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Abstract Microphysiological systems provide the opportunity to model accelerated changes at the human tissue level in the extreme space environment. Spaceflight-induced muscle atrophy experienced by astronauts shares similar physiological changes to muscle wasting in older adults, known as sarcopenia. These shared attributes provide a rationale for investigating molecular changes in muscle cells exposed to spaceflight that may mimic the underlying pathophysiology of sarcopenia. We report the results from three-dimensional myobundles derived from muscle biopsies from young and older adults, integrated into an autonomous CubeLab™, and flown to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard SpaceX CRS-21 as part of the NIH/NASA funded Tissue Chips in Space program. Global transcriptomic RNA-Seq analyses comparing the myobundles in space and on the ground revealed downregulation of shared transcripts related to myoblast proliferation and muscle differentiation. The analyses also revealed downregulated differentially expressed gene pathways related to muscle metabolism unique to myobundles derived from the older cohort exposed to the space environment compared to ground controls. Gene classes related to inflammatory pathways were downregulated in flight samples cultured from the younger cohort compared to ground controls. Our muscle tissue chip platform provides an approach to studying the cell autonomous effects of spaceflight on muscle cell biology that may not be appreciated on the whole organ or organism level and sets the stage for continued data collection from muscle tissue chip experimentation in microgravity. We also report on the challenges and opportunities for conducting autonomous tissue-on-chip CubeLabTM payloads on the ISS.

Fibrous air filters are common devices used to remove airborne particles. Their performance is typically measured through their resistance to airflow and captured particle mass. Models describing the evolution of filter performance have been heavily researched; however, the need for improvement remains. Experimental work is irreplaceable in the development of high-fidelity models, yet the estimation of necessary variables is not trivial and may be influenced by selected measurement instruments and analysis methodologies. Therefore, the purpose of this work is to propose a framework to investigate the response of common aerosol measurement instruments, their corresponding analysis methodologies, and the application of their data. A Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS) and Laser Aerosol Spectrometer (LAS) were selected for consideration, and their recorded data were compared against baseline measurements. The results of the experiments indicated that the SMPS and LAS yielded a ratio of estimated mass concentrations to the baseline mass concentrations of approximately 1.175 and 0.749, respectively. Regarding the SMPS, it was suggested that the measurable size range, application of a coverage factor, dynamic shape factor, and association between the curve fits and histograms were influential in the final estimates. For the LAS, the application of a curve fit, its association to the histograms, and the selection of the sampling periods were influential. Considering the results, the impact of these factors may not be considered negligible and may skew reproducibility between studies and fossilize confounding factors. Therefore, the proposed methodologies are useful in addressing potential errors in data collection and analysis.

Particulate matter air pollution and volatile organic compounds released into the air from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and wildfires creates significant damage to human health and the environment. Advances in air filtration and purification technology are needed to mitigate aerosol hazards. This article details an effort to explore the potential benefits of new materials and methods for the production of nonwoven air filtration media through electrospinning and stabilizing polyacrylonitrile fibers. The investigated production methods include electrospinning fibrous matting onto a stainless steel wire mesh and stabilizing the nonwoven media in a chamber furnace. The media is then tested for air filtration penetration and airflow resistance, and the fiber size distribution is measured using scanning electron microscopy. The experimental results show that the electrospun media approaches the performance criteria for airflow resistance and particle capture efficiency of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter media. Furthermore, performance estimations for electrospun media of increased thickness and for a decreased filtration velocity show potential to exceed the HEPA media resistance and efficiency criteria. Thus, it is suggested that electrospun and stabilized nonwoven fibrous media are candidates as alternatives to traditionally manufactured HEPA media and may potentially benefit modern air filtration technology and reduce hazards associated with particulate matter. Additionally, the authors recommend future exploration into the carbonization and activation of electrospun filter media for the adsorption and mitigation of volatile organic compounds as a secondary benefit, while maintaining high efficiency and low airflow resistance in the removal of particulate matter from aerosol streams.

