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At least 1,441 records · Page 80
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

Polar cap observations of thermospheric winds and temperatures at Sondre Stromfjord, Greenland

An agreement of averaged temperatures with mass spectrometer incoherent scatter radar looked reasonable for several nights, but for many nights there are differences: (1) midnight period of cooling, and (2) temperature increases associated with overhead crossings of the auroral belt. The observed rise of the temperature before dawn in conjunction with the high 6300A intensities suggests a connection between the two effects: soft particle precipitation most likely candidate but frictional heating perhaps also a possibility. A comparison with the thermospheric general circulation model calculations also needed. The technique for formulating neutral wind vectors performs well in most cases. The observed patterns show evidence for abatement in the midnight sector in the meridional wind component at the separatix between the two cells with a frequency of the order of 20 to 25%, also observed in radar observations at Sondre Stromfjord. The observed patterns for magnetically quiet conditions show flow characteristic of the auroral belt, westward in evening followed by the midnight surge. The observed patterns for active conditions show dominance either by the evening cell or the morning cell, but most often the former.

Meriwether, J. W., Jr.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Comparing Tandem Cell Designs for Electrochemical CO 2 Reduction to Ethylene

Electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction (CO 2 R) is a promising approach for the decentralized production of fuels such as ethylene (C 2 H 4 ). However, the use of Cu, the most efficient metal CO 2 R catalyst for the generation of C 2 H 4 known to date, generally yields a product stream with poor selectivity. In an effort to increase selectivity, the reaction from CO 2 to C 2 H 4 can be broken down into two steps using tandem CO 2 R electrolyzers: formation of CO from CO 2 and subsequent reduction of CO to C 2 H 4 . Here, in this study, we present two novel tandem electrolyzer architectures that closely integrate two cathodes, one for CO generation and one for conversion to C 2 H 4 , while still enabling independent electrical control of the cathodic surfaces. Cathode segmentation in each of these designs also permits the controlled sequencing of mass flow of chemical intermediates in the order of Au to Cu cathode catalysts, in contrast to earlier work relying on uncontrolled, passive diffusion to facilitate the flow of chemical intermediates between catalysts. When comparing the performance of the newly developed electrolyzer cell designs with a dual electrolyzer system, we found that the dual electrolyzer system yields the highest C 2 H 4 faradaic efficiencies (FEs) of 31% and C 2 H 4 concentrations (∼8 mol %). However, a single Cu-containing electrolyzer outperformed all three tandem systems in terms of C 2 H 4 FE (34%). Our findings, enabled by independent control of the two tandem cathode surfaces, indicate that tandem CO 2 R systems need to be evaluated carefully by testing them at various relevant current densities.

