Category: 3. Business

After 10–15 years of service, preventive maintenance requirements from the original equipment manufacturer called for a thorough inspection of the last-stage (L-0) blades of the turbine rotors, a task that typically means removing each blade to check for stress-corrosion cracking. Anticipating this work, Constellation benchmarked a utility that did just that: remove, inspect, and reinstall every 200-pound blade during a refueling outage.

But Constellation’s corporate turbine engineering and turbine services teams also pursued an alternative procedure first validated by the Electric Power Research Institute: phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT). Using this method, the blades can stay in place while ultrasonic nondestructive examination (NDE) is used to scan and inspect the blades and their “root and steeple” attachment area.

Constellation decided to implement PAUT for its Alstom turbines, starting with Quad Cities-2, where three Alstom ND48 low-pressure turbines were inspected during a refueling outage in spring 2024, saving five days on the outage critical path schedule relative to a traditional turbine inspection. That initial project led the way for similar work at Quad Cities-1 in early 2025 and at Dresden-2 and Peach Bottom-3 this fall. Over a total of six outages at three plants—with only the Dresden-3 and Peach Bottom-2 inspections yet to perform—cost and labor savings could amount to over $50 million and 18 critical path days.

The Quad Cities PAUT inspections were recognized with a 2025 Top Innovative Practice award from the Nuclear Energy Institute and a 2024 Technology Transfer Award from EPRI, and proved that the PAUT technique can save time and labor while verifying low-pressure turbine integrity. Because the blades stay in place, PAUT has the added benefit of avoiding the possibility of accidental damage of the blades or rotors during handling.

Proof of concept

Constellation and several other utilities joined forces with EPRI in 2018 to assess the potential for using PAUT for turbine inspections, and EPRI program manager Eric Prescott developed a technical program to evaluate the technique.

First, EPRI performed a 3D scan of a spare rotor and spare blades at Pacific Gas & Electric’s Diablo Canyon nuclear plant to develop a simulation for an ultrasonic inspection of the components. From that scan, EPRI manufactured a set of 3D replicas—or calibration blocks—of the rotor blades and blade attachment areas.

Small pits were introduced in the smooth metal of the calibration blocks using electrode discharge machining to simulate the flaws that corrosion can cause in an in-service turbine. Once the replica blades were mated to the replica rotor attachments, the flaws within the attachment areas were hidden from view.

EPRI invited several industry NDE providers to their lab to do a blind assessment to determine if the hidden flaws could be detected successfully by NDE technicians. EPRI documented the successful testing results in two reports: “Phased-Array Examination Methodology, In Situ Inspection of Alstom ND56R Blade Roots and Steeples” (2021; report ID 3002017102) and “Development of Customized UT Inspection for Axial-Entry Turbine Blade Attachments” (2021; report ID 3002022800). The end goal of the final phase of the EPRI research was to provide a methodology that could be commercialized by an NDE vendor.

Translation to Quad Cities

Structural Integrity Associates was contracted to commercialize the EPRI methodology for Constellation’s Alstom low-pressure turbines. Mirroring the work done by EPRI, Constellation and SIA worked together to perform 3D scans of spare blades, and SIA then built a 3D model of the blade roots and interlocking rotor steeples and performed a finite element analysis of the root and steeple assembly to determine areas where stress-corrosion cracking was most likely to develop.

Next, SIA developed a computer simulation to validate a PAUT scanning route and manufactured a new set of calibration blocks, this time strategically placing flaws where they would be most likely to appear on an in-service turbine. Testing confirmed that NDE technicians were able to detect the flaws, and once the refueling outage at Quad Cities-2 was underway, the same calibration blocks were taken onto the turbine deck to allow for an on-the-spot check and calibration of the NDE equipment.

The scanning route SIA developed for inspection targeted almost 100 percent of the coverage area. Inspecting each of three turbines involved checking two sets of last-stage blades, one on each end of the turbine rotor. Scanning each end of one rotor and its blades using the PAUT probes and fixtures took about half a day, yielding a table of data containing the precise position of a scan and signals generated. That inspection is repeated six times during a single outage—on each end of three turbine rotors.