Computational modeling of air filtration is possible by replicating nonwoven nanofibrous meltblown or electrospun filter media with digital representative geometry. This article presents a methodology to create and modify randomly generated fiber geometry intended as a digital twin replica of fibrous filtration media. Digital twin replicas of meltblown and electrospun filter media are created using Python scripting and Ansys SpaceClaim. The effect of fiber stiffness, represented by a fiber relaxation slope, is analyzed in relation to resulting filter solid volume fraction and thickness. Contemporary air filtration media may also be effectively modeled analytically and tested experimentally in order to yield valuable information on critical characteristics, such as overall resistance to airflow and particle capture efficiency. An application of the Single Fiber Efficiency model is incorporated in this work to illustrate the estimation of performance for the generated media with an analytical model. The resulting digital twin fibrous geometry compares well with SEM imagery of fibrous filter materials. This article concludes by suggesting adaptation of the methodology to replicate digital twins of other nonwoven fiber mesh applications for computational modeling, such as fiber reinforced additive manufacturing and composite materials.

The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Scanning Raman Lidar (SRL) participated in the International H2O Project (IHOP), which occurred in May and June 2002 in the midwestern part of the United States. The SRL received extensive optical modifications prior to and during the IHOP campaign that added new measurement capabilities and enabled unprecedented daytime water vapor measurements by a Raman lidar system. Improvements were also realized in nighttime upper-tropospheric water vapor measurements. The other new measurements that were added to the SRL for the IHOP deployment included rotational Raman temperature, depolarization, cloud liquid water, and cirrus cloud ice water content. In this first of two parts, the details of the operational configuration of the SRL during IHOP are provided along with a description of the analysis and calibration procedures for water vapor mixing ratio, aerosol depolarization, and cirrus cloud extinction-to-backscatter ratio. For the first time, a Raman water vapor lidar calibration is performed, taking full account of the temperature sensitivity of water vapor and nitrogen Raman scattering. Part II presents case studies that permit the daytime and nighttime error statistics to be quantified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The NASA GSFC Scanning Raman Lidar (SRL) participated in the International H2O Project (IHOP) that occurred in May and June 2002 in the midwestern part of the United States. The SRL system configuration and methods of data analysis were described in Part I of this paper. In this second part, comparisons of SRL water vapor measurements and those of Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment (LASE) airborne water vapor lidar and chilled-mirror radiosonde are performed. Two case studies are then presented: one for daytime and one for nighttime. The daytime case study is of a convectively driven boundary layer event and is used to characterize the daytime SRL water vapor random error characteristics. The nighttime case study is of a thunderstorm-generated cirrus cloud case that is studied in its meteorological context. Upper-tropospheric humidification due to precipitation from the cirrus cloud is quantified as is the cirrus cloud optical depth, extinction-to-backscatter ratio, ice water content, cirrus particle size, and both particle and volume depolarization ratios. A stability and back-trajectory analysis is performed to study the origin of wave activity in one of the cloud layers. These unprecedented cirrus cloud measurements are being used in a cirrus cloud modeling study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peyronie's disease is found in approximately 1% of men, often with resultant abnormal curvature of the penis. Fibrous plaque (scar tissue) develops in the superficial areas of the tissue, causing restriction or tightening of the penis during erection. There are several causes linked to the disease, including trauma, medications, autoimmune disorder, and Dupuytren's contracture. Recently, sonographic assessment of the penis has become the next diagnostic approach that physicians will consider to better diagnose this disease. A penile sonogram can readily assess the presence, size, and location of plaque causing the curvature, as well as provide information about blood flow within the organ, to better assist physicians during treatment and follow-up. Treatments may include oral medication, radiation therapy, topical applications, injectable agents, electrical therapy, ultrasound therapy, and surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The launch of the Aeolus mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) is planned for 2018. The satellite will carry the first wind lidar in space, ALADIN (Atmospheric Laser Doppler INstrument). Its prototype instrument, the ALADIN Airborne Demonstrator (A2D), was deployed during several airborne campaigns aiming at the validation of the measurement principle and optimization of algorithms. In 2015, flights of two aircraft from DLR & NASA provided the chance to compare parallel wind measurements from four airborne wind lidars for the first time.

Illustrates the electrocardiogram chart of hypokalemia. Manifestation of hypokalemia; Causes of hypokalemia; Treatment.

