Understanding the Mechanisms of Gravity Resistance in Plants.

To understand gravity resistance in plants, it is necessary to analyze the changes induced when the magnitude of gravity in a growth environment is modified. Microgravity in space provides appropriate conditions for analyzing gravity resistance mechanisms. Experiments carried out in space involve a large number of constraints and are quite different from ground-based experiments.

Electrically Stimulated Antagonist Muscle Contraction Increased Muscle Mass and Bone Mineral Density of One Astronaut - Initial Verification on the International Space Station.

Background: Musculoskeletal atrophy is one of the major problems of extended periods of exposure to weightlessness such as on the International Space Station (ISS). We developed the Hybrid Training System (HTS) to maintain an astronaut's musculoskeletal system using an electrically stimulated antagonist to resist the volitional contraction of the agonist instead of gravity. The present study assessed the system's orbital operation capability and utility, as well as its preventative effect on an astronaut's musculoskeletal atrophy.

Spontaneous construction of nanoperiodic architecture by two-dimensional self-assembly of an amphiphilic peptide-polyethylene glycol conjugate at the solid/water interface.

An amphiphilic peptide derivative, conjugated to polyethylene glycol (PEG) via the C-terminus, spontaneously assembled into nanodot and nanofiber arrays aligned with nanometer periodicity at the solid/water interface. The obtained planar structure was precisely controlled by the β-sheet conformation of the peptide on the surface, while the peptide segment adopted a random-coil in aqueous solution. The peptide and PEG segments were hierarchically segregated after the peptide-PEG conjugate was adsorbed on the substrate, and the peptide segment transitioned from a random-coil to a β-sheet conformation specifically at the solid/water interface.