Considerable preoutage preparation and coordination, as well as support from Constellation’s Supply and Alliances organizations, were required among Constellation’s Corporate Turbine Services, NDE Services, and Corporate Mechanical Engineering organizations. The Constellation team included Chris Gorka and Tim Ernst of Corporate Turbine Services, Jeff Melvin of Corporate Mechanical Engineering, Tim Heindl of Alliances, Mike Salley of NDE Services, and Jay Akhtar of Commercial Supply.

Measures of success

Quad Cities Turbine Services completed the first two blades-in turbine inspections—at Quad Cities-2 in the spring of 2024 and at Quad Cities-1 in the spring of 2025—without any adverse events. The dose goal for the Quad Cities-2 inspection was 18.807 rem, and the actual dose was 10.911 rem—a decrease attributable to the PAUT inspection method.

Implementing blades-in PAUT inspections also meant a significant reduction in lifting, rigging, and material handling relative to traditional inspection, as well as a reduction in required floor equipment laydown space on the turbine deck. With the blades in, the risk of injury to workers or damage to blades was reduced, as were tripping hazards.

While Quad Cities and Dresden have nearly identical Alstom low-pressure turbines with 48-inch last-stage rotor blades, the experience gained can be translated into preoutage planning, budgeting, resource requirements, and schedule efficiencies for Peach Bottom’s larger turbines, which have 56-inch last-stage rotor blades.

Part of the reason Constellation is confident the successful inspections at Quad Cities can be replicated is because a “core team” of craft labor was designated to gain rigging and mechanical skills and familiarity with the Alstom low-pressure turbines at Quad Cities and then travel to perform the same work at Dresden and Peach Bottom. While Constellation coordinated with craft labor organizations to ensure experienced craftspeople were assigned to that core team, “new to nuclear” and apprentice craftspeople were also included, with the intention of building a high return rate for large-scope, short-duration outages.

Communication is key

Lessons learned from preparation, execution, and process improvement perspectives include the importance of biweekly meetings between Constellation’s fleet turbine engineering and services organizations and SIA to drive stress analysis, PAUT modeling, calibration block manufacture, and PAUT validation milestones.

Separate biweekly meetings with Constellation’s Corporate Mechanical Engineering, Site Engineering, Turbine Services, NDE Services, and Outage Management teams kept stakeholders updated and provided a forum to coordinate handoffs between development and implementation.

Constellation was also responsible for communicating with the nuclear insurer to make them aware of the technology and Constellation’s plans to implement it. While a formal variance was not required to implement the approach, the insurer issued a professional judgment in support of implementation.

Steve Myers, corporate turbine/EHC engineer at Constellation Nuclear, is the engineering project lead for the PAUT project, and Bill Campbell, turbine services project lead at Constellation Nuclear, leads the implementation of the project.

EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. | BENGALURU, India – Dec. 12, 2025: Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading AI-powered technology services and consulting company, today announced a three-year strategic partnership with Microsoft to help enterprises transform into Frontier Firms – early leaders in AI adoption that are redefining work and unlocking new value. 

This collaboration brings together Wipro’s consulting-led approach and deep engineering expertise with Microsoft’s trusted cloud and AI platforms, including Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365 Copilot, GitHub Copilot, Azure AI Foundry, and third-party integrations with leading enterprise platforms. This will enable businesses to build AI-powered workflows and cultures that drive sustainable growth and innovation, responsibly and at scale. As part of this effort, the two companies will build industry-specific solutions across Financial Services, Retail, Manufacturing, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Airports, and others. Together, they will also use three key industry IPs (NetOxygen, Wealth AI, and Falcon Supply Chain) to drive sector-specific advancements. 

As part of this partnership, and powered by Wipro Intelligence™, a unified suite of AI-powered platforms, solutions, and transformative offerings, Wipro is accelerating AI infusion across its core business and ‘Client Zero’ initiatives to empower knowledge workers, enhance customer experience, and boost productivity. The deployment of over 50,000 Microsoft Copilot licenses represents a strategic investment to complement Wipro’s AI journey. Additionally, more than 25,000 Wipro employees are being upskilled in Microsoft Cloud and GitHub technologies through focused training and certifications, creating an agile and AI-fluent workforce. 

