Microgravity effects on "postural" muscle activity patterns.

Changes in neuromuscular activation patterns associated with movements made in microgravity can contribute to muscular atrophy. Using EMG to monitor "postural" muscles, it was found that free floating arm flexions made in microgravity were not always preceded by neuromuscular activation patterns normally observed during movements made in unit gravity. Additionally, manipulation of foot sensory input during microgravity arm flexion impacted upon anticipatory postural muscle activation.     

Biochemical constraints for survival under Martian conditions.

A wide variety of terrestrial organisms, the so-called "anhydrobiotes," has learned to survive in a state of extreme dehydration in dry environments. Strategies for survival include the accumulation of certain polyols and nonreducing saccharides, which help to prevent damage to membranes and proteins, but at low water partial pressure DNA is also progressively damaged by various lesions, including strand breaks and cross-linking to proteins. These lesions, if they are not too numerous, can be repaired before the first replication step after rehydration, but long-term exposure to dry conditions finally diminishes the chances of survival as these lesions accumulate. If an organism has no chance to repair the accumulated DNA damage during intermittent periods of active life, survival will not exceed a few decades. The restriction of survival by dryness-induced DNA lesions is corroborated by new data on conidia of Aspergillus and the free plasmid pBR 322. Our results will be discussed with respect to the chance of finding dormant life or biochemical fossils on the surface of Mars.     

Spatial orientation during locomotion [correction of locomation] following space flight

To investigate changes in spatial orientation ability and walking performance following space flight, 7 astronaut subjects were asked pre- and post-flight to perform a goal directed locomotion paradigm which consisted of walking a triangular path with and without vision. This new paradigm, involving inputs from different sensory systems, allows quantification of several critical parameters, like orientation performance, walking velocities and postural stability, in a natural walking task. The paper presented here mainly focusses on spatial orientation performance quantified by the errors in walking the previously seen path without vision. Errors in length and reaching the corners did not change significantly from pre- to post-flight, while absolute angular errors slightly increased post-flight. The significant decrease in walking velocity and a change in head-trunk coordination while walking around the corners of the path observed post-flight may suggest that during re-adaptation to gravity the mechanisms which are necessary to perform the task have to be re-accomplished.     

The effect of head-down tilt on brain potentials related to visual attention

To study the possible effect of simulated weightlessness on brain function state, the brain event-related potentials (ERPs) in a simple visual selective response task were compared between HDT and HUT in 9 normal subjects. The results were: The Target(T) and non-Target(NT) flash signals both induced significant slow positive potentials which were supposed to related to the attention state; the amplitude of the positive potentials in frontal regions decreased significantly especially for NT-ERPs during HDT comprared with that during HUT. The data reported provide new evidence indicating that more attention should be paid on the brain function study during space flight.     

Highly mobile space suit material optimization

This paper discusses the factors that control the flexibility of fabric space suit elements by examining a bending model of a pressurized fabric tube. Results from the model are used to evaluate the current direction in highly mobile EVA glove research and suggest that changes are necessary in the suit and glove fabric selection methodology.     

Life in space may help life on Earth

Teams of chronobiologists from the U.S., Russia, and Japan are working toward a remote computerized health care system which, once tested in space, may change how doctors diagnose and treat cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension and conditions predisposing stroke. The system is based on ongoing research indicating that swings in blood pressure charted over a span of 24 hr or longer, rather than a single systolic and diastolic reading, can reveal a new major risk factor for heart disease.     

绿色制造中的干切削技术

冷却润滑液的存储、使用以及废弃处理需要专门的物流系统,因而费用很高;冷却润滑液处理不当会对人的健康以及环境造成危害;工件经过湿加工后必须进行清洁处理,这都费时费力,同时增加了对系统的要求.基于上述原因,近年来干切削技术受到广泛关注.     

Finite-dimensional filters with nonlinear drift. V: solution to Kolmogorov equation arising from linear filtering with non-Gaussian initial condition

Despite its usefulness, the Kalman-Bucy filter is not perfect. One of its weaknesses is that it needs a Gaussian assumption on the initial data. Recently Yau and Yau introduced a new direct method to solve the estimation problem for linear filtering with non-Gaussian initial data. They factored the problem into two parts: (1) the on-line solution of a finite system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs), and (2) the off-line calculation of the Kolmogorov equation. Here we derive an explicit closed-form solution of the Kolmogorov equation. We also give some properties and conduct a numerical study of the solution.