volatile chemicals is a general technique that utilizes a set of instruments that creates charged ions from a gaseous chemical species and measures the intensities vs. mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) [3]. In this context, we discuss in-lab experimental results and procedures for rapid qualitative analysis of main LCROSS volatiles (water, H2S, NH3, CO2, and CH3OH) by a Universal Gas Analyzer (UGA) instrument. Additionally, the instrument performance was evaluated by measuring the isotopic abundance ratio of atmospheric Ar-40 to Ar-36 present in room air since, argon is a relevant gas in planetary studies as it can provide an insight and reference point to isotope studies [4]. Additional, cross comparisons were attempted and made between the two instruments to develop a robust analytical technique by comparing mass spectral data for H2S headspace samples with a Trace-1310/ ISQ 7000 (ThermoFisher Scientific.) GC-MS system. Background: The benchtop UGA System is equipped with an SRS UGA 300 quadrupole mass spectrometer designed and built by Stanford Research Systems [5]. This system can be configured for several types of gaseous chemical analysis. The inlet line continuously samples gases at low flow rates (several milliliters per minute) through a capillary limiting the intake pressure making the instrument ideal for online analysis of select gases and/or room atmosphere. Moreover, in our current UGA system, a change in composition at the inlet can be detected in about 200 milliseconds and a complete spectrum is acquired (for a range of 1-100 amu) in under 45 sec with masses measured at rates up to 25 msec per point [5]. This system provides a quick upstream analytical data that we can then compare to results obtained by our GC-MS system. Sample Preparation: Small volume (2-4 mL) of analyte sample was taken in a 10 mL glass vial and sealed with a crimped cap and purged with pure Ar or N2 gas to displace air from the top. The headspace sample was scanned by the UGA instrument at analog, histogram, and pressure vs. time modes. The isotopic abundance ratio for 40Ar-to-36Ar was estimated by measuring partial pressure vs. time scans and setting the mass at 40 and 36 respectively. Results and Discussions: In this work, we have investigated the applicability of the UGA system by qualitative analysis of a series of LCROSS volatiles measured individually. Fig. 1 demonstrates a set of vertically offset spectra for the partial pressures measured as a function of mass-to-charge (m/z) ratios. The average acquisition time for each spectrum was less than a minute suggesting that the UGA system is ideal for quick analysis of geochemical volatiles. For the cross-comparison, we analyzed an H2S headspace sample by a Trace-1310/ISQ-7000 system and compared mass spectral data with previously measured UGA histogram scan data (Fig. 2). In both cases, major peak positions are the same, however, the intensities of fragment ions ([1H132S]+ and [32S]+) are higher for UGA suggesting that the fragment ionization process is stronger in UGA compared to that of GC-MS. To investigate how the integrated area under each chromatogram varies with the headspace sample volume, a set of five H2S headspace samples with increasing volumes was analyzed by the GC-MS system (Fig. 3, inset). A small volume (e.g., 200 to 1000 µL) of H2S/H2O vapor was withdrawn from a 20 mL stock sample vial containing ~5 mL of 0.4% H2S in water by a gas-tight syringe and added to another 20 mL vial filled with argon and analyzed by the GC-MS system. Finally, the UGA detector sensitivity was evaluated by calculating the atmospheric 40Ar-to-36Ar isotopic abundance ratio in room air by running a partial pressure vs. time scan with setting the atomic mass at 40, and 36. Fig. 4(a) shows a ~25 min duration “P vs. time” scan for 40Ar (plot for 36Ar is not shown). The partial pressure values (~100 points) were corrected by subtracting the corresponding background pressure value for 37Ar and utilized to calculate 40Ar-to-36Ar isotopic abundance ratios as shown by Fig. 4b. The average isotopic abundance ratio is ~306 with a 2*STDEV ~13. This abundance ratio is significantly close to the previously reported value of 298.56 [6] and the ratio obtained by our GC-MS system (303 for a UHP grade Ar sample). Conclusions: Our study strongly evidenced that the benchtop UGA system is a valuable analytical tool for the detection of major LCROSS volatiles. The rapid scanning capability, the inexpensiveness of the whole system, and impressive detection sensitivity prove its worthiness as an essential device for advanced geochemical applications. Moreover, cross comparisons with the GC-MS provide important bridges into advanced curatorial efforts into the future. References: [1] Bickel, V.T., et al. (2021) Nat Commun 12, 5607. [2] Colaprete, A., et al. (2010) Science, 330, 463-468. [3] Glavin, D. P. et al. (2012) 2012 IEEE Aerospace Conference, 1-11. [4] Willett, C. D., et al. (2022) Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 329, 119-134. [5] Operation Manual and Programming Reference. (2018) Universal gas Analyzers, Stanford Research Systems. [6] Lee, J. Y., et al. (2006) Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 70, 4507–4512. Notes: (4 figures are attached with text as shown by the attached file)

Curation↗
NASA NTRS2014

Rapid Electrochemical Detection and Identification of Microbiological and Chemical Contaminants for Manned Spaceflight Project

Microbial control in the spacecraft environment is a daunting task, especially in the presence of human crew members. Currently, assessing the potential crew health risk associated with a microbial contamination event requires return of representative environmental samples that are analyzed in a ground-based laboratory. It is therefore not currently possible to quickly identify microbes during spaceflight. This project addresses the unmet need for spaceflight-compatible microbial identification technology. The electrochemical detection and identification platform is expected to provide a sensitive, specific, and rapid sample-to-answer capability for in-flight microbial monitoring that can distinguish between related microorganisms (pathogens and non-pathogens) as well as chemical contaminants. This will dramatically enhance our ability to monitor the spacecraft environment and the health risk to the crew. Further, the project is expected to eliminate the need for sample return while significantly reducing crew time required for detection of multiple targets. Initial work will focus on the optimization of bacterial detection and identification. The platform is designed to release nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) from microorganisms without the use of harmful chemicals. Bacterial DNA or RNA is captured by bacteria-specific probe molecules that are bound to a microelectrode, and that capture event can generate a small change in the electrical current (Lam, et al. 2012. Anal. Chem. 84(1): 21-5.). This current is measured, and a determination is made whether a given microbe is present in the sample analyzed. Chemical detection can be accomplished by directly applying a sample to the microelectrode and measuring the resulting current change. This rapid microbial and chemical detection device is designed to be a low-cost, low-power platform anticipated to be operated independently of an external power source, characteristics optimal for manned spaceflight and areas where power and computing resources are scarce.

Pierson, Duane↗