Spaceflight hardware allowing unilateral irradiation and chemical fixation in petri dishes.

To accommodate a spaceflight experiment with moss (SPM), experiment-unique equipment (EUE) was developed by engineers at Kennedy Space Center. The hardware allows sterile culture for an extended period of time in commercial petri dishes, lateral illumination of each culture with light of a specific wavelength (660 nm; other wavelengths are possible) and a range of intensities (0.05-5 micromoles photons m-2 s-1), incubation in complete darkness, and chemical fixation to terminate the experiment under conditions of microgravity. The use of a fixative required triple containment to protect the astronaut crew. An external panel on the experiment container allowed the timing of illumination and fixation to be controlled by the crew. Light quality is provided by light emitting diodes (LEDs) that are located in the lid of the outer container, the BRIC (Biological Research In Canisters)-LED. Each canister accommodates 6 Petri Dish Fixation Units (PDFUs), and each PDFU holds one 6 cm petri dish. All components are autoclavable. LED illumination is piped through a transparent glass rod. Each PDFU contains fixative in a reservoir that is released by the depression of an actuator. This hardware performed well during its first flight, the 16-day STS-87 mission in Nov./Dec., 1997 as part of the Collaborative USA and Ukrainian Experiment (CUE). It supported vigorous and sterile moss growth, cells were maintained in position and were well-fixed, and there was a vigorous and consistent response to light. Although here used for moss, in future flight experiments this unique new hardware can be used for many types of organisms normally grown in petri dishes, with or without a requirement for illumination.     

基于Petri网的UML状态迁移策略

分析了统一建模语言(UML,Unified Modeling Language)状态图相关语义,阐述了Petri网基本特征和它所具有的建模事件并发、同步、冲突能力.为得到UML状态图无二义性的、可执行的和可验证的模型,在着色Petri网和层次化Petri网研究成果基础上,研究提出层次着色Petri网(HCPN,Hierarchical Colored Petri Net).HCPN中不同层的着色网CPN通过库所子网或变迁子网相关联.通过实例说明如何借助这些关联从HCPN中的CPN合并得到标注Petri网.标注Petri网可用于指导基于事件驱动的仿真过程,而标注Petri网转换得到的基本Petri网可用来进行特性分析,从而对所描述的UML状态图模型给出合理的评价,有利于建模系统的改进.      

The "gaseous" environment in sealed BRIC-100VC canisters flown on 'Mir' with embryogenic daylily cell cultures.

As part of the "Cellular Mechanisms of Spaceflight-Specific Stress to Plants" experiment, nine BRIC (Biological Research in Canisters) 100VC canisters, each containing four 100 mm dia polycarbonate petri dishes with embryogenic daylily (Hemerocallis sp.) cultures, were launched on 12 Jan 97 (STS-81), transferred to 'Mir' and returned on 24 May 97 (STS-84). Pre-flight, flight and ground control data for temperature, relative humidity, CO2 and ethylene in the BRIC canisters are presented.     

球铰接杆式支撑臂构型参数分析

论述了球铰接杆式支撑臂的组成和主要构型参数。利用有限元分析软件建立了球铰接杆式支撑臂有限元模型,进行了模态分析并与试验结果进行了对比,验证了模型的正确性;分析了单元段跨距、套筒半径、横向框架边数和斜拉索预紧力对支撑臂性能的影响。结果表明单元段跨距的增加有利于支撑臂总体性能的提升,而套筒半径和横向框架边数的增加能提高支撑臂刚度但同时增加了系统总质量。斜拉索预紧力应从最小允许预紧力和球铰取得最大刚度值时对应的预紧力中选取较大值。分析结果为支撑臂的工程设计提供了依据。     

