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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 1,657 records · Page 92
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

GenomeDepot: data management system for microbial comparative genomics

Summary GenomeDepot is an open-source web-based platform for annotation, management, and comparative analysis of microbial genomic sequences and associated data including ortholog families, protein domains, operons, regulatory interactions, strain taxonomy, and sample metadata. GenomeDepot supports rapid creation of websites for user-defined genome collections that include bioinformatic tools for interactive genome browsing, Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) search, annotation search, comparative genomic neighborhood visualization, and sequence download. Gene function annotations are generated by a customizable annotation pipeline. The pipeline runs annotation tools in Conda environments and can be easily extended with additional user-specified tools. Availability and implementation GenomeDepot is open source and distributed under the GNU General Public License via GitHub (https://github.com/aekazakov/genome-depot). GenomeDepot is implemented in Python and was tested in Ubuntu Linux. Full installation instructions and documentation are available at https://aekazakov.github.io/genome-depot/. GenomeDepot demo server is freely accessible at https://iseq.lbl.gov/demogd/.

Kazakov, Alexey [Lawrence Berkeley National Labora↗
DOE OSTI2020

Genetic identification of 91 poplar cultivars based on SSR markers

Accurate genetic identification and relationship analysis of poplar cultivars is necessary to establish commercial poplar plantations and select suitable breeding strategies. In this study, 91 poplar cultivars belonging to four sections (Aigeiros, Tacamahaca, Populus and Turanga) and inter/intra-sectional hybrids were genotyped using 18 polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. In total, 222 alleles were amplified with an average of 12.3 alleles per marker. The mean polymorphic information content and power of discrimination were 0.706 and 0.813, respectively. Five SSR markers (ORPM_103, ORPM_247, GCPM_1048, GCPM_1255 and LG_X_19) constituted a core fingerprint and were sufficient to identify all the tested cultivars. With some notable exceptions, cultivars of the same species generally clustered together in cluster (UPGMA) and ordination (PCO) analyses. Flow cytometry indicated that 11 poplar cultivars were triploid. Among these, seven had three alleles at some loci, suggesting that SSR markers could indicate the ploidy level to some extent. This study provides useful genetic information for the identification and protection of poplar cultivars in China and offers a guideline for the selection of poplar crossing parents based on ploidy level and genetic relationships.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1981

An experimental investigation of silicon wafer surface roughness and its effect on the pull-strength of plated metals

Plated silicon wafers with surface roughness ranging from 0.4 to 130 microinches, subjected to tensile pull-strength tests, were analyzed. Results show that the measured pull-strength of plated metals decrease with increasing silicon surface roughness, effecting a weakening of the cohesive strength of the wafer, possibly caused by microcracks or 'etch pits' in the silicon surface. The mean value of pull-strength for all wafers plated with the Ni-Cu-Cu sequence exceeded the required 450 g/0.02 sq cm, and at Ra = 0.4 microinches, the mean pull-strength for the Ni-Cu-Cu and Ni-Cu wafers were 2290 and 850 g/0.02 sq cm, respectively. The development of standardized methods for measuring contact pull-strength is suggested. These results may have some bearing on solar cell arrays problems.

Spiers, G. D.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Tester for Multiple-Conductor Cables

Portable testing circuit enables technician to determine quickly wiring errors in multiple-conductor electrical cable or terminal connectors. Active unit tester made of inexpensive integrated circuits and other readily available components. Timer and one-shot generate pulses counted by shift registers. Shift-register output terminals wired to connector pins so voltage applied to each pin in sequence.

Wirth, Manfred N.↗
NASA NTRS2009

A Summary of the Development of a Nominal Land Landing Airbag Impact Attenuation System for the Orion Crew Module

Airborne Systems North America (formally Irvin Aerospace Inc) has developed an Airbag Landing System for the Orion Crew Module of the Crew Exploration Vehicle. This work is in support of the NASA Langley Research Center Landing System Advanced Development Project. Orion is part of the Constellation Program to send human explorers back to the moon, and then onwards to Mars and other destinations in the Solar System. A component of the Vision for Space Exploration, Orion is being developed to also enable access to space following the retirement of the Space Shuttle in the next decade. This paper documents the development of a conceptual design, fabrication of prototype assemblies, component level testing and two generations of airbag landing system testing. The airbag system has been designed and analyzed using the transient dynamic finite element code LS-DYNA(RegisteredTradeMark). The landing system consists of six airbag assemblies; each assembly comprising a primary impact venting airbag and a non-venting anti-bottoming airbag. The anti-bottoming airbag provides ground clearance following the initial impact attenuation sequence. Incorporated into each primary impact airbag is an active vent that allows the entrapped gas to exit the control volume. The size of the vent is tailored to control the flow-rate of the exiting gas. An internal shaping structure is utilized to control the shape of the primary or main airbags prior to ground impact; this significantly improves stroke efficiency and performance.

