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NASA NTRS1999

10 000-hr Cyclic Oxidation Behavior of 68 High-Temperature Co-, Fe-, and Ni- Base Alloys Evaluated at 982 deg. C (1800 deg. F)

Power systems with operating temperatures in the range of 815 to 982 C (1500 to 1800 F) frequently require alloys that can operate for long times at these temperatures. A critical requirement is that these alloys have adequate oxidation resistance. The alloys used in these power systems require thousands of hours of operating life with intermittent shutdown to room temperature. Intermittent power plant shutdowns, however, offer the possibility that the protective scale will tend to spall (i.e., crack and flake off) upon cooling, increasing the rate of oxidative attack in subsequent heating cycles. Thus, it is critical that candidate alloys be evaluated for cyclic oxidation behavior. It was determined that exposing test alloys to ten 1000-hr cycles in static air at 982 10 000-hr Cyclic Oxidation Behavior of 68 High-Temperature Co-, Fe-, and Ni-Base Alloys Evaluated at 982 C (1800 F) could give a reasonable simulation of long-time power plant operation. Iron- (Fe-), nickel- (Ni-), and cobalt- (Co-) based high-temperature alloys with sufficient chromium (Cr) and/or aluminum (Al) content can exhibit excellent oxidation resistance. The protective oxides formed by these classes of alloys are typically Cr2O3 and/or Al2O3, and are usually influenced by their Cr, or Cr and Al, content. Sixty-eight Co-, Fe-, and Ni-base high-temperature alloys, typical of those used at this temperature or higher, were used in this study. At the NASA Lewis Research Center, the alloys were tested and compared on the basis of their weight change as a function of time, x-ray diffraction of the protective scale composition, and the physical appearance of the exposed samples. Although final appearance and x-ray diffraction of the final scale products were two factors used to evaluate the oxidation resistance of each alloy, the main criterion was the oxidation kinetics inferred from the specific weight change versus time data. These data indicated a range of oxidation behavior including parabolic (typical of isothermal oxidation), paralinear, linear, and mixed-linear kinetics.

Barrett, Charles A.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Fixed order compensator design based on frequency shaped cost functionals

This paper treats the design of fixed order compensators using frequency shaped cost functionals. The formulation is done in an output feedback setting which exploits an observer canonical form to represent the compensator dynamics. The major advantages of the design approach are that the order of the compensator is fixed by the design process, and it is not necessary to realize the frequency shaping dynamics as an integral part of the compensator design. This avoids the two-step approach of full state feedback design followed by the design of an observer, which in the case of a full order observer requires a compensator of order n + nf where n is the order of the plant and nf is the order of the frequency shaping realization. The formulation also precludes the use of direct feedback of the plant output, thus reducing the effect of sensor noise and improving the robustness to high frequency unmodeled dynamics. A structural vibration model describing the fast dynamics of a lightweight flexible arm is used as an example to illustrate the design procedure.

Calise, Anthony J.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Growth and Metabolism of the Green Alga, Chlorella Pyrenoidosa, in Simulated Microgravity

The effect of microgravity on living organisms during space flight has been a topic of interest for some time, and a substantial body of knowledge on the subject has accumulated. Despite this, comparatively little information is available regarding the influence of microgravity on algae, even though it has been suggested for long duration flight or occupancy in space that plant growth systems, including both higher plants and algae, are likely to be necessary for bioregenerative life support systems. High-Aspect-Ratio Rotating-Wall Vessel or HARV bioreactors developed at Johnson Space Center provide a laboratory-based approach to investigating the effects of microgravity on cellular reactions. In this study, the HARV bioreactor was used to examine the influence of simulated microgravity on the growth and metabolism of the green alga, Chlorella pyrenoidosa. After the first 2 days of culture, cell numbers increased more slowly in simulated microgravity than in the HARV gravity control; after 7 days, growth in simulated microgravity was just over half (58%) that of the gravity control and at 14 days it was less than half (42%). Chlorophyll and protein were also followed as indices of cell competence and function; as with growth, after 2-3 days, protein and chlorophyll levels were reduced in modeled microgravity compared to gravity controls. Photosynthesis is a sensitive biochemical index of the fitness of photosynthetic organisms; thus, CO2-dependent O2 evolution was tested as a measure of photosynthetic capacity of cells grown in simulated microgravity. When data were expressed with respect to cell number, modeled microgravity appeared to have little effect on CO2 fixation. Thus, even though the overall growth rate was lower for cells cultured in microgravity, the photosynthetic capacity of the cells appears to be unaffected. Cells grown in simulated microgravity formed loose clumps or aggregates within about 2 days of culture, with aggregation increasing over time. Presently, the basis for, or significance of, the cell aggregation is unknown. The results from this study suggest that cell growth and morphological characteristics of green algae may be altered by culture in simulated microgravity. The data obtained to date should provide a solid basis for additional experimentation regarding the influence of modeled microgravity on cell morphology, physiological activity, protein production and possibly gene expression in algal and plant cell systems. The final aim of the study is to provide useful information to elucidate the underlying mechanism for the biological effects of microgravity on cells.

