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DOE OSTI2026

Transformative Impacts of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy on Environmental and Biological Research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

This manuscript will present an advancement of transformative research that has been conducted at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) over a 25-year period (2000–2025) on a variety of environmental and biological matrices. These investigations derived a fundamental understanding of how elemental detection and analysis of these matrices led to the knowledge and discovery of natural processes in plants and the environment. Each project led to the initiation of a new research area which unearthed awesome and novel breakthroughs. Highlights are listed below: 1. The preliminary research at ORNL centered on the detection of aerosols utilizing Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) technology. The Clean Air Act Amendment (CAAA) of 1990 highlighted the importance of identifying hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) due to their impact on environmental and human health, thereby underscoring the need to detect various toxic elements. Research in aerosol chemistry aimed to identify these harmful elements released by factories during periods of increased emissions in their manufacturing processes. LIBS emerged as the most effective method for real-time, in situ measurements of metal species in both gaseous and aerosol phases. 2. An understanding of the presence of total carbon in soils gives perspective on how to develop carbon sequestration strategies. The recognition that carbon sinks can evolve back to carbon sources to emit back to the atmosphere was an important consideration. Also, the concentration of carbon in soil indicates the health of land areas for growing crops successfully. 3. The direct detection of most of the elements in a wood sample in a single emission spectrum, without sample preparation, encouraged the research to use the LIBS technique for preservative treated wood coupled with use of multivariate statistical methodology. Additionally, it encouraged the researchers to try to differentiate natural woods from different parts of the country, and it was successfully demonstrated that LIBS coupled with MVA analysis could differentiate wood of different species from each other and of similar species grown in different environments based on their elemental spectra. This was a breakthrough since it revealed a systematic approach to connect elemental scarcity and abundance to either drought or typical rainfall conditions for the hardwood trees grown in specific areas. 4. Furthermore, the research progressed to reveal physiological and developmental processes contributing to biomass production such that the variation in leaf elemental composition increases our understanding of terrestrial nutrient cycles, as well as tracking the transfer of toxic elements from soils to living organisms. 5. Recently another breakthrough viz., ionomics initiated the correlation of elements to specific genes, uncovering the function that the element performed in the plant. More recently, this has been extended from plants to fungi as well as fungi growing in symbiotic relations with plants.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Corrinoids as model nutrients to probe microbial interactions in a soil ecosystem

Earth’s soils are habitats for microbial communities that drive biogeochemical cycling, plant growth, and carbon storage and persistence. The thousands of microbial species living in soil form an intricate web of interactions involving the exchange of molecules produced by different microbes. Understanding in detail how these molecular exchanges occur and how they shape microbial communities may lead to new methods to improve soil health, bioremediation efforts, and better understanding of biogeochemical processes. The overall goal of this research is to gain a deeper knowledge of the microbial interactions that drive soil community structure. However, the high functional and genomic diversity in soil microbiomes has posed a challenge for current microbiology methods to achieve this goal. This research leverages a model group of key metabolites related to cobalamin (vitamin B 12 ), known as corrinoids, to investigate microbial interactions.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2024

A Field-Deployable Magnetic Resonance Imaging Rhizotron for Modeling and Enhancing Root Growth and Biogeochemical Function

A collaborative team from Texas A&M AgriLife Research, ABQMR Inc., the Soil Health Institute, the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, and NIST developed low-field magnetic resonance imaging (LF-MRI) instrumentation capable of imaging intact soil-root systems. The system measured root biomass, architecture, 3D mass distribution, and growth rates, providing a non-destructive means to evaluate ideal plant characteristics based on root metrics. It also successfully generated three-dimensional images of soil water content, a key property influencing root growth and exploration. Operating much like an MRI used in a medical setting, the system functioned in field conditions without damaging plants, overcoming the limitations of traditional methods such as trenching, soil coring, and root excavation. Over the course of the project, the team designed and built three functional prototype systems. These prototypes provided new insights into root–water–soil interactions that drive processes such as nutrient uptake, water use, and carbon management. This information contributed to efforts to optimize plants for carbon sequestration without sacrificing economic yield. The project also supported the identification of desirable traits for energy sorghum, including high root growth rates, more vertical root angles, and enhanced drought resilience under water-limiting conditions.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Functionalized Magnetic Nanoparticles for Technetium Sequestration from Groundwater