Tutt, Ben↗
NASA NTRS1981

Evaluation of the Doraiswamy-Thompson winter wheat crop calendar model incorporating a modified spring restart sequence

The Robertson phenology was used to provide growth stage information to a wheat stress indicator mode. A stress indicator model demands two acurate predictions from a crop calendar: date of spring growth initiation; and crop calendar stage at growth initiation. Several approaches for restarting the Robertson phenology model at spring growth initiation were studied. Although best results were obtained with a solar thermal unit method, an alternate approach which indicates soil temperature as the controlling parameter for spring growth initiation was selected and tested. The modified model (Doraiswamy-Thompson) is compared to LACIE-Robertson model predictions.

Taylor, T. W.↗
DOE OSTI2022

A Pleiotropic Flowering Time QTL Exhibits Gene-by-Environment Interaction for Fitness in a Perennial Grass

Appropriate flowering time is a crucial adaptation impacting fitness in natural plant populations. Although the genetic basis of flowering variation has been extensively studied, its mechanisms in nonmodel organisms and its adaptive value in the field are still poorly understood. Here, we report new insights into the genetic basis of flowering time and its effect on fitness in Panicum hallii, a native perennial grass. Genetic mapping in populations derived from inland and coastal ecotypes identified flowering time quantitative trait loci (QTL) and many exhibited extensive QTL-by-environment interactions. Patterns of segregation within recombinant hybrids provide strong support for directional selection driving ecotypic divergence in flowering time. A major QTL on chromosome 5 (q-FT5) was detected in all experiments. Fine-mapping and expression studies identified a gene with orthology to a rice FLOWERING LOCUS T-like 9 (PhFTL9) as the candidate underlying q-FT5. We used a reciprocal transplant experiment to test for local adaptation and the specific impact of q-FT5 on performance. We did not observe local adaptation in terms of fitness tradeoffs when contrasting ecotypes in home versus away habitats. However, we observed that the coastal allele of q-FT5 conferred a fitness advantage only in its local habitat but not at the inland site. Sequence analyses identified an excess of low-frequency polymorphisms at the PhFTL9 promoter in the inland lineage, suggesting a role for either selection or population expansion on promoter evolution. Together, our findings demonstrate the genetic basis of flowering variation in a perennial grass and provide evidence for conditional neutrality underlying flowering time divergence.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

In-field bioreactors demonstrate dynamic shifts in microbial communities in response to geochemical perturbations

Subsurface microbial communities mediate the transformation and fate of redox sensitive materials including organic matter, metals and radionuclides. Few studies have explored how changing geochemical conditions influence the composition of groundwater microbial communities over time. We temporally monitored alterations in abiotic forces on microbial community structure using 1L in-field bioreactors receiving background and contaminated groundwater at the Oak Ridge Reservation, TN. Planktonic and biofilm microbial communities were initialized with background water for 4 days to establish communities in triplicate control reactors and triplicate test reactors and then fed filtered water for 14 days. On day 18, three reactors were switched to receive filtered groundwater from a contaminated well, enriched in total dissolved solids relative to the background site, particularly chloride, nitrate, uranium, and sulfate. Biological and geochemical data were collected throughout the experiment, including planktonic and biofilm DNA for 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, cell counts, total protein, anions, cations, trace metals, organic acids, bicarbonate, pH, Eh, DO, and conductivity. We observed significant shifts in both planktonic and biofilm microbial communities receiving contaminated water. This included a loss of rare taxa, especially amongst members of the Bacteroidetes, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Betaproteobacteria, but enrichment in the Fe- and nitrate- reducing Ferribacterium and parasitic Bdellovibrio. These shifted communities were more similar to the contaminated well community, suggesting that geochemical forces substantially influence microbial community diversity and structure. These influences can only be captured through such comprehensive temporal studies, which also enable more robust and accurate predictive models to be developed.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

U.S. Efforts in Support of Examinations at Fukushima Daiichi - November 2022 Meeting Notes and Information Request Status