Mills, W. Ronald↗

NASA NTRS1996

Man-Machine Interaction Design and Analysis System (MIDAS): Memory Representation and Procedural Implications for Airborne Communication Modalities

The Man-Machine Interaction Design and Analysis System (MIDAS) has been under development for the past ten years through a joint US Army and NASA cooperative agreement. MIDAS represents multiple human operators and selected perceptual, cognitive, and physical functions of those operators as they interact with simulated systems. MIDAS has been used as an integrated predictive framework for the investigation of human/machine systems, particularly in situations with high demands on the operators. Specific examples include: nuclear power plant crew simulation, military helicopter flight crew response, and police force emergency dispatch. In recent applications to airborne systems development, MIDAS has demonstrated an ability to predict flight crew decision-making and procedural behavior when interacting with automated flight management systems and Air Traffic Control. In this paper we describe two enhancements to MIDAS. The first involves the addition of working memory in the form of an articulatory buffer for verbal communication protocols and a visuo-spatial buffer for communications via digital datalink. The second enhancement is a representation of multiple operators working as a team. This enhanced model was used to predict the performance of human flight crews and their level of compliance with commercial aviation communication procedures. We show how the data produced by MIDAS compares with flight crew performance data from full mission simulations. Finally, we discuss the use of these features to study communications issues connected with aircraft-based separation assurance.

Corker, Kevin M.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Molecular regulation of plant cell wall extensibility

Gravity responses in plants often involve spatial and temporal changes in cell growth, which is regulated primarily by controlling the ability of the cell wall to extend. The wall is thought to be a cellulose-hemicellulose network embedded in a hydrated matrix of complex polysaccharides and a small amount of structural protein. The wall extends by a form of polymer creep, which is mediated by expansins, a novel group of wall-loosening proteins. Expansins were discovered during a molecular dissection of the "acid growth" behavior of cell walls. Expansin alters the rheology of plant walls in profound ways, yet its molecular mechanism of action is still uncertain. It lacks detectable hydrolytic activity against the major components of the wall, but it is able to disrupt noncovalent adhesion between wall polysaccharides. The discovery of a second family of expansins (beta-expansins) sheds light on the biological role of a major group of pollen allergens and implies that expansins have evolved for diverse developmental functions. Finally, the contribution of other processes to wall extensibility is briefly summarized.

Review↗

NASA NTRS1995

Use of AIRSAR to identify woody shrub invasion and other indicators of desertification in the Jornada LTER

The replacement of semidesert grassland by woody shrubland is a widespread form of desertification. This change in physiognomy and species composition tends to sharply reduce the productivity of the land for grazing by domestic livestock, increase soil erosion and reduce soil fertility, and greatly alter many other aspects of ecosystem structure and functioning. Remote sensing methods are needed to assess and monitor shrubland encroachment. Detection of woody shrubs at low density would provide a particularly useful baseline on which to access changes, because an initially low shrub density often tends to increase even after cessation of the disturbance (e.g., overgrazing, drought, or fire suppression) responsible for triggering the initial stages of the invasion (Grover and Musick, 1990). Limited success has been achieved using optical remote sensing. In contrast to other forms of desertification, biomass does not consistently decrease with a shift from grassland to shrubland. Estimation of green vegetation amount (e.g., by NDVI) is thus of limited utility, unless the shrubs and herbaceous plants differ consistently in phenology and the area can be viewed during a season when only one of these is green. The objective of this study was to determine if the potential sensitivity of active microwave remote sensing to vegetation structure could be used to assess the degree of shrub invasion of grassland. Polarimetric Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR) data were acquired for a semiarid site containing varied mixtures of shrubs and herbaceous vegetation and compared with ground observations of vegetation type and other landsurface characteristics. In this preliminary report we examine the response of radar backscatter intensity to shrub density. The response of other multipolarization parameters will be examined in future work.

