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At least 631 records · Page 35
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

PNNL DataHub Project: Omics Lethal Human Viruses Project Profiling of the Host Response to Influenza A Virus Infection, Processed Experimental Dataset Catalog

Influenza A virus (IAV) is a high risk biological agent, classified as a Category C priority pathogen (Orthomyxoviridae) by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and is known to cause severe respiratory disease with high mortality rates in humans. Lethal host-pathogen invasion mechanisms and the cellular intricacies behind these fatal infections still remain unclear. The NIAID Modeling Host Responses to Understand Severe Human Virus Infections Research Program project (2013-2018) aimed to develop an improved comprehensive understanding of the host response to a suite of viruses causing lethal infections leveraging a systems biology approach. Herein, PNNL sub-projects provide a never before released comprehensive infectious disease collection of primary and secondary transformation multi-Omics data profiling a series of priority pathogen primary experimental studies for enhanced open-access to viral Omics datasets and project lifecycle metadata. Secondary host-pathogen viral dataset downloads contain one or more statistically processed (normalization data transformation) quantitative dataset collections resulting in qualitative expression analyses of primary host-pathogen experimental study designs. Leveraging unique high-resolution Omics capabilities for proteomics (P), metabolomics (M), lipidomics (L), and transcriptomics (T) dataset downloads each have a direct relationship to a primary sample submission corresponding to a specific Influenza A virus [NCBITAXON:11320] experimental infection study. Host sample types include human lung adenocarcinoma cells ["Calu-3", BTO:0002750] and whole mouse lung [BTO:0000763] tissue collections.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1980

The visual accommodation response during concurrent mental activity

The direction and magnitude of the human visual accommodation response during concurrent mental activity are investigated. Subject focusing responses to targets at distances of 0.0 D, 3.0 D and an indeterminate distance were monitored by means of an optometer during the performance of a backwards counting task and a visual imagery task (thinking near and thinking far). In both experiments a shift in accommodation towards the visual far point is observed particularly for the near target, which increases with the duration of the task. The results can be interpreted in terms of both the capacity model of Kahneman (1973) and the autonomic arousal model of Hess and Polt (1964), and are not inconsistent with the possibility of an intermediate resting position.

Malmstrom, F. V.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Direction of Perceived Motion and Eye Movements Show Similar Biases for Asymmetrically Windowed Moving Plaids

We have shown that moving a plaid in an asymmetric window biases the perceived direction of motion (Beutter, Mulligan & Stone, ARVO 1994). We now explore whether these biased motion signals might also drive the smooth eye-movement response by comparing the perceived and tracked directions. The human smooth oculomotor response to moving plaids appears to be driven by the perceived rather than the veridical direction of motion. This suggests that human motion perception and smooth eye movements share underlying neural motion-processing substrates as has already been shown to be true for monkeys.

Beutter, B. R.↗
NASA NTRS1974

The effects of simultaneous but unequal response-independent pay to pairs of human subjects on masseter EMG and bodily movements

Electromyographic activity and bodily movement of the masseter muscle were recorded in three pairs of human subjects, where one member of each pair was systematically presented with greater pay and each could reduce the value of money received by the other. The number of biting responses was as high or higher for the subject receiving less money immediately after coin delivery. However, the number of masseter contractions for the subject receiving more money remained higher at other times during the unequal pay conditions. No responses of pay reduction were emitted by any subject toward another.

Keenan, D. M.↗
NASA NTRS1972

The investigation of vertebral injury sustained during aircrew ejection

A series of tests were performed on excised human vertebral segments to determine the static and dynamic response of the thoraco-lumbar spine when loaded in flexion. A total of fifteen tests were performed on eleven specimens. Specimens were obtained from male donors ranging in age from 34 to 60 years. Demographic data pertinent to each specimen and the elapsed time between death of the donor and testing of each corresponding specimen are presented. Only spinal segments comprised of lower thoracic and upper lumbar vertebrae were tested because in aircraft ejection injuries clinical complications in this anatomical region predominate. A complex continuum mathematical model describing the dynamic response of the human spine was formulated, solved, and verified experimentally. Detailed results are presented in figures, tables, and equations.