Information obtained from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (Daiichi) is required to inform future Decontamination and Decommissioning (D&D) activities, improving the ability of the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Incorporated (TEPCO Holdings) to characterize potential hazards and to ensure the safety of workers involved with cleanup activities. This information also has important implications for the safety and operation of U.S. commercial nuclear power plants. This document summarizes results from the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY2023) U.S. effort to review Daiichi information and extract insights to enhance the safety of existing and future nuclear power plant designs. This U.S. effort, which was initiated in 2014 by the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy, is completed by a group of experts in reactor safety and plant operations that identify examination needs and evaluate recent Daiichi examination data to address these needs. Fukushima-related information and associated discussions during these meetings benefit operating, new, and advanced reactors. Significant safety insights have been and are continuing to be obtained in several areas: system and component performance, radionuclide surveys and sampling, debris end-state location, combustible gas effects, and plant operations and maintenance. In addition to reducing uncertainties related to severe accident modeling progression, these insights have and continue to be used to update guidance for severe accident prevention, mitigation, and emergency planning. Furthermore, Daiichi-related activities, such as code modeling improvements and analysis, testing, and new technology deployment efforts, have the potential to offer additional benefits to the operating fleet and new LWR and non-LWR designs. U.S. evaluations of obtained examination information and input regarding future Daiichi examinations are of interest to several organizations within Japan. Since its inception, the U.S. has provided consensus input for high priority time-sequenced examination tasks and supporting research activities. In their Mid-to-Long-term Examination Plan for 1F investigations, TEPCO included all remaining U.S. consensus information requests and additional information requests they identified. TEPCO periodically provides reports on the status of these requests (reflecting D&D priorities, new insights from investigations, and new technologies that become available). Hence, U.S. experts agreed that it was appropriate for TEPCO to track and prioritize these information requests as D&D progresses. U.S. experts will continue to review and comment on the information obtained from examinations and, as needed, provide additional details and relevant background material to support future examinations. As documented in this report, several other items, such as additional details on information requests pertaining to ex-vessel examinations, relevant references from prior research, additional documents to provide insights regarding recent investigation findings, and reviews of recently released documents, were agreed to during the FY2023 meeting.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
NASA NTRS1979

Simple spline-function equations for fracture mechanics calculations

The paper presents simple spline-function equations for fracture mechanics calculations. A spline function is a sequence of piecewise polynomials of degree n greater than 1 whose coefficients are such that the function and its first n-1 derivatives are continuous. Second-degree spline equations are presented for the compact, three point bend, and crack-line wedge-loaded specimens. Some expressions can be used directly, so that for a cyclic crack propagation test using a compact specimen, the equation given allows the cracklength to be calculated from the slope of the load-displacement curve. For an R-curve test, equations allow the crack length and stress intensity factor to be calculated from the displacement and the displacement ratio.

Orange, T. W.↗
NASA NTRS1982

On the reality of a boundary in the H-R diagram between late-type stars with and without high temperature outer atmospheres

The Linsky-Haisch hypothesis (1979) that a boundary exists in the H-R diagram separating yellow giants from red giants and supergiants is tested. IUE 1150-2000 A low-resolution spectra of 10 stars chosen to constitute a reverse bias sample are presented and discussed. Despite the bias, weak C IV emission indicative of high-temperature plasma was observed in four of the six stars chosen to be probable red stars, while no C IV emission was detected in the four stars chosen to be yellows. In a second test using the entire sample of 39 stars, nearly all of the yellow giants and supergiants were found to have an emission feature at 1549 A, which is attributed to C IV. The large magnitude dispersion could be attributed to temporal or spatial variability, differing magnetic field strengths and geometries, or age-related effects during post-main-sequence evolution. It is concluded that the Linsky-Haisch transition region boundary is a real phenomenon.

Simon, T.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Dynamic Loads Generation for Multi-Point Vibration Excitation Problems

A random-force method has been developed to predict dynamic loads produced by rocket-engine random vibrations for new rocket-engine designs. The method develops random forces at multiple excitation points based on random vibration environments scaled from accelerometer data obtained during hot-fire tests of existing rocket engines. This random-force method applies random forces to the model and creates expected dynamic response in a manner that simulates the way the operating engine applies self-generated random vibration forces (random pressure acting on an area) with the resulting responses that we measure with accelerometers. This innovation includes the methodology (implementation sequence), the computer code, two methods to generate the random-force vibration spectra, and two methods to reduce some of the inherent conservatism in the dynamic loads. This methodology would be implemented to generate the random-force spectra at excitation nodes without requiring the use of artificial boundary conditions in a finite element model. More accurate random dynamic loads than those predicted by current industry methods can then be generated using the random force spectra. The scaling method used to develop the initial power spectral density (PSD) environments for deriving the random forces for the rocket engine case is based on the Barrett Criteria developed at Marshall Space Flight Center in 1963. This invention approach can be applied in the aerospace, automotive, and other industries to obtain reliable dynamic loads and responses from a finite element model for any structure subject to multipoint random vibration excitations.