This approach is further amplified by the newly launched Microsoft Innovation Hub at Wipro’s Partner Labs in Bengaluru, a cornerstone of Wipro Intelligence™, to drive co-innovation, accelerate enterprise transformation, and deliver scalable AI solutions. The hub will enable a collaborative environment where clients can engage with experts through immersive workshops, and Wipro’s Agent Marketplace that hosts AI agents built on the Microsoft AI Platform. The hub will also reimagine customer needs across industries and accelerate joint go-to-market strategy to drive more consulting-led and AI-powered growth opportunities. 

“AI has emerged as the driving force behind every opportunity we win, and this partnership will augment the way we work and deliver value to our customers,” said Nagendra Bandaru, President – Technology Services, Wipro Limited. “By leveraging Wipro Intelligence™, we are advancing operational excellence and positioning our clients at the forefront of enterprise innovation and future market leadership.”

Stephen Boyle, Vice President, Global System Integrators and Advisory Partners at Microsoft added, “We are in a new era where AI is transforming how every organization operates. Through this collaboration, we’re combining the power of the Microsoft Cloud with Wipro’s deep industry and engineering expertise to co-innovate with customers – building next-generation copilots and AI agents that deliver positive business outcomes across all industries, at the same time remaining open, extensible, and grounded in trust.”

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Multimodal artificial intelligence (AI) models using a combination of molecular, imaging, and clinical features improved the individual prognostic assessment of patients with early breast cancer’s risk of distant recurrence, according to an analysis presented at the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (Abstract GS1-08). 

The team assessed various models and found that the addition of molecular features significantly strengthened the prognostic accuracy for early distant recurrence, while histopathologic data drove improvements in accuracy for late distant recurrence. 

 

“This study shows the potential for how AI can be leveraged to develop better diagnostic tests that may more accurately estimate recurrence risk and individualize treatment decisions,” stated Joseph A. Sparano, MD, Chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center. 

Background and Study Methods 

The TAILORx trial established the use of Oncotype Dx 21-gene recurrence scores for guiding treatment with endocrine therapy with or without chemotherapy for patients with T1-2, N0 hormone receptor–positive/HER2-negative early breast cancer. Oncotype Dx is considered a prognostic indicator for 10-year distant recurrence, but has limited value for late distant recurrence for more than 5 years. 

Researchers developed several single and multimodal AI models to improve distant recurrence risk prognostication. The models combined clinical, molecular, and histopathological features to determine prognosis for early (<5 years), late (>5 years), and overall distant recurrence (15 years) with the use of primary tumor samples and clinical data from patients in the TAILORx trial who volunteered for the analysis. 

“Our goal was to develop a new diagnostic test that provides better prognostic estimation of recurrence risk, including late recurrence risk, by studying tumor specimens from the TAILORx trial,” Dr. Sparano said. “We developed an AI model that evaluates both the images of digitized slides used for routine pathologic assessment, plus the molecular and clinical characteristics of breast cancer to provide better prognostic information about cancer recurrence risk out to 15 years, including early recurrence within 5 years after diagnosis, and late recurrence after 5 years.” 

The researchers digitized slides from 4,462 primary tumor samples and nucleic acids were extracted and sequenced using Caris MI Tumor Seek–Hybrid. They used 63% of the samples for model training and 37% were saved for an independent validation set. 

Single-modality models included separate clinical, image, and molecular features; there was also an expanded molecular model, dual modality for combinations of the three modalities, and a multimodal model for all three combined. The expanded molecular model included 42 genes from the Oncotype DX, MammaPrint, Prosigna, EndoPredict, and Breast Cancer Index commercial gene signatures plus 57 high-variance genes. 

Continuous risk scores were separated into high-risk vs low-risk groups than aligned with the Oncotype DX recurrence score cutoff for distinguishing between high and low genomic risk. 

Key Findings 

Continuous Oncotype DX recurrence scores achieved a concordance index (C-index) of 0.617 for overall distant recurrence and 0.738 for early distant recurrence, but did not provide prognostic value for late distant recurrence (C-index = 0.518). When Oncotype DX was combined with clinical features, the C-index scores were similar for overall (0.600), early (0.706), and late (0.512) distant recurrence. 