C2H4↗
NASA NTRS2011

Hydrofocusing Bioreactor Produces Anti-Cancer Alkaloids

A methodology for growing three-dimensional plant tissue models in a hydrodynamic focusing bioreactor (HFB) has been developed. The methodology is expected to be widely applicable, both on Earth and in outer space, as a means of growing plant cells and aggregates thereof under controlled conditions for diverse purposes, including research on effects of gravitation and other environmental factors upon plant growth and utilization of plant tissue cultures to produce drugs in quantities greater and at costs lower than those of conventional methodologies. The HFB was described in Hydro focus - ing Bioreactor for Three-Dimensional Cell Culture (MSC-22358), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 27, No. 3 (March 2003), page 66. To recapitulate: The HFB offers a unique hydrofocusing capability that enables the creation of a low-shear liquid culture environment simultaneously with the herding of suspended cells and tissue assemblies and removal of unwanted air bubbles. The HFB includes a rotating cell-culture vessel with a centrally located sampling port and an internal rotating viscous spinner attached to a rotating base. The vessel and viscous spinner can be made to rotate at the same speed and direction or different speeds and directions to tailor the flow field and the associated hydrodynamic forces in the vessel in order to obtain low-shear suspension of cells and control of the locations of cells and air bubbles. For research and pharmaceutical-production applications, the HFB offers two major benefits: low shear stress, which promotes the assembly of cells into tissue-like three-dimensional constructs; and randomization of gravitational vectors relative to cells, which affects production of medicinal compounds. Presumably, apposition of plant cells in the absence of shear forces promotes cell-cell contacts, cell aggregation, and cell differentiation. Only gentle mixing is necessary for distributing nutrients and oxygen. It has been postulated that inasmuch as cells in the simulated microgravitation of an HFB do not need to maintain the same surface forces as in normal Earth gravitation, they can divert more energy sources to growth and differentiation and, perhaps, to biosynthesis of greater quantities of desired medicinal compounds. Because one can adjust the HFB to vary effective gravitation, one can also test the effects of intermediate levels of gravitation on biosynthesis of various products. The potential utility of this methodology for producing drugs was demonstrated in experiments in which sandalwood and Madagascar periwinkle cells were grown in an HFB. The conditions in the HFB were chosen to induce the cells to form into aggregate cultures that produced anti-cancer indole alkaloids in amounts greater than do comparable numbers of cells of the same species cultured according to previously known methodologies. The observations made in these experiments were interpreted as suggesting that the aggregation of the cells might be responsible for the enhancement of production of alkaloids.

Gonda, Steve R.↗
NASA NTRS1991

FLIP MHD - A particle-in-cell method for magnetohydrodynamics

The fluid-implicit-particle, or 'FLIP' method presently extended to 2D and 3D MHD flow incorporates a Lagrangian field representation and yields a grid magnetic Reynolds number of up to 16 while preserving contact continuities that retain the Galilean invariance of the MHD flow equations. Analytical arguments and numerical examples demonstrate the conservation of mass, momentum, magnetic flux, and energy; 2D calculation results for the illustrative cases of contact discontinuity convection, Rayleigh-Taylor unstable flow.

Brackbill, J. U.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Tetrahedral Finite-Volume Solutions to the Navier-Stokes Equations on Complex Configurations

A review of the algorithmic features and capabilities of the unstructured-grid flow solver USM3Dns is presented. This code, along with the tetrahedral grid generator, VGRIDns, is being extensively used throughout the U.S. for solving the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations on complex aerodynamic problems. Spatial discretization is accomplished by a tetrahedral cell-centered finite-volume formulation using Roe's upwind flux difference splitting. The fluxes are limited by either a Superbee or MinMod limiter. Solution reconstruction within the tetrahedral cells is accomplished with a simple, but novel, multidimensional analytical formula. Time is advanced by an implicit backward-Euler time-stepping scheme. Flow turbulence effects are modeled by the Spalart-Allmaras one-equation model, which is coupled with a wall function to reduce the number of cells in the near-wall region of the boundary layer. The issues of accuracy and robustness of USM3Dns Navier-Stokes capabilities are addressed for a flat-plate boundary layer, and a full F-16 aircraft with external stores at transonic speed.

Frink, Neal T.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Tetrahedral Finite-Volume Solutions to the Navier-Stokes Equations on Complex Configurations

A review of the algorithmic features and capabilities of the unstructured-grid flow solver USM3Dns is presented. This code, along with the tetrahedral grid generator, VGRIDns, is being extensively used throughout the U.S. for solving the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations on complex aerodynamic problems. Spatial discretization is accomplished by a tetrahedral cell-centered finite-volume formulation using Roe's upwind flux difference splitting. The fluxes are limited by either a Superbee or MinMod limiter. Solution reconstruction within the tetrahedral cells is accomplished with a simple, but novel, multidimensional analytical formula. Time is advanced by an implicit backward-Euler time-stepping scheme. Flow turbulence effects are modeled by the Spalart-Allmaras one-equation model, which is coupled with a wall function to reduce the number of cells in the near-wall region of the boundary layer. The issues of accuracy and robustness of USM3Dns Navier-Stokes capabilities are addressed for a flat-plate boundary layer, and a full F-16 aircraft with external stores at transonic speed.