The effects of simulated microgravity on the seminiferous tubules of rats

Space flight has been shown to have many adverse effects on various systems throughout the body. Because the opportunity to place research animals on board a Space Shuttle or the International Space Station is infrequent, various techniques have been designed to simulate the effects of microgravity in Earth based laboratories. A commonly used technique is known as antiorthostatic suspension, also often referred to as hind limb suspension. In this technique the hind portion of the animal is raised so that its hind limbs are non-weight bearing. This places the animal in roughly a 30° head down tilt position. This results in cephalic fluid shifts similar to those seen in actual space flight. This technique has also been shown to mimic other physiological parameters that are affected during space flight. This study examined testicular tissue from rats subjected to a 7 day antiorthostatic suspension. This tissue was acquired through a tissue sharing program and some of the experimental animals were injected with Interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) which was hoped to ameliorate some of the effects of antiorthostatic suspension. The injection of IL-1ra was not expected to have any effect on testicular tissue, however this tissue was included in the morphological and statistical analysis to conduct a more complete study. All tissues were embedded in paraffin, sectioned, and stained using standard H&E staining. The tissue was then qualitatively ranked according to the “health” of the seminiferous tubules. Our findings indicate that 7 days of antiorthostatic suspension had adverse effects on the tissue that comprises the walls of the seminiferous tubules. It has long been known that antiorthostatic suspension has deleterious effects on testicular tissue, however this research indicates that these effects occur much faster than indicated by previous researchers. This is a significant finding because it indicates that meaningful earth based studies in this area can be carried out in a shorter time span. This could result in more studies per year as well as saving money by avoiding longer than necessary animal suspensions. This is especially important as we enter an era when, without Space Shuttle, flight opportunities will become scarce. These antiorthostatic suspension studies indicate that space flight, even short duration spaceflight, may have harmful effects on the seminiferous tubules and blood-testis barrier of astronauts.     

Development of tissue culture techniques and hardware to study mineralization under microgravity conditions.

To study the effects of weightlessness on mouse fetal long bone rudiment growth and mineralization we have developed a tissue culture system for the Biorack facility of Spacelab. The technique uses standard liquid tissue culture medium, supplemented with NA-beta-glycerophosphate, confined in gas permeable polyethylene bags mounted inside ESA Biorack Type I experiment containers. The containers can be flushed with an air/5% CO2 gas mixture necessary for the physiological bicarbonate buffer used. Small amounts of fluid can be introduced at the beginning (e.g. radioactive labels for incorporation studies) or at the end of the experiment (fixatives). A certain form of mechanical stimulation (continuous compression) can be used to counteract the, possibly, adverse effect of microgravity. Using 16 day old metatarsals the in vitro calcification process under microgravity conditions can be studied for a 4 day period.     

基于比刚度最大的球铰接杆式支撑臂参数设计

球铰接杆式支撑臂的构型参数设计决定了支撑臂的质量、收拢包络尺寸、刚度和强度等特性。文章提出了一种基于球铰接杆式支撑臂展开后比刚度最大的构型参数设计方法,利用MATLAB和ANSYS联合仿真,分析了不同构型参数组合下支撑臂比刚度的变化规律。结果表明,对于20~100m范围内的球铰接杆式支撑臂,纵梁与横杆的长度比及套筒半径的优选范围随支撑臂总长度增加而增加。当支撑臂总长度分别为20m、60m和100m时,对应的套筒半径优选范围分别为0.3~0.4m、0.5~0.7m和0.6~0.9m。提出了基于比刚度最大的支撑臂参数设计流程。利用提出的设计方法对SRTM任务中球铰接杆式支撑臂进行了构型参数设计,设计结果与ADAM杆构型参数相近,表明设计方法正确、可行。     

对象Petri网模型的并发软件仿真技术的研究

并发软件的性能评价是提高软件开发质量的重要手段之一.本文重点讨论了将面向对象与Petri网相结合的思想用于并发软件开发中的系统建模,以及基于对象Petri网(OPN)的并发软件系统的仿真技术,同时,也探讨了实现一个基于OPN的动态仿真工具所面临的关键技术和解决方法.实践结果表明,文中讨论的实现机制与处理方法是有效和可行的.      