Benedict, J. V.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Biodynamics of deformable human body motion

The objective is to construct a framework wherein the various models of human biomaterials fit in order to describe the biodynamic response of the human body. The behavior of the human body in various situations, from low frequency, low amplitude vibrations to impact loadings in automobile and aircraft crashes, is very complicated with respect to all aspects of the problem: materials, geometry and dynamics. The materials problem is the primary concern, but the materials problem is intimately connected with geometry and dynamics.

Strauss, A. M.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Modeling human target acquisition in ground-to-air weapon systems

The problems associated with formulating and validating mathematical models for describing and predicting human target acquisition response are considered. In particular, the extension of the human observer model to include the acquisition phase as well as the tracking segment is presented. Relationship of the Observer model structure to the more complex Standard Optimal Control model formulation and to the simpler Transfer Function/Noise representation is discussed. Problems pertinent to structural identifiability and the form of the parameterization are elucidated. A systematic approach toward the identification of the observer acquisition model parameters from ensemble tracking error data is presented.

Phatak, A. V.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Omics-Lethal Human Viruses, Influenza A Experiment ICL106

The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the human host epigenetic response to Influenza A H5N1 virus and MERS-CoV viral infection from human lung adenocarcinoma cell (Calu-3) high throughput sequencing (MeDIP-Seq) sample data. Host-associated viral downloads contain one or more primary host-pathogen experimental study metadata design workbooks (supporting metadata only).

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2010

Human in the Loop Simulation Measures of Pilot Response Delay in a Self-Separation Concept of Operations

A human-in-the-loop (HITL) simulation experiment was conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to assess airline transport pilots performance and reported acceptance of the use of procedures relying on airborne separation assistance and trajectory management tools. This study was part of a larger effort involving two NASA centers that includes multiple HITL experiments planned over the next few years to evaluate the use of automated separation assurance (SA) tools by both air traffic controllers and pilots. This paper presents results of measured pilot response delay that subject pilots incurred when interacting with cockpit tools for SA and discusses possible implications for future concept and procedures design.

Consiglio, Maria C.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Evaluation of Human and Anthropomorphic Test Device Finite Element Models under Spaceflight Loading Conditions

In an effort to develop occupant protection standards for future multipurpose crew vehicles, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has looked to evaluate the test device for human occupant restraint with the modification kit (THOR‐K) anthropomorphic test device (ATD) in relevant impact test scenarios. With the allowance and support of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NASA has performed a series of sled impact tests on the latest developed THOR‐K ATD. These tests were performed to match test conditions from human volunteer data previously collected by the U.S. Air Force. The objective of this study was to evaluate the THOR‐K finite element (FE) model and the Total HUman Model for Safety (THUMS) FE model with respect to the tests performed. These models were evaluated in spinal and frontal impacts against kinematic and kinetic data recorded in ATD and human testing. Methods: The FE simulations were developed based on recorded pretest ATD/human position and sled acceleration pulses measured during testing. Predicted responses by both human and ATD models were compared to test data recorded under the same impact conditions. The kinematic responses of the models were quantitatively evaluated using the ISO‐metric curve rating system. In addition, ATD injury criteria and human stress/strain data were calculated to evaluate the risk of injury predicted by the ATD and human model, respectively. Results: Preliminary results show well‐correlated response between both FE models and their physical counterparts. In addition, predicted ATD injury criteria and human model stress/strain values are shown to positively relate. Kinematic comparison between human and ATD models indicates promising biofidelic response, although a slightly stiffer response is observed within the ATD. Conclusion: As a compliment to ATD testing, numerical simulation provides efficient means to assess vehicle safety throughout the design process and further improve the design of physical ATDs. The assessment of the THOR‐K and THUMS FE models in a spaceflight testing condition is an essential first step to implementing these models in the computational evaluation of spacecraft occupant safety. Promising results suggest future use of these models in the aerospace field.