Shen, Lawrence↗
NASA NTRS2016

Use of the NLPQLP Sequential Quadratic Programming Algorithm to Solve Rotorcraft Aeromechanical Constrained Optimisation Problems

Optimization of the control vector, configuration and aerodynamic surface design potentially offers significant performance enhancement to rotorcraft systems. These analyses indicated that non-linear programming methods that solve a sequence of related quadratic-programming sub-problems could be used successfully to solve these problems. Accordingly, a license for one of the latest versions of Professor Schittkowski's very successful Sequential Quadratic Programming NLPQLP software was obtained and used to experiment and analyze typical optimization problems of the type encountered in various rotorcraft wind tunnel and flight tests. Emphasis was directed toward obtaining efficiency, robustness and speed in computation.

Use of the NLPQLP↗
NASA NTRS2016

Use of the NLP10x10 Sequential Quadratic Programming Algorithm To Solve Rotorcraft Hub Loads Minimisation Problems

Previous research and experimentation on the use of a non-linear programming constrained optimisation technique to define an optimal control vector for rotorcraft applications indicated that use of this methodology was feasible and desirable in many cases. In particular, use of non-linear programming methods that solve a sequence of related quadratic-programming sub-problems were used successfully to solve these problems. Accordingly, a licence for one of the latest versions of Professor Klaus Schittkowskis very successful Sequential Quadratic Programming NLPQLP software was obtained and used to experiment with and analyse typical optimisation problems of the type encountered in various rotorcraft wind tunnel and flight tests. This research resulted in the development of the general NLPQLP Computation System that could be used to solve problems of the type encountered in various rotorcraft applications where there is a linear dependence of the measurement vector on the control vector, and where equality andor inequality constraints might be imposed. This development was accomplished on a mainframe computer not part of actual wind tunnel andor flight-test experiment, but in a format which was transferable to wind tunnel lap-top computers. Emphasis was directed toward obtaining efficiency, robustness and speed in computation.The System was developed in support of the five-bladed SMART Rotor Active Flap Rotor Hub Loads analytical minimisation research. The design and development of the Computation System was tailored to address the particular requirements of the problem to minimise a performance metric function of measured hub load harmonic angular couple components by optimising the control vector harmonic flap angular couple components subject to constraints on the amplitudes of these control vector harmonic flap angular couple components. In addition, to facilitate real time wind tunnel experimentation, the ability to rapidly selectchange the particular hub load harmonic angular couple components andor the particular control vector harmonic angular couple components to be considered in the optimisation procedure was provided in the System. This capability allows the singling out of particular hub load frequencies andor particular flap angle frequencies to be analysed during testing operations. The System was used very successfully for the SMART Active Flap Rotor Hub minimisation problems considered in the study, the results of which were presented at the American Helicopter Society Fifth Decennial Aeromechanics Specialist Conference in January 2014. Excellent agreement between cases initiated with best guess starting estimates for the control vector elements and cases initiated with zero control vector starting element estimates resulted, indicating the robustness of the NLP10x10 algorithm.

Rotorcraft Hub Loads↗
NASA NTRS1976

Wavelengths and levels of the Na I isoelectronic sequence from K IX through Mn XV

The seven spectra K IX through Mn XV have been analyzed and the series limits determined. We present the adopted wavelengths and the derived energy levels and term splittings. The highly ionized atoms were produced in a spark source and recorded mainly on a 3 m grazing incidence spectrograph. Many new lines have been identified and many previously given wavelengths have been revised. All wavelengths have been examined for consistency by least-squares-fitting procedures and other tests. These procedures indicated misidentified lines and incorrect wavelengths which we corrected when possible. A discussion of the errors is given.