Hypervelocity impact on the GIOTTO Halley Mission dust shield: Momentum exchange and measurement

The two layer dust shield on the GIOTTO Halley Mission is constructed in a meteoroid bumper configuration. The dust shield is instrumented so that parameters associated with the hypervelocity collision of cometary particles on the exposed surface can be determined. A multisensor detector array provides simultaneous sensing of the momentum exchange of particles impacting and subsequently penetrating the outer layer of the dust shield. Current knowledge of momentum exchange during hypervelocity impact relative to the GIOTTO Halley Mission and the dust shield experiment is reviewed. The sensors used for determination of momentum exchange exhibit a functional dependence on projectile velocity leading to an enhancement of the sensor signal as the relative impact velocity increases. The GIOTTO Mission provides a very unique opportunity to obtain hypervelocity momentum exchange information at a known impact velocity. Therefore, with the dust experiment, a determination of the velocity index for both momentum and multilayered penetration sensor is possible. Results of analysis of analytical and laboratory studies indicate that the velocity index for hypervelocity impact is approximately 2.0 at the 68 km/sec encounter impact velocity of the GIOTTO Mission. A clear determination of the size and mass distribution of the cometary dust near the comet will be possible from the in-situ measurement of the DIDSY GIOTTO experiment.     

An update about recent developments of the PHITS code

PHITS (Particle and Heavy-Ion Transport code System) is a general-purpose three-dimensional Monte Carlo code, developed and maintained by RIST, JAEA and KEK in Japan together with Sihver et al. at Chalmers in Sweden. PHITS can deal with the transports of all varieties of hadrons and heavy ions with energies up to around 100 GeV/nucleon, and in this paper the current status of PHITS is presented. We introduce a relativistically covariant version of JQMD, called R-JQMD, that features an improved ground state initialization algorithm, and we will present the introduction of electron and photon transport in PHITS using EGS5, which have increased the energy region for the photon and energy transport from up to around 3 GeV to up to several hundred GeV depending on the atomic number of the target. We show how the accuracy in dose and fluence calculations can be improved by using tabulated cross sections. Benchmarking of shielding and irradiation effects of high energy protons in different materials relevant for shielding of accelerator facilities is also presented. In particular, we show that PHITS can be used for estimating the dose received by aircrews and personnel in space. In recent years, many countries have issued regulations or recommendations to set annual dose limitations for aircrews. Since estimation of cosmic-ray spectra in the atmosphere is an essential issue for the evaluation of aviation doses, we have calculated these spectra using PHITS. The accuracy of the atmospheric propagation simulation of cosmic-ray performed by PHITS has been well verified by experimental cosmic-ray spectra taken under various conditions. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the simulation results, an analytical model called “PARMA” has been proposed for instantaneously estimating the atmospheric cosmic-ray spectra below the altitude of 20 km. We have also performed preliminary simulations of long-term dose distribution measurements at the ISS performed with the joint ESA-FSA experiment MATROSHKA-R (MTR-R) led by the Russian Federation Institute of Biomedical Problems (IMBP) and the ESA supported experiment MATROSHKA (MTR), led by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). For the purpose of examining the applicability of PHITS to the shielding design in space, the absorbed doses in a tissue equivalent water phantom inside an imaginary space vessel has been estimated for different shielding materials of different thicknesses. The results confirm previous results which indicate that PHITS is a suitable tool when performing shielding design studies of spacecrafts.     

The effect of the space flight environment on mucin production in the mouse uterine tube

