Elaboration of on-board automated training system

Long-term space flight requires regular controlling of crewmembers physical state and exercise training to prevent negative effect of microgravity. Considering a limited telecommunication we suppose on-board automated training system to become an effective alternative of on-earth mission teams. The purpose: to elaborate an expert system software permitting to automate the process of solution elaboration to estimate cosmonaut current psycho-physiological state and to form an individual program of physical training to prevent negative effects of long-term space flight. The first problem--to develop a formalized algorithm for expert evaluation of physical working capability basing the results of on-board compulsory running test MC 108-2.     

Onboard medical support system for future of aerospace system flights

A project of an onboard medical support system (OMSS) for future aerospace system (ASS) flights is proposed. The following systems are suggested to be the main components of the OMSS: the basic system for automated estimation of blood redistribution (BSAEBR) in the body, protection and prophylactic means (PPM) for crew members, and the automated PPM control loop. The proposed BSAEBR includes four measurement channels for recording the basic physiological parameters (electrocardiogram, rheoencephalogram, venous-arterial pulsogram of neck blood vessels, and pulsogram of earlobe vessels), the changes in which are used to calculate, by means of a computer, the integrated parameter. The creation of lower body negative pressure (LBNP) was selected as a PPM. The automated PPM control loop individually selects the LBNP modes according to (1) the intensity of the body reactions and (2) individual characteristics of the physiological state. A working laboratory bench model of the OMSS has been manufactured and tested in two series of experiments simulating the conditions of a space flight. In the first series, 29 volunteers were exposed to ?10 deg antiorthostatic hypokinesia (ANOH) for 6–8 h, as well as ANOH + LBNP. In the second series, 26 volunteers were exposed to the combination of ANOH, Coriolis acceleration, and optokinetic stimulation every 5–7 h for three days. The results have demonstrated that the use of the given OMSS ensures, on average, a 17–32% improvement of the psychophysiological parameters of an operator, with the changes in the head circulatory parameters being more favorable.     

Utilization of biosensors and chemical sensors for space applications.

There will be a need for a wide array of chemical sensors for biomedical experimentation and for the monitoring of water and air recycling processes on Space Station Freedom. The infrequent logistics flights of the Space Shuttle will necessitate onboard analysis. The advantages of biosensors and chemical sensors over conventional analysis onboard spacecraft are manifold. They require less crew time, space, and power. Sample treatment is not needed. Real time or near-real time monitoring is possible, in some cases on a continuous basis. Sensor signals in digitized form can be transmitted to the ground. Types and requirements for chemical sensors to be used in biomedical experimentation and monitoring of water recycling during long-term space missions are discussed.     

Some magnetic-biological problems of distant and long-term space flights

Some magnetobiological problems of orbital (in the geomagnetic field--GMF) and interplanetary (in hypomagnetic conditions) flights are considered. The influence of electromagnetic fields (EMF) created by systems and equipment of the space vehicle (SV) are touched also. A level of the geomagnetic field (GMF) onboard during the orbital flights is discussed. Its periodic variations onboard owing to movement of SV on an orbit are analyzed. The reader's attention in attracted to the papers by R.M. Baevsky et al. in which the influence of magnetic storms and periodic variations of GMS on the cardiovascular system of astronauts onboard are shown. Possible ways and mechanisms of the influence are discussed. The wrong assertions in a number of works namely that at orbital flights an appreciable electrical field is induced in an organism of an astronaut in a space-craft and the electrical field may by responsible for some biological impacts are analyzed. The situation at the future in the terplanetary flights (for example Martian missions) when a crew and biological objects for a long time will be in the interplanetary magnetic field (by several orders less then GMF) is considered. As applied to the flights the opportunities of generation onboard the "artificial" GMF are outlined. The ensuing biological and technical questions are discussed.     

The effect of space—frequency characteristics of the organ of vision on the human psychophysiological state and working capacity

During the long-term stay in closed environment of the orbital space station, it is extremely important that the light conditions and color scheme were favorable for the working capacity of a cosmonaut. The systems of lighting should ensure visual comfort for the crew members under stressful conditions and, in addition, they should appropriate to their health and recovery of functional reserves during the long-duration flight. To solve this task, the distribution of luminosity and chromaticity within a closed space should be taken into account. For better understanding the perception of visual information, we studied the color space-frequency characteristics of the organ of vision (SFC VO). A set of sensors was used to estimate psychophysiological parameters. After preadaptation of an operator, VO contrast sensitivity was measured by determining the thresholds of advent and disappearance of the test objects; this was accompanied by fixation of the time and adaptive brightness. Analysis of the experimental data made it clear that the color contrast sensitivity and directly related SFC of the organ of vision are valuable markers for interrelationships between processing of visual information and psychophysiological state of a human. Note that the color SFC VO not only illustrates deviations but also enables their quantification. Changes in psychophysiological state are accompanied by the appropriate changes in SFC VO, which should be taken into account in developing the neural information technologies used for health recovery and light-and-color control of environment.     

