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At least 703 records · Page 39

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NASA NTRS1996

Ames Research Center Shear Tests of SLA-561V Heat Shield Material for Mars-Pathfinder

This report describes the results of arc-jet testing at Ames Research Center on behalf of Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for the development of the Mars-Pathfinder heat shield. The current test series evaluated the performance of the ablating SLA-561V heat shield material under shear conditions. In addition, the effectiveness of several methods of repairing damage to the heat shield were evaluated. A total of 26 tests were performed in March 1994 in the 2 in. X 9 in. arc-heated turbulent Duct Facility, including runs to calibrate the facility to obtain the desired shear stress conditions. A total of eleven models were tested. Three different conditions of shear and heating were used. The non-ablating surface shear stresses and the corresponding, approximate, non-ablating surface heating rates were as follows: Condition 1, 170 N/m(exp 2) and 22 W/cm(exp 2); Condition 2, 240 N/m(exp 2) and 40 W/cm(exp 2); Condition 3, 390 N/m(exp 2) and 51 W/cm(exp 2). The peak shear stress encountered in flight is represented approximately by Condition 1; however, the heating rate was much less than the peak flight value. The peak heating rate that was available in the facility (at Condition 3) was about 30 percent less than the maximum value encountered during flight. Seven standard ablation models were tested, of which three models were instrumented with thermocouples to obtain in-depth temperature profiles and temperature contours. An additional four models contained a variety of repair plugs, gaps, and seams. These models were used to evaluated different repair materials and techniques, and the effect of gaps and construction seams. Mass loss and surface recession measurements were made on all models. The models were visually inspected and photographed before and after each test. The SLA-561 V performed well; even at test Condition 3, the char remained intact. Most of the resins used for repairs and gap fillers performed poorly. However, repair plugs made of SLA-561V performed well. Approximately 70 percent of the thermocouples yielded good data.

Tauber, Michael↗

NASA NTRS1997

2195 Aluminum-Copper-Lithium Friction Plug Welding Development

Technology developments and applications of friction plug welding is presented. This friction repair welding technology is being studied for implementation on the Space Transportation System's Super Light Weight External Tank. Single plug repairs will be used on a vast majority of weld defects, however, linear defects of up to several inches can be repaired by overlapping plug welds. Methods and results of tensile, bend, simulated service, surface crack tension and other tests at room and cryogenic temperatures is discussed. Attempts to implement Friction Plug Welding has led to both tool and process changes in an attempt to minimize expansive tooling and lengthy implementation times. Process control equipment and data storage methods intended for large scale production will also be addressed. Benefits include increased strength and toughness, decreased weld repair time, automated and highly reliable process, and a lower probability of having to re-repair defect locations.

Takeshita, Rike P.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Homologous recombination as a potential target for caffeine radiosensitization in mammalian cells: reduced caffeine radiosensitization in XRCC2 and XRCC3 mutants

The radiosensitizing effect of caffeine has been associated with the disruption of multiple DNA damage-responsive cell cycle checkpoints, but several lines of evidence also implicate inhibition of DNA repair. The role of DNA repair inhibition in caffeine radiosensitization remains uncharacterized, and it is unknown which repair process, or lesion, is affected. We show that a radiosensitive cell line, mutant for the RAD51 homolog XRCC2 and defective in homologous recombination repair (HRR), displays significantly diminished caffeine radiosensitization that can be restored by expression of XRCC2. Despite the reduced radiosensitization, caffeine effectively abrogates checkpoints in S and G2 phases in XRCC2 mutant cells indicating that checkpoint abrogation is not sufficient for radiosensitization. Another radiosensitive line, mutant for XRCC3 and defective in HRR, similarly shows reduced caffeine radiosensitization. On the other hand, a radiosensitive mutant (irs-20) of DNA-PKcs with a defect in non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) is radiosensitized by caffeine to an extent comparable to wild-type cells. In addition, rejoining of radiation-induced DNA DSBs, that mainly reflects NHEJ, remains unaffected by caffeine in XRCC2 and XRCC3 mutants, or their wild-type counterparts. These observations suggest that caffeine targets steps in HRR but not in NHEJ and that abrogation of checkpoint response is not sufficient to explain radiosensitization. Indeed, immortalized fibroblasts from AT patients show caffeine radiosensitization despite the checkpoint defects associated with ATM mutation. We propose that caffeine radiosensitization is mediated by inhibition of stages in DNA DSB repair requiring HRR and that checkpoint disruption contributes by allowing these DSBs to transit into irreparable states. Thus, checkpoints may contribute to genomic stability by promoting error-free HRR.