Technetium 99 (Tc) is among the most common environmental contaminants at DOE sites and one of the most common risk drivers in low- and high-level waste disposal sites. The majority of Tc is generated from anthropogenic sources, such as nuclear power plants, global weapons, nuclear storage facilities and medical applications. Through these sources, Tc contamination has been unintentionally introduced in to the environment. The most common chemical form of Tc is Tc(VII)O{sub 4}{sup -}. Due to its high solubility and mobility, Tc can enter the food chain and cause adverse health effects to humans. Currently, ion exchange resins and reduction processes are the most common approaches for Tc immobilization. Although these techniques have shown to be effective, they also possess major drawbacks, such as high cost, low adsorption capacity, and complex creation and maintenance. Therefore, development of more efficient and simple technologies for the remediation of Tc-contaminated systems are needed. Functionalized magnetic nanoparticles have been used to remove organic and inorganic contaminants from water resources. These nanoparticles have attracted extensive attention as an adsorbent material due to their large surface area, high efficiency, low-cost, easy functionalization and separation with a magnet. This study seek to develop functionalized magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for the efficient removal of Tc and other heavy metal contaminants from water resources under ambient conditions. Objectives: Synthesize magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and functionalize their surface with Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide (CTAB) and tetraethyl-orthosilicate (TEOS). Characterize the synthesized nanoparticles using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and Zeta PALS. Perform adsorption studies to evaluate their adsorption behavior and capacity for (a) Technetium using Rhenium (ReO{sub 4}{sup -}) as a surrogate and (b) heavy metals, e.g. Cu{sup 2+}. Conclusions: Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles were successfully functionalized with CTAB and TEOS. The functionalization of the iron oxide nanoparticles affects their surface charge and their hydrodynamic diameter. The addition of CTAB or TEOS decreased the hydrodynamic diameter of the nanoparticles due to repulsive and steric forces. The SEM micrographs show spherical nanoparticles of different sizes. The EDX analysis shows the presence of iron and oxygen from the iron oxide crystalline structure, and the different constituents of the CTAB and TEOS molecules. Proof-of-concept shows the successful adsorption of rhenium (ReO{sub 4}{sup -}) and copper Cu{sup 2+}) onto CTAB-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} and TEOS-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} respectively.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI1991

Nuclear Safety [Vol. 32, No. 1, January-March 1991]

Nuclear Safety is a review journal that covers significant developments in the field of nuclear safety. Its scope includes the analysis and control of hazards associated with nuclear energy, operations involving fissionable materials, and the products of nuclear fission and their effects on the environment. Primary emphasis is on safety in reactor design, construction, and operation; however, the safety aspects of the entire fuel cycle, including fuel fabrication, spent-fuel processing, nuclear waste disposal, handling of radioisotopes, and environmental effects of these operations, are also treated. Table of Contents for this issue follows. GENERAL SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS: 1 The Safety Review and Approval Process for Space Nuclear Power Sources, G. L. Bennett; 19 Report on the American Nuclear Society International Topical Meeting: "The Safety, Status, and Future of Non-Commercial Reactors and Irradiation Facilities", E. G. Silver; 35 Book Review: Fission Product Transport Processes in Reactor Accidents, Proceedings to the International Centre tor Heat and Mass Processes T. S. Kress; 38 Fast Reactor Technology in the 1990s: A Summary of the 1990 International Fast Reactor Safety Meeting, A. E. Levin; ACCIDENT ANALYSIS: 56 Effects of Chemical Phenomena on LWR Severe Accident Fission Product Behavior, A. P. Malinauskas and T. S. Kress; CONTROL AND INSTRUMENTATION: 65 Technical Note: Safety Parameter Display Systems—10 Years Later, R. J. Eckenrode; 68 Potential Application of Neural Networks to the Operation of Nuclear Power Plants, R. E. Uhrig; DESIGN FEATURES: 80 Twenty-First DOE/NRC Nuclear Air-Cleaning Conference, R. R. Bellamy, D. W. Moeller, and M. W. First; 91 Impact of an Apparent Radiation Embrittlement Rate on the Life Expectancy of PWR Vessel Supports, R. D. Cheverton, G. C. Robinson, W. E. Pennell, and R. K. Nanstad; ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS: 103 Technical Note: The Impact of Offsite Factors on the Safety Performance of Small Nuclear Power Plants, Yu. D. Baranaev and A. N. Viktorov; WASTE AND SPENT FUEL MANAGEMENT: 109 Activities Related to Waste Management, Compiled by E. G. Silver; OPERATING EXPERIENCES: 118 Reactor Shutdown Experience, Compiled by J. W. Cletcher; 121 Selected Safety-Related Events, Compiled by G. A. Murphy; 123 Operating U.S. Power Reactors, Compiled by E. G. Silver; RECENT DEVELOPMENTS: 140 General Administrative Activities, Compiled by E. G. Silver; 150 Reports, Standards, and Safety Guides, D. S. Queener; 155 Status of Power-Reactor Licensing Activities, Compiled by E. G. Silver; 157 Proposed Rule Changes as of Sept. 30, 1990; ANNOUNCEMENTS: 79 MIT Offers Summer Program on Nuclear Power Reactor Safety; 108 Harvard School of Public Health Offers Several Short Courses; 139 Short Course and Workshop on Nuclear Criticality Safety at University of New Mexico; 160 SCK/CEN Announces Training Course on Emergency Planning and Response; 161 The Authors; 164 Indexes to Nuclear Safety, Volume 31