Estimation and prediction of functional changes in organisms in space flight

The article is devoted to theoretical and applied problems of estimation of the organism functional state and a level of health. Transitive states between health and illness, between norm and a pathology, so-called prenosological states are considered. The level of health is determined by adaptable opportunities of an organism, a degree of regulatory systems tension and their functional reserve. As the basic methodical approach to an estimation of a degree of regulatory systems tension the method of heart variability analysis is described. The applied aspect of a considered problem is submitted by results of the researches which have been carried out in conditions of space flight. Changes of organism functional state at different stages of adaptation to conditions of long weightlessness are described. The mathematical model of functional states is submitted. Four types of the vegetative regulation, differing on the adaptive reactions in conditions of space flight are allocated. Results of researches of crew members of the International space station are submitted.     

Chromosome aberrations in the blood lymphocytes of astronauts after space flight.

Cytogenetic analysis of the lymphocytes of astronauts provides a direct measurement of space radiation damage in vivo, which takes into account individual radiosensitivity and considers the influence of microgravity and other stress conditions. Chromosome exchanges were measured in the blood lymphocytes of eight crew members after their respective space missions, using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with chromosome painting probes. Significant increases in aberrations were observed after the long-duration missions. The in vivo dose was derived from the frequencies of translocations and total exchanges using calibration curves determined before flight, and the RBE was estimated by comparison with individually measured physical absorbed doses. The values for average RBE were compared to the average quality factor (Q) from direct measurements of the lineal energy spectra using a tissue-equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) and radiation transport codes. The ratio of aberrations identified as complex was slightly higher after flight, which is thought to be an indication of exposure to high-LET radiation. To determine whether the frequency of complex aberrations measured in metaphase spreads after exposure to high-LET radiation was influenced by a cell cycle delay, chromosome damage was analyzed in prematurely condensed chromosome samples collected from two crew members before and after a short-duration mission. The frequency of complex exchanges after flight was higher in prematurely condensed chromosomes than in metaphase cells for one crew member.     

Psychophysiological issues of manned space flights

The article deals with some issues of psychophysiological support (PPS) of manned space flights discussed with Academician O.G. Gazenko. It has been shown that even at the initial stages of development of space flights (SFs), monitoring and evaluation of the mental state and working capacity of crew members were regarded as the key components of PPS and merited special comprehensive studies with the development of associated methods. The polyeffectors method for recording physiological functions, such as electrocardiogram, electroencephalogram, and skin-galvanic reaction, was recognized as a potent tool in gathering information for the assessment of the current state of health. In the period of the performance of long-term orbital flights, starting with the 96-day flight of Yu. Romanenko and G. Grechko, the system of psychological support developed at the Institute for Biomedical Problems (IBMP), under the leadership of Gazenko was introduced into PPS, and then used in all flights of the stations Salyut and Mir, and now at the International Space Station. Evidently, the use of this system made a significant contribution to the PPS and maintenance of health and working efficiency of crews.     

LiveBench-8: the large-scale, continuous assessment of automated protein structure prediction

We present the results of the evaluation of the latest LiveBench-8 experiment. These results provide a snapshot view of the state of the art in automated protein structure prediction, just before the 2004 CAFASP-4/CASP-6 experiments begin. The last CAFASP/CASP experiments demonstrated that automated meta-predictors entail a significant advance in the field, already challenging most human expert predictors. LiveBench-8 corroborates the superior performance of meta-predictors, which are able to produce useful predictions for over one-half of the test targets. More importantly, LiveBench-8 identifies a handful of recently developed autonomous (nonmeta) servers that perform at the very top, suggesting that further progress in the individual methods has recently been obtained.     

Medical and Health Care in State Residential Institutions for Children and Youths: A Report of Survey Findings in Five Hospitals

A survey of five Northern California state residential institutions showed considerable variation in the type and amount of medical services provided for children and youths. There was no standard policy for relationships with regional centers, use of community hospitals, vision and hearing assessments, speech and rehabilitation therapy, or genetic and maternal health services. Some hospitals had no staff members certified to carry out cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Not all staff physicians and other health professionals working in state hospitals had specific training in the areas of genetics, seizure control and physical rehabilitation medicine. While all five state hospitals are involved in training personnel, there is a need to develop a statewide plan for the better sharing of knowledge and expertise of the state hospital personnel in the training of pediatricians and others.     

