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At least 253 records · Page 14

NSCOR for Evaluating Risk Factors and Biomarkers for Adaptation and Resilience to Spaceflight: Emotional Valence and Social Processes in ICC/ICE Environments

Space exploration class missions, such as a mission to Mars, will require optimization of human performance, adaptability, and resilience. This NASA Specialized Center of Research (NSCOR) utilizes the NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework to identify biological and behavioral markers of individual social adaptation and emotional resilience (as well as vulnerability) to spaceflight-relevant stressors such as living in extended isolation. The overarching goal of this NSCOR is to obtain novel information to help identify biomarkers of individuals who are resilient and/or adaptable to the stressors of isolated, confined, and controlled (ICC) and isolated, confined, and extreme (ICE) environments.A total of N=90 healthy adult astronaut surrogates are being studied in three spaceflight-analog environments: (1) n=40 healthy adults in the Isolation and Confinement Analog Research Unit (ICARUS), an ICC at the University of Pennsylvania, during 7-day missions, for a target total of 280 subject days; (2) n=32 healthy adult astronaut surrogates studied in NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA), an ICC at Johnson Space Center during 45-day missions, for a target total of 2,112 subject days; and (3) n=18 healthy adults in the Alfred-Wegener-Institute’s Neumayer Station III, an ICE in Antarctica, during 14-month missions, for a target total of 7,560 subject days. Dr. Nindl’s Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh is analyzing a priori selected protein biomarkers in blood, saliva, and urine. Complementary rodent models of exposure to early life stressors, confinement, and isolation are being evaluated at Dr. Hensch’s Laboratory to further validate the neurobehavioral and biological findings from the human studies.Given the inconsistency and varied definition of resilience/adaptation in the scientific literature, the NSCOR team developed a composite resilience/adaptation measure that reflects the most relevant outcomes to resilience/adaptation across psychosocial and neurobehavioral functions, as well as neurocognitive and spaceflight-relevant operational performance. To achieve this, group consensus was attained from subject matter experts to produce a rank-order of importance for each input variable. The final resilience/adaptation score included 36 variables that were collected across spaceflight analogs. As of 10/1/2021, the NSCOR project acquired data on n=27 subjects at ICARUS, n=16 at HERA, and n=18 at Neumayer. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed data acquisition at ICARUS and HERA.Among subjects studied to date, 99% of neural and neurobehavioral data (e.g., neuroimaging for structure and function, behavioral measures) as well as blood, saliva, and urine for biochemical assays have been acquired. For rodent models, Dr. Hensch’s laboratory has established biochemical and behavioral parameters reflecting confinement stress in social networks of mice for comparison to stress responses in the human spaceflight analog environments.Group social behaviors were measured with a Social Network Analysis (SNA) approach to define objective parameters associated with sociability and its plasticity by sex. This analytic approach may help identify a network of individuals who are more effective teammates or more likely to generate new social relationships. Data acquisition, biomarker assessment, and data quality control will continue through September 2022.

D F Dinges↗

Human cerebrospinal fluid contains diverse lipoprotein subspecies enriched in proteins implicated in central nervous system health

Lipoproteins in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the central nervous system (CNS) resemble plasma high-density lipoproteins (HDLs), which are a compositionally and structurally diverse spectrum of nanoparticles with pleiotropic functionality. Whether CSF lipoproteins (CSF-Lps) exhibit similar heterogeneity is poorly understood because they are present at 100-fold lower concentrations than plasma HDL. To investigate the diversity of CSF-Lps, we developed a sensitive fluorescent technology to characterize lipoprotein subspecies in small volumes of human CSF. We identified 10 distinctly sized populations of CSF-Lps, most of which were larger than plasma HDL. Mass spectrometric analysis identified 303 proteins across the populations, over half of which have not been reported in plasma HDL. Computational analysis revealed that CSF-Lps are enriched in proteins important for wound healing, inflammation, immune response, and both neuron generation and development. Network analysis indicated that different subpopulations of CSF-Lps contain unique combinations of these proteins. Our study demonstrates that CSF-Lp subspecies likely exist that contain compositional signatures related to CNS health.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Comparisons of Upper Tropospheric Humidity Retrievals from TOVS and METEOSAT

