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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 919 records · Page 51
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

The Impact of Demographic Lifecycle States on Time to Vehicle Purchase: Insights from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics

This study examines the impact of demographic lifecycle stages on the timing of vehicle purchases, using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics from 1999 to 2021. Survival analysis was employed to model the duration until households purchase vehicles, incorporating key lifecycle variables such as age, employment status, marital status, childbirth, home ownership, and the presence of school-going children. The life table results indicate that early adulthood (ages 20–35) is the prime period for vehicle acquisition, with significant peaks around ages 25 to 30. Additionally, the instantaneous hazard of purchasing a vehicle is highest in the late 40s and early 50s. According to the Cox proportional hazards model, employment, marital status, and home ownership significantly increase the likelihood of purchasing a vehicle, while living in multi-unit dwellings decreases it. Interaction effects reveal that married individuals with employed spouses are substantially more likely to purchase vehicles. In conclusion, this study serves as a steppingstone toward integrating demographic lifecycle analysis into car ownership modeling that better reflects real-world scenarios and increases the accuracy of policy and strategic planning.

Car ownership↗
DOE OSTI2022

Drive-Leg Kinematics During the Windup and Pushoff Is Associated With Pitching Kinetics at Later Phases of the Pitch

Background: Inconsistent findings exist between drive-leg ground-reaction forces (GRFs) and pitching mechanics. Previous literature has largely reported drive-leg mechanics and GRFs at the start of the pushoff phase for their role in initiating force development. Little research has assessed drive-leg kinematics that includes a pitcher’s windup motion to determine its effects on subsequent phases in the pitching motion. Purpose/Hypothesis: The primary aim was to analyze the relationship between drive-leg knee valgus angle during the windup and subsequent pitching mechanics. We hypothesized that the drive-leg knee valgus angle during the early portion of the pitching motion would alter later phases’ pitching mechanics. A secondary aim was to assess GRFs to determine if the drive-leg knee valgus angle was associated with changes in force. We hypothesized that an increased drive-leg knee valgus angle would increase GRFs during the pitching motion. Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Methods: A total of 17 high school baseball pitchers (mean age, 16.1 ± 0.9 years; mean height, 180.0 ± 4.8 cm; mean weight, 75.5 ± 7.5 kg) volunteered for the study. Kinematic data and GRFs were collected using an electromagnetic tracking system and force plates. Pitchers threw maximal-effort fastballs from a mound at regulation distance. The drive-leg knee valgus angle was analyzed during the windup and pushoff phases of the pitch to determine its effects on other biomechanical variables throughout the pitching motion. Results: There was a significant relationship between drive-leg knee valgus angle during the windup ( Fchange 1,12) = 16.13; P = .002; R 2 = 0.695) and lateral GRF in the arm-cocking phase. Additionally, there was a significant relationship between drive-leg knee valgus angle during pushoff ( Fchange(2,11) = 10.21; P = .003; R 2 = 0.716) and lateral GRF in the arm-cocking phase and pitching-elbow valgus moment in the acceleration phase. Conclusion: Drive-leg knee valgus angle during the windup and pushoff had a significant relationship with drive-leg GRF and pitching-elbow valgus moment at later stages of the pitching cycle. Clinical Relevance: Assessments of drive-leg kinematics during the windup and pushoff may be useful in identifying inefficient movement patterns that can have an effect on the direction of a pitcher’s drive-leg force contribution, which can lead to increased forces on the throwing elbow.

Orthopedics↗
DOE OSTI2021

A population data-driven workflow for COVID-19 modeling and learning

CityCOVID is a detailed agent-based model that represents the behaviors and social interactions of 2.7 million residents of Chicago as they move between and colocate in 1.2 million distinct places, including households, schools, workplaces, and hospitals, as determined by individual hourly activity schedules and dynamic behaviors such as isolating because of symptom onset. Disease progression dynamics incorporated within each agent track transitions between possible COVID-19 disease states, based on heterogeneous agent attributes, exposure through colocation, and effects of protective behaviors of individuals on viral transmissibility. Throughout the COVID-19 epidemic, CityCOVID model outputs have been provided to city, county, and state stakeholders in response to evolving decision-making priorities, while incorporating emerging information on SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology. Here we demonstrate our efforts in integrating our high-performance epidemiological simulation model with large-scale machine learning to develop a generalizable, flexible, and performant analytical platform for planning and crisis response.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Development of in-use engine speed/torque heat maps across multiple heavy-duty commercial vehicle vocations