NASA Discipline Radiation Health↗

NASA NTRS2005

Return to Flight Resource Reel 1 of 2

A video presentation detailing the tests performed on the Space Shuttle Discovery in preparation for its return to flight is shown. The tests include: 1) Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) Impact Test Article; 2) RCC Foam Impact Testing; 3) Thermal Protection System (TPS) Ice Impact Testing featuring Justin Kerr, Project Engineer; 4) Wing Leading Edge Wireless Sensors featuring Karl Kiefer, President and CEO of Invocon, and Kevin Champaigne of Invocon; 5) TPS Repair Testing KC-135 Zero-G Environment featuring Soichi Noguchi, Mission Specialist; 6) TPS Extravehicular Activity Tool Demonstration; 7) TPS Repair Testing Vacuum Glove box; 8) TPS Repair Testing Human Thermal Vacuum Chamber; 9) TPS Reentry Testing Atmospheric Reentry Materials and Structures Evaluation Facility; 10) TPS Alternative Repair Concept; 11) Lora Bailey Lead Engineer for EVA Tools; 12) Reinforced Carbon-Carbon ATK Thiokol Plug Repair Animation; 13) 3-Percent Model Build-Up; and 14) Wind Tunnel Testing RCC Aging Research Ballistic Testing.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2004

The Effects of Modeled Microgravity on Nucleocytoplasmic Localization of Human Apurinic/Apyrimidinic

Exposure to space radiation and microgravity occurs to humans during space flight. In order to have accurate risk estimations, answering questions to whether increased DNA damage seen during space flight in modified by microgravity are important. Several studies have examined whether intercellular repair of radiation-induced DNA lesions are modified by microgravity. Results from these studies show no modification of the repair processes due to microgravity. However, it is known that in studies not involving radiation that microgravity interferes with normal development. Interestingly, there is no data that attempts to analyze the possible effects of microgravity on the trafficking of DNA repair proteins. In this study, we analyze the effects of modeled microgravity on nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of the human DNA repair enzyme apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1/Ref1) which is involved in base excision repair. We examined nuclear translocation of APE1 using enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) fused to APE1 as a reporter. While APE1 under normal gravity showed normal nuclear localization, APE1 nuclear localization under modeled microgravity was decreased. These results suggest that nucleocytoplasmic translocation of APE1 is modified under modeled microgravity.

Gonda, Steve↗

NASA NTRS2012

Soldering in a Reduced Gravity Environment (SoRGE)

Future long-duration human exploration missions will be challenged by constraints on mass and volume allocations available for spare parts. Addressing this challenge will be critical to the success of these missions. As a result, it is necessary to consider new approaches to spacecraft maintenance and repair that reduce the need for large replacement components. Currently, crew members on the International Space Station (ISS) recover from faults by removing and replacing, using backup systems, or living without the function of Orbital Replacement Units (ORUs). These ORUs are returned to a depot where the root cause of the failure is determined and the ORU is repaired. The crew has some limited repair capability with the Modulation/DeModulation (MDM) ORU, where circuit cards are removed and replace in faulty units. The next step to reducing the size of the items being replaced would be to implement component-level repair. This mode of repair has been implemented by the U.S. Navy in an operational environment and is now part of their standard approach for maintenance. It is appropriate to consider whether this approach can be adapted for future spaceflight operations. To this end, the Soldering in a Reduced Gravity Environment (SoRGE) experiment studied the effect of gravity on the formation of solder joints on electronic circuit boards. This document describes the SoRGE experiment, the analysis methods, and results to date. This document will also contain comments from the crew regarding their experience conducting the SoRGE experiment as well as recommendations for future improvements. Finally, this document will discuss the plans for the SoRGE samples which remain on ISS.

