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At least 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

First Plant Cell Atlas symposium report

The Plant Cell Atlas (PCA) community hosted a virtual symposium on December 9 and 10, 2021 on single cell and spatial omics technologies. The conference gathered almost 500 academic, industry, and government leaders to identify the needs and directions of the PCA community and to explore how establishing a data synthesis center would address these needs and accelerate progress. This report details the presentations and discussions focused on the possibility of a data synthesis center for a PCA and the expected impacts of such a center on advancing science and technology globally. Community discussions focused on topics such as data analysis tools and annotation standards; computational expertise and cyber-infrastructure; modes of community organization and engagement; methods for ensuring a broad reach in the PCA community; recruitment, training, and nurturing of new talent; and the overall impact of the PCA initiative. These targeted discussions facilitated dialogue among the participants to gauge whether PCA might be a vehicle for formulating a data synthesis center. The conversations also explored how online tools can be leveraged to help broaden the reach of the PCA (i.e., online contests, virtual networking, and social media stakeholder engagement) and decrease costs of conducting research (e.g., virtual REU opportunities). Major recommendations for the future of the PCA included establishing standards, creating dashboards for easy and intuitive access to data, and engaging with a broad community of stakeholders. The discussions also identified the following as being essential to the PCA's success: identifying homologous cell-type markers and their biocuration, publishing datasets and computational pipelines, utilizing online tools for communication (such as Slack), and user-friendly data visualization and data sharing. In conclusion, the development of a data synthesis center will help the PCA community achieve these goals by providing a centralized repository for existing and new data, a platform for sharing tools, and new analytical approaches through collaborative, multidisciplinary efforts. A data synthesis center will help the PCA reach milestones, such as community-supported data evaluation metrics, accelerating plant research necessary for human and environmental health.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Concrete Structure Health Monitoring Using Vibro-acoustic Testing and Machine Learning

Assessment and management of aging concrete structures in nuclear power plants require a more systematic approach than simple reliance on margins of safety in existing codes. Research is required to deploy online monitoring capability to assess the health of concrete structures in nuclear power plants and perform predictive analytics based on heterogeneous measurements, in order to reduce the operation and maintenance costs. The research effort described in this report focuses on the health monitoring of concrete slabs containing reactive aggregates using the vibro-acoustic modulation (VAM) technique and predictive modeling. The research is developing an approach to enable detection, localization, and estimation of the extent of degradation in concrete slabs due to alkali-silica reaction (ASR). The project outcomes are generic and extendable to other degradation modes in concrete. A concrete slab without reinforcements was cast at Vanderbilt University and cured in aggressive conditions to accelerate ASR degradation. In this report, we develop a methodology for the automation of VAM testing, and the construction of machine learning models to facilitate damage localization in concrete structures. We investigate how machine learning models based on physics simulation data can be effectively utilized for damage localization (damage location and depth) and estimation in a concrete slab specimen. Our study indicates that these models could potentially support damage localization and estimation for NPP structures.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Belowground allocation and dynamics of recently fixed plant carbon in a California annual grassland

Plant roots and the organisms that surround them are a primary source for stabilized soil organic carbon (SOC). While grassland soils have a large capacity to store organic carbon (C), few field-based studies have quantified the amount of plant-fixed C that moves into soil and persists belowground over multiple years. Yet this characteristic of the soil C cycle is critical to C storage, soil water holding capacity, nutrient provisions, and the management of soil health. Here, we tracked the fate of plant-fixed C following a five-day 13 CO 2 labeling of a Northern California annual grassland, measuring C pools starting at the end of the labeling period, at three days, four weeks, six months, one year, and two years. Soil organic carbon was fractionated using a density-based approach to separate the free-light fraction (FLF), occluded-light fraction (OLF), and heavy fraction (HF). Using isotope ratio mass spectrometry, we measured 13 C enrichment and total C content for plant shoots, roots, soil, soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and the FLF, OLF, and HF. The chemical nature of C in the HF was further analyzed by solid state 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.

