bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Altered Functions of Human Blood-Derived Vascular Endothelial Cells by Simulated Microgravity
Authors: Ramaswamy Vidhya , Goins Allison , Allen Josephine B. 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Recently, the increase in incidence of cardiovascular degeneration associated with weightlessness has drawn much attention to the detrimental effects of space travel on cardiovascular health. Particularly, the regulatory role of the endothelium in cardiovascular degeneration has been studied extensively. The goal of this study was to understand the effects of simulated microgravity on the proliferative, secretory, and anti-thrombogenic functions of endothelial cells differentiated from human blood-derived progenitor cells. Exposure to simulated microgravity enhanced proliferation, as well as the release of soluble nitric oxide while downregulating the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6). Interestingly, the cells also upregulated gene expression of heat shock protein 70 (hsp70), which may be a potential adaptation mechanism of the cells to altered gravity conditions. However, the secretory and proliferative functions had no effect on the anti-thrombogenic functions of these cells. Their anti-coagulative and anti-thrombogenic abilities, as assessed by both upregulation of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and their ability to delay plasma clotting, were impaired on exposure to simulated microgravity. These results collectively provide a useful insight into various mechanisms involved in regulating anti-thrombogenic ability of the endothelium, as well as cardiovascular health in altered gravity conditions.
Establishing a Low Redox Potential in Giant Yeast Colonies: Effects of Media and Rotation
Authors: Birdsall Holly H. , Allen Patricia L. , Hammond Jeffrey S. , Gunter Margaret A. , Hammond Timothy G. 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Giant yeast colonies develop a low redox potential, which mimics the electrophilic milieu of both the mitochondrial drug metabolizing compartment and the hypoxic core of many tumors. The major metabolic mediators of low redox potential include: ATP, glutathione, NAD+/NADH, and NADP+/NADPH. Ammonia signaling is the critical mechanism that induces stratification of the giant yeast colonies to allow a low redox potential. A comparison of two powerful investigative models for drug pathways using Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been compounded by the use of different growth media and stimuli to the system. Chemogenetic profiling, which uses a pool of yeast deletion mutants to determine survival changes, is heavily slanted to the use of rich media. Giant yeast colonies studies are heavily slanted to the use of poor media. The current study answers the question “what is the difference over time in redox potential, and its major metabolic mediators, between giant yeast colonies grown on rich and poor media?” Using gene deletion tools, we show that cell death in giant yeast colonies is ammonia-dependent. In poor nutrient, ammonia-depleted (Sok2 deletion mutants) giant yeast cultures, rotation can allow manipulation of reactive oxygen species, providing a model to compare high and low redox states without chemical administration. Mechanistically, these changes are not due to detectable NAD/NAPH or NADP/NADPH changes, but are related in changes in glutathione and ATP concentration.
Effects of Microgravity and Clinorotation on the Virulence of Klebsiella, Streptococcus, Proteus, and Pseudomonas
Authors: Hammond Timothy G. , Stodieck Louis , Koenig Paul , Hammond Jeffrey S. , Gunter Margaret A. , Allen Patricia L. , Birdsall Holly H. 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
To evaluate effects of microgravity on virulence, we studied the ability of four common clinical pathogens—Klebsiella, Streptococcus, Proteus, and Pseudomonas—to kill wild type Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) nematodes at the larval and adult stages. Simultaneous studies were performed utilizing spaceflight, rotation in a 2D clinorotation device, and static ground controls. Nematodes, microbes, and growth media were separated until exposed to true or modeled microgravity, then mixed and grown for 48 hours. Experiments were terminated by paraformaldehyde fixation, and optical density measurements were used to assay residual microorganisms. Spaceflight was associated with reduced virulence for Klebsiella and Streptococcus, but had negligible effect on Enterococcus and Pseudomonas. Clinorotation generated very different results with all four organisms showing significantly reduced virulence. We conclude that clinorotation is not a consistent model of the changes that actually occur under microgravity conditions. Further, bacteria virulence is unchanged or reduced, not increased during spaceflight.
Physiological Effects of Spaceflight/Unloading and the Mitigating Effects of Flywheel-Based Resistive Exercise
