System identification of dynamic closed-loop control of total peripheral resistance by arterial and cardiopulmonary baroreceptors.

Prolonged exposure to microgravity in space flight missions (days) impairs the mechanisms responsible for defense of arterial blood pressure (ABP) and cardiac output (CO) against orthostatic stress in the post-flight period. The mechanisms responsible for the observed orthostatic intolerance are not yet completely understood. Additionally, effective counter measures to attenuate this pathophysiological response are not available. The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of our proposed system identification method to predict closed-loop dynamic changes in TPR induced by changes in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and right atrial pressure (RAP). For this purpose we designed and employed a novel experimental animal model for the examination of arterial and cardiopulmonary baroreceptors in the dynamic closed-loop control of total peripheral resistance (TPR), and applied system identification to the analysis of beat-to-beat fluctuations in the measured signals. Grant numbers: NAG5-4989.     

Initial closed operation of the CELSS Test Facility Engineering Development Unit.

As part of the NASA Advanced Life Support Flight Program, a Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) Test Facility Engineering Development Unit has been constructed and is undergoing initial operational testing at NASA Ames Research Center. The Engineering Development Unit (EDU) is a tightly closed, stringently controlled, ground-based testbed which provides a broad range of environmental conditions under which a variety of CELSS higher plant crops can be grown. Although the EDU was developed primarily to provide near-term engineering data and a realistic determination of the subsystem and system requirements necessary for the fabrication of a comparable flight unit, the EDU has also provided a means to evaluate plant crop productivity and physiology under controlled conditions. This paper describes the initial closed operational testing of the EDU, with emphasis on the hardware performance capabilities. Measured performance data during a 28-day closed operation period are compared with the specified functional requirements, and an example of inferring crop growth parameters from the test data is presented. Plans for future science and technology testing are also discussed.     

Population dynamics of transgenic microorganisms in the different microecosystem conditions.

The role of key environmental factors in adaptation of spore-forming and non-spore-forming transgenic microorganisms (TM) have been studied in model ecosystems. Model TM Escherichia coli Z905 (bearing plasmid genes of bacterial luminescence Ap (r) Lux+) has been found to have a higher adaptation potential than TM Bacillus subtilis 2335/105 (bearing genes of human alpha 2-interferon Km (r) Inf+), planned for employment as a living vaccine under varying environmental conditions. Effects of abiotic factors on migration of natural and recombinant plasmids between microorganisms under model ecosystem conditions has been estimated. The transgenic microorganisms with low copy number survived better under introduction conditions in the microcosms studied. This trend has been shown to be independent of the microcosm type and its complexity. Grant numbers: 99-04-96017, 25, 00-07-9011.     

The Low-Latitude Boundary Layer at the Flanks of the Magnetopause

This is a brief overview on what we know and do not know about the low-latitude boundary layer (LLBL) at the flanks of the magnetotail. On the basis of recent observations, simulations and theories we conclude that reconnection is the dominant process in generating the LLBL and its structure probably even under northward IMF conditions. Part of the LLBL always seems to be on open field lines. Possibly the LLBL possesses a double structure with its outer part open and inner part closed. Anomalous diffusive processes cannot sustain the LLBL but provide sufficient diffusivity for reconnection. Strong diffusion is only expected in narrow localized regions and can make the transition to superdiffusion. Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI) is favoured for northward IMF, producing vortices at the tail flanks. Its contribution to efficient mass transport still remains questionable. Coupling of the LLBL to the ionosphere can strongly affect the internal structure of the LLBL, causing turbulent eddies and detachments of plasma blobs as also field-aligned currents and electron heating. The structure and dynamics of the LLBL are affected by field-aligned electric potentials that decouple the LLBL from the ionosphere. Non-ideal coupling simulations suggest that the dusk flank is decoupled, favouring KHI, while the dawn flank is dominated by currents and turbulence.     

Adaptive model architecture and extended Kalman-Bucy filters

In radar systems, extended Kalman-Bucy filters (EKBFs) are used to estimate state vectors of objects in track. Filter models accounting for fundamental aerodynamic forces on reentry vehicles are well known. A general model structure accommodating the dynamics of reentry vehicles in both exoatmospheric and endoatmospheric flight is presented. The associated EKBFs for these various models are described and the resulting associated parameter estimation and identification problems are discussed. The effects of position, velocity, drag, and aerodynamic lift are described within a nested set of EKBF models     

Moving target imaging algorithm for SAR data

A digital processing algorithm for fine-resolution imaging of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) moving targets is described. The targets may have any translational and rotational motion components relative to the data collection platform. The algorithm requires the presence of up to three prominent points in the image of the target; the signals from these points provide estimates of the unknown target motion parameters. Phase compensation and data formatting based on these estimates eliminate motion-induced phase errors. This algorithm has been implemented on a VAX computer and used to process both simulated and real SAR data of moving targets. Results obtained using the simulated data are presented     

A Series of Proton Flares in July 1985 from Observations by the Prognoz-10 Satellite and Vega-1, 2 Spacecraft

The enhancements of solar protons with an energy of more than 30 MeV, originating from flares in one active region and observed simultaneously aboard three spacecraft Vega-1, 2 and Prognoz-10 in July 1985, are analyzed and approximated in this work by using the reflection model [2]. The numerical values of several physical parameters (the parameters of distribution of solar cosmic ray (SCR) particles inside heliosphere traps, the coefficients of trap transparency) that are not observed by direct measurements are estimated.