The multimodal AI model combining clinical, molecular, and histopathological features performed best of all tested models in terms of prognostic performance for overall distant recurrence (C-index = 0.705; hazard ratio [HR] for high vs low risk = 3.6; P < .001) and late distant recurrence (C-index = 0.656; HR = 2.84; P < .001). For early distant recurrence, it performed second best after the dual-modality model of clinical and expanded molecular features (C-index = 0.776; HR = 5.6; P < .001). 

The expanded molecular model performed best of all single-modality models for early distant recurrence prognostication (C-index = 0.757), while imaging features were stronger for late distant recurrence prognostication (C-index = 0.637; HR = 1.9; P = .001). 

In the validation set, the multimodal AI model again outperformed Oncotype DX for overall distant recurrence through 15 years (C-index = 0.733 vs 0.631; P = .00049) and late distant recurrence after 5 years (C-index = 0.705 vs 0.527; P = .000031). 

“AI-based pathomic tools that rely on evaluation of tissue sample slides routinely generated from clinical practice can be captured with scanners or even widely available smartphones, uploaded electronically, and analyzed centrally—with minimal cost,” Dr. Sparano said. 

Disclosure: This research was a public-private partnership between the federally funded ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group and Caris Life Sciences, supported by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Postal Service Breast Cancer Research Stamp Fund. Dr. Sparano serves as a consultant for AstraZeneca, Delphi Diagnostics, Genentech, Genomic Health/Exact Sciences, Novartis, and Pfizer; is a member of the scientific advisory board for PreciseDX; and receives institutional research support from Olema Oncology. For full disclosures of the other study authors, visit abstractsonline.com.  

 

FDA proposes the first new sunscreen molecule in decades: bemotrizinol

A proposal released Dec. 11 by the US Food and Drug Administration would bring a new sunscreen molecule, an ultraviolet (UV) filter, to the country for the first time since 1996.

Specifically, the agency would add bemotrizinol (BEMT) to a list of molecules that it considers generally recognized as safe and effective, a move often referred to as a GRASE designation.

BEMT has been available in the European Union and most other parts of the world since 2000, and its FDA approval would be granted partially by considering that long history of safe use. The FDA has had the authority to use such data since 2002 but has resisted repeated urging to do so from public health advocates, consumer product makers, ingredient suppliers, and Congress.

Carl D’Ruiz, a regulatory affairs manager at the ingredient maker DSM-Firmenich who has worked on BEMT for 23 years, calls the development “a sure win for American public health and skin cancer prevention.”

BEMT is a particularly good UV filter, proponents say, because it blocks both major types of UV radiation and its high molecular weight prevents it from absorbing through the skin into the bloodstream. Though only this ingredient is on the table for now, policy experts think that approval of BEMT could smooth the way for more molecules already used in other countries to be approved in the US in the near future.

The agency is accepting public comment on the proposal, which could bring BEMT sunscreens to US consumers as early as the fall of 2026.

—Craig Bettenhausen

US House passes defense bill barring work with biotech companies ‘of concern’

On Dec. 10, the US House of Representatives narrowly passed a reconciled version of the annual defense policy bill, which would authorize roughly $900 billion in national security spending along with various other measures. The final draft of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes a Senate-proposed amendment (PDF) that would bar federal agencies from procuring equipment or services from “biotechnology companies of concern.”

The amendment, known as the Biosecure Act, doesn’t name specific companies but states that these companies are ones affiliated with “a foreign adversary’s military, internal security forces, or intelligence agencies,” particularly China’s. According to Science, some science policy experts believe that the measure could harm academic collaborations with China, as well as negatively affect US pharmaceutical supply chains.

Notably, one measure that didn’t make it into the final bill, which reconciles the House and Senate versions of the NDAA, was the House-proposed SAFE Research Act, which many in the academic and scientific communities have spoken out against in recent months (PDF). Like the Biosecure Act—but far more expansive—the SAFE Research Act would have prohibited federal agencies from funding any researcher who is either affiliated with or collaborating with anyone who is affiliated with what was broadly defined as a “hostile foreign entity.”

Another provision that is included the final fiscal year (FY) 2026 NDAA would prevent the US Department of Defense from altering indirect cost rates for the research grants it provides prior to consulting “the extramural research community,” which comprises universities, independent research institutes, and private foundations.

