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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 721 records · Page 40
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Fiscal Year 2020 Report for the Radiation Detection for Nuclear Security Summer School

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) planned to hold its 6th Radiation Detection for Nuclear Security Summer School 15-26 June 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic prevented an in-person school from happening, and PNNL staff did not have adequate time to prepare a virtual format school. So fiscal year 2020 was taken as an off year with the intention of hosting an in-person or online summer school in 2021. As with typical off years, some course materials and activities were refined to better achieve the key objectives of 1) exposing students to the range of nuclear security applications for which radiation detection is necessary, 2) articulating the relevance of student research into the broader context, and 3) growing student interest in careers in nuclear security.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2023

2023 SAGE-Camp Report

The 7 th Summer Physics Camp for Young Women was successfully held in person in 2023 from June 5 th to 16 th at the New Mexico School for the Arts in Santa Fe, NM at Hilo Intermediate School in Hawaii. This year’s camp was dedicated to the topic of Energy Security and was made possible thanks to the strong collaboration of Los Alamos, Sandia and Hawaii teams and the logistical and financial support of Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico Consortium, SAGE- Moore Foundation, LANL Foundation, ACS, IEE, APS four corners, N3B, Hawaii Museum of Science and Technology, New Mexico School for the Arts (NMSA) and Tech Source. The camp mobilized more than 120 volunteers who made the camp a success. The camp is free of charge to the students and included free lunch and snacks for the busy brains to have plenty of energy, also included all materials needed for the hands-on activities (like drone building, crystal structure, solar panels, wind turbine fabrication, soldering, coding etc) and also a stipend for students who attended for the full two weeks and for two educators and two student mentors in NM. The camp offered 32 high school students from New Mexico and 8 from Hawaii a unique opportunity to explore science topics and meet a broad range of role model professionals across STEM fields including astrophysics, cybersecurity, Energy fields, space science, engineering, biophysics, environmental science, robotics, computer science, nuclear engineering, radiological science, physics and chemistry. With nearly 120 volunteers who came mainly from Los Alamos National Laboratory (66%) and Sandia national laboratories (18%), two funded educators from NM, Dr. Weldon Beauchamp and Dr. Ellee Cook, and two educators from Hilo, Dr. Pascale Creek Pinner and LeAnn Ragasa, the camp was educationally sound and extremely varied. The collaboration with school educators is critical for the goal of this camp to not only impact students' lives but also improve STEM education in NM and Hawaii. The ultimate goal of the camp is to increase higher education aspirations of students, empower them to consider careers in STEM and learn more about the opportunities available to them in our local colleges and DOE National Laboratories. In addition, the camp also hired 2 past students as student mentors, Megan Odom and Elisea Jackson, who currently attend NMSA and were students at the camp in 2022 when it was virtual. The in-person camp which aims at empowering under-represented minorities in STEM in our community received more than 52 applications this year from all over NM and 8 applications from Hawaii. Our selection criteria are based on diversity, equity and inclusion, and students for whom the camp can be a life-changing opportunity are given a chance to attend the camp. During COVID, the camp was held virtually and gave the opportunity to students from remote areas in NM and Hawaii to attend from their homes. This year, fantastic families supported students everyday even when home was in remote areas in NM like Lea county, Sandoval county, Bernalillo or Mora county. The organizers hope next year they can offer a residential option for students from remote areas.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Fielding Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests at the National Security Research Center

