Using single-sample networks and genetic algorithms to identify radiation-responsive genes in rice affected by heavy ions of the galactic cosmic radiation with different LET values.

Introduction: Heavy ions of the galactic cosmic radiation dominate the radiation risks and biological effects for plants under spaceflight conditions. However, the biological effects and sensitive genes caused by heavy ions with different linear energy transfer (LET) values have not been thoroughly studied.

Methods: To comprehensively analyze the biological effects of heavy ions with different LET values on rice under spaceflight conditions, we utilized the Shijian-10 recoverable satellite (SJ-10) to transport the dehydrated rice seeds on a 12.

EURADOS project on the impact of the proposed ICRU operational dose quantities.

Following the publication of the joint The International Commissions on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) and on Radiological Protection (ICRP) report on new operational quantities for radiation protection, the European Dosimetry Group (EURADOS) have carried out an initial evaluation. The EURADOS report analyses the impact that the new quantities will have on: radiation protection practice; calibration and reference fields; European and national regulation; international standards and, especially, dosemeter and instrument design. The task group included experienced scientists drawn from across the various EURADOS working groups.

RESPONSE OF THE CZECH RMN NETWORK TO THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY.

Thunderstorm ground enhancement (TGE) is a phenomenon that enhances radiation background on the ground related to thunderstorm activity and charge structure of the thundercloud. On the other hand, the rise of gamma background is connected with precipitation by the washout of radon progeny from the atmosphere. In our analysis, we examined known enhancements of gamma background, previously attributed solely to radon progeny, using data from the Czech Radiation Monitoring Network (RMN) to investigate the enhancements with respect to thunderstorms and TGE phenomena.

Research plans in Europe for radiation health hazard assessment in exploratory space missions.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is currently expanding its efforts in identifying requirements and promoting research towards optimizing radiation protection of astronauts. Space agencies use common limits for tissue (deterministic) effects on the International Space Station. However, the agencies have in place different career radiation exposure limits (for stochastic effects) for astronauts in low-Earth orbit missions.

A Lunar Microbial Survival Model for Predicting the Forward Contamination of the Moon.

The surface conditions on the Moon are extremely harsh with high doses of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation (26.8 W · m UVC/UVB), wide temperature extremes (-171°C to 140°C), low pressure (10 Pa), and high levels of ionizing radiation. External spacecraft surfaces on the Moon are generally >100°C during daylight hours and can reach as high as 140°C at local noon.

Limits of Life and the Habitability of Mars: The ESA Space Experiment BIOMEX on the ISS.

BIOMEX (BIOlogy and Mars EXperiment) is an ESA/Roscosmos space exposure experiment housed within the exposure facility EXPOSE-R2 outside the Zvezda module on the International Space Station (ISS). The design of the multiuser facility supports-among others-the BIOMEX investigations into the stability and level of degradation of space-exposed biosignatures such as pigments, secondary metabolites, and cell surfaces in contact with a terrestrial and Mars analog mineral environment. In parallel, analysis on the viability of the investigated organisms has provided relevant data for evaluation of the habitability of Mars, for the limits of life, and for the likelihood of an interplanetary transfer of life (theory of lithopanspermia).

Increased core body temperature in astronauts during long-duration space missions.

Humans' core body temperature (CBT) is strictly controlled within a narrow range. Various studies dealt with the impact of physical activity, clothing, and environmental factors on CBT regulation under terrestrial conditions. However, the effects of weightlessness on human thermoregulation are not well understood.

The charged particle radiation environment on Mars measured by MSL/RAD from November 15, 2015 to January 15, 2016.

The Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) on board the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover has been measuring the radiation environment in Gale crater on Mars since August, 2012. These first in-situ measurements provide an important data set for assessing the radiation-associated health risks for future manned missions to Mars. Mainly, the radiation field on the Martian surface stems from Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs) and secondary particles created by the GCRs' interactions with the Martian atmosphere and soil.