Easton, John W.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Global Response of the Space Shuttle External Tank with the Presence of Intertank Stringer Cracks and Radius Blocks

After propellant was loaded into the external tank (ET), the November 5, 2010 launch of Space Shuttle mission STS-133 was scrubbed due to a gaseous hydrogen leak located in a vent line near the ground umbilical and ET connection. Subsequent visual inspections identified cracks in the sprayed-on foam insulation in the forward end of the ET intertank segment, adjacent to the liquid oxygen (LOX) tank, as shown in Figure 1. These cracks necessitated repair of the foam due to debris concerns that violated launch constraints. As part of the repair process, the affected foam was removed to reveal cracks in the underlying external hat stiffeners on the intertank, as shown in Figure 2. Ultimately, five stiffeners were discovered to be cracked adjacent to the LOX tank. As the managing center for the ET Project, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) coordinated failure investigation and repair activities among multiple organizations, which included the ET prime contractor (Lockheed Martin Space Systems Michoud Operations), the Space Shuttle Program Office at the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC), and the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC). STS-133 utilized the external tank designated as ET-137. Many aspects of the investigation have been reported previously in Refs. 1-7, which focus on the root cause of the failures, the flight readiness rationale and the local analyses of the stringer failures and repair. This paper summarizes the global analyses that were conducted on ET-137 as part of the NESC effort during the investigation, which was conducted primarily to determine if the repairs that were introduced to the stringers would alter the global response of the ET. In the process of the investigation, a new STAGS tabular input capability was developed to more easily introduce the aerodynamic pressure loads using a method that could easily be extended to incorporate finite element property data such as skin and stiffener thicknesses and beam cross-sectional properties.

Lovejoy, Andrew E.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Launch Pad Flame Trench Refractory Materials

The launch complexes at NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) are critical support facilities for the successful launch of space-based vehicles. These facilities include a flame trench that bisects the pad at ground level. This trench includes a flame deflector system that consists of an inverted, V-shaped steel structure covered with a high temperature concrete material five inches thick that extends across the center of the flame trench. One side of the "V11 receives and deflects the flames from the orbiter main engines; the opposite side deflects the flames from the solid rocket boosters. There are also two movable deflectors at the top of the trench to provide additional protection to shuttle hardware from the solid rocket booster flames. These facilities are over 40 years old and are experiencing constant deterioration from launch heat/blast effects and environmental exposure. The refractory material currently used in launch pad flame deflectors has become susceptible to failure, resulting in large sections of the material breaking away from the steel base structure and creating high-speed projectiles during launch. These projectiles jeopardize the safety of the launch complex, crew, and vehicle. Post launch inspections have revealed that the number and frequency of repairs, as well as the area and size of the damage, is increasing with the number of launches. The Space Shuttle Program has accepted the extensive ground processing costs for post launch repair of damaged areas and investigations of future launch related failures for the remainder of the program. There currently are no long term solutions available for Constellation Program ground operations to address the poor performance and subsequent failures of the refractory materials. Over the last three years, significant liberation of refractory material in the flame trench and fire bricks along the adjacent trench walls following Space Shuttle launches have resulted in extensive investigations of failure mechanisms, load response, ejected material impact evaluation, and repair design analysis (environmental and structural assessment, induced environment from solid rocket booster plume, loads summary, and repair integrity), assessment of risk posture for flame trench debris, and justification of flight readiness rationale. Although the configuration of the launch pad, water and exhaust direction, and location of the Mobile Launcher Platform between the flame trench and the flight hardware should protect the Space Vehicle from debris exposure, loss of material could cause damage to a major element of the ground facility (resulting in temporary usage loss); and damage to other facility elements is possible. These are all significant risks that will impact ground operations for Constellation and development of new refractory material systems is necessary to reduce the likelihood of the foreign object debris hazard during launch. KSC is developing an alternate refractory material for the launch pad flame trench protection system, including flame deflector and flame trench walls, that will withstand launch conditions without the need for repair after every launch, as is currently the case. This paper will present a summary of the results from industry surveys, trade studies, life cycle cost analysis, and preliminary testing that have been performed to support and validate the development, testing, and qualification of new refractory materials.