For staff at the Lab’s National Security Research Center, fulfilling requests for information can sometimes be a bit otherworldly. Some of these requests are made under the Freedom of Information Act or FOIA, which are submitted to NNSA by the public and directed to LANL for records search and review. The topics of these requests range from technical reports to records on unidentified flying objects. “Fulfilling FOIA requests is an important part of what we do here,” said NSRC senior archivist Daniel Alcazar (WRS-NSRCMS). “It’s critical to our mission to ensure the public has access to information it has the right to see.” Congress passed the FOIA in 1967, giving any person the right to request access to federal agency records so they can better understand the U.S. Government’s operations and activities. Federal agencies are required to disclose information requested under the FOIA, unless it falls under one or more of nine exemptions protecting interests such as personal privacy, national security, and law enforcement. Often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about the government, the FOIA is a vital part of U.S. democracy. The Laboratory’s FOIA program works with over a hundred requests for records each year. As the Lab’s classified research and technical library dedicated to information stewardship and education, the National Security Research Center (NSRC) regularly assists with these requests– as many as 45 per year. Public queries cover a spectrum of topics, but most common include requests for Manhattan Project era documents and memoranda, Los Alamos technical reports, Los Alamos-produced historical and scientific motion picture film and videos, as well as those seeking any documents or files pertaining to a former scientist, engineer or employee. While less common, Alcazar estimates that he receives a few FOIA requests a year related to unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and unexplained aerial phenomena (UAP).

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Fall Protection Introduction: Instructor Guide

The proper use of fall prevention and fall protection controls can reduce the risk of deaths and injuries caused by falls. This course, Fall Protection Introduction (#33462), is designed as an introduction to various types of recognized fall prevention and fall protection systems at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), including guardrail systems, safety net systems, fall restraint systems, and fall arrest systems. Special emphasis is given to the components, inspection, care, and storage of personal fall arrest systems (PFAS). This course also presents controls for falling object hazards and emergency planning considerations for persons who have fallen.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2024

2023 Peer Review Final Report

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy requires each of its programs to conduct periodic peer reviews to enhance EERE program planning. May 16–18, 2023, the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) held an in-person peer review of its program activities in which an independent panel of experts provided AMMTO with feedback on how well the new office’s programs align with its overarching goals and mission statement, identified possible course correction, and shared information. This review marks AMMTO’s first in-person peer review since the Advanced Manufacturing Office evolved into AMMTO and the Industrial Decarbonization and Efficiency Office. A detailed summary of observations, findings, impact, and recommendations is contained in the following report.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Fueling Seniors: Meal Subsidy through Co-Generation

Formed in 1971, The Towers is an affordable HUD 202, 328-unit, living community with supportive services for extremely low, low and moderately low-income seniors. The average resident age is 79 and the average annual income is $\$$18,900. Approximately 70% of our residents receive assistance with their activities of daily living (e.g. hands-on bathing, feeding, dressing and toileting). We offer such services in a unique person-centered way through a wraparound support services model not always available in smaller low-income housing sites with assisted living (e.g. onsite service coordinators, engagement programs specific to the needs of our current and changing resident population and onsite 24-hour security who act as first response staff). The Towers serves the City of New Haven and surrounding areas by providing community-based senior care and support services that are affordable for individuals with limited resources. Our unique cost structure enables hundreds of seniors to avoid premature placement into nursing homes or other institutional care settings, even though they lack personal financial resources. This enables us to proactively keep our residents independent and healthy for as long as possible.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2025

Verifying LLM generative agents reflect human behavior in contested information environments to effectively simulate disinformation campaigns (Proteus)

Disinformation poses a significant and evolving threat to today’s online environment. Individuals encounter challenges in detecting disinformation, subsequently influencing their behavior and decision-making processes. Our research examines the potential use of large language model (LLM) generative agents (LGAs) to replicate human behavior to better understand how disinformation is spread in online environments. Using human subjects research, we first investigate how personality traits, individual differences, and demographic factors relate to decision-making in simulated online disinformation environments. Then, we examine whether LGAs can effectively replicate human responses in the same simulated online environments when assigned personality traits, demographic characteristics and behavioral attributes. Our findings indicate that LGAs can align with human decisions in these scenarios; however, alignment is contingent upon scenario context, persona settings and LLM selection. Results provide valuable insights for methodology refinement in future research and in utilizing LGAs to model complex national security challenges such as disinformation campaigns.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2025