Musick, H. Brad↗

NASA NTRS2001

The effect of a microgravity (space) environment on the expression of expansins from the peg and root tissues of Cucumis sativus

In young cucumber seedlings, the peg is a polar outgrowth of tissue that functions by snagging the seed coat, thereby freeing the cotyledons. The development of the peg is thought to be gravity-dependent and has become a model system for plant-gravity response. Peg development requires rapid cell expansion, a process thought to be catalyzed by alpha-expansins, and thus was a good system to identify expansins that were regulated by gravity. This study identified 7 new alpha-expansin cDNAs from cucumber seedlings (Cucumis sativus L. cv Burpee Hybrid II) and examined their expression patterns. Two alpha-expansins (CsExp3 and CsExp4) were more highly expressed in the peg and the root. Earlier reports stated that pegs tend not to form in the absence of gravity, so the expression levels were compared in the pegs of seedlings grown in space (STS-95), on a clinostat, and on earth (1 g). Pegs were observed to form at high frequency on clinostat and space-grown seedlings, yet on clinostats there was more than a 4-fold reduction in the expression of CsExp3 in the pegs of seedlings grown on clinostats vs. those grown at 1 g, while the CsExp4 gene appeared to be turned off (below detection limits). There were no detectable differences in expansin gene expression levels for the pegs of seedlings grown in space or in the orbiter environmental simulator (OES) (1 g) at NASA. The microgravity environment did not affect the expression of CsExp3 or CsExp4, and the clinostat did not simulate the microgravity environment well.

manned↗

NASA NTRS1990

Unique cell culture systems for ground based research

The horizontally rotating fluid-filled, membrane oxygenated bioreactors developed at NASA Johnson for spacecraft applications provide a powerful tool for ground-based research. Three-dimensional aggregates formed by cells cultured on microcarrier beads are useful for study of cell-cell interactions and tissue development. By comparing electron micrographs of plant seedlings germinated during Shuttle flight 61-C and in an earth-based rotating bioreactor it is shown that some effects of microgravity are mimicked. Bioreactors used in the UAH Bioreactor Laboratory will make it possible to determine some of the effects of altered gravity at the cellular level. Bioreactors can be valuable for performing critical, preliminary-to-spaceflight experiments as well as medical investigations such as in vitro tumor cell growth and chemotherapeutic drug response; the enrichment of stem cells from bone marrow; and the effect of altered gravity on bone and muscle cell growth and function and immune response depression.

Lewis, Marian L.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Growing crops for space explorers on the moon, Mars, or in space

An option in the long-duration exploration of space, whether on the Moon or Mars or in a spacecraft on its way to Mars or the asteroids, is to utilize a bioregenerative life-support system in addition to the physicochemical systems that will always be necessary. Green plants can use the energy of light to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and add oxygen to it while at the same time synthesizing food for the space travelers. The water that crop plants transpire can be condensed in pure form, contributing to the water purification system. An added bonus is that green plants provide a familiar environment for humans far from their home planet. The down side is that such a bioregenerative life-support system--called a controlled environment life-support system (CELSS) in this paper--must be highly complex and relatively massive to maintain a proper composition of the atmosphere while also providing food. Thus, launch costs will be high. Except for resupply and removal of nonrecycleable substances, such a system is nearly closed with respect to matter but open with respect to energy. Although a CELSS facility is small compared to the Earth's biosphere, it must be large enough to feed humans and provide a suitable atmosphere for them. A functioning CELSS can only be created with the help of today's advanced technology, especially computerized controls. Needed are energy for light, possibly from a nuclear power plant, and equipment to provide a suitable environment for plant growth, including a way to supply plants with the necessary mineral nutrients. All this constitutes the biomass production unit. There must also be food preparation facilities and a means to recycle or dispose of waste materials and there must be control equipment to keep the facility running. Humans are part of the system as well as plants and possibly animals. Human brain power will often be needed to keep the system functional in spite of the best computer-driven controls. The particulars of a CELSS facility depend strongly on where it is to be located. The presence of gravity on the Moon and Mars simplifies the design for a facility on those bodies, but a spacecraft in microgravity is a much more challenging environment. One problem is that plants, which are very sensitive to gravity, might not grow and produce food in the virtual absence of gravity. However, the experience with growing super-dwarf wheat in the Russian space station Mir, while not entirely successful because of the sterile wheat heads, was highly encouraging. The plants grew well for 123 days, producing more biomass than had been produced in space before. This was due to the high photon flux available to the plants and the careful control of substrate moisture. The sterile heads were probably due to the failure to remove the gaseous plant hormone, ethylene, from the Mir atmosphere. Since ethylene can easily be removed, it should be possible to grow wheat and other crops in microgravity with the production of viable seeds. On the ground Biosphere-2 taught us several lessons about the design and construction of a CELSS facility, but Bios-3 came much closer to achieving the goals of such a facility. Although stability was never completely reached, Bios-3 was much more stable than Biosphere-2 apparently because every effort was made to keep the system simple and to use the best technology available to maintain control. Wastes were not recycled in Bios-3 except for urine, and inedible plant materials were incinerated to restore CO2 to the atmosphere. Since much meat (about 20% of calories) was imported, closure in the Bios-3 experiments was well below 100%. But then, a practical CELSS on the Moon might also depend on regular resupply from Earth. Several important lessons have been learned from the CELSS research described in this review.