Calle, Luz M.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Space Transportation System Availability Requirements and Its Influencing Attributes Relationships

It is essential that management and engineering understand the need for an availability requirement for the customer's space transportation system as it enables the meeting of his needs, goal, and objectives. There are three types of availability, e.g., operational availability, achieved availability, or inherent availability. The basic definition of availability is equal to the mean uptime divided by the sum of the mean uptime plus the mean downtime. The major difference is the inclusiveness of the functions within the mean downtime and the mean uptime. This paper will address tIe inherent availability which only addresses the mean downtime as that mean time to repair or the time to determine the failed article, remove it, install a replacement article and verify the functionality of the repaired system. The definitions of operational availability include the replacement hardware supply or maintenance delays and other non-design factors in the mean downtime. Also with inherent availability the mean uptime will only consider the mean time between failures (other availability definitions consider this as mean time between maintenance - preventive and corrective maintenance) that requires the repair of the system to be functional. It is also essential that management and engineering understand all influencing attributes relationships to each other and to the resultant inherent availability requirement. This visibility will provide the decision makers with the understanding necessary to place constraints on the design definition for the major drivers that will determine the inherent availability, safety, reliability, maintainability, and the life cycle cost of the fielded system provided the customer. This inherent availability requirement may be driven by the need to use a multiple launch approach to placing humans on the moon or the desire to control the number of spare parts required to support long stays in either orbit or on the surface of the moon or mars. It is the intent of this paper to provide the visibility of relationships of these major attribute drivers (variables) to each other and the resultant system inherent availability, but also provide the capability to bound the variables providing engineering the insight required to control the system's engineering solution. An example of this visibility will be the need to provide integration of similar discipline functions to allow control of the total parts count of the space transportation system. Also the relationship visibility of selecting a reliability requirement will place a constraint on parts count to achieve a given inherent availability requirement or accepting a larger parts count with the resulting higher reliability requirement. This paper will provide an understanding for the relationship of mean repair time (mean downtime) to maintainability, e.g., accessibility for repair, and both mean time between failure, e.g., reliability of hardware and the system inherent availability. Having an understanding of these relationships and resulting requirements before starting the architectural design concept definition will avoid considerable time and money required to iterate the design to meet the redesign and assessment process required to achieve the results required of the customer's space transportation system. In fact the impact to the schedule to being able to deliver the system that meets the customer's needs, goals, and objectives may cause the customer to compromise his desired operational goal and objectives resulting in considerable increased life cycle cost of the fielded space transportation system.