Authors: Parmar Prashant , Perry Rachel , Cesarz Greta , Roberts Alex , Hardman Houston , Caruso John F. 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
The deleterious effects of spaceflight encompass numerous physiological effects that undermine long-term goals of manned round-trip missions to Mars. Among the greater losses are to the human musculoskeletal system due to limited mechanical/load-bearing activity. In-flight exercise and nutritional countermeasures seek to reduce physiological losses. Restoration of mechanical/load-bearing activity in microgravity is achieved with flywheel-based exercise hardware. Research with spaceflight analogs showed exercise done with flywheel-based devices abated muscle mass and strength losses with modest increases in net energy costs. This led to the installment of flywheel-based hardware on The International Space Station (ISS). To date, exercise with flywheel-based hardware has reduced musculoskeletal losses, with more success achieved for muscle-, versus bone-based, outcomes. In-flight exercise may better address bone losses with hardware that imparts high rates of impulse loading to the engaged musculoskeleton.
Development of Equipment that Uses Far-Red Light to Impose Seed Dormancy in Arabidopsis for Spaceflight
Authors: Fitzgerald Caleb P. , Barker Richard J. , Choi Won-Gyu , Swanson Sarah J. , Stephens Shawn D. , Huber Colleen , Nimunkar Amit J. , Gilroy Simon 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
In order to use plants as part of a bioregenerative life support system capable of sustaining long-term human habitation in space, it is critical to understand how plants adapt to the stresses associated with extended growth in spaceflight. Optimally, dormant seeds would be germinated on orbit to divorce the effects of spaceflight from the one-time stresses of launch. At an operational level, it is also important to develop experiment protocols that are flexible in timing so they can adapt to crew schedules and unexpected flight-related delays. Arabidopsis thaliana is widely used for investigating the molecular responses of plants to spaceflight. Here we describe the development of a far-red light seed treatment device that suppresses germination of Arabidopsis seeds for periods of ≥12 weeks. Germination can then be induced when the seeds encounter red light, such as transfer to the illumination from on orbit plant growth hardware. This device allows for up to twelve 10×10 cm square Petri dishes containing seeds on nutrient gel to be irradiated simultaneously. The far-red device is contained within a light-proof fabric tent allowing the user to wrap the Petri dishes in aluminum foil in the dark, preventing room lights from reversing the far-red treatment. Long-term storage of the wrapped plates is accomplished using foil storage bags. The throughput of this device facilitates robust, high-replicate biological experiment design, while providing the long-term pre-experiment storage required for maximum mission flexibility.
Enabling the Spaceflight Methylome: DNA Isolated from Plant Tissues Preserved in RNAlater® Is Suitable for Bisulfite PCR Assay of Genome Methylation
Authors: LeFrois Collin E. , Zhou Mingqi , Amador David Moraga , Sng Natasha , Paul Anna-Lisa , Ferl Robert J. 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Spaceflight has a unique set of abiotic conditions to which plants respond by orchestrating genome-wide alterations to their transcriptome. The methods for preserving plants for RNA analysis are well-established and proven over multiple missions, but, methods for investigating the possible epigenetic mechanisms that may contribute to the transcriptome alteration are not well-developed for the confining limitations of the International Space Station (ISS). Currently, the methods used to isolate genomic DNA and to perform epigenetic analyses are ideal for frozen plants, as opposed to plants stored in RNAlater®—a high salt solution that chemically suspends all cellular activity and is typically used on the ISS. Therefore, we developed a method for extracting high-quality genomic DNA suitable for epigenetic analysis from Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) plants that were preserved with the current preservation system aboard the ISS—fixation in RNAlater® using Kennedy Space Center Fixation Tubes (KFTs).
Beware of Fixation—It Might Affect Your Experiments
Authors: Park Myoung-Ryoul , Hasenstein Karl H. 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Because of difficulties during the fixation in space and the often reported enhanced expression of stress-related genes in space experiments, we investigated the possible effect of fixation on gene expression. Comparing two fixatives (RNAlater® and 70% ethanol), two-day-old Brassica rapa seedlings were either fixed by gradual exposure or immediate and complete immersion in fixative for two days. Neither fixative yielded high amounts of rRNA; RNAlater® resulted in higher RNA yield in shoot tissue but qPCR data showed higher yield in ethanol-fixed material. qPCR analyses showed strongly enhanced transcripts of stress-related genes, especially in RNAlater®-fixed material. The data suggest that fixation artefacts may be partially responsible for effects commonly attributed to space syndromes.