Numerous studies have indicated that the microgravity environment of space has harmful effects on several tissues throughout the body. Although this phenomenon is well documented, research in this area is still in its relative infancy. This study investigates the effects of space flight on mucin production of the uterine tubes of mice. This study examined the epithelium of the uterine tubes from female mice that were flown on the space shuttle Endeavour for 13 days in August, 2007 and their concomitant controls. The tissue was qualitatively analyzed for the type of mucin produced, i.e., acidic, neutral, acidic/neutral mixture. Further, the tissue was quantitatively analyzed for the amounts of mucins produced by measuring the thickness of the mucin layer for each region of the uterine tube: isthmus, ampulla, and infundibulum. One way ANOVA tests were used to compare mucin thickness between all three sets of animals. Results indicate similar but not identical results between the three regions of the uterine tube. The Baseline tissue had the thickest mucin layer regardless of treatment group. In the ampulla the mucin layer was the thinnest in the Flight tissue, followed by the Ground Control, with the Baseline being the thickest. Analysis of the mucin layer of the infundibulum of the three treatment groups indicated no difference in its thickness between the three regions of the uterine tube. These results indicate a trend toward thinning of the mucin layer of the uterine tube in space flight, but also indicate an influence by the housing environment.     

对象Petri网模型的并发软件仿真技术的研究

并发软件的性能评价是提高软件开发质量的重要手段之一．本文重点讨论了将面向对象与Ｐｅｔｒｉ网相结合的思想用于并发软件开发中的系统建模,以及基于对象Ｐｅｔｒｉ网（ＯＰＮ）的并发软件系统的仿真技术,同时,也探讨了实现一个基于ＯＰＮ的动态仿真工具所面临的关键技术和解决方法．实践结果表明,文中讨论的实现机制与处理方法是有效和可行的．     

部分可观Petri网故障的量子贝叶斯诊断

针对故障本身构建量子贝叶斯Petri网模型算法，并利用该子网模型进行Petri网系统故障分析。对于部分可观Petri网模型中的不可观故障，根据可达标识图分析变迁点火路径不能判断系统状态，建立量子贝叶斯子网模型，通过不确定路径引起的量子干涉重新标定变迁的条件概率表得到量子概率振幅表。根据故障变迁的前置集合并结合量子贝叶斯推理计算变迁触发的先验概率，由后置集合中的可观变迁修正后验概率，由最大后验概率估计系统所处状态，当故障变迁不唯一时，选取最大概率的故障作为故障源。以实际故障系统建立部分可观Petri网模型，结合可观标签概率序列信息和量子贝叶斯概率估计，对系统不可观部分进行故障诊断验证算法的有效性。      

基于扩展Petri网的除冰软件安全需求建模和验证

Petri网是形式化的系统建模方法,以严格的数学基础来保证系统的正确构建,但在支持复杂软件建模和自动化验证方面存在不足.扩展了Petri网的形式语义,区别定义了状态型和数值型库所,区别定义了变迁的激发和抑制状态,引入了无前置、一元和组合判断规则,同时根据形式化定义将模型自动转换为检验程序实施安全性验证.最后给出了以上方法在典型安全关键软件-除冰系统上的应用,过程和结果表明扩展的模型和方法增强了Petri网对复杂软件系统的建模能力,提高了软件的安全性,从模型到验证代码的自动转换解决了完善模型时人工修改相应代码的工作量和因此而引入人为错误的重复工作量的问题.     

混合Petri网及其可达性分析

混合系统是由相互作用的离散事件动态系统和连续变量动态系统构成的复杂系统。文中建立的混合Ｐｅｔｒｉ网能够描述、分析生离散事件,以及离散事件或连续演变的并发问题,该网可以覆盖离散Ｐｅｔｒｉ网和赋时Ｐｅｔｒｉ网,从而使离散事件系统、实时离散事件和混合系统理论研究统一到同一理论框架中,此外还给出计算混合系统可达状态集的算法。     

A Controllable and Observable Protein Cystallization Facility.

A Controllable and Observable Protein Crystallization Facility (ACOP) was developed in 1999 for space experiment in the Get Away Special canister of Space Shuttle. To regulate the vapor diffusion rate, in a crystallization chamber, five cells each containing precipitant solution of different concentrations, exposed to one protein cell in turn. Five layers of chambers were overlapped coaxially. The crystallization process was observed and recorded by digital cameras. Structure of facility and result of image sequence were given.     

From mechanisms to risk estimation--bridging the chasm.