13C-NMR↗
DOE OSTI2020

Annual Site Environmental Report (2019)

Los Alamos National Laboratory’s (the Laboratory’s) annual site environmental reports are prepared by the Laboratory’s environmental organizations, as required by U.S. Department of Energy Order 231.1B, Administrative Change 1, Environment, Safety, and Health Reporting, and Order 458.1, Administrative Change 3, Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment. The following chapters in this report discuss our success in complying with environmental laws, regulations, and orders (Chapter 2, Compliance Summary); how we manage the Laboratory’s environmental performance (Chapter 3, Environmental Programs); how we monitor for air emissions of radioactive materials and climate conditions (Chapter 4, Air Quality); how we monitor for effects of Laboratory operations on groundwater quality (Chapter 5, Groundwater Protection); how we monitor the movement of chemicals and radionuclides by storm water runoff and the levels of chemicals and radionuclides in deposited sediment (Chapter 6, Watershed Quality); how we monitor for the presence, levels, and effects of chemicals and radionuclides in plants, animals, and soil (Chapter 7, Ecosystem Health); and finally, what radionuclide dose or risk from chemical exposure members of the public may experience as a result of Laboratory operations (Chapter 8, Public Dose and Risk Assessment).

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2021

Dual activity of anthocyanidin reductase supports the dominant plant proanthocyanidin extension unit pathway

Proanthocyanidins (PAs) are plant natural products important for agriculture and human health. They are polymers of flavan-3-ol subunits, commonly (-)-epicatechin and/or (+)-catechin, but the source of the in planta extension unit that comprises the bulk of the polymer remains unclear, as does how PA composition is determined in different plant species. Anthocyanidin reductase (ANR) can generate 2,3-cis-epicatechin as a PA starter unit from cyanidin, which itself arises from 2,3-trans-leucocyanidin, but ANR proteins from different species produce mixtures of flavan-3-ols with different stereochemistries in vitro. Genetic and biochemical analyses here show that ANR has dual activity and is involved not only in the production of (-)-epicatechin starter units but also in the formation of 2,3-cis-leucocyanidin to serve as (-)-epicatechin extension units. Differences in the product specificities of ANRs account for the presence/absence of PA polymerization and the compositions of PAs across plant species.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

An Overview of Policies Influencing Air Pollution from the Electricity Sector in Central Asia

The electricity sector is a substantial source of air pollution and associated health problems in Central Asia and elsewhere. Fossil-fueled power plants emit a wide variety of harmful pollutants and their chemical precursors. The pollutants with the greatest health impacts are particulate matter and ozone. Once released into the atmosphere, there is no practical way to remove air pollutants, which means that policies designed to improve air quality have to limit the pollutants before release. However, tackling such pollution is challenging, particularly in developing economies, due to the need to provide electricity as a basic necessity for citizens and as an engine of economic growth. This report provides examples of policies impacting air pollution from the electricity sector in the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. It is a partner publication to an earlier report that addressed policies in South Asia. As with the South Asia report, information on policies in some countries was difficult to locate; therefore, this is not a comprehensive study, but rather an overview or "scan" of the sector that includes examples of: (1) policies that directly regulate air quality by limiting emissions from specific point sources (by restricting operating hours, for instance); and (2) indirect policies that incentivize or disincentivize polluting activities, such as policies to encourage fuel switching to or from cleaner renewable resources. Note that this report was prepared before the Russia-Ukraine conflict and therefore doesn't address consequences of that war for Central Asia. The report finds: (1) That Central Asian countries typically have relatively few policy instruments available for regulating national air emissions; (2) That many countries, especially those that have a mismatch between seasonal demand and resource availability, could improve energy security and reduce air pollution through increased cross-border electricity trade; (3) That some countries have seemingly contradictory policies (promoting both coal and renewables, for instance). This report is also available in Russian: https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy23osti/85192.pdf.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Application of Margin-Based Methods to Assess System Health

Health management of complex systems such as nuclear power plants is an essential task to guarantee system reliability. This task can be greatly enhanced by constantly monitoring asset status and performances and process such data (through anomaly detection, diagnostic, and prognostic computational algorithms) to identify asset degradation trends and faulty states. While such information and data are typically available for many of the assets, they are not propagated from the asset to the system level in order to identify the most critical assets and prioritize maintenance and surveillance activities. The main reason is driven by the fact that current reliability modeling techniques are inadequate to process such information/data. This is due to the nature of these techniques which are based on the concept of failure rate/probability that do not serve an operational context where quantitative asset health information is available. Simply stated, current reliability techniques serve a run-to-failure operational setting and not a predictive maintenance one where the goal is to perform maintenance and surveillance activities only when they are needed based on asset health. The risk informed asset management (RIAM) project is focusing on the development of a different kind of reliability modeling techniques designed to adequately serve a predictive operational setting. Such reliability techniques move aways from a failure rate/probability to a margin-based mindset where margin is here used as a metric to quantify asset health based only on current and past operational experience of the asset under consideration. In addition, margin-based reliability techniques are able to propagate asset health information from the component to system level and provide importance measure to each asset. This report summarizes a recent activity performed in collaboration with plant modernization pathway designed to integrate monitoring data into margin-based reliability models. Such activity focuses on a specific system of an existing nuclear power plant where large amount of historic monitoring data is used to monitor asset and system health.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Holo-omics for deciphering plant-microbiome interactions