Translating Basic Research to Astronaut Health in Space: NASA Ames Rodent Specimen Biobanking for the Human Research Program
Authors: Ronca April E. , French Alison J. , Smith Jeffrey D. 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
As an extension of NASA Ames’ long history and sustaining international collaboration for sharing tissues acquired from one-off spaceflight experiments, we have recently established a new mobile operation for acquiring small animal biospecimens from ongoing ground-based studies supported by the NASA Human Research Program (HRP) organized at Johnson Space Center (JSC). Goals of Ames’ Biospecimen Sharing Programs (BSPs) are to: (1) advance understanding of physiological responses and adaptations to the space environment utilizing animal models in support of fundamental space and gravitational biology research, and to promote human health in space and on Earth, (2) provide a repository of high-quality, well-preserved, and carefully archived and maintained biospecimens by applying modern approaches and established best practices in the biobanking field, and (3) establish a database for gathering broad and comprehensive scientific information corresponding to these samples, including cutting edge techniques for tracking and archiving of structural, descriptive, and administrative metadata. This program, modeled after contemporary human and animal biobanking initiatives, is yielding a rich archive of quality specimens that can be used to address a broad range of current and future scientific questions relevant to NASA Life Sciences, Exploration Medicine, and beyond.
Validation of Methods to Assess the Immunoglobulin Gene Repertoire in Tissues Obtained from Mice on the International Space Station
Authors: Rettig Trisha A. , Ward Claire , Pecaut Michael J. , Chapes Stephen K. 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Spaceflight is known to affect immune cell populations. In particular, splenic B-cell numbers decrease during spaceflight and in ground-based physiological models. Although antibody isotype changes have been assessed during and after spaceflight, an extensive characterization of the impact of spaceflight on antibody composition has not been conducted in mice. Next Generation Sequencing and bioinformatic tools are now available to assess antibody repertoires. We can now identify immunoglobulin gene-segment usage, junctional regions, and modifications that contribute to specificity and diversity. Due to limitations on the International Space Station, alternate sample collection and storage methods must be employed. Our group compared Illumina MiSeq® sequencing data from multiple sample preparation methods in normal C57Bl/6J mice to validate that sample preparation and storage would not bias the outcome of antibody repertoire characterization. In this report, we also compared sequencing techniques and a bioinformatic workflow on the data output when we assessed the IgH and Igκ variable gene usage. Our bioinformatic workflow has been optimized for Illumina HiSeq® and MiSeq® datasets, and is designed specifically to reduce bias, capture the most information from Ig sequences, and produce a data set that provides other data mining options.
Plant Pillow Preparation for the Veggie Plant Growth System on the International Space Station
Authors: Massa Gioia D. , Newsham Gerard , Hummerick Mary E. , Morrow Robert C. , Wheeler Raymond M. 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
The first Veggie plant growth chamber was installed on the International Space Station in 2014. Crop plants can be grown in Veggie using plant pillows, small rooting packets that contain substrate, fertilizer, and germination wicks along with attached seeds. The pillows were designed to interface with the Veggie root mat reservoir watering system to provide a capillary water column to growing plants. In preparation for flight, methods of arcillite substrate washing, autoclaving, and drying were established to reduce dust and to provide a dry sterile substrate. A controlled released fertilizer mixed into arcillite substrate provides nutrition for plant growth. Methods of seed surface sterilization were tested for both germination and microbial contamination, and the optimum methods were determined for candidate flight crops. Plant pillows were prepared for flight by cutting and inserting germination wicks, filling with the substrate/fertilizer mix, and sewing closed. Following pillow filling, seeds were attached to the wicks, and the pillows were packaged for flight. Pillow preparation methods have been successfully tested in the VEG-01 hardware validation tests on the International Space Station with ‘Outredgeous’ lettuce and ‘Profusion’ zinnia, and in the VEG-03 test, using ‘Outredgeous’ lettuce and ‘Tokyo bekana’ Chinese cabbage.