Rhodes, Russel E.↗

NASA NTRS2013

An Onboard ISS Virtual Reality Trainer

Prior to the retirement of the Space Shuttle, many exterior repairs on the International Space Station (ISS) were carried out by shuttle astronauts, trained on the ground and flown to the Station to perform these specific repairs. With the retirement of the shuttle, this is no longer an available option. As such, the need for ISS crew members to review scenarios while on flight, either for tasks they already trained for on the ground or for contingency operations has become a very critical issue. NASA astronauts prepare for Extra-Vehicular Activities (EVA) or Spacewalks through numerous training media, such as: self-study, part task training, underwater training in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL), hands-on hardware reviews and training at the Virtual Reality Laboratory (VRLab). In many situations, the time between the last session of a training and an EVA task might be 6 to 8 months. EVA tasks are critical for a mission and as time passes the crew members may lose proficiency on previously trained tasks and their options to refresh or learn a new skill while on flight are limited to reading training materials and watching videos. In addition, there is an increased need for unplanned contingency repairs to fix problems arising as the Station ages. In order to help the ISS crew members maintain EVA proficiency or train for contingency repairs during their mission, the Johnson Space Center's VRLab designed an immersive ISS Virtual Reality Trainer (VRT). The VRT incorporates a unique optical system that makes use of the already successful Dynamic On-board Ubiquitous Graphics (DOUG) software to assist crew members with procedure reviews and contingency EVAs while on board the Station. The need to train and re-train crew members for EVAs and contingency scenarios is crucial and extremely demanding. ISS crew members are now asked to perform EVA tasks for which they have not been trained and potentially have never seen before. The Virtual Reality Trainer (VRT) provides an immersive 3D environment similar to the one experienced at the VRLab crew training facility at the NASA Johnson Space Center. VRT bridges the gap by allowing crew members to experience an interactive, 3D environment to reinforce skills already learned and to explore new work sites and repair procedures outside the Station.

Miralles, Evelyn↗

NASA NTRS2018

Persistence of Gamma-H2AX Foci in Irradiated Bronchial Cells Correlates with Susceptibility to Radiation Associated Lung Cancer in Mice

The risk of developing radiation-induced lung cancer differs between different strains of mice, but the underlying cause of the strain differences is unknown. Strains of mice also differ in their ability to efficiently repair DNA double strand breaks resulting from radiation exposure. We phenotyped mouse strains from the CcS/Dem recombinant congenic strain set for their efficacy in repairing DNA double strand breaks during protracted radiation exposures. We monitored persistent gamma-H2AX radiation induced foci (RIF) 24 hours after exposure to chronic gamma-rays as a surrogate marker for repair deficiency in bronchial epithelial cells for 17 of the CcS/Dem strains and the BALB/cHeN founder strain. We observed a very strong correlation R2 = 79.18%, P < 0.001) between the level of persistent RIF and radiogenic lung cancer percent incidence measured in the same strains. Interestingly, spontaneous levels of foci in non-irradiated strains also showed good correlation with lung cancer incidence (R2=32.74%, P =0.013). These results suggest that genetic differences in DNA repair capacity largely account for differing susceptibilities to radiation-induced lung cancer among CcS/Dem mouse strains and that high levels of spontaneous DNA damage is also a relatively good marker of cancer predisposition. In a smaller pilot study, we found that the repair capacity measured in peripheral blood leucocytes also correlated well with radiogenic lung cancer susceptibility, raising the possibility that such phenotyping assay could be used to detect radiogenic lung cancer susceptibility in humans.

Ochola, Donasian O.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Individual Variability and Predictive Biomarkers of Human Sensitivity to Ionizing Radiation

High-linear energy transfer (LET) ionizing radiation is a major health hazard for astronauts who will be exposed to galactic cosmic rays during upcoming lunar and Mars missions. Predicting and mitigating personalized health risks from space radiation exposure requires understanding the factors underlying individual radiation sensitivity, which currently remain unknown. We started to address this challenge by identifying the genomic and demographic associations with sensitivity to low and high-LET ionizing radiation in the largest human sample cohort to date and by evaluating baseline DNA damage as a potential predictor of radiation responses. We have collected and irradiated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 768 healthy donors of matched ethnicity, 50/50 male/female, 18-70 years old. We have analyzed the responses of 576 donor PBMCs to irradiation with simulated galactic cosmic ray components: 350MeV/n 28Si, 350MeV/n 40Ar and 600MeV/n 56Fe, at 1.1 and 3 particles/100μm2 fluences, as well as 0.1Gy and 1Gy doses of gamma rays, at 4 and 24 hours post irradiation. We quantified post-irradiation DNA repair based on radiation-induced 53BP1+ foci formation, together with oxidative stress and cell death using a flow cytometry-based assay. We also assessed baseline levels of DNA repair in PBMCs at the time of sample collection prior to irradiation experiments. We observed a wide variability of subject- and LET-dependent radiation responses, with radiation-induced DNA repair foci increasing with LET, though oxidative stress being notably reduced by high-LET irradiation, potentially due to a switch between hydrogen peroxide and oxygen radical-based mechanisms. We also identified a relationship between few DNA repair foci at baseline and increased DNA repair after irradiation, accompanied by an alteration in immunoregulatory cytokine secretion, which might be adapted as biomarkers to predict ionizing radiation sensitivity. Among demographic variables, baseline foci levels were positively associated with age and latent cytomegalovirus infection. Finally, we have performed low-throughput whole genome sequencing of all samples and are currently in process of identifying the genes and pathways associated with low and high-LET ionizing radiation sensitivity in humans.

