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Mechanisms involved in development of the embryonic limb have remained the same throughout eons of genetic and environmental evolution under Earth gravity (lg). During the spaceflight era it has been of interest to explore the ancient theory that form of the skeleton develops in response to gravity, and that changes in gravitational forces can change the developmental pattern of the limb. This has been shown in vivo and in vitro , allowing the hypergravity of centrifugation and microgravity of space to be used as tools to increase our knowledge of limb development. In recapitulations of spaceflight experiments, premetatarsals were cultured in suspension in a bioreactor, and found to be shorter and less differentiated than those cultured in standard culture dishes. This study only measured length of the metatarsals, and did not account for possible changes due to the skeletal elements having a more in vivo 3D shape while in suspension vs. flattened tissues compressed by their own weight. A culture system with an outcome closer to in vivo and that supports growth of younger limb buds than traditional systems will allow studies of early Hox gene expression, and contribute to the understanding of very early stages of development. The purpose of the current experiment was to determine if entire limb buds could be cultured in the bioreactor, and to compare the growth and differentiation with that of culturing in a culture dish system. Fore and hind limbs from E11–E13 ICR mouse embryos were cultured for six days, either in the bioreactor or in center-well organ culture dishes, fixed, and embedded for histology. E13 specimens grown in culture dishes were flat, while bioreactor culture specimens had a more in vivo -like 3D limb shape. Sections showed excellent cartilage differentiation in both culture systems, with more cell maturation, and hypertrophy in the specimens cultured in the bioreactor. Younger limb buds fused together during culture, so an additional set of El 1.5 limb buds was cultured with and without encapsulation in alginate prior to culturing in the bioreactor. Encapsulated limbs grown in the bioreactor did not fuse together, but developed only the more proximal elements while limbs grown in culture dishes formed proximal and distal elements. Alginate encapsulation may have reduced oxygenation to the progress zone of the developing limb bud resulting in lack of development of the more distal elements. These results show that the bioreactor supports growth and differentiation of skeletal elements in entire E13 limb buds, and that a method to culture younger limb buds without fusing together needs to be developed if any morphometric analysis is to be performed.

The in vivo model our laboratory uses for studies of cartilage differentiation in space is the rat growth plate. Differences between missions, and in rat age and recovery times, provided differing results from each mission. However, in all missions, proliferation and differentiation of chondrocytes in the epiphyseal plate of spaceflown rats was altered as was matrix organization. In vitro systems, necessary complements to in vivo work, provide some advantages over the in vivo situation. In vitro , centrifugation of embryonic limb buds suppressed morphogenesis due to precocious differentiation, and changes in the developmental pattern suggest the involvement of Hox genes. In space, embryonic mouse limb mesenchyme cells differentiating in vitro on IML-1 had smoother membranes and lacked matrix seen in controls. Unusual formations, possibly highly ruffled membranes, were found in flight cultures. These results, coupled with in vivo centrifugation studies, show that in vivo or in vitro , the response of chondrocytes to gravitational changes follows Hert's curve as modified by Simon, i.e. decreased loading decreases differentiation, and increased loading speeds it up, but only to a point. After that, additional increases again slow down chondrogenesis.

The coccolithophores are valuable models for the design and synthesis of composite materials, because the cellular machinery controlling the nucleation, growth, and patterning of their calcitic scales (coccoliths) can be examined genetically. The coccoliths are formed within the Golgi complex and are the major CaCO(3) component in limestone sediments-particularly those of the Cretaceous period. In this study, we describe mutants lacking a sulfated galacturonomannan and show that this polysaccharide in conjunction with the Golgi-derived membrane is directly linked to the growth and shaping of coccolith calcite but not to the initial orientated nucleation of the mineral phase.

In previous studies we used a ground based model to investigate the cellular responses to microgravity by exposing micromass cultures of embryonic limb cells to simulated weightlessness on a clinostat. Cultures set up in T-flasks and rotated at 30 rpm showed that clinostatted cultures had less chondrocyte differentiation than stationary or rotation controls, as assessed by number of nodules/culture stained with cartilage specific Alcian blue. In the current study, nodule size and shape of these nodules was assessed by interactive measurement of area, perimeter, circularity, and equivalent diameters, using the Optimas imaging software. Results show no significant difference in any of the measurements, indicating that clinorotation has no effect on expansion of the nodules either by differentiation of cells within the nodule, or by recruitment of cells into the nodule. The reduction in number of nodules without an alteration in size and shape indicates that the effect of simulated microgravity is to reduce the cell interactions required for the initial condensation of cells into a nodule, probably by interference with cell adhesion molecules.

Chondrogenesis has a number of well-defined steps: (1) condensation, which involves cell aggregation, adhesion and communication; (2) activation of cartilage genes, which is accompanied by rounding up of the cells and intracellular differentiation; and (3) production and secretion of cartilage specific matrix molecules. Our studies show that each of these steps is affected by exposure to gravitational changes. Clinorotation and centrifugation affected initial aggregation and condensation. In the CELLS experiment, where cells were exposed to microgravity after some condensation occurred perflight, intracellular differentiation and matrix production were delayed relative to controls. Once cartilage has developed, in rats, further differentiation (hypertrophy, matrix production) was also affected by spaceflight and hind limb suspension. For the process of chondrogenesis to proceed as we know it, loading and other factors present at lg are required at each step of the process. This requirement means that not only will skeletal development and bone healing, processes involving chondrogenesis, be altered by long term exposure to microgravity, but that continuous intervention will be necessary to correct any defects produced by altered gravity environments.