Two different methods for retrieving Upper Tropospheric Humidities (UTH) from the TOVS (TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder) instruments aboard NOAA polar orbiting satellites are presented and compared. The first one, from the Environmental Technology Laboratory, computed by J. Bates and D. Jackson (hereafter BJ method), estimates UTH from a simplified radiative transfer analysis of the upper tropospheric infrared water vapor channel at wavelength measured by HIRS (6.3 micrometer). The second one results from a neural network analysis of the TOVS (HIRS and MSU) data developed at, the Laboratoire de Meteorologie Dynamique (hereafter the 3I (Improved Initialization Inversion) method). Although the two methods give very similar retrievals in temperate regions (30-60 N and S), an absolute bias up to 16% appears in the convective zone of the tropics. The two datasets have also been compared with UTH retrievals from infrared radiance measurements in the 6.3 micrometer channel from the geostationary satellite METEOSAT (hereafter MET method). The METEOSAT retrievals are systematically drier than the TOVS-based results by an absolute bias between 5 and 25%. Despite the biases, the spatial and temporal correlations are very good. The purpose of this study is to explain the deviations observed between the three datasets. The sensitivity of UTH to air temperature and humidity profiles is analysed as are the clouds effects. Overall, the comparison of the three retrievals gives an assessment of the current uncertainties in water vapor amounts in the upper troposphere as determined from NOAA and METEOSAT satellites.

Escoffier, C.↗

Neuromorphic Graph Algorithms

Graph algorithms enable myriad large-scale applications including cybersecurity, social network analysis, resource allocation, and routing. The scalability of current graph algorithm implementations on conventional computing architectures are hampered by the demise of Moore’s law. We present a theoretical framework for designing and assessing the performance of graph algorithms executing in networks of spiking artificial neurons. Although spiking neural networks (SNNs) are capable of general-purpose computation, few algorithmic results with rigorous asymptotic performance analysis are known. SNNs are exceptionally well-motivated practically, as neuromorphic computing systems with 100 million spiking neurons are available, and systems with a billion neurons are anticipated in the next few years. Beyond massive parallelism and scalability, neuromorphic computing systems offer energy consumption orders of magnitude lower than conventional high-performance computing systems. We employ our framework to design and analyze new spiking algorithms for shortest path and dynamic programming problems. Our neuromorphic algorithms are message-passing algorithms relying critically on data movement for computation. For fair and rigorous comparison with conventional algorithms and architectures, which is challenging but paramount, we develop new models of data-movement in conventional computing architectures. This allows us to prove polynomial-factor advantages, even when we assume a SNN consisting of a simple grid-like network of neurons. To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first examples of a rigorous asymptotic computational advantage for neuromorphic computing.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Microbial inoculum effects on the rumen epithelial transcriptome and rumen epimural metatranscriptome in calves

Manipulation of the rumen microbial ecosystem in early life may affect ruminal fermentation and enhance the productive performance of dairy cows. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of dosing three different types of microbial inoculum on the rumen epithelium tissue (RE) transcriptome and the rumen epimural metatranscriptome (REM) in dairy calves. For this objective, 15 Holstein bull calves were enrolled in the study at birth and assigned to three different intraruminal inoculum treatments dosed orally once weekly from three to six weeks of age. The inoculum treatments were prepared from rumen contents collected from rumen fistulated lactating cows and were either autoclaved (control; ARF), processed by differential centrifugation to create the bacterial-enriched inoculum (BE), or through gravimetric separation to create the protozoal-enriched inoculum (PE). Calves were fed 2.5 L/d pasteurized waste milk 3x/d from 0 to 7 weeks of age and texturized starter until euthanasia at 9 weeks of age, when the RE tissues were collected for transcriptome and microbial metatranscriptome analyses, from four randomly selected calves from each treatment. The different types of inoculum altered the RE transcriptome and REM. Compared to ARF, 9 genes were upregulated in the RE of BE and 92 in PE, whereas between BE and PE there were 13 genes upregulated in BE and 114 in PE. Gene ontology analysis identified enriched GO terms in biological process category between PE and ARF, with no enrichment between BE and ARF. The RE functional signature showed different KEGG pathways related to BE and ARF, and no specific KEGG pathway for PE. We observed a lower alpha diversity index for RE microbiome in ARF (observed genera and Chao1 (p < 0.05)). Five microbial genera showed a significant correlation with the changes in host gene expression: Roseburia (25 genes), Entamoeba (two genes); Anaerosinus, Lachnospira, and Succiniclasticum were each related to one gene. sPLS-DA analysis showed that RE microbial communities differ among the treatments, although the taxonomic and functional microbial profiles show different distributions. Co-expression Differential Network Analysis indicated that both BE and PE had an impact on the abundance of KEGG modules related to acyl-CoA synthesis, type VI secretion, and methanogenesis, while PE had a significant impact on KEGGs related to ectoine biosynthesis and D-xylose transport. Our study indicated that artificial dosing with different microbial inocula in early life alters not only the RE transcriptome, but also affects the REM and its functions.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