Host-microbiome interactions are recognized for their importance to host health. An improved understanding of the molecular underpinnings of host-microbiome relationships will advance our capacity to accurately predict host fitness and manipulate interaction outcomes. Within the plant microbiome research field, unlocking the functional relationships between plants and their microbial partners is the next step to effectively using the microbiome to improve plant fitness. We propose that strategies that pair host and microbial datasets—referred to here as holo-omics—provide a powerful approach for hypothesis development and advancement in this area. We discuss several experimental design considerations and present a case study to highlight the potential for holo-omics to generate a more holistic perspective of molecular networks within the plant microbiome system. In addition, we discuss the biggest challenges for conducting holo-omics studies; specifically, the lack of vetted analytical frameworks, publicly available tools, and required technical expertise to process and integrate heterogeneous data. Finally, we conclude with a perspective on appropriate use-cases for holo-omics studies, the need for downstream validation, and new experimental techniques that hold promise for the plant microbiome research field. We argue that utilizing a holo-omics approach to characterize host-microbiome interactions can provide important opportunities for broadening system-level understandings and significantly inform microbial approaches to improving host health and fitness.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Temperature Dependence of FDR Response for Thermally Aged Low-Voltage Cables

Frequency Domain Reflectometry (FDR) has attracted significant attention for use in nuclear power plants (NPPs) for non-destructive cable health monitoring. However, cable aging detection using FDR faces challenges due to its high sensitivity to environmental factors such as temperature, vibrations, proximity to other cables, and so on. This work aims to evaluate the influence of measurement temperature on the FDR reflected signal in a low voltage cable undergoing accelerated thermal aging. A 100 ft long multi-core low-voltage unshielded power cable insulated with flame retardant ethylene propylene rubber (FR-EPR) and covered by a chloro-polyethylene (CPE) jacket was selected for this study. The cable was energized during aging by a 480 VAC 3-phase motor, and a 30 ft mid-section of this cable was routed through an air circulating oven held at 140 °C for up to an effective aging time of 62 days. FDR measurements were taken periodically with the oven on (at 140 °C) and with the oven off (at 22 °C). A comparative analysis of data collected at both temperatures showed that the FDR response was strongly dependent on measurement temperature. FDR measurements at ambient temperature showed large peaks corresponding to impedance changes in the aged section of the cable after 3 days of aging. These peaks continued to rise steadily with increasing aging time. However, for measurements taken at 140 °C, slowly rising peaks in the oven region (aged section) were observed only after a lead time of 23 days of aging. This work highlights the importance of measurement temperature on the performance of FDR as a condition monitoring tool for aging cables.

Sriraman, Aishwarya↗
DOE OSTI2020

Static Strain Modelling, Calibration, and Measurements for High-Temperature Wireless SAW Resonator Operation

Static strain measurements are relevant for Integrated System Health Monitoring of civil structures, aircrafts, power plants and advanced manufacturing equipment, with implications for safety, process efficiency, and maintenance costs. Wireless strain sensing is highly desirable where the presence of wires poses significant safety concerns, increases maintenance, and thus overall costs, or where they are not feasible, such as in applications which contain moving parts. This paper presents wireless interrogation of surface acoustic wave resonators (SAWRs) fabricated on langasite (LGS) along Euler angles (0°, 138.5°, 32.9°) and aimed at the detection of static strain at hightemperature (HT, above 100°C). Both commercial HT strain gauges and finite element analysis (FEA Abaqus software) were used and compared for SAWR strain calibration from room temperature (RT) to HT. In addition, this work investigated a compromise between high temperature operation vs. sensitivity based on the thickness of ceramic adhesive used. For instance, a reduction in the adhesive thickness from about 150 μm to 135 μm, resulted in a 39% increase in sensitivity at RT. It was also observed that the sensitivity dropped up to 34% from RT to 200°C. Furthermore, wireless operation, calibration, and increase in sensitivity constitute important advances in the use of LGS SAW devices to monitor static stress in high-temperature harsh environments.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

ecospec v0.1.0

Bespoke software for segmenting plants in ecoFABs to monitor growth and health. Contains python libraries for image alignment, training neural networks and running inference.