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Optimization of Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell Systems Accounting for Long-Term Performance and Health Degradation

This study focuses on optimizing solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) systems for efficient and durable long-term hydrogen (H2) production. While the elevated operating temperatures of SOECs offer advantages in terms of efficiency, they also lead to chemical degradation, which shortens cell lifespan. To address this challenge, dynamic degradation models are coupled with a steady-state, two-dimensional, non-isothermal SOEC model and steady-state auxiliary balance of plant equipment models, within the IDAES modeling and optimization framework. A quasi-steady state approach is presented to reduce model size and computational complexity. Long-term dynamic simulations at constant H2 production rate illustrate the thermal effects of chemical degradation. Dynamic optimization is used to minimize the lifetime cost of H2 production, accounting for SOEC replacement, operating, and energy expenses. Several optimized operating profiles are compared by calculating the Levelized Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH).

Giridhar, Nishant↗

DOE OSTI2024

Optimization of Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell Systems Accounting for Long-Term Performance and Health Degradation

Giridhar, Nishant↗

NASA NTRS2004

Simulation of Avifauna Distributions Using Remote Sensing

Remote sensing has proved a fruitful tool for understanding the distribution and functioning of plant communities at multiple scales and to understand their coupling to bioclimatic and anthropogenic factors. But a similar approach to understanding the distribution and abundance of bird species as well as many other animal organisms is lacking. The increasing need for such understanding is evident with the recent examples of threats to human health via avian vector transmission and the increasing emphasis on global conservation biology. From experimental observations we know that species richness tends to track biological or environmental gradients. In this paper, we explore the fundamental idea that thermal and water-relation environments of birds, as estimated from satellite data and biophysical models, can define the constraints on their Occurrences and richness. We develop individual bird energy budget models and use these models to define the climate space niche of birds. Using satellite data assimilation products to drive our models, we disperse a distribution of virtual or actual bird species across the landscape in accordance to the limits expressed by their climate space niche. Here, we focus on the North American summer breeding season and give two examples to illustrate our approach. The first is a tundra loving bird, e.g. corresponding to the Culidris genus, and a second genus example, Myiurchus, that corresponds to arid or semi-arid regions. We define these birds in terms of their basic physiology and morphological characteristics, construct avian energetic simulations to predict their allowable metabolic ranges and climate space limits.

Smith, James A.↗

NASA NTRS1994

HFE safety reviews of advanced nuclear power plant control rooms

Advanced control rooms (ACR's) will utilize human-system interface (HSI) technologies that may have significant implications for plant safety in that they will affect the operator's overall role and means of interacting with the system. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reviews the human factors engineering (HFE) aspects of HSI's to ensure that they are designed to good HFE principles and support performance and reliability in order to protect public health and safety. However, the only available NRC guidance was developed more than ten years ago, and does not adequately address the human performance issues and technology changes associated with ACR's. Accordingly, a new approach to ACR safety reviews was developed based upon the concept of 'convergent validity'. This approach to ACR safety reviews is described.

