Engineering topics

Wade, Charles

Publications and source records attributed to Wade, Charles.

9 records

DOE OSTI2024

ORNL Slicer 2 - Open Source Copyright

ORNL Slicer 2 is a slicing program for additive manufacturing. It takes a solid body mesh object, typically as .STL file, and converts that into machine readable instructions, called g-code, that a 3D printer can use to build the object. The functionality includes loading and positioning an object, slicing it into layers, fitting toolpaths to the layers, and outputting g-code to construct the object. All of this is contained within a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows the user to define all of the settings specific to their machine and process, then preview the resultant g-code before starting the printing process.

Roschli, Alex (0000000213084632)↗

NASA NTRS2005

The effect of purified compared with nonpurified diet on bone changes induced by hindlimb suspension of female rats

The purpose of this study was to compare the bone changes induced by unloading in rats fed different diets, because space flight studies use a semipurified diet, whereas space flight simulation studies typically use nonpurified diets. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a purified American Institute of Nutrition (AIN) 93G diet or a standard nonpurified diet and kept ambulatory or subjected to unloading by hindlimb suspension (HLS) for 38 days. Bone mineral content (BMC), mechanical strength, and factors related to the diet that affect bone (i.e., urinary calcium excretion, estradiol, and corticosterone) were measured. Average food intakes (grams per day) differed for diets, but caloric intake (kilocalories per day) and the final body masses of treatment groups were similar. The HLS-induced decrease in femoral BMC was not statistically different for rats fed a nonpurified diet (-8.6%) compared with a purified AIN-93G diet (-11.4%). The HLS-induced decrease in femoral mechanical strength was not statistically different for rats fed a nonpurified diet (-24%) compared with a purified AIN-93G diet (-31%). However, bone lengths were decreased (P < 0.05) in rats fed a nonpurified diet compared with a purified diet. Plasma estradiol levels were lower (P < 0.05) in the HLS/AIN-93G group but similar in the HLS and ambulatory rats fed a nonpurified diet. Plasma estradiol was related to femoral BMC (r = 0.85, P < 0.01). Urinary calcium excretion was higher (P < 0.05) in rats fed a nonpurified diet than those fed a purified AIN-93G diet, which is consistent with the higher level of calcium in the nonpurified diet. Urinary corticosterone levels were higher (P < 0.05) in rats fed a nonpurified diet than rats fed the AIN-93G diet. Although the osteopenia induced by unloading was similar in both diet groups, there were differences in longitudinal bone growth, calcium excretion, plasma estradiol levels, and urinary corticosterone levels. Results indicate that the type of standard diet used is an important factor to consider when measuring bone end points.

Bone and Bones/pathology↗

NASA NTRS2004

The Effect of Feeding Purified versus Chow Diet on Bone Changes Produced by Hindlimb Suspension of Female Rats

Spaceflight simulation studies use chow diets while spaceflight studies use a semi-purified &et. To determine whether the differences in these diets would affect the changes in unweighted bone, we compared the effects of purified vs chow diet on bone parameters, urinary calcium, plasma estradiol, and urinary corticosterone (CORT) in sexually mature female Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats fed purified AIN-93G or chow diet were kept ambulatory (AMB) or subjected to a spaceflight simulation model of unweighted hindlimbs (HLS) for 38 days. Body mass of treatment groups was similar although food intake and caloric density of the diets differed. Both HLS diet groups showed similar decreases in bone mineral content and mechanical strength in unweighted femurs compared to AMB (p<0.05). However, femur length was lower (p<0.05) in the chow-fed than AIN-93G fed groups. Urinary calcium excretion was greater in chow than AIN-93G fed rats, consistent with the higher level of calcium in the diet. Plasma estradiol was lower in HLS than in AMB fed AIN-93G, but similar in HLS and AMB chow fed groups. Femur mineral content was related to plasma estradiol (r(sup 2) =0.91, p<0.00l). Urinary CORT excretion was increased during initial HLS and elevated in HLS/chow-fed rats. Diets did not appear to affect the osteopenia induced by unweighting, but effects on bone growth, calcium excretion, plasma estradiol and urinary CORT do not support the view that these diets can by used interchangeably in bone studies.