NSI directed to continue SPAN's functions

During a series of network management retreats in June and July 1990, representatives from NASA Headquarters Codes O and S agreed on networking roles and responsibilities for their respective organizations. The representatives decided that NASA Science Internet (NSI) will assume management of both the Space Physics Analysis Network (SPAN) and the NASA Science Network (NSN). SPAN is now known as the NSI/DECnet, and NSN is now known as the NSI/IP. Some management functions will be distributed between Ames Research Center (ARC) and Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). NSI at ARC has the lead role for requirements generation and networking engineering. Advanced Applications and the Network Information Center is being developed at GSFC. GSFC will lead the NSI User Services, but NSI at Ames will continue to provide the User Services during the transition. The transition will be made as transparent as possible for the users. DECnet service will continue, but is now directly managed by NSI at Ames. NSI will continue to work closely with routing center managers at other NASA centers, and has formed a transition team to address the change in management. An NSI/DECnet working group had also been formed as a separate engineering group within NSI to plan the transition to Phase 5, DECnet's approach to Open System Integration (OSI). Transition is not expected for a year or more due to delays in produce releases. Plans to upgrade speeds in tail circuits and the backbone are underway. The proposed baseline service for new connections is up to 56 Kbps; 9.6 Kbps lines will gradually be upgraded as requirements dictate. NSI is in the process of consolidating protocol traffic, tail circuits, and the backbone. Currently NSI's backbone is fractional T1; NSI will go to full T1 service as soon as it is feasible.

Rounds, Fred↗

Learning to identify electrons

In this report we investigate whether state-of-the-art classification features commonly used to distinguish electrons from jet backgrounds in collider experiments are overlooking valuable information. A deep convolutional neural network analysis of electromagnetic and hadronic calorimeter deposits is compared to the performance of typical features, revealing a ≈ 5% gap which indicates that these lower-level data do contain untapped classification power. To reveal the nature of this unused information, we use a recently developed technique to map the deep network into a space of physically interpretable observables. We identify two simple calorimeter observables which are not typically used for electron identification, but which mimic the decisions of the convolutional network and nearly close the performance gap.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

The Father Christmas worm

Given here is an overview analysis of the Father Christmas Worm, a computer worm that was released onto the DECnet Internet three days before Christmas 1988. The purpose behind the worm was to send an electronic mail message to all users on the computer system running the worm. The message was a Christmas greeting and was signed 'Father Christmas'. From the investigation, it was determined that the worm was released from a computer (node number 20597::) at a university in Switzerland. The worm was designed to travel quickly. Estimates are that it was copied to over 6,000 computer nodes. However, it was believed to have executed on only a fraction of those computers. Within ten minutes after it was released, the worm was detected at the Space Physics Analysis Network (SPAN), NASA's largest space and Earth science network. Once the source program was captured, a procedural cure, using the existing functionality of the computer operating systems, was quickly devised and distributed. A combination of existing computer security measures, the quick and accurate procedures devised to stop copies of the worm from executing, and the network itself, were used to rapidly provide the cure. These were the main reasons why the worm executed on such a small percentage of nodes. This overview of the analysis of the events concerning the worm is based on an investigation made by the SPAN Security Team and provides some insight into future security measures that will be taken to handle computer worms and viruses that may hit similar networks.

Green, James L.↗

Integrative genomics reveals paths to sex dimorphism in Salix purpurea L

Sex dimorphism and gene expression were studied in developing catkins in 159 F 2 individuals from the bioenergy crop Salix purpurea , and potential mechanisms and pathways for regulating sex development were explored. Differential expression, eQTL, bisulfite sequencing, and network analysis were used to characterize sex dimorphism, detect candidate master regulator genes, and identify pathways through which the sex determination region (SDR) may mediate sex dimorphism. Eleven genes are presented as candidates for master regulators of sex, supported by gene expression and network analyses. These include genes putatively involved in hormone signaling, epigenetic modification, and regulation of transcription. eQTL analysis revealed a suite of transcription factors and genes involved in secondary metabolism and floral development that were predicted to be under direct control of the sex determination region. Furthermore, data from bisulfite sequencing and small RNA sequencing revealed strong differences in expression between males and females that would implicate both of these processes in sex dimorphism pathways. These data indicate that the mechanism of sex determination in Salix purpurea is likely different from that observed in the related genus Populus . This further demonstrates the dynamic nature of SDRs in plants, which involves a multitude of mechanisms of sex determination and a high rate of turnover.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Neural Network Prediction of Failure of Damaged Composite Pressure Vessels from Strain Field Data Acquired by a Computer Vision Method