Cohen, L.↗
DOE OSTI2024

A dynamic solvent chamber propagation estimation framework using RNN for warm solvent injection in heterogeneous reservoirs

Warm solvent injection (WSI), injecting low-temperature solvent into formations to reduce the viscosity of heavy oil, is a clean technology for heavy oil production through reducing greenhouse gas emissions and water usage. The success of WSI operation depends on the uniform development and propagation of solvent chambers in reservoirs. However, reservoir heterogeneity stemming from shale barriers plays a detrimental role in the conformance of solvent chamber development and oil production rate. In this work, we developed a novel recurrent neural network (RNN)-based framework with the capability of efficiently tracking and estimating the solvent chamber positions in heterogeneous reservoirs based on only production time-series data. The developed estimation model utilizes the “sequence-to-sequence" mapping methodology to correlate observed production time-series sequence and solvent chamber edge sequence via a long short-term memory (LSTM) algorithm. The trained RNN models exhibit high accuracy, evidenced by the predicted dynamic solvent chamber locations match the corresponding true locations from numerical simulation, with a high coefficient of determination (R 2 ) and a low mean squared error. Specifically, the achieved R 2 values exceed 0.98 on both the training and testing data. The developed RNN-based workflow was tested via several cases from both regularly- and irregularly-shaped shale barriers, and the results were promising. The predicted solvent chambers showed strong agreement with those obtained from numerical simulations. The major benefits of this workflow include reducing computational time and saving overall monitoring and tracking costs for conventional techniques. In conclusion, the present work would provide a good demonstration of the capability of practical integration of machine learning methods in solving engineering problems.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

GenomeFace v1.0

GenomeFace is meta-genome binning software. Metagenomic binning, the process of grouping DNA sequences into taxonomic units, is critical for understanding the functions, interactions, and evolutionary dynamics of microbial communities. We propose a deep learning approach to binning using two neural networks, one based on composition and another on environmental abundance, dynamically weighting the contribution of each based on characteristics of the input data. Trained on over 43,000 prokaryotic genomes, our network for composition-based binning is inspired by metric learning techniques used for facial recognition. Using a task-specific, multi-GPU accelerated algorithm to cluster the embeddings produced by our network, our binner leverages marker genes observed to be universally present in nearly all taxa to grade and select optimal clusters of sequences from a hierarchy of candidates. We evaluate our approach on four simulated datasets with known ground truth. Our linear time integration of marker genes recovers more near complete genomes than state of the art but computationally infeasible solutions using them, while being over an order of magnitude faster. Finally, we demonstrate the scalability and acuity of our approach by testing it on three of the largest metagenome assemblies ever performed. Compared to other binners, we produced 47%-183% more near complete genomes. From these datasets, we find over the genomes of over 3000 new candidate species which have never been previously cataloged, representing a potential 4% expansion of the known bacterial tree of life.

Lettich, Richard [Lawrence Berkeley National Labor↗
DOE OSTI2022

In search of autophagy biomarkers in breast cancer: Receptor status and drug agnostic transcriptional changes during autophagy flux in cell lines

Autophagy drives drug resistance and drug-induced cancer cell cytotoxicity. Targeting the autophagy process could greatly improve chemotherapy outcomes. The discovery of specific inhibitors or activators has been hindered by challenges with reliably measuring autophagy levels in a clinical setting. We investigated drug-induced autophagy in breast cancer cell lines with differing ER/PR/Her2 receptor status by exposing them to known but divergent autophagy inducers each with a unique molecular target, tamoxifen, trastuzumab, bortezomib or rapamycin. Differential gene expression analysis from total RNA extracted during the earliest sign of autophagy flux showed both cell- and drug-specific changes. We analyzed the list of differentially expressed genes to find a common, cell- and drug-agnostic autophagy signature. Twelve mRNAs were significantly modulated by all the drugs and 11 were orthogonally verified with Q-RT-PCR (Klhl24, Hbp1, Crebrf, Ypel2, Fbxo32, Gdf15, Cdc25a, Ddit4, Psat1, Cd22, Ypel3). The drug agnostic mRNA signature was similarly induced by a mitochondrially targeted agent, MitoQ. In-silico analysis on the KM-plotter cancer database showed that the levels of these mRNAs are detectable in human samples and associated with breast cancer prognosis outcomes of Relapse-Free Survival in all patients (RSF), Overall Survival in all patients (OS), and Relapse-Free Survival in ER + Patients (RSF ER + ). High levels of Klhl24, Hbp1, Crebrf, Ypel2, CD22 and Ypel3 were correlated with better outcomes, whereas lower levels of Gdf15, Cdc25a, Ddit4 and Psat1 were associated with better prognosis in breast cancer patients. This gene signature uncovers candidate autophagy biomarkers that could be tested during preclinical and clinical studies to monitor the autophagy process.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