Tou, Janet↗

NASA NTRS2004

Decreased Estrogen May Contribute to Osteopenia in Unloaded Bones

Progressive loss of weight-bearing bone in astronauts is one of the most serious impediments to long-duration spaceflight. Estrogen deficiency in women is an established factor in bone loss. Reduced sex hormone levels have been reported in male astronauts, but no data is available regarding spaceflight effects on female sex hormones. The objective of our study was to determine the role of estrogen in disuse osteopenia. The NASA developed hindlimb suspension (HLS) model was used to simulate the unloading disuse of weight-bearing bones experienced in space. Female Sprague-Dawley rats (age 77d; n = 20/group) were HLS or kept ambulatory (AMB) for 38 d and endocrine and bone indices determined. HLS of rats resulted in lower (p less than 0.01) bone mass (9%0), bone mineral content (BMC 13%) and mechanical strength (28%) compared to AMB animals. Plasma estradiol (E2) was lower (p = 0.03) in HLS (10.1 +/- 1.4 pg/ml) compared to AMB rats (16.7 +/- 2.6 pg/ml). E2 was positively correlated to BMC r(sup 2) = 0.67 and mechanical strength r(sup 2) = 0.61. These results suggest that reduced E2 plays a role in disuse osteopenia induced by HLS. Plasma or pituitary lutenizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels were not different in HLS versus AMB rats. However, pituitary LH was correlated to E2 (r(sup 2) = 0.57), suggesting changes in E2 were exerted at the level of the hypothalamus-pituitary axis. Understanding the role of estrogen in disuse osteopenia is necessary to the development of efficacious therapies for female astronauts, bed rest patients and the increasing number of individuals in our sedentary population suffering bone loss.

Tou, Janet↗

NASA NTRS2003

Evaluation of NASA Foodbars as a Standard Diet for Use in Short-Term Rodent Space Flight Studies

A standard rodent diet for space flight must meet the unique conditions imposed by the space environment and must be nutritionally adequate since diet can influence the outcome of experiments. This paper evaluates the use of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) developed Foodbars as a standard space flight diet for rats. The Foodbar's semi-purified formulation permits criteria such as nutrient consistency, high nutrient bioavailability and flexibility of formulation to be met. Extrusion of the semi-purified diet produces Foodbars with the proper texture and a non-crumbing solid form for use in space. Treatment of Foodbar with 0.1% potassium sorbate prevents mold growth. Irradiation (15-25 kGy) prevents bacterial growth and in combination with sorbate-treatment provides added protection against mold for shelf-stability. However, during the development process, nutrient analyses indicated that extrusion and irradiation produced nutrient losses. Nutrients were adjusted accordingly to compensate for processing losses. Nutrient analysis of Foodbars continues to be performed routinely to monitor nutrient levels. It is important that the standard rodent diet provide nutrients that will prevent deficiency but also avoid excess that may mask physiological changes produced by space flight. All vitamins levels in the Foodbars, except for vitamin K conformed to or exceeded the current NRC (1995) recommendations. All indispensable amino acids in Foodbar conformed to or exceeded the NRC nutrient recommendation for mice growth and rat maintenance. However, some indispensable amino acids were slightly below recommendations for rat reproduction/growth. Short-term (18-20 d) animal feeding studies indicated that Foodbars were palatable, supported growth and maintained health in rats. Results indicated that NASA rodent Foodbars meet both the physical and nutritional criteria required to support rodents in the space environment and thus, may be used successfully as a standard diet for short-term space flight studies. However, nutritional adequacy of NASA Rodent Foodbars as a standard diet on longer duration (>20 d) space flight missions remains to be determined.

Tou, Janet↗

NASA NTRS2002

Models to study gravitational biology of Mammalian reproduction

Mammalian reproduction evolved within Earth's 1-g gravitational field. As we move closer to the reality of space habitation, there is growing scientific interest in how different gravitational states influence reproduction in mammals. Habitation of space and extended spaceflight missions require prolonged exposure to decreased gravity (hypogravity, i.e., weightlessness). Lift-off and re-entry of the spacecraft are associated with exposure to increased gravity (hypergravity). Existing data suggest that spaceflight is associated with a constellation of changes in reproductive physiology and function. However, limited spaceflight opportunities and confounding effects of various nongravitational factors associated with spaceflight (i.e., radiation, stress) have led to the development of ground-based models for studying the effects of altered gravity on biological systems. Human bed rest and rodent hindlimb unloading paradigms are used to study exposure to hypogravity. Centrifugation is used to study hypergravity. Here, we review the results of spaceflight and ground-based models of altered gravity on reproductive physiology. Studies utilizing ground-based models that simulate hyper- and hypogravity have produced reproductive results similar to those obtained from spaceflight and are contributing new information on biological responses across the gravity continuum, thereby confirming the appropriateness of these models for studying reproductive responses to altered gravity and the underlying mechanisms of these responses. Together, these unique tools are yielding new insights into the gravitational biology of reproduction in mammals.