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) established the SuperTruck program with the goal of achieving brake thermal efficiency (BTE) greater than or equal to 55% as demonstrated in an operational heavy-duty (HD) diesel engine at a 65-miles-per-hour (mph) cruise point. Beyond the line-haul application, HD engines operate in a wide range of speed and torque conditions that are unlikely to yield the same efficiency under real-world operation. Thereby, the in-use engine heat maps described in this paper are a valuable tool to illustrate whether the engine-efficiency “sweet spot” matches the most frequent operating conditions. In this study, NREL developed engine heat maps to quantify the important operating points for various vocations using our Fleet DNA database of commercial fleet vehicle operations data. These heat maps clearly show that high-frequency operating points vary significantly according to vehicle vocation, while only a few of them match the sweet spot. Beyond the illustration, engine in-use heat maps can also be leveraged to build up reduced-order engine-efficiency models, needed by many rapid powertrain simulations. As case studies, nine reduced-order models – including line-haul truck, transfer truck, transit bus, transit bus with compressed natural gas (CNG) engine, drayage, refuse pickup, local delivery, utility truck, and school bus with CNG engine – using a trust-region reflective algorithm to fit the on-road data extracted based on the engine in-use heat maps.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2023

The rapid-tome, a 3D-printed microtome, and an updated hand-sectioning method for high-quality plant sectioning

Abstract Background Microscopic analysis of plant anatomy is a common procedure in biology to study structure and function that requires high-quality sections for accurate measurements. Hand sectioning of specimens is typically limited to moderately soft tissue while harder samples prohibit sectioning by hand and/or result in inconsistent thicknesses. Results Here we present both a clearly described hand-sectioning method and a novel microtome design that together provide the means to section a variety of plant sample types. The described hand-sectioning method for herbaceous stems works well for softer subjects but is less suitable for samples with secondary growth (e.g., wood production). Instead, the “Rapid-Tome” is a novel tool for sectioning both soft and tougher high-aspect-ratio samples, such as stems and roots, with excellent sample control. The Rapid-Tome can be 3D-printed in approximately 18 h on a mid-quality printer common at university maker spaces. After printing and trimming, Rapid-Tome assembly takes a few minutes with five metal parts common at hardware stores. Users sectioned a variety of plant samples including the hollow internodes of switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum ), fibrous switchgrass roots containing aerenchyma, and woody branches of eastern red cedar ( Juniperus virginiana ) and American sycamore ( Platanus occidentalis ). A comparative analyses with Rapid-Tome-produced sections readily revealed a significant difference in seasonal growth of sycamore xylem vessel area in spring (49%) vs. summer (23%). Additionally, high school students with no prior experience produced sections with the Rapid-Tome adequate for comparative analyses of various plant samples in less than an hour. Conclusions The described hand-sectioning method is suitable for softer tissues, including hollow-stemmed grasses and similar samples. In addition, the Rapid-Tome provides capacity to safely produce high-quality sections of tougher plant materials at a fraction of the cost of traditional microtomes combined with excellent sample control. The Rapid-Tome features rapid sectioning, sample advancement, blade changes, and sample changes; it is highly portable and can be used easily with minimal training making production of thin sections accessible for classroom and outreach use, in addition to research.

3D-printing↗
DOE OSTI2023

Leveraging national laboratories to increase Black representation in STEM: recommendations within the Department of Energy

Increasing diversity in STEM disciplines has been a goal at scientific institutions for many decades. Black representation in STEM, however, has remained critically low at all levels (high school, undergraduate, graduate, and professional) for over 40 years, highlighting the need for innovative strategies that promote and retain Black students and professionals in STEM. We refocus efforts on increasing Black representation in STEM by promoting early exposure and continued engagement while leveraging national laboratories—an underutilized resource with immense potential to centralize diversity and inclusion efforts nationally.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Connections between Student Explanations and Arguments from Evidence about Plant Growth

We investigate how students connect explanations and arguments from evidence about plant growth and metabolism—two key practices described by the Next Generation Science Standards. This study reports analyses of interviews with 22 middle and high school students postinstruction, focusing on how their sense-making strategies led them to interpret—or misinterpret—scientific explanations and arguments from evidence. The principles of conservation of matter and energy can provide a framework for making sense of phenomena, but our results show that some students reasoned about plant growth as an action enabled by water, air, sunlight, and soil rather than a process of matter and energy transformation. These students reinterpreted the hypotheses and results of standard investigations of plant growth, such as van Helmont's experiment, to match their own understanding of how plants grow. Only the more advanced students consistently interpreted mass changes in plants or soil as evidence of movement of matter. We also observed that a higher degree of scaffolding during some of the interview questions allowed mid-level students to improve their responses. We describe our progress and challenges developing teaching materials with scaffolding to improve students’ understanding of plant growth and metabolism.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Graduate Training at the Interface of Computational and Experimental Biology: An Outcome Report from a Partnership of Volunteers between a University and a National Laboratory

