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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 577 records · Page 32

A genetic screen for dominant chloroplast reactive oxygen species signaling mutants reveals life stage-specific singlet oxygen signaling networks

Plants employ intricate molecular mechanisms to respond to abiotic stresses, which often lead to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) within organelles such as chloroplasts. Such ROS can produce stress signals that regulate cellular response mechanisms. One ROS, singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ), is predominantly produced in the chloroplast during photosynthesis and can trigger chloroplast degradation, programmed cell death (PCD), and retrograde (organelle-to-nucleus) signaling. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms involved in these signaling pathways or how many different signaling 1 O 2 pathways may exist. The Arabidopsis thaliana plastid ferrochelatase two (fc2) mutant conditionally accumulates chloroplast 1 O 2 , making fc2 a valuable genetic system for studying chloroplast 1 O 2 -initiated signaling. Here, we have used activation tagging in a new forward genetic screen to identify eight dominant fc2 activation-tagged (fas) mutations that suppress chloroplast 1 O 2 -initiated PCD. While 1 O 2 -triggered PCD is blocked in all fc2 fas mutants in the adult stage, such cellular degradation in the seedling stage is blocked in only two mutants. This differential blocking of PCD suggests that life-stage-specific 1 O 2 -response pathways exist. In addition to PCD, fas mutations generally reduce 1 O 2 -induced retrograde signals. Furthermore, fas mutants have enhanced tolerance to excess light, a natural mechanism to produce chloroplast 1 O 2 . However, general abiotic stress tolerance was only observed in one fc2 fas mutant (fc2 fas2). Together, this suggests that plants can employ general stress tolerance mechanisms to overcome 1 O 2 production but that this screen was mostly specific to 1 O 2 signaling. We also observed that salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonate (JA) stress hormone response marker genes were induced in 1 O 2 -stressed fc2 and generally reduced by fas mutations, suggesting that SA and JA signaling is correlated with active 1 O 2 signaling and PCD. Together, this work highlights the complexity of 1 O 2 signaling by demonstrating that multiple pathways may exist and introduces a suite of new 1 O 2 signaling mutants to investigate the mechanisms controlling chloroplast-initiated degradation, PCD, and retrograde signaling.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Molecular Dynamics Investigation of Lipid-Specific Interactions with a Fusion Peptide

The HIV-1 fusion peptide, which is a short hydrophobic peptide from the gp41 coat glycoprotein that participates in the infection of a cell, interacts with model lipid bilayer membranes in a concentration-dependent manner. The interaction of the peptide with the bilayer also strongly depends on the lipid composition. Here, molecular dynamics simulations were performed to investigate lipid-specific interactions that arise shortly after the binding of a less-fusogenic variant of the HIV-1 fusion peptide to a lipid bilayer composed of a mixture of dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine and dimyristoyl phosphatidylglycerol. The impact of peptide concentration was also studied. An improved understanding was gained of the lipid-specific interactions experienced by the FP. New insight was also gained into how the peptide concentration changes these interactions.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Task-Specific Phosphonium Iongels by Fast UV-Photopolymerization for Solid-State Sodium Metal Batteries

Sodium metal batteries are an emerging technology that shows promise in terms of materials availability with respect to lithium batteries. Solid electrolytes are needed to tackle the safety issues related to sodium metal. In this work, a simple method to prepare a mechanically robust and efficient soft solid electrolyte for sodium batteries is demonstrated. A task-specific iongel electrolyte was prepared by combining in a simple process the excellent performance of sodium metal electrodes of an ionic liquid electrolyte and the mechanical properties of polymers. The iongel was synthesized by fast (<1 min) UV photopolymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) in the presence of a saturated 42%mol solution of sodium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (NaFSI) in trimethyl iso-butyl phosphonium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (P111i4FSI). The resulting soft solid electrolytes showed high ionic conductivity at room temperature (≥10 -3 S cm -1 ) and tunable storage modulus (10 4 –10 7 Pa). Iongel with the best ionic conductivity and good mechanical properties (Iongel10) showed excellent battery performance: Na/iongel/NaFePO 4 full cells delivered a high specific capacity of 140 mAh g -1 at 0.1 C and 120 mAh g -1 at 1 C with good capacity retention after 30 cycles.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Determination of Location-Specific Solidification Cracking Susceptibility for a Mixed Dissimilar Alloy Processed by Wire-Arc Additive Manufacturing