This effort used a new and novel method of acquiring strains called Sub-pixel Digital Video Image Correlation (SDVIC) on impact damaged Kevlar/epoxy filament wound pressure vessels during a proof test. To predict the burst pressure, the hoop strain field distribution around the impact location from three vessels was used to train a neural network. The network was then tested on additional pressure vessels. Several variations on the network were tried. The best results were obtained using a single hidden layer. SDVIC is a fill-field non-contact computer vision technique which provides in-plane deformation and strain data over a load differential. This method was used to determine hoop and axial displacements, hoop and axial linear strains, the in-plane shear strains and rotations in the regions surrounding impact sites in filament wound pressure vessels (FWPV) during proof loading by internal pressurization. The relationship between these deformation measurement values and the remaining life of the pressure vessels, however, requires a complex theoretical model or numerical simulation. Both of these techniques are time consuming and complicated. Previous results using neural network methods had been successful in predicting the burst pressure for graphite/epoxy pressure vessels based upon acoustic emission (AE) measurements in similar tests. The neural network associates the character of the AE amplitude distribution, which depends upon the extent of impact damage, with the burst pressure. Similarly, higher amounts of impact damage are theorized to cause a higher amount of strain concentration in the damage effected zone at a given pressure and result in lower burst pressures. This relationship suggests that a neural network might be able to find an empirical relationship between the SDVIC strain field data and the burst pressure, analogous to the AE method, with greater speed and simplicity than theoretical or finite element modeling. The process of testing SDVIC neural network analysis and some encouraging preliminary results are presented in this paper. Details are given concerning the processing of SDVIC output data such that it may be used as back propagation neural network (BPNN) input data. The software written to perform this processing and the BPNN algorithm are also discussed. It will be shown that, with limited training, test results indicate an average error in burst pressure prediction of approximately six percent,

Russell, Samuel S.↗

Illinois crop-acreage estimation experiment

The University of Illinois and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have collaborated to examine the feasibility of Landsat imagery analysis for USDA crop-acreage estimation purposes. The region chosen for the experiment was ten western counties of Illinois. Preliminary crop-acreage estimates derived from the ILLIAC IV-ARPA Network analysis of Landsat data are presented for these ten counties. Assuming the practicality of similar analyses covering the entire state, a procedure is discussed for evaluating statistically the information to be gained by estimating state crop-acreage totals from Landsat imagery classification results where SRS sample survey data are used as ground truth information for classification training as opposed to estimating state crop-acreage totals directly from SRS survey data alone.

Ray, R. M., III↗

Application of artificial neural networks in nonlinear analysis of trusses

A method is developed to incorporate neural network model based upon the Backpropagation algorithm for material response into nonlinear elastic truss analysis using the initial stiffness method. Different network configurations are developed to assess the accuracy of neural network modeling of nonlinear material response. In addition to this, a scheme based upon linear interpolation for material data, is also implemented for comparison purposes. It is found that neural network approach can yield very accurate results if used with care. For the type of problems under consideration, it offers a viable alternative to other material modeling methods.

Alam, J.↗

Eucalyptus grandis MYB‐Like and RAN‐Like Zinc Finger Proteins Display Dual Roles in Regulating Plant Immunity and Symbiosis Pathways

Plant roots live in constant contact with diverse microbes in the soil. Plant fitness, therefore, relies on signaling pathways that mount an effective immune response against pathogens while fostering mutualistic symbioses. Plant pathways, and specifically immune genes that may act as "switches," discriminating between pathogenic or mutualistic fungi, remain largely unknown. Using Eucalyptus grandis as a model system, we investigate alterations to the root transcriptomic landscape during pre-symbiosis with either the pathogen Armillaria luteobubalina or the mutualistic fungus Pisolithus microcarpus. Comparative analyses identified three strongly counter-regulated genes that may act as immune switches to accommodate or to repress fungal colonization. We characterized two of these, a MYB-like and RAN-like zinc finger protein, using a transgenic approach and demonstrated that they have bifunctional roles in the regulation of cell death and a hypersensitive-like response, depending on the lifestyle of the associated fungus. Using co-expression network analysis, we identified hypothetical pathways correlated to these genes. We functionally validated these predictions using plants with transgenic roots with increased or decreased transcription of these genes, thereby showing the power of co-expression networks as an a priori approach to identify key immune response pathways in plants. Overall, our results demonstrate that prior to physical contact with microbes, MYB-like and RAN-like zinc finger proteins are key regulators of plant immune signaling that respond to fungal signals and enable or repress symbiotic establishment.

mycorrhizal fungi↗

A communications model for an ISAS to NASA span link

The authors propose that an initial computer-to-computer communication link use the public packet switched networks (PPSN) Venus-P in Japan and TELENET in the U.S. When the traffic warrants it, this link would then be upgraded to a dedicated leased line that directly connects into the Space Physics Analysis Network (SPAN). The proposed system of hardware and software will easily support migration to such a dedicated link. It therefore provides a cost effective approach to the network problem. Once a dedicated line becomes operation it is suggested that the public networks link and continue to coexist, providing a backup capability.

Green, James L.↗