The radiation environment on the surface of Mars - Summary of model calculations and comparison to RAD data.

The radiation environment at the Martian surface is, apart from occasional solar energetic particle events, dominated by galactic cosmic radiation, secondary particles produced in their interaction with the Martian atmosphere and albedo particles from the Martian regolith. The highly energetic primary cosmic radiation consists mainly of fully ionized nuclei creating a complex radiation field at the Martian surface. This complex field, its formation and its potential health risk posed to astronauts on future manned missions to Mars can only be fully understood using a combination of measurements and model calculations.

Charged particle spectra measured during the transit to Mars with the Mars Science Laboratory Radiation Assessment Detector (MSL/RAD).

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) started its 253-day cruise to Mars on November 26, 2011. During cruise the Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD), situated on board the Curiosity rover, conducted measurements of the energetic-particle radiation environment inside the spacecraft. This environment consists mainly of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs), as well as secondary particles created by interactions of these GCRs with the spacecraft.

Galactic cosmic ray simulation at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory.

Most accelerator-based space radiation experiments have been performed with single ion beams at fixed energies. However, the space radiation environment consists of a wide variety of ion species with a continuous range of energies. Due to recent developments in beam switching technology implemented at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), it is now possible to rapidly switch ion species and energies, allowing for the possibility to more realistically simulate the actual radiation environment found in space.

Radiation Measurements Performed with Active Detectors Relevant for Human Space Exploration.

A reliable radiation risk assessment in space is a mandatory step for the development of countermeasures and long-duration mission planning in human spaceflight. Research in radiobiology provides information about possible risks linked to radiation. In addition, for a meaningful risk evaluation, the radiation exposure has to be assessed to a sufficient level of accuracy.

Space experiment "Cellular Responses to Radiation in Space (CellRad)": Hardware and biological system tests.

One factor contributing to the high uncertainty in radiation risk assessment for long-term space missions is the insufficient knowledge about possible interactions of radiation with other spaceflight environmental factors. Such factors, e.g.

The Survival and Resistance of Halobacterium salinarum NRC-1, Halococcus hamelinensis, and Halococcus morrhuae to Simulated Outer Space Solar Radiation.

Unlabelled: Solar radiation is among the most prominent stress factors organisms face during space travel and possibly on other planets. Our analysis of three different halophilic archaea, namely Halobacterium salinarum NRC-1, Halococcus morrhuae, and Halococcus hamelinensis, which were exposed to simulated solar radiation in either dried or liquid state, showed tremendous differences in tolerance and survivability. We found that Hcc.

Measurements of the neutron spectrum in transit to Mars on the Mars Science Laboratory.

The Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft, containing the Curiosity rover, was launched to Mars on 26 November 2011. Although designed for measuring the radiation on the surface of Mars, the Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) measured the radiation environment inside the spacecraft during most of the 253-day, 560-million-kilometer cruise to Mars. An important factor for determining the biological impact of the radiation environment inside the spacecraft is the specific contribution of neutrons with their high biological effectiveness.

Overview of the Liulin type instruments for space radiation measurement and their scientific results.

Ionizing radiation is recognized to be one of the main health concerns for humans in the space radiation environment. Estimation of space radiation effects on health requires the accurate knowledge of the accumulated absorbed dose, which depends on the global space radiation distribution, solar cycle and local shielding generated by the 3D mass distribution of the space vehicle. This paper presents an overview of the spectrometer-dosimeters of the Liulin type, which were developed in the late 1980s and have been in use since then.

Constitutive expression of tdTomato protein as a cytotoxicity and proliferation marker for space radiation biology.

The radiation risk assessment for long-term space missions requires knowledge on the biological effectiveness of different space radiation components, e.g. heavy ions, on the interaction of radiation and other space environmental factors such as microgravity, and on the physical and biological dose distribution in the human body.

MSL-RAD radiation environment measurements.