We have a considerable amount of work ahead of us to determine the importance of the wealth of new information emerging in the fields of sub-cellular, cellular and tissue biology in order to improve the estimation of radiation risk at low dose and protracted dose-rate. In this paper, we suggest that there is a need to develop models of the specific health effects of interest (e.g., carcinogenesis in specific tissues), which embody as much of the mechanistic (i.e., biological) information as is deemed necessary. Although it is not realistic to expect that every radiation-induced process should or could be included, we can hope that the major factors that shape the time dependence of evolution of damage can be identified and quantified to the point where reasonable estimations of risk can be made. Regarding carcinogenesis in particular, the structure of the model itself plays a role in determining the relative importance of various processes. We use a specific form of a multi-stage carcinogenic model to illustrate this point. We show in a review of the application of this model to lung cancer incidence and mortality in two exposed populations that for both high- and low-LET radiation, there is evidence of an "inverse dose-rate" or protraction effect. This result could be of some considerable importance, because it would imply that risk from protracted exposure even to low-LET radiation might be greater than from acute exposure, an opinion not currently held in the radiation protection community. This model also allows prediction of the evolution of the risk over the lifetimes of the exposed individuals. One inference is that radiation-induced initiation (i.e., the first cellular carcinogenic event(s) occurring in normal tissue after the passage of the radiation) may not be the driving factor in the risk, but more important may be the effects of the radiation on already-initiated cells in the tissue. Although present throughout the length of the exposure, radiation-induced initiation appears to play a dominating role only very late in life, and only for those individuals who began their exposure early in life. These conclusions are very dependent, of course, on the hypotheses embodied in the initiation-promotion-conversion paradigm of carcinogenesis. We suggest that recently identified processes, such as the "bystander effect", might affect initiation, promotion, and malignant conversion in different ways. Finally, the manner in which the quality of radiation affects these processes must be understood in the context of the mixed high- and low-LET radiations that are found in the space environment. Important directions in critical experiment definition are suggested, including a renewed emphasis on well-designed animal experiments over extended periods of time.     

基于OOPN的实时软件开发方法与环境的研究

实时系统的与时间相关性以及与其环境的交互特点造成实时软件的开发十分困难,那么多处理机实时软件的开发就更加困难.为了简化多处理机环境下的并发程序设计、减少程序设计错误和提高编程效率,介绍一种用于多处理机系统的程序设计方法以及在此方法支持下的软件开发与运作环境.该方法以一种直观的图形方式(面向对象Petri网)辅助多处理机系统软件开发,在此环境下可完成高效的软件开发和获取安全可靠的软件结构.      

Multiple cell hits by particle tracks in solid tissues.

Relative Biological Effectiveness (RBE) and Quality Factor (Q) at extreme values of Linear Energy Transfer (LET) have been determined on the basis of experiments with single-cell systems and specific tissue responses. In typical single cell systems, each heavy particle (Ar or Fe) passes through a single cell or no cell. In tissue end-point experiments each heavy particle passes through several cells, and the LET can exceed 200 keV/micrometer in every cell. In most laboratory animal tissue systems, however, only a small portion of the hit cells are capable of expressing the end-point of interest to the investigator, such as cell killing, mutation or carcinogenesis. The following question must therefore be addressed: Do RBE's and Q factors derived from single-cell experiments properly account for the increased probability of multiple-cell damage by HZE tracks? A model is offered in which measured radiation effects and known tissue properties are combined to estimate the value of a multiplier of damage effectiveness on the basis of number of cells at risk, p3n, per track containing a hit cell, where n is the number of cells per track, based on tissue and organ geometry, and P3 is the probability that a cell in the track is capable of expressing the experimental end-point.     

一种基于面向对象Petri网的并发程序建模方法

介绍了一种基于面向对象Petri网的并发系统建模方法. 该方法把面向对象技术与Petri网理论相结合, 构成一种面向对象Petri网,可以解决用Petri网建立并发程序模型所遇到的状态爆炸问题,又使得建模系统具有可重用性且易于维护, 是一种具有数学和图形方式相结合的形式化描述.