First part of a proceedings of a NATO ASI held in Algarve, Portugal, October 13-23, 1991

Springer Book Archives

Radiation Effects on Biological Systems.- Radiation-Induced DNA Lesions in Eukaryotic Cells, Their Repair and Biological Relevance.- Assessment of Heavy Ion Induced DNA Strand Breaks in Mammalian Cells.- Does the Topology of Closed Supercoiled DNA Affect Its Radiation Sensitivity?.- Plasmids as Testsystem for the Detection of DNA Strand Breaks.- High Resolution Gel Electrophoresis Methods for Studying Sequence-Dependence of Radiation Damage and Effects of Radioprotectants in Deoxyoligonucleotides.- Thymine Dimer Formation Mediated by the Photosensitizing Properties of Pharmaceutical Constituents.- The Assay of 2' Deoxyuridine-3' -monophosphate (dUMP) by 3' Phosphorylation and Two Dimensional Thin Layer Chromatography: A Potential Radiation Marker of DNA Damage.- Free-Radical Yields in Proton Irradiation of Oriented DNA: Relationship to Energy Transfer along DNA Chains.- Free Radical Formation in Amino Acids Induced by Heavy Ions.- The Biostack Concept and Its Application in Space and at Accelerators: Studies on Bacillus subtilis Spores.- Biological Action of Single Heavy Ions on Individual Yeast Cells.- Repair of Radiation Induced Genetic Damage under Microgravity: An Experimental Proposal.- DNA Damage Repair and Mutagenesis in Mutants of Escherichia coli.- Neoplastic Transformation Induced by Heavy Ions: Studies on Transformation Efficiencies and Molecular Mechanisms.- On the Mechanism and Consequences of Radiation-Induced Gene Amplification in Mammalian Cells.- Alteration in Lipid Peroxidation in Plant Cells after Accelerated Ion Irradiation.- Tumor Induction in Animals and the Radiation Risk for Man.- Progress in the Extrapolation of Radiation Cataractogenesis Data across Longer-Lived Mammalian Species.- Effects of Linear Energy Transfer on the Formation andFate of Radiation Damage to the Photoreceptor Cell Complement of the Rabbit Retina: Implications for the Projected Manned Mission to Mars.- Effects of Neon Ions, Neutrons and X Rays on Small Intestine.- Mucopolysaccharide Vascular Coating Relationship to Environmental Factors.- An Evaluation of the Relative Behavioral Toxicity of Heavy Particles.- Theoretical Models of Biological Radiation Action.- A Model of Cell Damage in Space Flight.- Concepts of Microdosimetry and Their Applicability to Radiation Protection Problems in Manned Space Missions.- Theoretical Analysis of Heavy Ion Action on Cells: Model-Free Approaches, Consequences for Radiation Protections.- Mathematical Models of Lesion Induction and Repair in Irradiated Cells.- Cell Kinetics and Track Structure.

Space missions subject human beings or any other target of a spacecraft to a radiation environment of an intensity and composition not available on earth. Whereas for missions in low earth orbit (LEO), such as those using the Space Shuttle or Space Station scenario, radiation exposure guidelines have been developed and have been adopted by spacefaring agencies, for exploratory class missions that will take the space travellers outside the protective confines of the geomagnetic field sufficient guidelines for radiation protection are still outstanding. For a piloted Mars mission, the whole concept of radiation protection needs to be reconsidered. Since there is an increasing interest ci many nations and space agencies in establishing a lunar base and lor exploring Mars by manned missions, it is both, timely and important to develop appropriate risk estimates and radiation protection guidelines which will have an influence on the design and structure of space vehicles and habitation areas of the extraterrestrial settlements. This book is the result of a multidisciplinary effort to assess the state of art in our knowledge on the radiation situation during deep space missions and on the impact of this complex radiation environment on the space traveller. ]t comprises the lectures by the faculty members as well as short contributions by the students given at the NATO Advanced Study Institute "Biological Effects and Physics of Solar and Galactic Cosmic Radiation" held in Armacao de Pera, Portugal, 12-23 October, 1991.