New York State Household Travel Patterns: A Comprehensive Comparison Analysis

In 1969, the U.S. Department of Transportation began an initiative to collect detailed data on household and personal travel, with the most recent surveys being the 2017 and 2022 National Household Travel Surveys. The primary goal of these surveys is to collect trip-based data on the nature and characteristics of personal travel, allowing for an analysis of the relationships between travel patterns and the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of travelers and their households. In addition to the sample households allocated to New York State (NYS) in the national survey, they procured an additional sample of households in the 1995, 2001, 2009, and 2017 surveys. This report presents a comprehensive analysis of travel patterns, vehicle ownership trends, and travel behaviors across NYS regions and the rest of the nation.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2025

2023 Annual Explosives Inventory Completion

The 2023 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) annual explosives inventory was executed from May 18, 2023 to September 27, 2023 and was verified for accuracy effective September 28, 2023 following the LLNL Explosive Materials Inventory Plan. This year’s annual inventory includes changes incorporated based on the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Inspector General (OIG) Audit Report DOE-OIG-20-50, The Department of Energy’s Storage and Disposition of Explosives Material at Selected Sites, dated July of 2020. Based on the associated recommendations, explosives at DOE and National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA) sites are considered "sensitive personal property" and applicable inventories must comply with 41 CFR 109, Personal Property Management. This regulation adds additional stipulations which require the annual inventory to include accountability of the total site inventory. In addition, the inventory must be performed by personnel other than the property owner, or alternatively must include independent verification. The development of the inventory plan was agreed to by the LLNL Explosives Safety Committee in conjunction with the LLNL Property and Business Division Leader. The LLNL Explosive Materials Inventory Plan was reviewed and approved by the DOE Explosives Safety Committee Chair on May 17, 2023 and by the NNSA Property Management Office on May 25, 2023.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Small Particle Aerosol Exposure of African Green Monkeys to MERS-CoV as a Model for Highly Pathogenic Coronavirus Infection

Emerging coronaviruses are a global public health threat because of the potential for person-to-person transmission and high mortality rates. Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) emerged in 2012, causing lethal respiratory disease in $\gg$35% of cases. Primate models of coronavirus disease are needed to support development of therapeutics, but few models exist that recapitulate severe disease. For initial development of a MERS-CoV primate model, 12 African green monkeys were exposed to 10 3 , 10 4 , or 10 5 PFU target doses of aerosolized MERS-CoV. We observed a dose-dependent increase of respiratory disease signs, although all 12 monkeys survived for the 28-day duration of the study. This study describes dosedependent effects of MERS-CoV infection of primates and uses a route of infection with potential relevance to MERSCoV transmission. Aerosol exposure of African green monkeys might provide a platform approach for the development of primate models of novel coronavirus diseases.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Relationship between Telework Experience and Presenteeism during COVID-19 Pandemic, United States, March–November 2020

Persons with COVID-19–like illnesses are advised to stay home to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2. We assessed relationships between telework experience and COVID-19 illness with work attendance when ill. Adults experiencing fever, cough, or loss of taste or smell who sought healthcare or COVID-19 testing in the United States during March–November 2020 were enrolled. Adults with telework experience before illness were more likely to work at all (onsite or remotely) during illness (87.8%) than those with no telework experience (49.9%) (adjusted odds ratio 5.48, 95% CI 3.40–8.83). COVID-19 case-patients were less likely to work onsite (22.1%) than were persons with other acute respiratory illnesses (37.3%) (adjusted odds ratio 0.36, 95% CI 0.24–0.53). Among COVID-19 case-patients with telework experience, only 6.5% worked onsite during illness. Telework experience before illness gave mildly ill workers the option to work and improved compliance with public health recommendations to stay home during illness.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Optimal vocabulary selection approaches for privacy-preserving deep NLP model training for information extraction and cancer epidemiology