Review↗

NASA NTRS1995

Damage-mitigating control of a reusable rocket engine for high performance and extended life

The goal of damage mitigating control in reusable rocket engines is to achieve high performance with increased durability of mechanical structures such that functional lives of the critical components are increased. The major benefit is an increase in structural durability with no significant loss of performance. This report investigates the feasibility of damage mitigating control of reusable rocket engines. Phenomenological models of creep and thermo-mechanical fatigue damage have been formulated in the state-variable setting such that these models can be combined with the plant model of a reusable rocket engine, such as the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME), for synthesizing an optimal control policy. Specifically, a creep damage model of the main thrust chamber wall is analytically derived based on the theories of sandwich beam and viscoplasticity. This model characterizes progressive bulging-out and incremental thinning of the coolant channel ligament leading to its eventual failure by tensile rupture. The objective is to generate a closed form solution of the wall thin-out phenomenon in real time where the ligament geometry is continuously updated to account for the resulting deformation. The results are in agreement with those obtained from the finite element analyses and experimental observation for both Oxygen Free High Conductivity (OFHC) copper and a copper-zerconium-silver alloy called NARloy-Z. Due to its computational efficiency, this damage model is suitable for on-line applications of life prediction and damage mitigating control, and also permits parametric studies for off-line synthesis of damage mitigating control systems. The results are presented to demonstrate the potential of life extension of reusable rocket engines via damage mitigating control. The control system has also been simulated on a testbed to observe how the damage at different critical points can be traded off without any significant loss of engine performance. The research work reported here is built upon concepts derived from the disciplines of Controls, Thermo-fluids, Structures, and Materials. The concept of damage mitigation, as presented in this report, is not restricted to control of rocket engines. It can be applied to any system where structural durability is an important issue.

Ray, Asok↗

NASA NTRS2015

Simulation of DNA Damage in Human Cells from Space Radiation Using a Physical Model of Stochastic Particle Tracks and Chromosomes

The formation of double-strand breaks (DSBs) and chromosomal aberrations (CAs) is of great importance in radiation research and, specifically, in space applications. We are presenting a recently developed model, in which chromosomes simulated by NASARTI (NASA Radiation Tracks Image) is combined with nanoscopic dose calculations performed with the Monte-Carlo simulation by RITRACKS (Relativistic Ion Tracks) in a voxelized space. The model produces the number of DSBs, as a function of dose for high-energy iron, oxygen, and carbon ions, and He ions. The combined model calculates yields of radiation-induced CAs and unrejoined chromosome breaks in normal and repair deficient cells. The merged computational model is calibrated using the relative frequencies and distributions of chromosomal aberrations reported in the literature. The model considers fractionated deposition of energy to approximate dose rates of the space flight environment. The merged model also predicts of the yields and sizes of translocations, dicentrics, rings, and more complex-type aberrations formed in the G0/G1 cell cycle phase during the first cell division after irradiation.