Leading voices in the biological sciences have called for a transformation in graduate education leading to the PhD degree. One area commonly singled out for growth and innovation is cross-training in computational science. In 1998, the University of Tennessee (UT) founded an intercollegiate graduate program called the UT-ORNL Graduate School of Genome Science and Technology in partnership with the nearby Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Here, we report outcome data that attest to the program’s effectiveness in graduating computationally enabled biologists for diverse careers. Among 77 PhD graduates since 2003, the majority came with traditional degrees in the biological sciences, yet two-thirds moved into computational or hybrid (computational–experimental) positions. We describe the curriculum of the program and how it has changed. We also summarize how the program seeks to establish cohesion between computational and experimental biologists. This type of program can respond flexibly and dynamically to unmet training needs. In conclusion, this study from a flagship, state-supported university may serve as a reference point for creating a stable, degree-granting, interdepartmental graduate program in computational biology and allied areas.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Restrictive Intraoperative Fluid Therapy is Associated with Decreased Morbidity and Length of Stay Following Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemoperfusion

Background: Recent data have demonstrated multiple benefits of intra- and postoperative fluid restriction in major abdominal surgery; however, data regarding the outcomes of fluid restriction in cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion (CRS/HIPEC) are limited. This study evaluates the safety and short-term clinical outcomes of restricted intraoperative fluid therapy in CRS/HIPEC. Methods: This was a single-institution, retrospective review of all CRS/HIPEC procedures performed at the University of Massachusetts Medical School between January 2009 and July 2017. Recorded variables included demographics, intraoperative factors, 60-day postoperative complications, and length of stay (LOS). Outcomes based on the use of intraoperative permissive fluid therapy (PFT) versus restrictive fluid therapy (RFT) were compared. Results: Overall, 169 CRS/HIPEC cases were performed during the study period; 84 were managed with PFT and 85 were managed with RFT. No significant differences were identified in patient demographics. There was a decrease in intraoperative administration of crystalloid (8.0 vs. 4.4 L, p < 0.01), colloid (900 vs. 300 mL, p < 0.01), and blood transfusion (0.26 vs. 0.04 units, p < 0.01) in the RFT cohort. LOS was reduced from 11.5 to 9.7 days (p < 0.01) and the incidence of any 60-day complication decreased from 45 to 28% (p = 0.02) in the RFT group. The overall 90-day mortality rate was 0.6% (n = 1). Adjusted logistic regression demonstrated the odds of having a Clavien–Dindo grade III or higher complication was 0.31 (95% confidence interval 0.10–0.95) with RFT. Conclusion: Intraoperative RFT with standard anesthesia monitoring devices can be safely used in CRS/HIPEC and is associated with a decreased LOS and decreased rate of postoperative complications.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Contributions of a Child’s Built, Natural, and Social Environments to Their General Cognitive Ability: A Systematic Scoping Review

The etiology of a child’s cognitive ability is complex, with research suggesting that it is not attributed to a single determinant or even a defined period of exposure. Rather, cognitive development is the product of cumulative interactions with the environment, both negative and positive, over the life course. The aim of this systematic scoping review was to collate evidence associated with children’s cognitive health, including inherent factors as well as chemical and non-chemical stressors from the built, natural, and social environments. Three databases were used to identify recent epidemiological studies (2003–2013) that examined exposure factors associated with general cognitive ability in children. Over 100 factors were evaluated from 258 eligible studies. We found that recent literature mainly assessed the hypothesized negative effects of either inherent factors or chemical exposures present in the physical environment. Prenatal growth, sleep health, lead and water pollutants showed consistent negative effects. Of the few studies that examined social stressors, results consistently showed cognitive development to be influenced by both positive and negative social interactions at home, in school or the community. Among behavioral factors related to diet and lifestyle choices of the mother, breastfeeding was the most studied, showing consistent positive associations with cognitive ability. There were mostly inconsistent results for both chemical and non-chemical stressors. The majority of studies utilized traditional exposure assessments, evaluating chemical and non-chemical stressors separately. Collective evidence from a limited number of studies revealed that cumulative exposure assessment that incorporates multiple chemical and non-chemical stressors over the life course may unravel the variability in effect on cognitive development and help explain the inconsistencies across studies. Here, future research examining the interactions of multiple stressors within a child’s total environment, depicting a more real-world exposure, will aid in understanding the cumulative effects associated with a child’s ability to learn.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