Solidification cracking is a major obstacle when joining dissimilar alloys using additive manufacturing. In this work, location-specific solidification cracking susceptibility has been investigated using an integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) approach for a graded alloy formed by mixing P91 steel and Inconel 740H superalloy. An alloy mixture of 26 wt.% P91 and 74 wt.% Inconel 740H, with high configurational and total entropy, was fabricated using wire arc additive manufacturing. Microstructure characterization revealed intergranular solidification cracks in the FCC matrix, which increased in length along with the enrichment of Nb (~27 to 56 wt.%) and Cu (~87 wt.%) in the middle and top regions. DICTRA simulations to model location-specific solidification cracking susceptibility showed that the top region with the highest cooling rate (270 K/s) has the highest solidification cracking susceptibility in comparison with the middle and bottom regions. This is in good agreement with the experimentally observed varying crack length. From Scheil simulations, it was deduced that enrichment of Nb and Cu affected the solidification range as high as ~77%, in comparison with the matrix composition. The overall solidification cracking susceptibility and freezing range was highest for the 26 wt.% P91 alloy amongst the mixed compositions between P91 steel and 740H superalloy, proving that solidification characteristics play a major role in alloy design for additive manufacturing.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗

A Systems Biology Approach to Identify Essential Epigenetic Regulators for Specific Biological Processes in Plants

Upon sensing developmental or environmental cues, epigenetic regulators transform the chromatin landscape of a network of genes to modulate their expression and dictate adequate cellular and organismal responses. Knowledge of the specific biological processes and genomic loci controlled by each epigenetic regulator will greatly advance our understanding of epigenetic regulation in plants. To facilitate hypothesis generation and testing in this domain, we present EpiNet, an extensive gene regulatory network (GRN) featuring epigenetic regulators. EpiNet was enabled by (i) curated knowledge of epigenetic regulators involved in DNA methylation, histone modification, chromatin remodeling, and siRNA pathways; and (ii) a machine-learning network inference approach powered by a wealth of public transcriptome datasets. We applied GENIE3, a machine-learning network inference approach, to mine public Arabidopsis transcriptomes and construct tissue-specific GRNs with both epigenetic regulators and transcription factors as predictors. The resultant GRNs, named EpiNet, can now be intersected with individual transcriptomic studies on biological processes of interest to identify the most influential epigenetic regulators, as well as predicted gene targets of the epigenetic regulators. We demonstrate the validity of this approach using case studies of shoot and root apical meristem development.

root apical meristem↗

Race-Specific Risk Factors for Homeownership Disparity in the Continental United States

The United States has a racial homeownership gap due to a legacy of historic inequality and discriminatory policies, but factors that contribute to the racial disparity in homeownership rates between White Americans and people of color have not been fully characterized. In order to alleviate this issue, policymakers need a better understanding of how risk factors affect the homeownership rates of racial and ethnic groups differently. In this study, data from several publicly available surveys, including the American Community Survey and United States Census, were leveraged in combination with statistical learning models to investigate potential factors related to homeownership rates across racial and ethnic categories, with a focus on how risk factors vary by race or ethnicity. Our models indicated that job availability for specific demographics, and specific regions of the United States were factors that affect homeownership rates in Black, Hispanic, and Asian populations in different ways. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended policymakers promote strategies to increase access to jobs for people of color (POC), such as vocational training and programs to reduce implicit bias in hiring practices. These interventions could ultimately increase homeownership rates for POC and be a step toward reducing the racial wealth gap.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Specific Gravity and Viscosity of Endolymph and Perilymph

Samples of endolymph and perilymph of between 0.002 and 0.003 milliliter were obtained from single ears of living pigeons. Measurements of specific gravity were made in density gradient column, and it was shown that at the pigeon's body temperature (approximately 40 ° C), the specific gravity (referred to water at 4 ° C) of endolymph is 1.0033 and that of perilymph is 1.0022. Preliminary, measurements indicate that at 40 ° C, the viscosity of endolymph is 1.15 centipoise and the viscosity of perilymph is 0.78 centipoise. The unusual high potassium concentration and low sodium concentration of endolymph reported for the cat and the guinea pig were confirmed for the pigeon.