Ponomarev, Artem↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

CyanoSCape: Freshwater Phytoplankton and Floating Aquatic Vegetation Biodiversity

In Southern Africa, the impacts of anthropogenic activities on biodiversity and ecosystem services are exacerbated by the climate crisis. Rapid land use change and the lack of emphasis on environmentally sustainable agricultural practices has hindered hydrological processes and compromised riverine and aquatic ecosystems. This poses obvious risks to natural/indigenous aquatic biodiversity and long-term ecosystem sustainability. Phytoplankton serve as the foundation of the freshwater food web with zooplankton as consumers, which feed fish, invertebrates, and so on up the food chain that comprises the biodiversity of the freshwater system that serves as habitat for biodiversity as well. The diversity of phytoplankton (microscopic organisms) includes photosynthesizing bacteria (cyanobacteria), plant-like diatoms, dinoflagellates, and green algae. Nutrient run-off from agricultural fertilizers and urban overflows, warm temperatures, abundant light availability and compromised hydrological systems provide an ideal environment for cyanobacteria to flourish. Increased prevalence of cyanobacteria, due to both natural and anthropogenic causes, can incur significant effects on the biodiversity of the overall phytoplankton assemblage. These bloom forming algae can significantly outcompete other phytoplankton classes in warmer and eutrophic waters where they are quick to dominate the freshwater system. Eutrophication and toxic cyanobacteria blooms (cyanoHABs) in the inland waters of the Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR) incur significant effects on the biodiversity of the overall phytoplankton assemblage and provide a favorable environment forthe overgrowth of floating aquatic vegetation (FAV), which is often invasive and associated with reduced aquatic biodiversity. The algal biodiversity of the GCFR’s freshwater systems is not well characterized. Hyperspectral optical observations are expected to facilitate the improvement of current phytoplankton functional type retrievals significantly, as the sensitivity is sufficient that the distinctive, fine spectral features of different phytoplankton groups can be detected. This will enable testing emerging algorithms and inform the development of new algorithms for use with upcoming hyperspectral satellite missions in this decade. Innovations in optical sensor sensitivity and next generation machine learning capabilities considerably enhance the potential for accurate and rapid detection of phytoplankton, namely the presence, extent, and diversity of cyanobacteria present in cyanoHABs and additionally, invasive FAV. Upcoming hyperspectral satellite missions such as NASA’s Surface Biology and Geology (SBG), Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE), and the European Space Agency’s Copernicus Hyperspectral Imaging Mission (CHIME) will provide imagery with unprecedented spectral and spatial resolution which will further enable the discovery of linkages between the seasonality and dynamics of HABs and FAV. The overarching goal of this project is to utilize hyperspectral data, with recently developed and next-generation algorithms, to determine the biodiversity of freshwater systems phytoplankton assemblage with emphasis on genus level distinction, as well as monitor the prevalence and diversity of FAV.

CyanoSCape↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Evaluating Diurnal Ozone Emissions: A Comparative Analysis of DSCOVR EPIC, PANDORA, and TOLNet Data for Space-Based Monitoring Assessment: A Case Study by ASDC

Stratospheric ozone occurs naturally in the upper atmosphere, forming a protective layer that shields us from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. Tropospheric ozone is not emitted directly into the air but is created by chemical reactions between nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC). This reaction happens when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants, and other sources chemically react in sunlight [1]. Therefore, increased levels of tropospheric ozone indicate the presence of pollutants in the air. While daily anthropogenic activity causes an increase of ground-level ozone, variation of stratospheric ozone changes happens much slower, so that variation of the total ozone column reflects the variation of the tropospheric column due to natural, e.g., wildfires and anthropogenic air pollution. Both total and tropospheric ozone column products are used in this study. The reflectance spectra measured by the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) instrument aboard the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) spacecraft are compared with a set of radiative transfer-derived lookup tables for the EPIC filter transmission functions and a wide range of ozone values to retrieve ozone with a maximum resolution of 18 km at the sub-satellite point [2]. EPIC provides total column ozone in level 2 and level 4 products and tropospheric column ozone in level 4 products. Both EPIC Ozone products [2] are available at the Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC) at NASA Langley Research Center [3, 4]. Pandora spectrometer instrument measures columnar amounts of trace gases in the atmosphere. These gases (O3, NO2, CH2O) absorb light from the sun at specific wavelengths in the ultraviolet-visible spectrum [5]. Using the theoretical solar spectrum as a reference, Pandora determines trace gas amounts using differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS). Pandora ozone retrievals are available from the Pandonia Global Network [6]. Pandora data from North American major metropolitan areas, New York, NY, Washington DC, Los Angeles, CA, and Mexico City. Tropospheric Ozone Lidar Network (TOLNet) was established in 2012 to provide high spatiotemporal observations of tropospheric ozone to (1) better understand physical processes driving the ozone budget in various meteorological and environmental conditions and (2) validate the tropospheric ozone measurements of space-borne missions [7]. TOLNet data are available at ASDC [8]. While EPIC provides global coverage of ozone retrievals several times daily, temporal resolution may miss some features in daily ozone variations. Ground-based sensors such as Pandora spectrometers and TOLNet lidars provide better temporal resolution while missing continuous spatial coverage. The forthcoming ozone retrieval from the TEMPO mission [9] will provide better spatial and temporal coverage of air quality (including ozone) over North America. This study investigates whether EPIC ozone products can detect diurnal air quality variations and compare ozone temporal development with retrieval by ground-based instruments.