ZrH2 as measured on ARCS for NXS2021

This data is for ZrH2 in an Al can it is measured at room temperature. This data was used for the Neutron and Xray scattering school in 2021. It was measured on the ARCS direct geometry spectrometer at the spallation neutron source. The .nxs files are event files that can be read and processed with Mantid. The nxspe files are auto reduced files that can be read with Mantid, Dave, or Mslice. Both types of files are hdf5 and can be read with any tool that reads hdf5.

MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Membrane Specifications for Multi-Configuration Membrane Distillation Model

The data includes the membrane properties and specifications used for multi-configuration membrane distillation desalination. In this study, membranes from CLARCOR, 3M, and Aquastill are tested in counter-current, co-current and air-gap configurations at Colorado School of Mines (CSM), Advanced Water technology Center ( Aqwatech) laboratories. In the data sheets: The "theoretical" worksheet, contains steady-state values of the experimental runs and also provides several calculated values. The "Specifications" worksheet contains the inputs to the experiment. The "Data" spreadsheet contains the entire set of data and the rest of the sheets "20-40", "20-45", ...etc., contain individual portions of the data with variation of feed temperatures.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Utah FORGE 1-2551: Multi-Stage Fracturing System and Well Tractor to Enable Zonal Isolation During Stimulation and EGS Operations in Horizontal Wellbores - Workshop Presentation and Report

Included here are a presentation recording, slides, and report on the Multi-Stage Fracturing System and Well Tractor to Enable Zonal Isolation During Stimulation and EGS Operations in Horizontal Wellbores project by Colorado School of Mines, presented by Dr. William W. Fleckenstein. One goal of the project is to develop and demonstrate the use of low-cost, rapid multistage fracture stimulation technology with cemented casing frac sleeves that eliminates packers used in both conventional stimulation and injection flow control. The second goal is to develop and demonstrate the devices to effectively detect and control the flow of heat-carrier fluid solely from a long-reach injector through the network of induced and existing fractures and produced from an open-hole long-reach well to improve heat recovery. This presentation was featured in the Utah FORGE R&D Annual Workshop on September 7, 2023. The workshop provided a valuable opportunity to explore the progress made in each of the 17 Research and Development projects funded under Solicitation 2020-1 which aim to enhance our understanding of the crucial factors influencing the development of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) reservoirs and resources.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Comminty Geothermal: Planning and Design of a Heating and Cooling System in Framingham, Massachusetts

These reports, plans, and drawings review the achievements of Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET) and its partners to plan and design a network of interconnected ground-source heat pump systems, or geothermal network, in an area encompassing multiple environmental justice (EJ) neighborhoods in the City of Framingham, MA. The materials provided in this dataset include, a) stakeholder and design best practices, b) study on optimal method to interconnect geothermal loops, c) guidelines for monitoring and metering, d) operations and maintenance plans, e) permitting guidelines and f) 10-day driller tutorial curriculum. These materials can guide the efficient and ethical design of future geothermal networks nationwide. The capacity of the system is estimated at 217 tons and is designed to provide 100% of heating and cooling needs for the buildings connected to the loop. In this project, 80 boreholes are used as the main thermal resources, the distribution system (or loop) consists of 0.61 miles of an 8-inch single-pipe at ambient temperature, with the capacity to connect 44 buildings, including 13 apartment buildings from the Framingham Housing Authority, one transitional home, one school building and 29 single family homes. While Framingham already has a geothermal network loop that is currently in the commissioning stage, our proposed project is unique because it is the first utility-led expansion loop (2nd loop) project that will connect to an adjacent existing geothermal loop (1st loop) in a pre-existing neighborhood. Both the 1st and 2nd loops are being installed, owned and operated by Eversource Energy, the utility Deployment Partner.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

2014 Madison County, Indiana, Heartland in Motion Transportation Study

The 2014 Heartland in Motion Transportation Study collected household demographics and travel information from Madison County, Indiana, residents and evaluated preferred travel options between the county and Indianapolis, Indiana. Resource Systems Group administered the study for the Madison County Council of Governments. Prior to conducting the main survey in February to March 2014, a pilot study was conducted in December 2013 to evaluate the methods, approach, and response rates. The main study data collection occurred while public schools were in session, prior to spring break, and included a household travel survey and stated preference experiments. Households were asked to provide details of their trips for one weekday.