Putnam, Jacob P.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Identification and Evaluation of Integration and Cross Cutting Issues Across HRP Risks

The HRP Integrated Research Plan contains the research plans for the 32 risks requiring research to characterize and mitigate. These risks to human health and performance in spaceflight are identified by evidence and each one focuses on a single aspect of human physiology or performance. They are further categorized by aspects of the spaceflight environment, such as altered gravity or space radiation, that that play a major role in their likelihood and consequence. From its inception the "integrate" in the Research Plan has denoted the integrated nature of risks to human health and performance, the connectedness of physiological systems within the human body regardless of the spaceflight environment, and the integrated response of the human body to the spaceflight environment. Common characteristics of the spaceflight environment include altered gravity, atmospheres and light/dark cycles, space radiation, isolation, noise, and periods of high or low workload. Long term exposure to this unique environment produces a suite of physiological effects such as stress; vision, neurocognitive and anthropometric changes; circadian misalignment; fluid shifts, deconditioning; immune dysregulation; and altered nutritional requirements. Matrix diagraming was used to systematically identify, analyze and rate the many-to-many relationships between environmental characteristics and the suite of physiological effects. It was also to identify patterns in the relationships of common physiological effects to each other. Analyses of patterns or relationships in these diagrams help to identify issues that cut across multiple risks. Cross cutting issues benefit from a multidisciplinary approach that synthesizes concepts or data from two or more disciplines to identify and characterize risk factors or develop countermeasures relevant to multiple risks. They also help to illuminate possible problem areas that may arise when a countermeasure impacts risks other than those which it was developed to mitigate, or identify groupings of physiological changes that are likely to occur that may impact the overall risk posture.

Steinberg, S. L.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Dose-response relationship between sleep duration and human psychomotor vigilance and subjective alertness

Although it has been well documented that sleep is required for human performance and alertness to recover from low levels after prolonged periods of wakefulness, it remains unclear whether they increase in a linear or asymptotic manner during sleep. It has been postulated that there is a relation between the rate of improvement in neurobehavioral functioning and rate of decline of slow-wave sleep and/or slow-wave activity (SWS/SWA) during sleep, but this has not been verified. Thus, a cross-study comparison was conducted in which dose-response curves (DRCs) were constructed for Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS) and Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) tests taken at 1000 hours by subjects who had been allowed to sleep 0 hours, 2 hours, 5 hours or 8 hours the previous night. We found that the DRCs to each PVT metric improved in a saturating exponential manner, with recovery rates that were similar [time constant (T) approximately 2.14 hours] for all the metrics. This recovery rate was slightly faster than, though not statistically significantly different from, the reported rate of SWS/SWA decline (T approximately 2.7 hours). The DRC to the SSS improved much more slowly than psychomotor vigilance, so that it could be fit equally well by a linear function (slope = -0.26) or a saturating exponential function (T = 9.09 hours). We conclude that although SWS/SWA, subjective alertness, and a wide variety of psychomotor vigilance metrics may all change asymptotically during sleep, it remains to be determined whether the underlying physiologic processes governing their expression are different.

Non-NASA Center↗
DOE OSTI2026

Investigating the impact of a multi-module operation environment on the task performance time of human operators – An explanatory study

The worldwide demand for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) has surged in recent years due to their enhanced safety and versatility in supporting diverse industrial sectors. A unique feature of SMR operation is that a single human operator is responsible for managing multiple modules. Therefore, securing a sufficient amount of human performance data pertaining to this new environment is essential for the safe operation of SMRs. In this explanatory study, a series of experiments were conducted using the NuScale simulator, a representative SMR design, with student operators. A total of 12 student operators were assigned two types of off-normal events and asked to cope with them using paper-based procedures. Subsequently, their task performance times were compared with those of student operators responsible for a single unit based on the Task Complexity (TACOM) measure. Results indicate that the performance of student operators under the experimental conditions of this study degraded by a factor of 2 to 3, depending on the characteristics of the off-normal events.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
NASA NTRS2001