Ballooning for Biologists: Mission Essentials for Flying Life Science Experiments to Near Space on NASA Large Scientific Balloons
Authors: Smith David J. , Sowa Marianne B. 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Despite centuries of scientific balloon flights, only a handful of experiments have produced biologically relevant results. Yet unlike orbital spaceflight, it is much faster and cheaper to conduct biology research with balloons, sending specimens to the near space environment of Earth's stratosphere. Samples can be loaded the morning of a launch and sometimes returned to the laboratory within one day after flying. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) flies large unmanned scientific balloons from all over the globe, with missions ranging from hours to weeks in duration. A payload in the middle portion of the stratosphere (~35 km above sea level) will be exposed to an environment similar to the surface of Mars—temperatures generally around −36°C, atmospheric pressure at a thin 1 kPa, relative humidity levels <1%, and harsh illumination of ultraviolet (UV) and cosmic radiation levels (about 100 W/m2 and 0.1 mGy/d, respectively)—that can be obtained nowhere else on the surface of the Earth, including environmental chambers and particle accelerator facilities attempting to simulate space radiation effects. Considering the operational advantages of ballooning and the fidelity of space-like stressors in the stratosphere, researchers in aerobiology, astrobiology, and space biology can benefit from balloon flight experiments as an intermediary step on the extraterrestrial continuum (i.e., ground, low Earth orbit, and deep space studies). Our review targets biologists with no background or experience in scientific ballooning. We will provide an overview of large balloon operations, biology topics that can be uniquely addressed in the stratosphere, and a roadmap for developing payloads to fly with NASA.
Clinorotation Affects Induction of the Heat Shock Response in Arabidopsis thaliana Seedlings
Authors: Kozeko Liudmyla Y. , Buy Denis D. , Pirko Yaroslav V. , Blume Yaroslav B. , Kordyum Elizaveta L. 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Clinorotation used to simulate microgravity effects in ground-based experiments is considered as a mild stress factor for plants. We have assumed that it might influence the plant tolerance to other stressful factors. To test this, Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings were grown on a horizontal clinostat (2 rpm) or under stationary conditions (control), and then were subjected to heat treatment. The kinetics of gene expression of cytosolic HSP70s and HSP90s during exposure to 37°C for 0.5-2 h was examined by RT-qPCR to estimate level of the heat shock reaction. It was shown that clinorotation caused the minor increase in transcript abundance of five AtHSP70s and AtHSP90-1 under normal temperature, as well as a faster onset and enhancement of their induction during heat shock. The heat tolerance was evaluated as a function of seedling survival after exposure to 45°C for 45 min. Seedlings grown under clinorotation were determined to withstand heat treatment better than seedlings grown under stationary conditions. The obtained data support the assumption that clinorotation may provide cross-protection of plants against fluctuations in environmental conditions.
Self-Assembly of Protein Fibrils in Microgravity
Authors: Bell Dylan , Durrance Samuel , Kirk Daniel , Gutierrez Hector , Woodard Daniel , Avendano Jose , Sargent Joseph , Leite Caroline , Saldana Beatriz , Melles Tucker , Jackson Samantha , Xu Shaohua 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Deposits of insoluble protein fibrils in human tissue are associated with amyloidosis and neurodegenerative diseases. Different proteins are involved in each disease; all are soluble in their native conformation in vivo, but by molecular self-assembly, they all form insoluble protein fibril deposits with a similar cross β-sheet structure. This paper reports the results of an experiment in molecular self-assembly carried out in microgravity on the International Space Station (ISS). The Self-Assembly in Biology and the Origin of Life (SABOL) experiment was designed to study the growth of lysozyme fibrils in microgravity. Lysozyme is a model protein that has been shown to replicate the aggregation processes of other amyloid proteins. Here the design and performance of the experimental hardware is described in detail. The flight experiment was carried to the ISS in the Dragon capsule of the SpaceX CRS-5 mission and returned to Earth after 32 days. The lysozyme fibrils formed in microgravity aboard the ISS show a distinctly different morphology compared to fibrils formed in the ground-control (G-C) experiment. The fibrils formed in microgravity are shorter, straighter, and thicker than those formed in the laboratory G-C experiment. For two incubation periods, (2) about 8.5 days and (3) about 14.5 days, the average ISS and G-C fibril diameters are respectively:

Period

2

D

ISS

=
7.5
nm
±
31
%
,

and

D

G
‐
C

=
3.4
nm
±
31
%

Period

3

D

ISS

=
6.2
nm
±
33
%
,

and

D

G
‐
C

=
3.6
nm
±
33
%
.

\matrix{{Period\,2} \hfill &#x00026; {} \hfill &#x00026; {{D_{ISS}} = 7.5{\rm{nm}} \pm 31\% ,} \hfill \cr {} \hfill &#x00026; {\rm and} \hfill &#x00026; {{D_{G - C}} = 3.4{\rm{nm}} \pm 31\%} \hfill \cr {Period\,3} \hfill &#x00026; {} \hfill &#x00026; {{D_{ISS}} = 6.2{\rm{nm}} \pm 33\% ,} \hfill \cr {} \hfill &#x00026; {\rm and} \hfill &#x00026; {{D_{G - C}} = 3.6{\rm{nm}} \pm 33\% .}}
Assessment of Membrane-Aerated Biological Reactors (MABRs) for Integration into Space-Based Water Recycling System Architectures
Authors: Christenson Dylan , Sevanthi Ritesh , Morse Audra , Jackson Andrew 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
This work investigates the suitability of membrane aerated biological reactors (MABRs) for biological treatment of a space-based waste stream consisting of urine, hygiene/grey water, and humidity condensate within an overall water recycling system. Water represents a critical limiting factor for human habitation and travel within space; thus, water recycling systems are essential. Biological treatment of wastewater provides a more efficient sustainable means of stabilizing the waste stream within water recycling system architectures in comparison to current chemical stabilization processes that utilize harsh chemicals, which represent both a hazardous and an unsustainable approach. To assess the capabilities of MABRs for providing microgravity compatible biological treatment and verify long duration operation and integration with desalination processes, two full-scale MABR systems were challenged with various loading rates and operational scenarios during sustained operation for over 1 year. The MABRs were able to maintain 196 g-C/m3-d and 194 g-N/m3-d volumetric conversion rates. Additionally the systems were able to handle intermittent loading and recover rapidly from system hibernation periods of up to 27 days. Overall, the use of MABRs within a wastewater treatment system architecture provides several potential benefits including minimizing the use of toxic chemical pretreatment solutions and providing an effluent solution that is easier to desalinate and dewater.
Temporal RNA Integrity Analysis of Archived Spaceflight Biological Samples
Authors: Talburt Elizabeth Delgadillo , French Alison J. , Lopez Danielle K. , Polo San-Huei Lai , Boyko Valery , Dinh Marie T. , Rask Jon C. , Stewart Helen J. , Chakravarty Kaushik 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
In spaceflight experiments, model organisms are used to assess the effects of microgravity on specific biological systems. In many cases, only one biological system is of interest to the Principal Investigator. To maximize the scientific return of experiments, the remaining spaceflight tissue is categorized, documented, and stored in the biobank at NASA Ames Research Center, which is maintained by the Ames Life Science Data Archive (ALSDA). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the state of a sample set of tissues from the ALSDA biobank. Garnering information – such as downstream functional analysis for the generation of omics datasets – from tissues is, in part, dependent on the state of sample preservation. RNA integrity number (RIN) values have been calculated for rodent liver tissues that were part of scientific payloads returned from the International Space Station (ISS). Rat livers from Spacelab Life Sciences 1 (SLS-1) and mouse livers from Commercial Biomedical Test Module 3 (CBTM-3), Rodent Research 1 (RR1), and Rodent Research 3 (RR3) were tested. It was found that mean RIN values from CBTM-3, RR1, and RR3 were suitable for downstream functional analysis (RIN > 5) while the mean RIN value for SLS-1 was not (RIN = 2.5 ± 0.1). Information from this study lays the foundation for future efforts in determining the types of assays that are most appropriate for different tissues in the ALSDA biobank and similar preservation facilities, which would aid in shaping the design of experiments.