With the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques for biomedical informatics, security and privacy concerns over the data and subject identities have also become an important issue and essential research topic. Without intentional safeguards, machine learning models may find patterns and features to improve task performance that are associated with private personal information. The privacy vulnerability of deep learning models for information extraction from medical textural contents needs to be quantified since the models are exposed to private health information and personally identifiable information. The objective of the study is to quantify the privacy vulnerability of the deep learning models for natural language processing and explore a proper way of securing patients’ information to mitigate confidentiality breaches. The target model is the multitask convolutional neural network for information extraction from cancer pathology reports, where the data for training the model are from multiple state population-based cancer registries. This study proposes the following schemes to collect vocabularies from the cancer pathology reports; (a) words appearing in multiple registries, and (b) words that have higher mutual information. We performed membership inference attacks on the models in high-performance computing environments. The comparison outcomes suggest that the proposed vocabulary selection methods resulted in lower privacy vulnerability while maintaining the same level of clinical task performance.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Bioinformatic Teaching Resources – For Educators, by Educators – Using KBase, a Free, User-Friendly, Open Source Platform

Over the past year, biology educators and staff at the U.S. Department of Energy Systems Biology Knowledgebase (KBase) initiated a collaborative effort to develop a curriculum for bioinformatics education. KBase is a free web-based platform where anyone can conduct sophisticated and reproducible bioinformatic analyses via a graphical user interface. Here, we demonstrate the utility of KBase as a platform for bioinformatics education, and present a set of modular, adaptable, and customizable instructional units for teaching concepts in Genomics, Metagenomics, Pangenomics, and Phylogenetics. Each module contains teaching resources, publicly available data, analysis tools, and Markdown capability, enabling instructors to modify the lesson as appropriate for their specific course. We present initial student survey data on the effectiveness of using KBase for teaching bioinformatic concepts, provide an example case study, and detail the utility of the platform from an instructor’s perspective. Even as in-person teaching returns, KBase will continue to work with instructors, supporting the development of new active learning curriculum modules. For anyone utilizing the platform, the growing KBase Educators Organization provides an educators network, accompanied by community-sourced guidelines, instructional templates, and peer support, for instructors wishing to use KBase within a classroom at any educational level–whether virtual or in-person.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Cultivating a culture of inclusivity in heliophysics

A large number of heliophysicists from across career levels, institution types, and job titles came together to support a poster at Heliophysics 2050 and the position papers for the 2024 Heliophysics decadal survey titled “Cultivating a Culture of Inclusivity in Heliophysics,” “The Importance of Policies: It’s not just a pipeline problem,” and “Mentorship within Heliophysics.” While writing these position papers, the number of people who privately shared disturbing stories and experiences of bullying and harassment was shocking. The number of people who privately expressed how burned out they were was staggering. The number of people who privately spoke about how they considered leaving the field for their and their family’s health was astounding. And for as much good there is in our community, it is still a toxic environment for many. If we fail to do something now, our field will continue to suffer. While acknowledging the ongoing growth that we as individuals must work toward, we call on our colleagues to join us in working on organizational, group, and personal levels toward a truly inclusive culture, for the wellbeing of our colleagues and the success of our field. This work includes policies, processes, and commitments to promote: accountability for bad actors; financial security through removing the constant anxiety about funding; prioritization of mental health and community through removing constant deadlines and constant last-minute requests; a collaborative culture rather than a hyper-competitive one; and a community where people can thrive as whole persons and do not have to give up a healthy or well-rounded life to succeed.

mental health↗
DOE OSTI2023

Towards an Energy Future with Ubiquitous Electric Vehicles: Barriers and Opportunities

The electrification of personal transportation holds great potential for lowering greenhouse gas emissions and reducing climate change. The promise of electric vehicles (EVs) to serve these goals has resulted in a broad range of supporting policies aimed at encouraging widespread EV adoption at both the state and federal levels in the United States and around the world. While the EV revolution and prospects of a world with ubiquitous EVs are impacting various industries and many aspects of daily life, strategic interactions between the power grid and EVs are crucial for a successful energy transition. However, managing the interplay between EVs and the power grid remains a challenge. Motivated by that tension, this paper surveys a variety of solutions, policies, and incentives that are focused on effectively managing EV charging behaviors. The paper’s objective is to explore these tools to ensure that EV owners have ultimate control over their personal vehicles while simultaneously allowing the power grid to mitigate adverse network impacts. Furthermore, this paper examines the role of charging infrastructure technology and its strategic placement in facilitating the seamless integration of EVs into the grid. Additionally, the paper highlights financial mechanisms associated with EV integration and discusses the consequences of these mechanisms.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Wearable Technology and Its Influence on Motor Development and Biomechanical Analysis