Frink, N. T.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Renin-Angiotensin System (RAS) in Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cells (HS/PC) Predicts Vaso-Reparative Dysfunction and Progression of Diabetic Retinopathy (DR)

Purpose: We tested the hypothesis that loss of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) within diabetic HS/PCs (Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cells) would be detrimental to HS/PC reparative function, and alter their ability to contribute to vascular remodeling in human subjects and rodent models of DR (Diabetic Retinopathy). Methods: Subjects (n52) were recruited as controls (n13) or diabetics (n39) with either no DR, mild non-proliferative DR (NPDR), moderate NPDR, severe NPDR or proliferative DR (PDR). Fluorescein angiograms were analyzed using Vessel Generation Analysis (VESGEN) software in a cohort of subjects. CD34+ HS/PCs were isolated from peripheral blood. RAS (Renin-Angiotensin System) gene expression and migration was measured. Diabetic ACE2 knockout (KO)C57BL6-Ins2 (Akita) mice at 3, 6 and 9 months of diabetes were compared to age-matched controls. Bone marrow HS/PC populations were analyzed by flow cytometry and migration and proliferation studies performed. Results: ACE2 gene expression in human CD34+ cells from diabetics without DR was increased compared to controls (p0.0437). Mas receptor mRNA was also increased in diabetics without DR, but reduced with the onset of NPDR (p0.0002), suggesting a loss of compensation. DR was associated with CD34+ cell migratory dysfunction. By VESGEN analysis, vessel density measured by several confirming parameters in early NPDR (n3) was greater than in normal retina (n6) in both arteries and veins, which suggests active retinal remodeling. ACE2KO-Akita and Akita cohorts showed reduced retinal thickness by OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) at 9 months of diabetes. Absence of ACE2 in 9-month Akita mice led to an accelerated increase in acellular capillaries compared to diabetic alone. Electroretinogram (ERG) in ACE2KO-Akita mice resulted in persistent deterioration of the neural retina. Reparative function studies showed that ACE2KO exacerbated diabetes-induced impairment of LK (Low Potassium) cell migration and proliferative functions as early as 3-month of diabetes (p0.0019). Conclusions: Retinopathy and adverse vascular remodeling in subjects with diabetes was associated with a loss of the protective arm of RAS in HS/PCs. Loss of ACE2 exacerbated vascular dysfunction in diabetic mice.

retina↗
DOE OSTI2024

Quantitative principles of microbial metabolism shared across scales

Metabolism is the complex network of chemical reactions occurring within every cell and organism, maintaining life, mediating ecosystem processes and affecting Earth’s climate. Experiments and models of microbial metabolism often focus on one specific scale, overlooking the connectivity between molecules, cells and ecosystems. Here we highlight quantitative metabolic principles that exhibit commonalities across scales, which we argue could help to achieve an integrated perspective on microbial life. Mass, electron and energy balance provide quantitative constraints on their flow within metabolic networks, organisms and ecosystems, shaping how each responds to its environment. The mechanisms underlying these flows, such as enzyme–substrate interactions, often involve encounter and handling stages that are represented by equations similar to those for cells and resources, or predators and prey. Here we propose that these formal similarities reflect shared principles and discuss how their investigation through experiments and models may contribute to a common language for studying microbial metabolism across scales.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

CRAGE-mediated insertion of fluorescent chromosomal markers for accurate and scalable measurement of co-culture dynamics in Escherichia coli