Space radiation, human spaceflight, DNA damage↗

DOE OSTI2021

Preclinical Risk Evaluation of Normal Tissue Injury With Novel Radiosensitizers

Genotoxic damage induced by radiation triggers a highly coordinated DNA damage response, and molecular inhibitors of key nodes within this complex response network can profoundly enhance the antitumor efficacy of radiation. This is especially true for drugs targeting the catalytic subunit of DNA-dependent protein kinase, which is a core component of the nonhomologous end-joining DNA repair pathway, and ataxia telangiectasia mutated, which coordinates cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and DNA repair functionalities after radiation exposure. Unlike the more modest in vitro radiosensitizing effects seen with classic sensitizing agents such as cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, or taxanes, DNA-dependent protein kinase or ataxia telangiectasia mutated inhibitors provide much more robust sensitizing effects in vitro, as might be anticipated from targeting these key DNA repair modulators. However, patients with homozygous inactivating mutations of ataxia telangiectasia mutated or mice with homozygous defects in DNA-dependent protein kinase (severe combined immunodeficiency) have profoundly enhanced acute normal tissue radiation reactions. Therefore, there is significant potential that the combination of small molecule inhibitors of these kinases with radiation could cause similar dose-limiting acute normal tissue toxicities. Similarly, although less understood, inhibition of these DNA repair response pathways could markedly increase the risk of late radiation toxicities. Because these potent radiosensitizers could be highly useful to improve local control of otherwise radiation-resistant tumors, understanding the potential for elevated risks of radiation injury is essential for optimizing therapeutic ratio and developing safe and informative clinical trials. In this review, we will discuss 2 straightforward models to assess the potential for enhanced mucosal toxicity in the oral cavity and small intestine established in our laboratories. We also will discuss similar strategies for evaluating potential drug–radiation interactions with regard to increased risks of debilitating late effects.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

DOE OSTI2022

Structural basis for $\mathrm{APE1}$ processing $\mathrm{DNA}$ damage in the nucleosome

Genomic DNA is continually exposed to endogenous and exogenous factors that promote DNA damage. Eukaryotic genomic DNA is packaged into nucleosomes, which present a barrier to accessing and effectively repairing DNA damage. The mechanisms by which DNA repair proteins overcome this barrier to repair DNA damage in the nucleosome and protect genomic stability is unknown. Here, we determine how the base excision repair (BER) endonuclease AP-endonuclease 1 (APE1) recognizes and cleaves DNA damage in the nucleosome. Kinetic assays determine that APE1 cleaves solvent-exposed AP sites in the nucleosome with 3-6 orders of magnitude higher efficiency than occluded AP sites. A cryo-electron microscopy structure of APE1 bound to a nucleosome containing a solvent-exposed AP site reveal that APE1 uses a DNA sculpting mechanism for AP site recognition, where APE1 bends the nucleosomal DNA to access the AP site. Notably, additional biochemical and structural characterization of occluded AP sites identify contacts between the nucleosomal DNA and histone octamer that prevent efficient processing of the AP site by APE1. These findings provide a rationale for the position-dependent activity of BER proteins in the nucleosome and suggests the ability of BER proteins to sculpt nucleosomal DNA drives efficient BER in chromatin.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2025

Stable hypermutators revealed by the genomic landscape of genes involved in genome stability among yeast species