Objectives: Drowning is the leading cause of death during flood disasters. Little is known about these deaths. Child death review teams review details of child deaths to understand circumstances and risk factors to inform prevention., Methods: Using data entered in 2005 to 2021 for children ages 0 to 17 years from the National Fatality Review-Case Reporting System, we identified 130 drowning deaths directly attributed to natural disaster or weather incidents, and 14 deaths indirectly attributed to these incidents. Frequencies, proportions, and χ2 statistics were used to describe selected measures and compare with other drowning deaths., Results: Children who drowned as a direct result of a natural disaster- or weather-related incident were more likely to be aged >4 years (81% vs 40%, P < .001) and located in a rural or frontier setting (63% vs 30%, P < .001). They were more likely to be supervised at the time of the incident (61% vs 38%, P < .001), and it was more likely for additional children (35% vs 5%, P < .001) or adults (33% vs 3%, P < .001) to have perished. The indirect deaths were commonly a result of damage to protective barriers., Conclusions: The characteristics of natural disaster- or weather-related drowning deaths among children differ from other drowning deaths. Natural disaster- or weather-related drowning may warrant tailored drowning prevention strategies. Improved surveillance of all water-related deaths may be a proactive action leading to the development of these prevention strategies, whereas poststorm remediation of protective barriers can be used as a reactive prevention after a storm has passed., Competing Interests: CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURES: The authors have indicated they have no conflicts of interest relevant to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.)

Purpose: Young adults (YAs) diagnosed with cancer face high financial burden at a time in their lives when they are financially vulnerable. Some turn to medical crowdfunding, that is, using social media and other means to raise funds or resources to offset medical and usual life expenses. Major research gaps exist regarding the experiences of those who pursued crowdfunding. Thus, the study purpose was to describe the perceptions of, and experiences with, medical crowdfunding among a sample of YA cancer survivors., Methods: In February 2021, we distributed an online survey to YAs with a history of a cancer diagnosis, who had received grants from an organization that offers financial assistance. We calculated descriptive statistics on the crowdfunding sample and employed thematic analysis to analyze the open-ended questions., Results: In this sample (N = 113), 46 YA cancer survivors had engaged in medical crowdfunding and shared their perceptions and experiences. Our central theme, "The Crowdfunding Compromise" captures the trade-offs participants faced, which included subthemes of "crowdfunding as useful/helpful," "factors associated with crowdfunding success," and "questioning the why?"., Conclusions: Among YA cancer survivors, medical crowdfunding brings shame and stigma in addition to financial support. YA cancer survivors demonstrate resilience in their attempts to find individual solutions to financial problems created by unchecked health care costs, the US health insurance infrastructure, and lack of legislation., Implications for Cancer Survivors: This study fills an important gap in understanding individual-level crowdfunding experiences. Implications include system-level approaches to addressing cancer-related financial burden and potential worsening of existing disparities through medical crowdfunding., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Understanding the ecological and evolutionary factors that influence species rarity has important theoretical and applied implications, yet the reasons why some species are rare while others are common remain unresolved. As a novel exploration of scientific knowledge, we used network analysis conceptually to visualize the foci of a comprehensive base of >800 studies on plant species rarity within the context of ecology and evolution. In doing so, we highlight existing research strengths that could substantiate novel syntheses and gaps that could inspire new research. Our results reveal strong integrated foci on population dynamics with other ecological concepts. In contrast, despite the potential for ecological and evolutionary processes to interact, few studies explored the interplay of environmental factors and microevolutionary patterns. The cellular and molecular biology, physiology, and plasticity of rare plant species within both ecological and evolutionary contexts similarly provide avenues for impactful future investigations., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests., (© 2020 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The 32nd International Conference on Antiviral Research (ICAR), sponsored by the International Society for Antiviral Research (ISAR), was held in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, on May 12-15, 2019. This report gives an overview of the conference on behalf of the Society. It provides a general review of the meeting and awardees, summarizing the presentations, and their main conclusions from the perspective of researchers active in many different areas of antiviral research and development. As in past years, ICAR promoted and showcased the most recent progress in antiviral research, and continued to foster collaborations and interactions in drug discovery and development. The 33rd ICAR will be held in Seattle, Washington, USA, March 30th-April 3rd, 2020., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)