diurnal ozone emissions, DSCOVR EPIC, PANDORA, spa↗

NASA NTRS1995

Expendable launch vehicle studies

Analytical support studies of expendable launch vehicles concentrate on the stability of the dynamics during launch especially during or near the region of maximum dynamic pressure. The in-plane dynamic equations of a generic launch vehicle with multiple flexible bending and fuel sloshing modes are developed and linearized. The information from LeRC about the grids, masses, and modes is incorporated into the model. The eigenvalues of the plant are analyzed for several modeling factors: utilizing diagonal mass matrix, uniform beam assumption, inclusion of aerodynamics, and the interaction between the aerodynamics and the flexible bending motion. Preliminary PID, LQR, and LQG control designs with sensor and actuator dynamics for this system and simulations are also conducted. The initial analysis for comparison of PD (proportional-derivative) and full state feedback LQR Linear quadratic regulator) shows that the split weighted LQR controller has better performance than that of the PD. In order to meet both the performance and robustness requirements, the H(sub infinity) robust controller for the expendable launch vehicle is developed. The simulation indicates that both the performance and robustness of the H(sub infinity) controller are better than that for the PID and LQG controllers. The modelling and analysis support studies team has continued development of methodology, using eigensensitivity analysis, to solve three classes of discrete eigenvalue equations. In the first class, the matrix elements are non-linear functions of the eigenvector. All non-linear periodic motion can be cast in this form. Here the eigenvector is comprised of the coefficients of complete basis functions spanning the response space and the eigenvalue is the frequency. The second class of eigenvalue problems studied is the quadratic eigenvalue problem. Solutions for linear viscously damped structures or viscoelastic structures can be reduced to this form. Particular attention is paid to Maxwell and Kelvin models. The third class of problems consists of linear eigenvalue problems in which the elements of the mass and stiffness matrices are stochastic. dynamic structural response for which the parameters are given by probabilistic distribution functions, rather than deterministic values, can be cast in this form. Solutions for several problems in each class will be presented.

Bainum, Peter M.↗

NASA NTRS2017

Vascular Patterning Analysis by VESGEN 2D/3D with Bioinformatics: Updates for Rodent Tissues

Fractally branching vascular systems are a complex physiological requirement shared by humans with all higher terrestrial life forms, including other vertebrates, insects, and higher land plants. Vascular trees, networks, and tree-network composites are therefore mapped and quantified by the VESsel GENeration Analysis (VESGEN) software according to weighted physiological vascular rules that include vessel connectivity, tapering and bifurcational branching. According to fluid dynamics, successful vascular transport depends upon a complex distributed system of highly regulated laminar flow. VESGEN has elucidated changes in vascular patterning resulting from inflammatory, developmental and other signaling pathways within numerous tissues of major model organisms important for Space Biology, especially for rodents. Important early stage regenerative opportunities have been identified by VESGEN vascular analysis for visual impairments in the human retina, and is currently being used for research into astronaut visual and ocular disorders associated with long duration missions. The VESGEN 2D software is a mature, automated, widely published capability for which beta testing and public release by NASA is planned for the upcoming year. Early-stage capabilities for VESGEN 3D analysis are under development for the rodent retina and intestine as prototype tissues. A prototype VESGEN 2D Bioinformatics software capability has also been developed to associate phenotypic changes in molecular expression with vascular structure and function. By new VESGEN bioinformatic innovations, expression patterns of the genetic, transcriptional, protein and other markers for regulatory molecules such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and their receptors, often indicators of tissue oxygenation status, are co-localized with alterations in vascular pattern. Biomarkers are therefore mapped and quantified as information dimensions directly correlated with the spatial dimensions of a vascular pattern. Further important technology innovations by NASA include substantial image segmentation advances for more automated binary extraction of the grayscale vascular patterns, together with informative associated image quality assessments. Vascular mapping and quantification capabilities for the rodent retina and intestine are illustrated for VESGEN 2D, along with technology status reports on VESGEN 3D and Bioinformatic capabilities. Research partially supported by Ames Center Innovation Awards.