Development and Application of a Framework for Analyzing the Impacts of Urban Transportation

To adequately analyze the impacts associated with the rising use of automobiles, an assessment framework is needed that includes environment, health, economic, and sociocultural impacts. Such a framework was developed and applied to a proposed freeway-widening project in Edmonton, Canada. The assessment framework was developed using both Multi-Criteria Analysis and the Ecosystem Approach to Human Health (Ecohealth). Community participation was vital in the application of the assessment framework to this case study. Six stakeholder groups, including community members, City Councillors, and health, environment, and transportation experts, provided needed qualitative data for the assessment framework. Quantitative data were gathered from an ecological study design that associated traffic volumes with respiratory conditions in Edmonton. Community members perceptions about the impacts of the freeway widening differed from those of the expert groups in a number of areas. Environmental and health degradation was more of an issue to community members than to expert groups. Though respiratory conditions were not projected to increase by a significant amount because of the freeway widening, further analysis is necessary on other biophysical and socioeconomic impacts listed in the assessment framework. The divergence in opinion between community members and experts suggests that more communication is needed between these groups in relation to transportation planning. The Ecohealth approach ensures that community concerns are addressed in transportation planning.     

Characteristics of physiological responses to +Gx loads in non-professional crew members of short-term missions to the ISS

Analysis of physiological responses to +Gx loads during space flights (SFs) 8–12 days in duration was carried out in ten non-professional crew members of the International Space Station (ISS), many of whom were accepted to participate in SFs while having partial health deficiency. The results were compared to the data on ten apparently healthy crew members of the Mir Orbital Station (OS) who participated in SFs of a similar duration. The age (29–60 years) of the subjects from the ISS crew was older than the age (31–49 years) of the subjects from the Mir OS crew. Objective data showed that subjects from the ISS crew had significantly higher levels of sinus tachycardia and tachypnea during settling into orbit and re-entry than subjects from the Mir OS crew. In some cases, extrasystolic arrhythmias were recorded in subjects from the ISS crew during the pre-launch period. The arrhythmias persisted during the ascent to orbit, and usually became more considerable during the descent to Earth. During the descent to Earth, the subjects from the ISS crew demonstrated, in general, a higher rate of heart rhythm disorders, which were characterized by more pronounced polymorphism and a greater severity. Particularly significant changes in electrocardiograms (ECGs) were observed in two subjects from the ISS crew aged 60 years. These disorders were sporadic in all the cosmonauts. The results of the study show that individual characteristics of cardiac rhythm regulation observed before the start may lead to marked changes in ECG during +Gx loads during the descent from the orbit to Earth. This should be taken into account in preparing individual medical programs for non-professional members of ISS crews in order to minimize health risks. The study has also demonstrated the necessity for stricter criteria of selection for ISS missions for older candidates with partial health deficiency.     

The Moderating Role of Autonomous Motivation on the Relationship between Subjective Well-Being and Physical Health

The purpose of this study was to investigate the moderator effects of autonomous motivation on the relationship between subjective well-being and physical health. Using a cluster sampling approach 486 students (403 female and 83 male students) were included in this study. Subjective well-being, physical health and autonomous motivation were determined by self-report measures. Data were analysed using hierarchical regression analysis and analysis of variance. The results show that high self-determination moderates the relationship between high subjective well-being and physical health. Accordingly, the best physical health was reported by participants who had high level of subjective well-being and whose behaviours were self-determined. Additional analyses have shown that the moderating effect of self-determination is based on the moderational impact of autonomous motives and not the controlling ones. Additionally, whether autonomous motivation moderates the relationship between components of subjective well-being and physical health was also tested. The findings have shown that autonomous motives moderate relationship between physical health and one component of well-being, positive affect. Consequently, a good physical health was found among participants with high positive affect and behaviours regulated by high degree of autonomous motives. Conclusion which can be drawn from these findings is that if an individual behaves autonomously then it can contribute to positive mind—body influences and support their own health.     

A study of orientation in a zero gravity environment by means of virtual reality simulation

When the International Space Station (ISS) is completed and starts its operation, crew members will be stationed for three months or more in orbit aboard the ISS. As they stay longer in the space environment, "habitability" for them will become most important in the design of the interior space. One of the problems about habitability in a zero gravity (0 G) environment is disorientation. Crew members have difficulty in discriminating between "up" and "down" and more serious disorientations may cause space motion sickness. Crew members rely on visual perception to orient themselves because they can't use their sense of equilibrium in a 0 G environment. Although color and the direction of equipment of Space Shuttles or modules has been considered, no systematic study has been conducted on interior space. This study intended to clarify how people acquire visual information and recognize their orientation in a 0 G environment by an experiment in which a subject wears a head-mounted display (HMD) and enters a virtual weightless state represented by computer graphics (CG). Visual information of a room and the degree-of-freedom of motion were varied to examine the influence of the conditions on such a simple task as movement through several connected modules, and the performance and the behavior of each subject were investigated.     