Ohara, John↗

NASA NTRS1989

Impaired driving performance in shiftworkers: the role of the circadian system in a multifactorial model

A substantial and growing percentage of the U.S. work force now works on a rotating shift schedule. The repeated changes in sleep-wake, meal and work times inherent in such schedules conflict with the dictates of the internal biological clock and have adverse consequences for the health of the shiftworker population. An important consequence of this conflict is impaired performance, both on and off the job, as indexed by the increased incidence of motor vehicle accidents in shift workers. In this paper we report the results of a survey administered to rotating shift and straight day workers at a manufacturing plant in the eastern U.S. This survey documents an increased incidence of motor vehicle accidents or "near misses" in which sleepiness was implicated as a cause by the respondent. Complaints of poor sleep and increased sleepiness were also significantly more common in shiftworkers than day workers. Last, shiftworkers reported higher caffeine and alcohol consumption, and were more likely to use alcohol as a sleep aid. Although causal links cannot be established using these associative observations alone, previously reported experience with alteration of shift schedules, improvement of levels of alertness, and reduction in adverse performance outcomes corroborate the possibility of a causal link and suggest potential interventions.

NASA Discipline Regulatory Physiology↗

NASA NTRS2011

Goddard DEVELOP Students: Using NASA Remote Sensing Technology to Study the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

The DEVELOP National Program is an Earth Science research internship, operating under NASA s Applied Sciences Program. Each spring, summer, and fall, DEVELOP interns form teams to investigate Earth Science related issues. Since the Fall of 2003, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has been home to one of 10 national DEVELOP teams. In past terms, students completed a variety of projects related to the Applied Sciences Applications of National Priority, such as Public Health, Natural Disasters, Water Resources, and Ecological Forecasting. These projects have focused on areas all over the world, including the United States, Africa, and Asia. Recently, Goddard DEVELOP students have turned their attention to a local environment, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The Chesapeake Bay Watershed is a complex and diverse ecosystem, spanning approximately 64,000 square miles. The watershed encompasses parts of six states: Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia. The Bay itself is the biggest estuary in the United States, with over 100,000 tributaries feeding into it. The ratio of fresh water to salt water varies throughout the Bay, allowing for a variety of habitats. The Bay s wetlands, marshes, forests, reefs, and rivers support more than 3,600 plant and animal species, including birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and crabs. The Bay is also commercially significant. It is ranked third in the nation in fishery catch, and supplies approximately 500 million pounds of seafood annually. In addition to its abundant flora and fauna, the Chesapeake Bay watershed is home to approximately 16.6 million people, who live and work throughout the watershed, and who use its diverse resources for recreational purposes. Over the past several decades, the population throughout the watershed has increased rapidly, resulting in land use changes, and ultimately decreasing the health of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Over the course of 2009-2010, student teams carried out two independent research projects focused on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The first investigated the threat of invasive species to forests in Maryland. The second investigated the detection of winter cover crops throughout the watershed from satellite data.

Moore, Rachel↗

DOE OSTI2026

Innovative Biomonitoring and Remediation of Heavy Metals Using Phytotechnologies at the Savannah River Site (SRS) Coal Combustion Product (CCP) Impoundment Sites

The Savannah River Site (SRS) contains legacy coal combustion product (CCP) impoundments that are impacted by elevated concentrations of heavy metals and radionuclides, posing long-term risks to soil health, ecosystem functioning, and environmental sustainability. Traditional environmental monitoring approaches rely primarily on chemical analyses to quantify contaminant concentrations but often provide limited information regarding biological responses or ecosystem recovery. This project addressed these limitations by integrating environmental chemistry, microbial ecology, artificial intelligence (AI), and bioremediation into a comprehensive framework for environmental diagnostics and restoration of contaminated soils. The overarching goal of this collaborative project between Florida A&M University (FAMU) and the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL) was to develop innovative biomonitoring and remediation strategies for heavy metal-contaminated CCP impoundment sites at the Savannah River Site. Specifically, the project sought to (i) characterize heavy metal contamination, (ii) determine microbial responses to contamination, (iii) isolate indigenous heavy metal-resistant microorganisms for remediation applications, (iv) develop a microbial ecological health index using machine learning, and (v) optimize fungal-mediated bioremediation using artificial intelligence.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