1Hz data↗
DOE OSTI2026

2002 St. Louis Region Travel Survey

The 2002 St. Louis Household Travel Survey entailed the collection of weekday travel behavior characteristics of households residing in each of the eight counties that comprise the St. Louis region. In addition to collecting basic demographic and socioeconomic information about each household and its members, the survey documented specific characteristics of activities and trips, including the number and purpose of trips, trip duration, time of day, mode of transportation, and specifics of school- and work-related travel. The survey instruments contained three components: 1) the recruitment questionnaire, 2) the travel log, and 3) the retrieval questionnaire. In total, 7,046 households were recruited to participate in the study via telephone interview. Of these, 5,094 completed travel logs during a specific 24-hour period, and the information was retrieved from all household members, regardless of age. Demographic information for this study includes age, gender, education level, employment status, and household income.

1Hz data↗
DOE OSTI2026

Raw_data_Batch_I: Lisle to Waterfall Glen

Date of collection: May 11, 2023 Location: DuPage County, IL This dataset contains lidar and vision data collected between Lisle, IL, and the Waterfall Glen parking lot. The vehicle started near Cass School District 63, headed east along IL 34. The vehicle then turned south along IL 83 until Interstate 55. Finally, the vehicle turned southwest along I 55 until Exit 273A and headed toward the Waterfall Glen parking lot. The data contains the following Robot Operating System (ROS) topics: - /Central_Camera_blurred – Image flow from coaxial camera heading, vehicle front. - /Left_Camera_blurred – Image flow from left camera, 60° from central camera on the left side. - /Right_Camera_blurred – Image flow from right camera, 60° from central camera on the right side. - /camera0/camera_info – Intrinsic and distortion information of left camera. - /camera0/projection_matrix – Extrinsic matrix of left camera from lidar. - /camera2/camera_info – Intrinsic and distortion information of central camera. - /camera2/projection_matrix – Extrinsic matrix of central camera from lidar. - /camera5/camera_info – Intrinsic and distortion information of right camera. - /camera5/projection_matrix – Extrinsic matrix of right camera from lidar. - /novatel/oem7/bestpos – Latitude, longitude, and elevation information from NovAtel GNSS-INS system. - /points_raw – VLP-32 lidar point cloud. - /tf – Vehicle base frame. The data are organized into a data description file and one or more ROS .bag files, dependent on original file size. The data description file provides information about the data collection date, location, and detailed mapping, while the .bag file(s) contain the actual data. Please note that for the purpose of securing personally identifiable information, all license plates and faces included in this publication have been intentionally blurred during real-time processing. ![lisle waterfall image](lisle-waterfall.png)

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2022

QA/QC of the East River, Colorado, discharge and geochemical time series datasets (Almont, BCC, and Pump House) to be used for modeling of hydrogeochemical balance

The following datasets were QA/QC-ed (Quality Assurance/Quality Control): 1. Brush Creek Confluence (BCC) discharge data (from Helen Malenda, USGS, Colorado School of Mines), which were calculated using the pressure transducer data and rating curves. The original 15 min time series data were presented as mean daily discharge. 2. Almont discharge data from United States Geological Survey (USGS). The original data were in 15 min time intervals, and were averaged to mean daily discharge time series. 3. Pump House discharge data as mean daily discharge (downloaded from the SFA portal). 4. BCC and Pump House chemistry data from SFA data portal and/or original spreadsheets provided by Roelof Versteeg. The following challenging QA/QC problems of the datasets were resolved: Missing data with the duration of gaps up to >1 month; Duplicated dates; Anomalies and outliers of discharge and concentrations; Time stamps of measurements of the discharge and concentrations are not aligned (hydrogeochemical balance calculations require the timestamps to be aligned). All QA/QC-ed datasets are given as csv files. The csv files were prepared using the xts files with multiple worksheets, which are also included in the data packages. Figures of the QA/QC-ed datasets are given in the jpeg and pdf formats. The QA/QC-ed datasets have been used to quantify discharge and chemical concentrations in river water in order to understand riverine exports of water and dissolved constituents in the East River watershed. These datasets served as a basis in the presentation given by P. Fox et al. at the 2021 Goldschmidt Conference.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