In investigating the effect of gravitational changes on development, it is instructive to think of altered gravity (delta g) as a teratogen--that is, an environmental factor influencing development. Observed effects on skeletal development include: suppression of morphogenesis in centrifuged mouse limb buds; advanced fusion stages in centrifuged mouse palates; smaller crown rump lengths (CRL) and decreased number of pregnancies in centrifuged rats and mice; altered differentiation of growth plates in young growing rats in space; and decreased length of calcified long bone regions in fetal rats exposed to microgravity in utero. These studies show that delta g is able to alter development in vivo and in vitro and suggest that delta g operates, at least in part, at the cellular level.

This paper presents the results of a counter experiment at the Rutherford Laboratory, in which the polarization parameter in π + p elastic scattering was measured. Data were taken at 64 incident pion momenta between 0.60 and 2.65 GeV/ c . The results are found to be in generally good agreement with those of other experiments, and have substantially higher precision at many momenta.

The slope parameter and its charge asymmetry have been measured for the τ′ decay mode of the charged K mesons. No charge asymmetry in the parameter is observed to the precision level of 1.25%, indicating the absence of CP violating transitions. The result for the slope parameter is consistent with previous measurements and taken with other results on Kπ3 decay modes supports the conclusion that the ΔI = 12 rule is not exact.

We describe a system of 194 large volume liquid scintillation counters designed to detect neutrons in an experiment on the reaction π − p → π 0 n in the resonance region. The detection efficiency of the system has been determined, as a function of neutron momentum, in three separate measurements, covering the range 200–3200 MeV/c. Below 400 MeV/ c the efficiency shows the expected momentum dependence near threshold, rising to a maximum of 50% near 300 MeV/ c and then falling to 43% near 400 MeV/ c . In the region 400–700 MeV/ c the efficiency rises to 47% near 600 MeV/ c and falls again to 43%, an effect not seen before; the efficiency was expected to be almost momentum independent in this region. Above the threshold for inelastic processes on nucleon-nucleon collisions (∼800 MeV/ c ) the efficiency rises significantly reaching a maximum value of 65% above 1700 MeV/ c .

Differential cross sections for the reaction π−p→ηn at 20 incident pion momenta between 724 and 2723 MeV/c are presented. The results are compared with previous measurements. The data show clear evidence of non-zero couplings of this channel to known I = 12, S = 0 baryon resonances with masses up to 2000 MeV/c2.

In high-energy proton-proton collisions, the mean charged multiplicity M in the central region, associated with a high-PT hadron trigger at 90°, shows a linear dependence on both ln s and PT. M is measured to depend on the type (π±, K±, p or p) of the idenfied high-PT trigger particle.

Results are presented of differential cross-section measurements for the reaction π − p→ π 0 n; π 0 → γγ at 22 incident pion momenta between 618 and 2724 MeV/ c . The results are in good agreement with those of other experiments. They represent the first comprehensive set of high statistics measurements of the π − p charge-exchange differential cross section at closely spaced momenta in the resonance region.

A search has been made for a charge asymmetry in the decay rates for K± → π±π0γ, which would indicate a CP violating transition. No asymmetry has been found in the Dalitz plot distribution for the decay, nor has any asymmetry been found in the decay rate for the charged pion kinetic energy range 55 to 90 MeV, to a precision of ±2.9%.

The charged multiplicity density M , associated with identified charged hadrons up to 3.0 GeV/ c in p T , is presented at ISR energies from 23.4 to 63.4 GeV and at 3 laboratory angles, as a function of pseudorapidity and azimuth.

The charge asymmetry in the total decay rates for the τ′ decay modes of the charged K-mesons has been measured. There is no asymmetry at the precision level of ±0.0029. The implications of this result are discussed.

ABS>A measurement of the total rate of capture of mesons ( mu /sup -/) in /sup 16/O is reported. The result is in strong disagreement with the predictions based on an independent particle shell model. An alternative interpretation is discussed in terms of a collective excitation of the giant dipole resonance in /sup 16/N. The interpretation appears to be in agreement with experiment. (C.E.S.)

The polarization parameter P for the reactions p p → π − π + and p p → K − K + has been measured over essentially the full angular range at ll laboratory momenta between 1.0 and 2.2. GeV/ c , using a proton target polarized perpendicular to the scattering plane. The angles and momenta of both final state particles were determined from wire spark chambers, using the deflection caused by the polarized target magnet. Between 1000 and 5300 π − π + events, and 140 and 1300 K − K + events, were measured at each momentum. Differential cross sections for p p → π − π + were obtained. These are in excellent agreement with previous results. The polarization parameter for both channels is very close to +1 over much of the angular range. Legendre polynomial fits to the data are presented.