Monitoring population dynamics in co-culture is necessary in engineering microbial consortia involved in distributed metabolic processes or biosensing applications. However, it remains difficult to measure strain-specific growth dynamics in high-throughput formats. This is especially vexing in plate-based functional screens leveraging whole-cell biosensors to detect specific metabolic signals. Here, we develop an experimental high-throughput co-culture system to measure and model the relationship between fluorescence and cell abundance, combining chassis-independent recombinase-assisted genome engineering (CRAGE) and whole-cell biosensing with a PemrR-green fluorescent protein (GFP) monoaromatic reporter used in plate-based functional screening. CRAGE was used to construct Escherichia coli EPI300 strains constitutively expressing red fluorescent protein (RFP) and the relationship between RFP expression and optical density (OD600) was determined throughout the EPI300 growth cycle. A linear equation describing the increase of normalized RFP fluorescence during deceleration phase was derived and used to predict biosensor strain dynamics in co-culture. Measured and predicted values were compared using flow cytometric detection methods. Induction of the biosensor lead to increased GFP fluorescence normalized to biosensor cell abundance, as expected, but a significant decrease in relative abundance of the biosensor strain in co-culture and a decrease in bulk GFP fluorescence. Taken together, these results highlight sensitivity of population dynamics to variations in metabolic activity in co-culture and the potential effect of these dynamics on the performance of functional screens in plate-based formats. The engineered strains and model used to evaluate these dynamics provide a framework for optimizing growth of synthetic co-cultures used in screening, testing and pathway engineering applications.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1972

The effect of gravity induced free convection upon the melting phenomena of a finite paraffin slab for thermal control

Two theoretical models were developed to predict the thermal response of the phase change material to a given hot plate temperature. A two-dimensional pure conduction model was developed to predict the melting of the phase change material when heat transfer was a function of conduction. A combined conduction-convection model, also two-dimensional, was developed to predict the phase change phenomena when heat transfer was a function of conduction and gravity-induced free convection. Both models were solved using explicit finite difference approximations on a digital computer. The experimental equipment consisted of a rectangular cell utilizing a heat chamber, an expansion chamber, and a test chamber; a sixteen channel multipoint recorder, and a fluid flow system. The recorder monitered hot and cold plate temperatures and interior node temperatures at two second intervals. A comparison of theoretical temperature profiles and experimental temperature profiles is presented for six runs at various angles of inclination of the test cell with respect to the horizontal direction. A detailed discussion of results is presented.

Bain, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Conical Euler analysis and active roll suppression for unsteady vortical flows about rolling delta wings

A conical Euler code was developed to study unsteady vortex-dominated flows about rolling, highly swept delta wings undergoing either forced motions or free-to-roll motions that include active roll suppression. The flow solver of the code involves a multistage, Runge-Kutta time-stepping scheme that uses a cell-centered, finite-volume, spatial discretization of the Euler equations on an unstructured grid of triangles. The code allows for the additional analysis of the free to-roll case by simultaneously integrating in time the rigid-body equation of motion with the governing flow equations. Results are presented for a delta wing with a 75 deg swept, sharp leading edge at a free-stream Mach number of 1.2 and at 10 deg, 20 deg, and 30 deg angle of attack alpha. At the lower angles of attack (10 and 20 deg), forced-harmonic analyses indicate that the rolling-moment coefficients provide a positive damping, which is verified by free-to-roll calculations. In contrast, at the higher angle of attack (30 deg), a forced-harmonic analysis indicates that the rolling-moment coefficient provides negative damping at the small roll amplitudes. A free-to-roll calculation for this case produces an initially divergent response, but as the amplitude of motion grows with time, the response transitions to a wing-rock type of limit cycle oscillation, which is characteristic of highly swept delta wings. This limit cycle oscillation may be actively suppressed through the use of a rate-feedback control law and antisymmetrically deflected leading-edge flaps. Descriptions of the conical Euler flow solver and the free-to roll analysis are included in this report. Results are presented that demonstrate how the systematic analysis of the forced response of the delta wing can be used to predict the stable, neutrally stable, and unstable free response of the delta wing. These results also give insight into the flow physics associated with unsteady vortical flows about delta wings undergoing forced motions and free-to-roll motions, including the active suppression of the wing-rock type phenomenon. The conical Euler methodology developed is directly extend able to three-dimensional calculations.