Effect of local acetylcholinesterase inhibition on sweat rate in humans

ACh is the neurotransmitter responsible for increasing sweat rate (SR) in humans. Because ACh is rapidly hydrolyzed by acetylcholinesterase (AChE), it is possible that AChE contributes to the modulation of SR. Thus the primary purpose of this project was to identify whether AChE around human sweat glands is capable of modulating SR during local application of various concentrations of ACh in vivo, as well as during a heat stress. In seven subjects, two microdialysis probes were placed in the intradermal space of the forearm. One probe was perfused with the AChE inhibitor neostigmine (10 microM); the adjacent membrane was perfused with the vehicle (Ringer solution). SR over both membranes was monitored via capacitance hygrometry during microdialysis administration of various concentrations of ACh (1 x 10(-7)-2 M) and during whole body heating. SR was significantly greater at the neostigmine-treated site than at the control site during administration of lower concentrations of ACh (1 x 10(-7)-1 x 10(-3) M, P < 0.05), but not during administration of higher concentrations of ACh (1 x 10(-2)-2 M, P > 0.05). Moreover, the core temperature threshold for the onset of sweating at the neostigmine-treated site was significantly reduced relative to that at the control site. However, no differences in SR were observed between sites after 35 min of whole body heating. These results suggest that AChE is capable of modulating SR when ACh concentrations are low to moderate (i.e., when sudomotor activity is low) but is less effective in governing SR after SR has increased substantially.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS1998

Refinement of a limit cycle oscillator model of the effects of light on the human circadian pacemaker

In 1990, Kronauer proposed a mathematical model of the effects of light on the human circadian pacemaker. Although this model predicted many general features of the response of the human circadian pacemaker to light exposure, additional data now available enable us to refine the original model. We first refined the original model by incorporating the results of a dose response curve to light into the model's predicted relationship between light intensity and the strength of the drive onto the pacemaker. Data from three bright light phase resetting experiments were then used to refine the amplitude recovery characteristics of the model. Finally, the model was tested and further refined using data from an extensive phase resetting experiment in which a 3-cycle bright light stimulus was presented against a background of dim light. In order to describe the results of the four resetting experiments, the following major refinements to the original model were necessary: (i) the relationship between light intensity (I) and drive onto the pacemaker was reduced from I1/3 to I0.23 for light levels between 150 and 10,000 lux; (ii) the van der Pol oscillator from the original model was replaced with a higher-order limit cycle oscillator so that amplitude recovery is slower near the singularity and faster near the limit cycle; (iii) a direct effect of light on circadian period (tau x) was incorporated into the model such that as I increases, tau x decreases, which is in accordance with "Aschoff's rule". This refined model generates the following testable predictions: it should be difficult to enhance normal circadian amplitude via bright light; near the critical point of a type 0 phase response curve (PRC) the slope should be steeper than it is in a type 1 PRC; and circadian period measured during forced desynchrony should be directly affected by ambient light intensity.

NASA Discipline Regulatory Physiology↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Human placenta-derived stromal cells mitigate select immune responses to simulated weightlessness

Space flight presents unique risks to human health. Microgravity and social isolation are important space flight stressors which have vast impact on multiple systems such as the musculoskeletal, immune and central nervous system (CNS). To explore candidate countermeasures against tissue decrements caused by spaceflight, we performed a pilot study with PLacental-eXpanded stromal (PLX) cells. PLX cells secrete factors that modulate the immune system, but do not trigger host immune responses, enabling treatment in subjects that have intact immune systems. These cells had previous success in treating critical limb ischemia and acute radiation syndrome in murine models. In this study, 4-month-old female mice underwent 30 days of hindlimb unloading (HU) in single housing conditions to simulate long-term weightlessness and isolation. HU and normally ambulating controls were administered with PLX cells or sham-injected with Plasmalyte. We hypothesized that administration of PLX cells will mitigate some of the effects caused by prolonged HU. We found that treatment with PLX cells was well tolerated as indicated by body weights, circulating corticosterone levels and immune organ response to injection of the cells. HU led to the expected decreases in soleus muscle weights and bone loss. We did not observe any protective properties of the PLX cells in the musculoskeletal system but found that the cell treatment partially protected from a subset of HU-induced immune and CNS changes. In the hippocampus, protein levels of 9 of 44 cytokines were downregulated by HU. PLX administration mitigated changes in expression of 8 of these cytokines, including IL-2, IL-6 and MCP-1. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the protective effects of PLX-PAD against HU-induced changes in the cytokine milieu of the CNS. Our findings warrant further studies, which includes testing in actual spaceflight.

Microgravity↗
NASA NTRS2015

Gloved Human-Machine Interface

Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to: tracking movement of a gloved hand of a human; interpreting a gloved finger movement of the human; and/or in response to interpreting the gloved finger movement, providing feedback to the human.

Adams, Richard↗