Parsons-Wingerter, P.↗

NASA NTRS2014

A Radiation Chemistry Code Based on the Greens Functions of the Diffusion Equation

Ionizing radiation produces several radiolytic species such as.OH, e-aq, and H. when interacting with biological matter. Following their creation, radiolytic species diffuse and chemically react with biological molecules such as DNA. Despite years of research, many questions on the DNA damage by ionizing radiation remains, notably on the indirect effect, i.e. the damage resulting from the reactions of the radiolytic species with DNA. To simulate DNA damage by ionizing radiation, we are developing a step-by-step radiation chemistry code that is based on the Green's functions of the diffusion equation (GFDE), which is able to follow the trajectories of all particles and their reactions with time. In the recent years, simulations based on the GFDE have been used extensively in biochemistry, notably to simulate biochemical networks in time and space and are often used as the "gold standard" to validate diffusion-reaction theories. The exact GFDE for partially diffusion-controlled reactions is difficult to use because of its complex form. Therefore, the radial Green's function, which is much simpler, is often used. Hence, much effort has been devoted to the sampling of the radial Green's functions, for which we have developed a sampling algorithm This algorithm only yields the inter-particle distance vector length after a time step; the sampling of the deviation angle of the inter-particle vector is not taken into consideration. In this work, we show that the radial distribution is predicted by the exact radial Green's function. We also use a technique developed by Clifford et al. to generate the inter-particle vector deviation angles, knowing the inter-particle vector length before and after a time step. The results are compared with those predicted by the exact GFDE and by the analytical angular functions for free diffusion. This first step in the creation of the radiation chemistry code should help the understanding of the contribution of the indirect effect in the formation of DNA damage and double-strand breaks.

Plante, Ianik↗

NASA NTRS2014

Simulations of DSB Yields and Radiation-induced Chromosomal Aberrations in Human Cells Based on the Stochastic Track Structure Induced by HZE Particles

The formation of double‐strand breaks (DSBs) and chromosomal aberrations (CAs) is of great importance in radiation research and, specifically, in space applications. We are presenting a new particle track and DNA damage model, in which the particle stochastic track structure is combined with the random walk (RW) structure of chromosomes in a cell nucleus. The motivation for this effort stems from the fact that the model with the RW chromosomes, NASARTI (NASA radiation track image) previously relied on amorphous track structure, while the stochastic track structure model RITRACKS (Relativistic Ion Tracks) was focused on more microscopic targets than the entire genome. We have combined chromosomes simulated by RWs with stochastic track structure, which uses nanoscopic dose calculations performed with the Monte‐Carlo simulation by RITRACKS in a voxelized space. The new simulations produce the number of DSBs as function of dose and particle fluence for high‐energy particles, including iron, carbon and protons, using voxels of 20 nm dimension. The combined model also calculates yields of radiation‐induced CAs and unrejoined chromosome breaks in normal and repair deficient cells. The joined computational model is calibrated using the relative frequencies and distributions of chromosomal aberrations reported in the literature. The model considers fractionated deposition of energy to approximate dose rates of the space flight environment. The joined model also predicts of the yields and sizes of translocations, dicentrics, rings, and more complex‐type aberrations formed in the G0/G1 cell cycle phase during the first cell division after irradiation. We found that the main advantage of the joined model is our ability to simulate small doses: 0.05‐0.5 Gy. At such low doses, the stochastic track structure proved to be indispensable, as the action of individual delta‐rays becomes more important.

Ponomarev, Artem↗

NASA NTRS2014

Simulations of DSB Yields and Radiation-induced Chromosomal Aberrations in Human Cells Based on the Stochastic Track Structure iIduced by HZE Particles

Ponomarev, Artem↗