Review, Tutorial↗

NASA NTRS2000

Effects of Hypergravity and Adrenalectomy on Total Body Bone Mineral Content in Male Rats

The effects of 14 days of increased gravitational load, and the absence of adrenal stress hormones on total body bone mineral content (BMC) were examined in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Centrifugation at 2 Gs (2G) was used to increase the gravitational load, and bilateral adrenalectomy (ADX) was used to eliminate the production of adrenal stress hormones. Stationary groups at 1 G (1G) and sham operated (SHAM) animals served as controls. Thirty rats (n=6 or 8) made up the four experimental groups (1G SHAM, 1G ADX, 2G SHAM and 2G ADX). BMC was assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and activity was determined through biotelemetry. Body mass and food intake were also measured. Multi-factorial analysis of variance (MANCOVA) and Newman Keuls post hoc tests were used to analyze significant effects (p less than 0.05) for the primary variables. Results indicated that BMC decreased significantly with increased G for both the SHAM and ADX groups. The BMC for the 1 G ADX group was also significantly lower than the 1G SHAM group, however the 2G SHAM and ADX groups were not significantly different. There was a significant decrease in body mass with increased G and there was no ADX effect on body mass. When BMC was normalized for body mass changes, there were no significant group differences. Activity level decreased with body mass, and food intake data showed there was significant hypophagia during the first few days of centrifugation. These results suggest that the decrease in total body BMC seen with hypergravity may be based to a large extent on the differences in body mass induced by the 2 G load.

Girten, Beverly↗

NASA NTRS1996

Space Station Biological Research Project: Reference Experiment Book

The Space Station Biological Research Project (SSBRP), which is the combined efforts of the Centrifuge Facility (CF) and the Gravitational Biology Facility (GBF), is responsible for the development of life sciences hardware to be used on the International Space Station to support cell, developmental, and plant biology research. The SSBRP Reference Experiment Book was developed to use as a tool for guiding this development effort. The reference experiments characterize the research interests of the international scientific community and serve to identify the hardware capabilities and support equipment needed to support such research. The reference experiments also serve as a tool for understanding the operational aspects of conducting research on board the Space Station. This material was generated by the science community by way of their responses to reference experiment solicitation packages sent to them by SSBRP scientists. The solicitation process was executed in two phases. The first phase was completed in February of 1992 and the second phase completed in November of 1995. Representing these phases, the document is subdivided into a Section 1 and a Section 2. The reference experiments contained in this document are only representative microgravity experiments. They are not intended to define actual flight experiments. Ground and flight experiments will be selected through the formal NASA Research Announcement (NRA) and Announcement of Opportunity (AO) experiment solicitation, review, and selection process.

Johnson, Catherine↗

NASA NTRS1992

Gravitational Biology Facility on Space Station: Meeting the needs of space biology

The Gravitational Biology Facility (GBF) is a set of generic laboratory equipment needed to conduct research on Space Station Freedom (SSF), focusing on Space Biology Program science (Cell and Developmental Biology and Plant Biology). The GBF will be functional from the earliest utilization flights through the permanent manned phase. Gravitational biology research will also make use of other Life Sciences equipment on the space station as well as existing equipment developed for the space shuttle. The facility equipment will be developed based on requirements derived from experiments proposed by the scientific community to address critical questions in the Space Biology Program. This requires that the facility have the ability to house a wide variety of species, various methods of observation, and numerous methods of sample collection, preservation, and storage. The selection of the equipment will be done by the members of a scientific working group (5 members representing cell biology, 6 developmental biology, and 6 plant biology) who also provide requirements to design engineers to ensure that the equipment will meet scientific needs. All equipment will undergo extensive ground based experimental validation studies by various investigators addressing a variety of experimental questions. Equipment will be designed to be adaptable to other space platforms. The theme of the Gravitational Biology Facility effort is to provide optimal and reliable equipment to answer the critical questions in Space Biology as to the effects of gravity on living systems.

Allen, Katherine↗