Human Neurophysiological State in Long-term Isolation

During 520-day isolation in a confined space as an imitation of a long-term interplanetary flight, the neurofunctional condition of six crew members was examined using synchronous recording of electrical ( electroencephalogram) and energy (constant potential level) activities of the brain. Two background studies made it possible to predict high adaptability level of all crewmembers and low probability of adaptation reserve depletion in the course of the experiment. During isolation, the dynamics of neurofunctional correlates of cerebral activity generally corresponded to factors to which the crew was subjected during its activity. During the events significant for the crew, we observed physiological reactions in both metabolic and electrical activities of the brain. During the 54th week, the state of physiological adaptation of the crew to the experimental environment was observed, which was expressed in decreases in constant potential level (CPL), without interhemispheric asymmetry, and absolute α-power value. Throughout the experiment, none of crewmembers exhibited distinct stress reaction signs (α-activity asymmetry accompanied by a significant CPL decrease), which confirmed our prediction of a low probability of adaptation reserve depletion in the participants of the 520-day isolation study.     

A computer-controlled laser Raman spectrophotometer with interactive-graphics data analysis.

The computerization of a laser Raman spectrophotometer is described which permits automated operation of the instrument for signal averaging. The use of an interactive-graphics computer terminal for the rapid reduction of digitized data is discussed and illustrated by the acquisition and analysis of the Raman spectrum from the enzyme, protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase.     

Molecular role of GATA binding protein 4 (GATA-4) in hyperglycemia-induced reduction of cardiac contractility

Diabetes mellitus has emerged as one of the main alarms to human health in the 21st century. Pronounced changes in the human environment, behavior and lifestyle have accompanied globalization, which resulted in escalating rates of both obesity and diabetes, already described as diabesity. This pandemic causes deterioration of life quality with high socio-economic costs, particularly due to premature morbidity and mortality. To avoid late complications of type 2 diabetes and related costs, primary prevention and early treatment are therefore necessary. In this context, effective non-pharmacological measures, such as regular physical activity, are imperative to avoid complications, as well as polymedication, which is associated with serious side-effects and drug-to-drug interactions. Our previous work showed, in an animal model of obese type 2 diabetes, the Zucker Diabetic Fatty (ZDF) rat, that regular and moderate intensity physical exercise (training) is able, per se, to attenuate insulin resistance and control glycaemia, dyslipidaemia and blood pressure, thus reducing cardiovascular risk, by interfering with the pathophysiological mechanisms at different levels, including oxidative stress and low-grade inflammation, which are key features of diabesity. This paper briefly reviews the wide pathophysiological pathways associated with Type 2 diabetes and then discusses in detail the benefits of training therapy on glycaemic control and on cardiovascular risk profile in Type 2 diabetes, focusing particularly on antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Based on the current knowledge, including our own findings using an animal model, it is concluded that regular and moderate intensity physical exercise (training), due to its pleiotropic effects, could replace, or at least reduce, the use of anti-diabetic drugs, as well as of other drugs given for the control of cardiovascular risk factors in obese type 2 diabetic patients, working as a physiological "polypill".     

Prospects of medical monitoring of long-duration space flights by means of non-contact recording of physiological functions during sleep time

The methods used to investigate the body functional state in sleep under the conditions of a long-duration space flight are of great scientific and practical interest. The Sonocard experiment is based on the method of seismocardiography. The goal of this experiment is to validate and improve the procedure of non-contact recording the in-sleep physiological data for monitoring the crew state. The very first results have demonstrated that, as on Earth, sleep is crucial for recovery of the functional reserves expended during the daytime under the conditions of microgravity. Using the new technology, the recovery processes, as well as individual adaptation to a long-term space flight, can be studied. This method makes it possible to evaluate the sleep quality, mechanisms of recreation, and body functionality. These data may enrich substantially the information used by medical operators of space missions in the control centers.     

Content and structure of crew’s communicative behavior and gonadal hormone excretion during long-term chamber isolation of all-male international crew

The characteristics of psychophysiological adaptation to the simulation of the extended autonomous manned mission to Mars with limited resources and external communication were studied. The behavioral (communication with the external world) and physiological correlates of 105-day life and work in a pressurized compartment of the crew of six male subjects representing Russian and European space agencies under the conditions of sensory deprivation, confinement, monotony, and high autonomy were studied. Psychological, physiological, and biochemical (urinary cortisol and gonadal hormones) testing together with content analysis of the crew??s communication with the external world were made in parallel. The results confirmed, to a considerable extent, the preliminary hypothesis about the serious impact of stressful factors, including conflict, the significant decrease of the variety and scope of communication with the outer world, and social pressure on the verbal behavior and hormone levels in the future Martian crew. The correlation between the metabolism of the gonadal hormones and the volume, content, and creativity of the verbal human behavior during various stages of adaptation to the extended isolation in pressurized compartments has been discovered.