ENDOLYMPH↗

Procurement specifications report. IMBLS phase B-4

Procurement specifications to provide vendors of space systems with supporting information to accurately price the selected major buy items are illustrated. In performing this task, rigid constraints on specifications and drawing details are avoided beyond those necessary to define basic requirements. Described are digital processing equipment, mass spectrometer, body mass measuring device, sensors, bio-belt power source, vision tester and instrumentation for a biochemical station.

Source record↗

Goddard trajectory determination subsystem: Mathematical specifications

The mathematical specifications of the Goddard trajectory determination subsystem of the flight dynamics system are presented. These specifications include the mathematical description of the coordinate systems, dynamic and measurement model, numerical integration techniques, and statistical estimation concepts.

Wagner, W. E.↗

Nozzle and cavity wall cooling limitations on specific impulse of a gas-core nuclear rocket.

Experimental and theoretical study of the performance of a gas-core nuclear rocket, showing that in a uranium plasma nuclear rocket with an 8-ft cavity diameter the cavity wall can be cooled up to a power level of 7400 MW when the rocket operates at a pressure of 1000 atm and the propellant mass flow rate is 10 lbm/sec. A maximum cavity specific impulse of 5800 sec was obtained under such operating conditions. The fact that the wall heat flux was much lower for reactor powers below this level is linked to the presence of a relatively cool, opaque insulating layer of seeded propellant between the hot plasma and the solid wall. The additional coolant required for nozzle protection reduced the maximum cavity specific impulse to 5200 sec.

Kascak, A. F.↗

Expendable Second Stage Reusable Space Shuttle Booster: Preliminary System Specification - Volume 9

The specification for establishing the requirements for the system performance, design, development, and ground and flight operations of the expendable second stage on a reusable space shuttle booster system is presented. The basic specification is that the system shall be capable of placing payloads in excess of 100,000 pounds into earth orbit. In addition, the expendable second stage provides a multimission, economical, large capability system suitable for a variety of space missions in the 1980 time period.

Source record↗

NASIS data base management system: IBM 360 TSS implementation. Volume 3: Data set specifications

The data set specifications for the NASA Aerospace Safety Information System (NASIS) are presented. The data set specifications describe the content, format, and medium of communication of every data set required by the system. All relevant information pertinent to a particular data set is prepared in a standard form and centralized in a single document. The format for the data set is provided.

Source record↗

NASIS data base management system - IBM 360/370 OS MVT implementation. 3: Data set specifications

The data set specifications for the NASA Aerospace Safety Information System (NASIS) are presented. The data set specifications describe the content, format, and medium of communication of every data set required by the system. All relevant information pertinent to a particular set is prepared in a standard form and centralized in a single document. The format for the data set is provided.

Source record↗

Direction-specific adaptation effects acquired in a slow rotation room.

Thirty-eight subjects were required to execute 120 head movements in a slow rotation room at each 1-rpm increase in velocity of the room between 0 and 6 rpm and, after a single-step gradual return to zero velocity, execute 120 head movements either immediately after return or after delay periods varying from 1 to 24 hours unless, at any time, more than mild symptoms of motion sickness were elicited. A second stress profile differed by the sequential addition of an incremental adaptation schedule (identical to the first) in which the direction of rotation was reversed. The experimental findings demonstrated the acquisition of direction-specific adaptation effects that underwent spontaneous decay with a short time constant (hours). With their disappearance a nondirection-specific adaptation was revealed with a long-time constant (days). Speculations are presented which could account for the simultaneous acquisition of short-term and long-term adaptation effects.

Graybiel, A.↗

Crew interface specifications development functions, phase 3A

The findings and data products developed during the crew interface specification study for inflight maintenance and stowage functions are presented. Guidelines are provided for improving the present progress of defining, controlling, and managing the flight crew requirements. The following data products were developed: (1) description of inflight maintenance management process, (2) specifications for inflight maintenance management requirements, and (3) suggested inflight maintenance data processing reports for logistics management.

Carl, J. G.↗