Back in June, the DOD announced the implementation of a 15% indirect cost cap, similar to caps other federal agencies had announced, which was subsequently struck down by a federal judge in October.

The bill is now headed to the Senate, which is expected to vote on the FY 2026 NDAA by the end of December. If the Senate also passes the bill, it will then go to the president to be signed into law.

—Krystal Vasquez

50 US chemical plants are exempt from a regulation for toxic air pollution, report says

Some 50 US chemical manufacturing plants have a 2-year exemption from certain requirements under the Clean Air Act, says a report published Tuesday from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). The plants are among 188 industrial facilities that have been granted such exemptions by the White House.

“For people across the country, these exemptions translate directly into higher toxic air pollution exposure and cancer risks,” says Darya Minovi, a senior analyst at the UCS and a coauthor of the report. The UCS says almost 4.6 million people live within 3.2 km (2 miles) of at least one of 546 facilities that are eligible for an exemption.

President Donald J. Trumped in March offered a 2-year exemption from nine hazardous air pollution regulations to 546 industrial facilities. Trump invoked part of the Clean Air Act that allows such exemptions if the president determines that technology to implement a toxic air pollution limit isn’t available and if issuing an exemption is in the national security interests of the US.

Of the 50 chemical plants exempted from a 2024 regulation for controlling pollutants that are known or suspected to cause cancer in humans, 18 are in Louisiana and 17 are in Texas, the report says. The 2024 regulation, strongly opposed by the chemical industry, was expected to slash ethylene oxide and chloroprene emissions from chemical manufacturing facilities by up to 80%.

Another 167 chemical manufacturing plants are also eligible for the exemption, the report says.

Facilities in other industries have also sought and have been granted exemptions from hazardous-air-pollutant regulations. Seventy coal-fired power plants are exempt from a regulation to limit their mercury emissions, according to the report. In addition, 39 commercial sterilizers are operating exempt from a regulation that would control their release of ethylene oxide.

Though an email address at the US Environmental Protection Agency receives the applications for exemptions, they are forwarded to the White House, which makes determinations, an agency spokesperson tells C&EN.

Meanwhile, the EPA is reconsidering whether it will change or withdraw regulations for the nine toxic air pollutants.

—Cheryl Hogue, special to C&EN

EU plans to replace fossil fuels with biological matter

The European Commission last month announced a new bioeconomy strategy that aims to increasingly use organic matter that can grow back to replace fossil fuels in producing materials such as plastics and other chemicals.

The EU’s bioeconomy, estimated in 2023 at €2.7 trillion (about $3.2 trillion), already employs over 17 million people, accounting for 8% of jobs in the region. The plan aims to create even more jobs, as well as reduce resource dependence on individual countries or regions, while supporting activities that “provide sustainable practical solutions and alternatives to critical raw materials.”

The EU policy, launched on Nov. 27, would involve implementing measures to boost biobased innovations in sectors such as agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, and biotechnology through soliciting public and private investments, streamlining regulations and approvals, and creating a “bioeconomy investment deployment group” to scale up private financing.

The move could accelerate shifts in the packaging industry from plastics—amid the current impasse on treaty talks to end plastic pollution—to biobased materials. Other sectors might also be encouraged to replace fossil-fuel-derived chemicals: for example, pharmaceuticals and personal care items could use biobased chemicals such as algae, while microorganisms may be used in the production of fertilizers.

But environmental groups worry that the strategy doesn’t go far enough with regard to protecting ecosystems, particularly when crops are used to produce biofuels such as ethanol to substitute for fossil fuels. Many groups judge such practices as unsustainable and a threat to food security.

The European Environmental Bureau, the region’s largest network of environmental civil society organizations, warns in a statement that “while focusing on scattered product innovation efforts instead of tackling the root causes of nature, pollution, and climate crises, the [European] Commission has missed a crucial opportunity.”

The European Biogas Association, meanwhile, has welcomed the strategy. “Recognising biogases and their co-products in the EU Bioeconomy Strategy highlights one of the most practical and immediate ways to deliver a circular, low-carbon, and competitive bioeconomy,” Harmen Dekker, the association’s CEO, says in a statement.

—Paula Dupraz-Dobias, special to C&EN