DOE OSTI2026

Air Emissions Impacts of Fuel Substitution in the United States Cement Industry

High-heat industrial processes cannot be easily electrified, often rely on comparatively high-emitting solid fuels, and are essential for economic growth. Cement production in particular is critical to supporting construction and the expansion and maintenance of infrastructure systems in countries around the world. Fuels for cement production include petcoke, coal, and waste solvents, and their combustion contributes approximately 40% of the CO 2 emissions from global cement production. Broadening the fuel resources to include agricultural residues and other wastes can reduce emissions and divert waste from landfills. We assess the potential to use 16 different alternative fuels across the 88 integrated cement plants in the United States. The share of alternative fuels in the cement production sector could increase from the current level of 17% to as high as 73%. Fuel substitution can reduce the current fuel-related life-cycle emissions (28.6 ± 5.7 Mton CO 2 /year) by 19–45%. The greatest national-scale human health cobenefits occur when alternative fuels are prioritized at facilities currently using coal and petcoke. NO x emissions outcomes from this strategy are mixed, but SO x and particulate matter emissions reductions drive net human health benefits. These results suggest that targeted fuel substitution in heavy industries can yield outsized emissions benefits.

alternative fuels↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Biological Insights at the Interface of Multiple Arabidopsis Legacy Datasets

The NASA GeneLab database includes an open-access collection of datasets yielded by space biology experiments. Six Gene Lab Data Sets (GLDS’s) performed in Arabidopsis were selected for analysis (7/17/44/121/205/213), all of which included transcriptome data from spaceflight and ground control environments. Hardware, ecotype, environmental conditions, and other experimental conditions varied, allowing the observations of overarching gene expression impacts of microgravity on plant life without focusing on effects of specific experimental conditions. Using GeneLab pre-processed datasets as the basis for the study, RNA microarray data were analyzed to identify genes that showed altered expression in microgravity when compared to control samples for each individual GLDS. All differentially expressed genes were compared to locate differentially expressed genes common between spaceflight experiments. The most noteworthy result is that not one gene shared differential expression among the six GLDS’s. However, gene expression was not influenced randomly by the microgravity environment, as there were several gene ontology terms that were significantly enriched across all experiments. These included 20 significantly enriched biological processes, and although the genes which enriched each term varied, there were many cases of specific genes common to clusters of multiple GLDS’s. Gene expression such as NAC92 and ERF011 or membrane structural element FFP6 provide insight and direction toward understanding the plant response to spaceflight. Characterizing these common processes and the shared differentially expressed genes has demonstrated potential targets for further study to understand and modulate the biological response of plants in microgravity. Life on Earth has never been subjected to the absence of gravity as a selective pressure, so observing how life forms react to a microgravity environment could provide insight to our shared fundamental biological processes. It is also feasible that the genetic modification of specific genes linked to the microgravity response could improve health and yield of space crops.

Joseph Emhof↗

DOE OSTI2020

High-frequency and Vertical Variations of Soil Moisture and their Impact on Ecosystem Dynamics

The vertical distribution of subsurface moisture is a major control on ecosystem dynamics and climate. The Mediterranean climate of California, with wet winters and dry summers, provides a testbed for understanding how transpiration is sustained through extended dry periods. The project developed and tested a new subsurface hydrology model that includes a parameterization of stochastic hydraulic conductivity to capture fracture flow, a diagnostic model of rooting profile that depends on the subsurface hydrology, and a representation of hydraulic redistribution by plant roots. A sensitivity study shows that it is plants with rooting depths >8 m that could access the subsurface moisture. The insight is applied to understand differential tree mortality during the 2012-2016 drought in California. The analysis shows that greater mortality trees on plutonic rocks than on sedimentary rocks. The study demonstrates, for the first time, the importance of lithology for the distribution and health of ecosystems.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2022