The convergence among biomechanics, motor development, and wearable technology redefines our understanding of human movement. These technologies allow for the continuous monitoring of motor development and the state of motor abilities from infancy to old age, enabling early and personalized interventions to promote healthy motor skills. For athletes, they offer valuable insights to optimize technique and prevent injuries, while in old age, they help maintain mobility and prevent falls. Integration with artificial intelligence further extends these capabilities, enabling sophisticated data analysis. Wearable technology is transforming the way we approach motor development and maintenance of motor skills, offering unprecedented possibilities for improving health, performance, and quality of life at every stage of life. The promising future of these technologies paves the way for an era of more personalized and effective healthcare, driven by innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Morouço, Pedro (ORCID:0000000259569790)↗
DOE OSTI2021

Inactivation of Human Coronavirus by FATHHOME’s Dry Sanitizer Device: Rapid and Eco-Friendly Ozone-Based Disinfection of SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 was reported in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. Pertaining to its high transmissibility and wide host adaptability, this unique human coronavirus spread across the planet inflicting 115 million people and causing 2.5 million deaths (as of March 3rd, 2021). Limited or negligible pre-existing immunity to multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants has resulted in severe morbidity and mortality worldwide, as well as a record-breaking surge in the use of medical-surgical supplies and personal protective equipment. In response to the global need for effective sterilization techniques, this study evaluated the virucidal efficacy of FATHHOME’s self-contained, ozone-based dry-sanitizing device, by dose and time response assessment. We tested inactivation of human coronavirus, HCoV-OC43, a close genetic model of SARS-CoV-2, on porous (N95 filtering facepiece respirator/FFR) and nonporous (glass) surfaces. We started our assays with 20 ppm-10 min ozone exposure, and effectively reduced 99.8% and 99.9% of virus from glass and N95 FFR surfaces, respectively. Importantly, the virus was completely inactivated, below the detection limit (over 6-log10 reduction) with 25 ppm-15 min ozone exposure on both tested surfaces. As expected, a higher ozone exposure (50 ppm-10 min) resulted in faster inactivation of HCoV-OC43 with 100% inactivation from both the surfaces, with no residual ozone present after completion of the 5-min post exposure recapture cycle and no measurable increase in ambient ozone levels. These results confirmed that FATHHOME’s device is suitable for rapid decontamination of SARS-CoV-2- from worn items, frequently touched items, and PPE including N95 FFRs, face shields, and other personal items. View Full-Text

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

A User-Centered Design Exploration of Factors That Influence the Rideshare Experience

The rise of real-time information communication through smartphones and wireless networks enabled the growth of ridesharing services. While personal rideshare services (individuals riding alone or with acquaintances) initially dominated the market, the popularity of pooled ridesharing (individuals sharing rides with people they do not know) has grown globally. However, pooled ridesharing remains less common in the U.S., where personal vehicle usage is still the norm. Vehicle design and rideshare services may need to be tailored to user preferences to increase pooled rideshare adoption. Based on a large, national U.S. survey (N = 5385), the results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggested that four key factors influence riders’ willingness to consider pooled ridesharing: comfort/ease of use, convenience, vehicle technology/accessibility, and passenger safety. A binomial logistic regression was conducted to determine how the four factors influence one’s willingness to consider pooled ridesharing. The two factors that positively influence riders’ willingness to consider pooled ridesharing are vehicle technology/accessibility (B = 1.10) and convenience (B = 0.94), while lack of passenger safety (B = –0.63) and comfort/ease of use (B = –0.17) are pooled ridesharing deterrents. Understanding user-centered design and service factors are critical to increase the use of pooled ridesharing services in the future.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