In this study, results are presented from the on-board radiation assessment detector (RAD) of Mars Science Laboratory (MSL). RAD is designed to measure the energetic particle radiation environment, which consists of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) and solar energetic particles (SEPs) as well as secondary particles created by nuclear interactions of primary particles in the shielding (during cruise) or Martian soil and atmosphere (surface measurements). During the cruise, RAD collected data on space radiation from inside the craft, thus allowing for a reasonable estimation of what a human crew travelling to/from Mars might be exposed to.

NUNDO: a numerical model of a human torso phantom and its application to effective dose equivalent calculations for astronauts at the ISS.

The health effects of cosmic radiation on astronauts need to be precisely quantified and controlled. This task is important not only in perspective of the increasing human presence at the International Space Station (ISS), but also for the preparation of safe human missions beyond low earth orbit. From a radiation protection point of view, the baseline quantity for radiation risk assessment in space is the effective dose equivalent.

Imaging of nuclear factor κB activation induced by ionizing radiation in human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells.

Ionizing radiation modulates several signaling pathways resulting in transcription factor activation. Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) is one of the most important transcription factors that respond to changes in the environment of a mammalian cell. NF-κB plays a key role not only in inflammation and immune regulation but also in cellular radiation response.

Characterization of the secondary neutron field produced during treatment of an anthropomorphic phantom with x-rays, protons and carbon ions.

Short- and long-term side effects following the treatment of cancer with radiation are strongly related to the amount of dose deposited to the healthy tissue surrounding the tumor. The characterization of the radiation field outside the planned target volume is the first step for estimating health risks, such as developing a secondary radioinduced malignancy. In ion and high-energy photon treatments, the major contribution to the dose deposited in the far-out-of-field region is given by neutrons, which are produced by nuclear interaction of the primary radiation with the beam line components and the patient's body.

Mars' surface radiation environment measured with the Mars Science Laboratory's Curiosity rover.

The Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) on the Mars Science Laboratory's Curiosity rover began making detailed measurements of the cosmic ray and energetic particle radiation environment on the surface of Mars on 7 August 2012. We report and discuss measurements of the absorbed dose and dose equivalent from galactic cosmic rays and solar energetic particles on the martian surface for ~300 days of observations during the current solar maximum. These measurements provide insight into the radiation hazards associated with a human mission to the surface of Mars and provide an anchor point with which to model the subsurface radiation environment, with implications for microbial survival times of any possible extant or past life, as well as for the preservation of potential organic biosignatures of the ancient martian environment.

Bacillus subtilis RecA and its accessory factors, RecF, RecO, RecR and RecX, are required for spore resistance to DNA double-strand break.

Bacillus subtilis RecA is important for spore resistance to DNA damage, even though spores contain a single non-replicating genome. We report that inactivation of RecA or its accessory factors, RecF, RecO, RecR and RecX, drastically reduce survival of mature dormant spores to ultrahigh vacuum desiccation and ionizing radiation that induce single strand (ss) DNA nicks and double-strand breaks (DSBs). The presence of non-cleavable LexA renders spores less sensitive to DSBs, and spores impaired in DSB recognition or end-processing show sensitivities to X-rays similar to wild-type.

The MATROSHKA experiment: results and comparison from extravehicular activity (MTR-1) and intravehicular activity (MTR-2A/2B) exposure.

Astronauts working and living in space are exposed to considerably higher doses and different qualities of ionizing radiation than people on Earth. The multilateral MATROSHKA (MTR) experiment, coordinated by the German Aerospace Center, represents the most comprehensive effort to date in radiation protection dosimetry in space using an anthropomorphic upper-torso phantom used for radiotherapy treatment planning. The anthropomorphic upper-torso phantom maps the radiation distribution as a simulated human body installed outside (MTR-1) and inside different compartments (MTR-2A: Pirs; MTR-2B: Zvezda) of the Russian Segment of the International Space Station.