Mutator phenotypes are short-lived due to the rapid accumulation of deleterious mutations. Yet, recent observations reveal that certain fungi can undergo prolonged accelerated evolution after losing genes involved in DNA repair. Here, we surveyed 1,154 yeast genomes representing nearly all known yeast species of the subphylum Saccharomycotina (phylum Ascomycota) to examine the relationship between reduced gene repertoires broadly associated with genome stability functions (e.g., DNA repair, cell cycle) and elevated evolutionary rates. We identified three distantly related lineages—encompassing 12% of species—that had both the most streamlined sets of genes involved in genome stability (specifically DNA repair) and the highest evolutionary rates in the entire subphylum. Two of these “faster-evolving lineages” (FELs)—a subclade within the order Pichiales and the Wickerhamiella/Starmerella (W/S) clade (order Dipodascales)—are described here for the first time, while the third corresponds to a previously documented Hanseniaspora FEL. Examination of genome stability gene repertoires revealed a set of genes predominantly absent in these three FELs, suggesting a potential role in the observed acceleration of evolutionary rates. In the W/S clade, genomic signatures are consistent with a substantial mutational burden, including pronounced A|T bias and endogenous DNA damage. Interestingly, we found that the W/S clade also contains DNA repair genes possibly acquired through horizontal gene transfer, including a photolyase of bacterial origin. These findings highlight how hypermutators can persist across macroevolutionary timescales, potentially linked to the loss of genes related with genome stability, with horizontal gene transfer as a possible avenue for partial functional compensation.

DNA repair↗

DOE OSTI2021

Preliminary Environmental and Financial Viability Analysis of Circular Economy Scenarios for Satisfying PV System Service Lifetime

PV deployment has grown rapidly in recent decades, and this growth is expected to continue. At the same time, the rapid increase in PV panel efficiencies offers the opportunity to repower/revamp existing installations - replacing operational, lower-efficiency panels before the end of their 30-year service lifetime with newer, higher-efficiency panels. As a result, an increasing volume of PV panels could be decommissioned well before reaching the end of their 30-year service lifetime. Two broad strategies can be applied to manage the expected increase in decommissioned PV panels: (i) recycle prematurely decommissioned panels, and (ii) prevent recycling of these panels by satisfying the typical service lifetime of 30 years through circular economy strategies such as repair and reuse. Each strategy presents an environmental and economic trade-off. Retaining and satisfying the lifetime of the older, lower-efficiency panels avoids environmental burdens from recycling or landfilling but incurs burdens from additional repair and forgoing the opportunity to install newer panels with greater electricity-generation capabilities. This study assesses whether satisfying the expected service lifetime of a PV system through circular economy scenarios generates a greater environmental and financial benefit than recycling used panels and installing newer panels with higher efficiencies. The circular economy scenarios include repair and reuse of the PV system. Specifically, the study determines whether it is better for the environment to keep a PV panel in use for its 30-year service life after accounting for potential repair and additional transportation, or to replace older panels with more efficient new ones. In addition, we explore whether satisfying the service lifetime of PV panels proves competitive with the recycling route from a financial perspective.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