Lee-Rausch, Elizabeth M.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Enabling microbial electrolysis cell scale-up via electrochemistry-, hydrodynamic-, and microbial ecology-informed framework

Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) can produce green hydrogen while removing organic contaminants from liquid waste streams by leveraging the metabolic activity of electroactive microorganisms. Despite their potential in a sustainable, circular economy, large-scale MECs that can treat relevant volumes of wastewater have failed to deliver performance proportional to their lab-scale counterparts. The reason behind this lower performance at scale remains unclear. Here, in this study, we developed a combined electrochemistry-, hydrodynamic-, and microbial ecology-informed framework to analyze and optimize MEC performance during scale-up, enabling accurate quantification of major limitations and the identification of strategies to overcome them, ultimately facilitating equivalent performance at scale. Applying this framework to the scale-up of a zero-gap MEC from 9 cm 2 electrode area to 100 cm 2 electrode area, resulted in similar maximum current densities in a 100 cm 2 MEC (21.7 ± 1.1 A/m 2 ) compared to a 9 cm 2 system (25.1 ± 2.7 A/m 2 ), as well as equivalent hydrogen production rates of 69.3 L/L-d (100 cm 2 ) and 67.7 ± 2.4 L/L-d (9 cm 2 ). COMSOL flow dynamics simulations were used to scale up the reactor configuration without negatively affecting electrolyte velocity and distribution in the cell, minimizing the increase in internal resistances during scale-up (11.7 ± 0.5 mΩm 2 at 9 cm 2 ; 19.7 ± 1.3 mΩm 2 at 100 cm 2 ). Microbial community structures were assessed at both scales using high-throughput sequencing, highlighting the differences of populations across electrode dimensions and operational parameters. The framework presented here accelerates the development of effective strategies toward the scale-up of MECs by furthering the understanding of how electrochemical, hydrodynamic, and microbial ecology parameters change as the reactor dimension is increased. Ultimately, this approach contributes to advancing electrochemical biotechnology toward practical deployment in energy-efficient wastewater treatment systems.

Flow path↗
NASA NTRS1977

Application of a multi-level grid method to transonic flow calculations

A multi-level grid method has been studied as a possible means of accelerating convergence in relaxation calculations for transonic flows. The method employs a hierarchy of grids, ranging from very coarse (e.g., 8 x 2 mesh cells) to fine (e.g., 128 x 32); the coarser grids are used to diminish the magnitude of the smooth part of the residuals, hopefully with far less total work than would be required with, say, optimal SLOR iterations on the finest grid. The method was applied to the solution of the transonic small-disturbance equation for the velocity potential in the conservation form. Nonlifting transonic flow past a parabolic-arc airfoil is the example studied, with meshes of both constant and variable step size.

South, J. C., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1976

The multigrid method: Fast relaxation

A multi-level grid method was studied as a possible means of accelerating convergence in relaxation calculations for transonic flows. The method employs a hierarchy of grids, ranging from very coarse (e.g. 4 x 2 mesh cells) to fine (e.g. 64 x 32); the coarser grids are used to diminish the magnitude of the smooth part of the residuals, hopefully with far less total work than would be required with optimal iterations on the finest grid. To date the method was applied quite successfully to the solution of the transonic small-disturbance equation for the velocity potential in conservation form. Nonlifting transonic flow past a parabolic arc airfoil is the example studied, with meshes of both constant and variable step size.

South, J. C., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Venous levels of shear support neutrophil-platelet adhesion and neutrophil aggregation in blood via P-selectin and beta2-integrin