Zwart, PetrusH [Lawrence Berkeley National Laborat↗
DOE OSTI2023

Challenges in Demonstrating Safety Criteria Satisfaction for External Events under a Risk-Informed Performance-Based Framework

The NRC is currently developing 10 CFR Part 53 that would establish a technology-inclusive regulatory framework for use by applicants for new commercial advanced nuclear reactors. The new draft rule language brings new explicit regulatory requirements of the quantitative health objectives (QHOs) as a constraint on plant risk and safety criteria for the plant design, including external hazards. Historically, light water reactors (LWRs) have demonstrated satisfaction of the QHOs through the use of surrogates in the form of CDF/LERF. However, these risk surrogates are not broadly applicable for all advanced reactor types, and for advanced reactors where external events are likely to be the dominant contributor to plant risk, a direct calculation of the QHOs in terms of offsite consequence is likely necessary. While the detailed analysis of low frequency events provides insights that can help justify alternative treatments to past conservatisms, the findings are dependent on the quality and confidence associated with the analyses. The assessment of external hazards presents a unique challenge, as their potential frequency of occurrence, especially of largemagnitude events, is inherently uncertain given the long return periods in question. This paper evaluates the QHOs and their potential role as safety criteria in evaluating external event risk as it applies to advanced reactors to aid in the development of consistent and appropriate analysis methodologies.

Chen, Ben↗
DOE OSTI2022

Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians Solar Project

The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (the Tribe) implemented its first phase of energy independence through the installation of approximately 520 kW DC of solar photovoltaic (PV) at three tribal buildings: 200kW DC at the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), 300 kW DC at the Health & Wellness Center (Health Clinic), and 20 kW AC at the Chief Blackbird Administration Building (Administration Building). The solar PV systems were integrated with the existing utility grid and can operate independent of the grid using Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in combination with solar and existing back-up gas generators. The BESS also creates resiliency, providing power when the grid is down. All three buildings are essential Tribal buildings.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Conservation and Expansion of Transcriptional Factor Repertoire in the Fusarium oxysporum Species Complex

The Fusarium oxysporum species complex (FOSC) includes both plant and human pathogens that cause devastating plant vascular wilt diseases and threaten public health. Each F. oxysporum genome comprises core chromosomes (CCs) for housekeeping functions and accessory chromosomes (ACs) that contribute to host-specific adaptation. This study inspects global transcription factor profiles (TFomes) and their potential roles in coordinating CC and AC functions to accomplish host-specific interactions. Remarkably, we found a clear positive correlation between the sizes of TFomes and the proteomes of an organism. With the acquisition of ACs, the FOSC TFomes were larger than the other fungal genomes included in this study. Among a total of 48 classified TF families, 14 families involved in transcription/translation regulations and cell cycle controls were highly conserved. Among the 30 FOSC expanded families, Zn2-C6 and Znf_C2H2 were most significantly expanded to 671 and 167 genes per family including well-characterized homologs of Ftf1 (Zn2-C6) and PacC (Znf_C2H2) that are involved in host-specific interactions. Manual curation of characterized TFs increased the TFome repertoires by 3% including a disordered protein Ren1. RNA-Seq revealed a steady pattern of expression for conserved TF families and specific activation for AC TFs. Functional characterization of these TFs could enhance our understanding of transcriptional regulation involved in FOSC cross-kingdom interactions, disentangle species-specific adaptation, and identify targets to combat diverse diseases caused by this group of fungal pathogens.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Multiscale modeling and nonlinear model predictive control for flue gas desulfurization

The primary source of sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) emissions is flue gas from fossil fuels-based power plants. SO 2 emissions are known to not only cause health issues, but also have an adverse effect on the environment in various ways. Several Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) technologies have been incorporated in power plants. The most popular technology is Wet FGD, where a limestone slurry is used to absorb SO 2 from the flue gas. A detailed droplet scale model describing the instantaneous and finite rate chemistry is developed. The ill-posed Differential-Algebraic Equation (DAE) droplet model is reformulated to a well-posed index-1 DAE through index reduction. The droplet model is integrated with the bulk phase by incorporating gas-liquid mass transfer, and an oxidation reactor model to simulate the dynamic operation of the counter-current spray scrubber. As a result, the model has a well-conditioned Jacobian and overcomes the modeling challenges of previous works and enables numerical solution without requiring carefully selected initialization or specialized solution procedures. The model is successfully validated using power plant measurements, and nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) studies are demonstrated to optimize recycle stream flowrates to minimize pumping costs.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Transformer Health Monitoring Using Dissolved Gas Analysis

