Biological responses to space: results of the experiment "Exobiological Unit" of ERA on EURECA I.

Spores of different strains of Bacillus subtilis and the Escherichia coli plasmid pUC19 were exposed to selected conditions of space (space vacuum and/or defined wavebands and intensities of solar ultraviolet radiation) in the experiment ER 161 "Exobiological Unit" of the Exobiology Radiation Assembly (ERA) on board of the European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA). After the approximately 11 months lasting mission, their responses were studied in terms of survival, mutagenesis in the his (B. subtilis) or lac locus (pUC19), induction of DNA strand breaks, efficiency of DNA repair systems, and the role of external protective agents. The data were compared with those of a simultaneously running ground control experiment. The survival of spores treated with the vacuum of space, however shielded against solar radiation, is substantially increased, if they are exposed in multilayers and/or in the presence of glucose as protective, whereas all spores in "artificial meteorites", i.e. embedded in clays or simulated Martian soil, are killed. Vacuum treatment leads to an increase of mutation frequency in spores, but not in plasmid DNA. Extraterrestrial solar ultraviolet radiation is mutagenic, induces strand breaks in the DNA and reduces survival substantially; however, even at the highest fluences, i.e. 3 x 10(8) J m-2, a small but significant fraction of spores survives the insolation. Action spectroscopy confirms results of previous space experiments of a synergistic action of space vacuum and solar UV radiation with DNA being the critical target.     

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.     

The atmosphere of Jupiter

Current information on the neutral atmosphere of Jupiter is reviewed, with approximately equal emphasis on composition and thermal structure on the one hand, and markings and dynamics on the other. Studies based on Pioneer 10 and 11 data are used to refine the atmospheric model. Data on the interior are reviewed for the information they provide on the deep atmosphere. The markings and dynamics are discussed with emphasis on qualitative relationships and analogies with phenomena in the Earth's atmosphere.Contribution No. 2652 of the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif. 91125, U.S.A.     

High Excitation ISM and Gas

An overview is given of ISO results on regions of high excitation ISM and gas, i.e. HII regions, the Galactic Centre and Supernova Remnants. IR emission due to fine-structure lines, molecular hydrogen, silicates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and dust are summarised, their diagnostic capabilities illustrated and their implications highlighted. Based on observations with ISO, an ESA project with instruments funded by ESA Member States (especially the PI countries: France, Germany, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom), and with the participation of ISAS and NASA.     

Analysis of Multimodal Systems

The estimation of a multimodal linear system whose mode-to-mode transitions are described by a finite-state Markov chain is described. The problem has application in studying separation standards in an air traffic control environment. An optimal solution is formulated which is computationally infeasible. A suboptimal estimator is then derived which closely approximates the optimal estimator. An example is presented to illustrate the technique.     

基于CFD技术的鼻腔输药的流动特性研究

鼻腔输药作为一种新颖的输药方式,具有方便可靠的特点,不仅可以适用于局部而且适用于全身用药,已经受到广泛的重视。但由于人类的呼吸道复杂的立体结构使得鼻腔输药成为生物医药研究的一个长期的挑战。利用CFD(计算流体动力学,Computational Fluid Dynamics)技术对鼻腔输药的流动特性进行研究,对一个基于真实的人类鼻腔解剖的3D模型的输药的流动过程进行了分析,着重研究了不同的药物颗粒的流动和沉淀特性。利用CFD的商用软件FLUENT在层流情况下对不同的密度、直径和流动速率的药物颗粒在鼻腔中流动进行了数值模拟,并对计算结果进行了比较分析。CFD研究的结果为鼻腔输药这种新颖的药物输送方式的优化设计提供了依据。     

Probing the era of galaxy formation via TeV gamma ray absorption by the near infrared extragalactic background

We present models of the extragalactic background light (EBL) based on several scenarios of galaxy formation and evolution. We have treated galaxy formation with the Press-Schecter approximation for both cold dark matter (CDM) and cold+hot dark matter (CHDM) models, representing a moderate (z _f 3) and a late (z _f 1) era of galaxy formation respectively. Galaxy evolution has been treated by considering a variety of stellar types, different initial mass functions and star formation histories, and with an accounting of dust absorption and emission. We find that the dominant factor influencing the EBL is the epoch of galaxy formation. A recently proposed method for observing the EBL utilizing the absorption of 0.1 to 10 TeV gamma-rays from active galactic nuclei (AGN) is shown to be capable of discriminating between different galaxy formation epochs. The one AGN viewed in TeV light, Mrk 421, does show some evidence for a cutoff above 3 TeV; based on the EBL models presented here, we suggest that this is due to extinction in the source. The large absorption predicted at energies > 200 GeV for sources at z > 0.5 indicates that observations of TeV gamma-ray bursts (GRB) would constrain or eliminate models in which the GRB sources lie at cosmological distances.Now at University of Chicago, Dept. of Astronomy & Astrophysics.     

Discrete-time observability and estimability analysis for bearings-only target motion analysis

Observability in the context of bearings-only tracking (BOT) is still the subject of important literature. Different from previous approaches, where continuous-time analysis was considered, our approach relies on discrete-time analysis. It is then shown that this allows us to use directly and efficiently the simple formalisms of linear algebra. Using the direct approach, observability analysis is essentially reduced to basic considerations about subspace dimensions. Even if this approach is conceptually quite direct, it becomes more and more complex as the source-encounter scenario complexity increases. For complex scenarios, the dual approach may present some advantages essentially due to the direct use of multilinear algebra. New results about BOT observability for maneuvering sources are thus obtained. Observability analysis is then extended to unknown instants of source velocity changes. Even if observability analysis provides thorough insights about the algebraic structure of the BOT problem, the optimization of the observer maneuvers is essentially a control problem. Basic algebraic considerations prove that a relevant cost functional for this control problem is the determinant of the Fisher information matrix (FIM). So, a large part of this work is devoted to the analysis of this cost functional. Using multilinear algebra, general approximations of this functional are given. In order to involve only directly estimable parameters, the source bearing-rates are examined. Using these approximations, a general framework for optimizing the observer trajectory is derived which allow us to approximate the optimal sequence of controls. It is worth stressing that our approach does not require the knowledge of the source trajectory parameters and is still valid for a maneuvering source.