Environmental Flow Requirements from FERC Licenses Across the US

Environmental flow requirements included in Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) hydropower licenses are important for balancing natural properties and benefits of river ecosystems (e.g., healthy species, recreation, water supply, flood control) supporting hydropower production. In some cases, environmental flow requirements may limit operational flexibility given current operational schemes and make a hydropower plant less able to provide power to the electric grid on demand. Hydropower plants may gain some flexibility as hydropower scheduling time periods are made to be more responsive to the short-term needs of an energy grid increasingly reliant on intermittent renewables. However, many flow requirements focus on the daily, monthly, or seasonal flow fluctuations which matches the time scale of most paradigms linking flow alterations to the health of river ecosystems. This dataset seeks to provide a greater understanding of how flexibility in environmental requirements can be leveraged to create positive outcomes for both the power system and the environment. It contains information on environmental flow requirements from the Protection, Mitigation, and Enhancement section of 50 randomly selected FERC licenses: 25 issued from 1998-2013 that were also included in the ORNL Mitigation Database (Schramm et al. 2015) and 25 issued from 2014-present. The information on environmental flow requirements was extracted from the PM&E section of 50 randomly selected FERC licenses: 25 issued from 1998-2013 that were also included in the ORNL Mitigation Database (Schramm et al. 2015) and 25 issued from 2014-present. The flow requirements were then categorized into flow augmentation categories based on whether the license stated a specific water management purpose for the given requirement called augmentation categories (i.e., fisheries or habitat, recreation or boating, industry, and general or unspecified; Table B). Requirements were also grouped into flow type categories (e.g., minimum flow rate, maximum flow rate, ramping rate). Additional information related to flow requirements such as the augmentation time-period and whether the flow rate was continuous (i.e., condition must be present at all-times) or instantaneous (i.e., condition present at a point in time) was also extracted from the licenses. Some licenses had specific flow requirements based on whether the project was in a wet, dry, or normal water year. If that information was presented in the license, it was also included in the data set. The location within the project was noted, hereafter, zone, in the dataset for flow requirements relating to specific areas of hydropower projects (Dam, Powerhouse, Bypass Reach). Maximum discharge capacities of hydropower facilities were also extracted from both the Existing Hydropower Assets (EHA) data set and the National Inventory of Dams (NID) databases. Each facility was coded with project identification codes from the EHA dataset to facilitate cross-referencing between datasets.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗

NASA NTRS1977

Borehole hydraulic coal mining system analysis

The borehole hydraulic coal mining system accesses the coal seam through a hole drilled in the overburden. The mining device is lowered through the hole into the coal seam where it fragments the coal with high pressure water jets which pump it to the surface as a slurry by a jet pump located in the center of the mining device. The coal slurry is then injected into a pipeline for transport to the preparation plant. The system was analyzed for performance in the thick, shallow coal seams of Wyoming, and the steeply pitching seams of western Colorado. Considered were all the aspects of the mining operation for a 20-year mine life, producing 2,640,000 tons/yr. Effects on the environment and the cost of restoration, as well as concern for health and safety, were studied. Assumptions for design of the mine, the analytical method, and results of the analysis are detailed.

Floyd, E. L.↗

DOE OSTI2023

Acute stress reduces population-level metabolic and proteomic variation

Abstract Background Variation in omics data due to intrinsic biological stochasticity is often viewed as a challenging and undesirable feature of complex systems analyses. In fact, numerous statistical methods are utilized to minimize the variation among biological replicates. Results We demonstrate that the common statistics relative standard deviation (RSD) and coefficient of variation (CV), which are often used for quality control or part of a larger pipeline in omics analyses, can also be used as a metric of a physiological stress response. Using an approach we term Replicate Variation Analysis (RVA), we demonstrate that acute physiological stress leads to feature-wide canalization of CV profiles of metabolomes and proteomes across biological replicates. Canalization is the repression of variation between replicates, which increases phenotypic similarity. Multiple in-house mass spectrometry omics datasets in addition to publicly available data were analyzed to assess changes in CV profiles in plants, animals, and microorganisms. In addition, proteomics data sets were evaluated utilizing RVA to identify functionality of reduced CV proteins. Conclusions RVA provides a foundation for understanding omics level shifts that occur in response to cellular stress. This approach to data analysis helps characterize stress response and recovery, and could be deployed to detect populations under stress, monitor health status, and conduct environmental monitoring.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