BACKGROUND: After activation, platelets adhere to neutrophils via P-selectin and beta2-integrin. The molecular mechanisms and adhesion events in whole blood exposed to venous levels of hydrodynamic shear in the absence of exogenous activation remain unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: Whole blood was sheared at approximately 100 s(-1). The kinetics of neutrophil-platelet adhesion and neutrophil aggregation were measured in real time by flow cytometry. P-selectin was upregulated to the platelet surface in response to shear and was the primary factor mediating neutrophil-platelet adhesion. The extent of neutrophil aggregation increased linearly with platelet adhesion to neutrophils. Blocking either P-selectin, its glycoprotein ligand PSGL-1, or both simultaneously by preincubation with a monoclonal antibody resulted in equivalent inhibition of neutrophil-platelet adhesion (approximately 30%) and neutrophil aggregation (approximately 70%). The residual amount of neutrophil adhesion was blocked with anti-CD11b/CD18. Treatment of blood with prostacyclin analogue ZK36374, which raises cAMP levels in platelets, blocked P-selectin upregulation and neutrophil aggregation to baseline. Complete abrogation of platelet-neutrophil adhesion required both ZK36374 and anti-CD18. Electron microscopic observations of fixed blood specimens revealed that platelets augmented neutrophil aggregation both by forming bridges between neutrophils and through contact-mediated activation. CONCLUSIONS: The results are consistent with a model in which venous levels of shear support platelet adherence to neutrophils via P-selectin binding PSGL-1. This interaction alone is sufficient to mediate neutrophil aggregation. Abrogation of platelet adhesion and aggregation requires blocking Mac-1 in addition to PSGL-1 or P-selectin. The described mechanisms are likely of key importance in the pathogenesis and progression of thrombotic disorders that are exacerbated by leukocyte-platelet aggregation.

NASA Discipline Cell Biology↗
NASA NTRS1991

The computation of three-dimensional flows using unstructured grids

A general method is described for automatically discretizing, into unstructured assemblies of tetrahedra, the three-dimensional solution domains of complex shape which are of interest in practical computational aerodynamics. An algorithm for the solution of the compressible Euler equations which can be implemented on such general unstructured tetrahedral grids is described. This is an explicit cell-vertex scheme which follows a general Taylor-Galerkin philosophy. The approach is employed to compute a transonic inviscid flow over a standard wing and the results are shown to compare favorably with experimental observations. As a more practical demonstration, the method is then applied to the analysis of inviscid flow over a complete modern fighter configuration. The effect of using mesh adaptivity is illustrated when the method is applied to the solution of high speed flow in an engine inlet.

Morgan, K.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Recent Studies on Methanol Crossover in Liquid-Feed Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

In this work, the effects of methanol crossover and airflow rates on the cathode potential of an operating direct methanol fuel cell are explored. Techniques for quantifying methanol crossover in a fuel cell and for separating the electrical performance of each electrode in a fuel cell are discussed. The effect of methanol concentration on cathode potential has been determined to be significant. The cathode is found to be mass transfer limited when operating on low flow rate air and high concentrations of methanol. Improvements in cathode structure and operation at low methanol concentration have been shown to result in improved cell performance.

Valdez, T. I.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Strong IMF By-Related Plasma Convection in the Ionosphere and Cusp Field-Aligned Currents Under Northward IMF Conditions

We present in this paper an investigation of IMF-By related plasma convection and cusp field-aligned currents using FAST data and AMIE model during a prolonged interval with large positive IMF By and northward Bz conditions (By/Bz much greater than 1). Using the FAST single trajectory observations to validate the global convection patterns at key times and key locations, we have demonstrated that the AMIE procedure provides a reasonably good description of plasma circulations in the ionosphere during this interval. Our results show that the plasma convection in the ionosphere is consistent with the anti-parallel merging model. When the IMF has a strongly positive By component under northward conditions, we find that the global plasma convection forms two cells oriented nearly along the Sun-earth line in the ionosphere. In the northern hemisphere, the dayside cell has clockwise convection mainly circulating within the polar cap on open field lines. A second cell with counterclockwise convection is located in the nightside circulating across the polar cap boundary, The observed two-cell convection pattern appears to be driven by the reconnection along the anti-parallel merging lines poleward of the cusp extending toward the dusk side when IMF By/Bz much greater than 1. The magnetic tension force on the newly reconnected field lines drives the plasma to move from dusk to dawn in the polar cusp region near the polar cap boundary. The field-aligned currents in the cusp region flow downward into the ionosphere. The return field-aligned currents extend into the polar cap in the center of the dayside convection cell. The field-aligned currents are closed through the Peterson currents in the ionosphere, which flow poleward from the polar cap boundary along the electric field direction.

Le, G.↗