NASA NTRS2019

Predicting Cancer Risk from Ionizing Radiation

The ability to predict cancer risk associated with exposure to low doses of high-LET ionizing radiation (IR) remains a challenge. Epidemiological methods lack the sensitivity and power to provide detailed risk estimates for cancer and ignore individual variance in IR sensitivity. We have hypothesized that DNA repair capacity can be used as a marker to evaluate and differentiate individual radiation sensitivity. More specifically, this work is based on the concept that the combined time-dose dependence of radiation-induced foci (RIF) of p53-binding protein 1 (53BP1) following low-LET exposure contains sufficient information to infer sensitivity to any other LET. Our hypothesis was tested in 15 different mouse strains as well as in primary human immune cells. We first approached individual ionizing radiation sensitivity in a mouse model by culturing primary skin fibroblasts extracted from 76 mice of 15 different genetic backgrounds and exposing them to HZE particles and X-rays. This work is one of the most extensive studies on the kinetics and possible genetic underpinnings of radiation-induced DNA damage and repair. Our results is in agreement with a DNA repair model we previously postulated, where nearby DNA double strand breaks (DSB) in the nucleus are brought together for more efficient repair, leading to RIF clustering. Such mechanism was evidenced by a specific dose and LET dependence of RIF numbers. Briefly, RIF quantification after low-LET X-ray exposure showed an asymptotic saturation for doses between 1 Gy and 4 Gy 4 hours post-irradiation across all 15 strains. The clustering of DSB across all strains also led to more RIF/Gy for lower LET (X-ray and 350 MeV/n Ar) than for higher LET (600 MeV/n Fe) 4 hours post-exposure. Considering the fact that the number of DSB/Gy should be independent of LET, our data suggest there are more DSB in individual RIF as the LET increases. RIF numbers for 24 and 48 hours post-exposure led to the inverse trend, with more remaining RIF/Gy for higher LET (by 600 MeV/n Fe). This result suggests cells have more difficulty resolving RIF from higher LET as they the number DSB/RIF increases. Note that for most conditions, the variance of RIF/Gy was small within individual animals of the same strain and large between strains, suggesting a strong genetics component. Furthermore, we present our preliminary data from an ongoing study on human genetic associations with IR sensitivity. To address the human variability in responses to HZE particle irradiation in a maximally comprehensive manner, we are in the process of collecting and isolating primary blood mononuclear cells from 768 healthy subjects of European descent, 18-75 years of age, 50/50 male/female distribution. We have analyzed 53BP1+ RIF formation as well as oxidative stress and cell death in primary cells from 192 subjects in response to the same HZE particles as used in mice: 600 MeV/n Fe, 350 MeV/n Ar and 350 MeV/n Si, 1.1 and 3 particles/100m2, 4 and 24 hours after irradiation. We will next complete the quantification of HZE particle-induced DNA and cellular damage in the remaining subjects and compare it to their responses to low-LET irradiation. Finally, we will perform GWAS analysis to identify human genomic associations with IR sensitivity and potential targets for biomarker development.

High-LET radiation↗

DOE OSTI2025

Meshfree simulation and prediction of recrystallized grain size in friction stir processed 316L stainless steel

Friction stir processing (FSP) is a promising solid-phase microstructural modification technique that can repair and enhance damaged stainless steel surfaces exposed to harsh environments. The quality of the repaired material is closely correlated to the recrystallized grain size in the stir zone (SZ), which is influenced by the thermomechanical conditions dictated by FSP process parameters. Thus, establishing a reliable relationship between these parameters and recrystallized grain size in the SZ is crucial for optimizing repair quality. However, existing experimental approaches often rely on indirect temperatures measured far from the SZ, along with rough strain rate estimations, which are imprecise and time-consuming. Meanwhile, existing mesh-based modeling methods usually face numerical challenges when dealing with the large material deformations inherent in FSP. Here, to address these issues, this study introduces a meshfree process model for FSP based on the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method, aimed at predicting process conditions under different parameters. The model is validated using experimental data from 11 combinations of tool traverse and rotation speeds on 316 L stainless steel. Correlations between process parameters, material flow, temperature, strain, strain rate, and recrystallized grain size are revealed through SPH simulations and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) imaging. The results show that in situ SZ temperatures range from 1071 to 1322°C, which exceed the tool temperature by over 300°C. Furthermore, SZ temperature, strain rate, and grain size increase monotonically with higher tool temperature and faster traverse speed. A relationship is then established between the model-predicted Zener-Hollomon parameter and the recrystallized grain size based on EBSD data, expressed as ln(d) = -0.364 ln(Z) + 14.673. Finally, this relationship exhibits satisfactory accuracy with errors of less than 26.9% in predicting grain sizes at various SZ locations, which offers valuable insights for optimizing FSP repair processes for 316 L stainless steel.

316L stainless steel↗