As integral components of any power plant, transformers supply the generated electricity to the grid. However, a transformer’s cellulose-based paper insulation and the mineral oil in which it is immersed break down over time under standard operating conditions—or more rapidly due to potential faults within the system. As the transformer’s mineral oil breaks down, gases are released that can be measured and monitored. This technical brief exhibits a collection of diagnostic and prognostic techniques that utilities can adopt in lieu of labor-intensive periodic preventive maintenance routines. Furthermore, prognostic models have been incorporated using the latest version of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard (IEEE, 2019) for dissolved gas analysis (DGA), thus expanding it to include estimation of the time to maintenance. Overall, four different methodologies are explained, each of which aids in determining a transformer’s state of health. These methodologies include the Chendong model, the IEEE thermal life consumption model (IEEE, 2012), a diagnostic model for DGA, and a prognostic model for DGA that uses an autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model. An additional improvement for estimating missing system parameters by using monitoring data (i.e., a tool for parameter estimation utilizing Powell’s method) is presented, enabling the IEEE thermal life consumption model to benefit not only the collaborating power plant, but also the power industry at large.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Panel discussion: Challenges and improvements in accident dose analysis; Regulatory and industry perspective

Full text of publication follows. Design basis accident (DBA) analyses are one of several ways nuclear power plant licensees demonstrate, and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff verifies, that the design and location of a nuclear power plant are appropriate and that the protection of health and safety of the public is maintained. In July 2000, the NRC staff issued Regulatory Guide 1.183, 'Alternative Radiological Source Terms for Evaluating Design Basis Accidents at Nuclear Power Reactors' (RG 1.183) [1]. RG 1.183 provides a method acceptable to the NRC staff for complying with the regulatory requirements contained in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulation (10 CFR) Section 50.67 (50.67), 'Accident source term' [2]. RG 1.183 also provides assumptions and parameters used to model postulated DBA radiological analyses for light-water reactors (LWR). Since the initial issuance of RG 1.183, the NRC staff and the nuclear power plant licensees have both gained substantial experience with the implementation of 10 CFR 50.67 and RG 1.183. Based on this experience, comments from licensees, the anticipation of licensing advanced LWRs, and new research, the NRC is developing a proposed revision to RG 1.183. This panel discussion will provide a discussion of that proposed revision, its potential impact on existing and future evaluations, and the industry perspective on the revised guidance. References: 1) USNRC, Regulatory Guide 1.183, 'Alternative Radiological Source Terms for Evaluating Design Basis Accidents at Nuclear Power Reactors,' Revision 0, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. (2000), Electronic copies are also available in ADAMS (http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html), under Accession No. ML003716792. 2) U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 10 (Energy), Part 50 (Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities), Section 67, (Accident source term), Office of the Federal Register, Washington, DC (1999). (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2021

ASER Annual Site Environmental Report 2020

Los Alamos National Laboratory’s (the Laboratory’s) annual site environmental reports are prepared each year by the Laboratory’s environmental organizations, as required by U.S. Department of Energy Order 231.1B, Administrative Change 1, Environment, Safety, and Health Reporting, and Order 458.1, Administrative Change 4, Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment. The following chapters in this report discuss our success in complying with environmental laws, regulations, and orders (Chapter 2, Compliance Summary); how we manage the Laboratory’s environmental performance (Chapter 3, Environmental Programs and Analytical Data Quality); how we monitor for air emissions of radioactive materials and climate conditions (Chapter 4, Air Quality); how we monitor for effects of Laboratory operations on groundwater quality (Chapter 5, Groundwater Protection); how we monitor the movement of chemicals and radionuclides by storm water runoff and the levels of chemicals and radionuclides in deposited sediment (Chapter 6, Watershed Quality); how we monitor for the presence, levels, and effects of chemicals and radionuclides in plants, animals, soil, and vegetation (Chapter 7, Ecosystem Health); and finally, what radionuclide dose or risk from chemical exposure members of the public may experience as a result of Laboratory operations (Chapter 8, Public Dose and Risk Assessment).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