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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 181 records · Page 10

Somatic proembryo production from excised, wounded zygotic carrot embryos on hormone-free medium: evaluation of the effects of pH, ethylene and activated charcoal

Wounded zygotic embryos of cultivated carrot produce somatic proembryos on hormone-free nutrient medium containing 1 mM NH4+ as the sole nitrogen source. Continued maintenance of proembryos on this medium leads to a "pure" culture of preglobular stage proembryos (PGSPs). Ethylene had no effect on this process. Also, somatic embryo production was not affected by growing cultures on activated charcoal-impregnated filter papers. However, somatic proembyros initiated on activated charcoal papers were not maintainable as PGSPs and developed into later embryo stages. Normally, medium pH dropped from 5.7 to 4 during each subculture period, but when using activated charcoal papers the pH endpoint was around 6 - 7 due to a leachable substance(s) within the filter papers. When powdered, activated charcoal was used in the medium as an adsorbent of products potentially released after wounding, pH dropped at the normal rate and to the expected levels; proembryos did not mature into later embryo stages and were maintainable exclusively as PGSPs. Low pH (approximately 4) is detrimental to proembyro production, but is essential to maintaining PGSPs on hormone-free nutrient medium, whereas a sustained pH > or = 5.7 allows continued development of PGSPs into later embryo stages.

NASA Program Space Biology↗

Actinides in the Source of Cosmic Rays and the Present Interstellar Medium

The abundances of the actinide elements in the cosmic rays can provide critical constraints on the major sites of their acceleration. Using recent calculations of the r-process yields in core collapse supernovae, we have determined the actinide abundances averaged over various assumed time intervals for their supernova generation and their cosmic-ray acceleration. Using standard Galactic chemical evolution models, we have also determined the expected actinide abundances in the present interstellar medium. From these two components, we have calculated the U/Th and other actinide abundances expected in the supernova-active cores of superbubbles, as a function of their ages and mean metallicity resulting from dilution with interstellar cloud debris. Then, using observations of the fractions of Galactic supernovae that occur in superbubbles and in the rest of the interstellar medium, we calculate the expected actinide abundances in cosmic rays accelerated by Galactic supernovae. We find that the current measurements of actinide/Pt-group and preliminary estimates of the UPuCm/Th ratio in cosmic rays are all consistent with the expected values if superbubble cores have mean metallicities of around 3 times solar. Such metallicities are quite comparable to the superbubble core metallicities inferred from other cosmic-ray observations. Future, more precise measurements of these ratios with experiments such as ECCO are needed to provide a better measure of the mean source metallicity sampled by the local Galactic cosmic rays. Measurements of the cosmic- ray actinide abundances have been favorably compared with the protosolar ratio, inferred from present solar system abundances, to infer that the cosmic rays are accelerated from the general interstellar medium. We suggest, however, that such an inference is not valid because the expected actinide abundances in the present interstellar medium are very different from the protosolar values, which sampled the interstellar medium 4.5 Gyr ago and included an additional fresh ejecta component from a neighboring supernova.

Lingenfelter, R. E.↗

System and method for treatment of a medium

A system and method for treatment of a medium is disclosed. The system includes a plurality of separator zones and a plurality of heat transfer zones. Each of the separator zone and the heat transfer zone among the plurality of separator zones and heat transfer zones respectively, are disposed alternatively in a flow duct. Further, each separator zone includes an injector device for injecting a sorbent into the corresponding separator zone. Within the corresponding separator zone, the injected sorbent is reacted with a gaseous medium flowing in the flow duct, so as to generate a reacted gaseous medium and a reacted sorbent. Further, each heat transfer zone exchanges heat between the reacted gaseous medium fed from the corresponding separator zone and a heat transfer medium.

42 ENGINEERING↗

System for detecting objects in streaming 3D images formed from data acquired with a medium penetrating sensor

A detection system that detects subsurface objects within a medium and estimates various features of the objects is provided. The detection system receives a streaming sequence of image frames of the medium at various along-medium locations. An image frame contains voxel values (intensities) representing characteristics of the medium across the medium and in the depth (range) direction. The detection system depth-compensates the intensities for determining which voxels are part of an object using an unsupervised binary classifier. The detection system then connects object voxels into distinct objects and recursively estimates the features of those objects as the image frames stream based on the locations and intensities of the object voxels.

Paglieroni, David W.↗

Performance Evaluation of AG-1 FC HEPA Filters and Medium in Nuclear Complex Facilities - 20434

High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters are credited as the final barrier against the release of radioactive aerosol contamination in nearly every operating U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA) nuclear facility. The Institute for Clean Energy Technology (ICET) at Mississippi State University maintains a research program that studies various aspects of these components of containment systems and seeks to answer key questions from across the industry. This programmatic overview will include results from recent and ongoing studies, including a study on filter design and performance envelope, degradation due to aging or fatigue, fire event impact on HEPA filters, and accelerated aging of medium and component parts. ICET has completed a study helping to define the threshold for combined elevated temperature and relative humidity resistance of separator style and separator-less style HEPA filters that are used in DOE complexes. The study provides experimental data that considers elevated temperature, elevated relative humidity (RH), and target differential pressure (dP) in an attempt to gain a better understanding or more comprehensive insight into the operating envelope of different configurations of ASME (American Society for Mechanical Engineers) AG-1 Section FC filters. Test variables including air temperature ranges of 48.88 deg. C, 54.44 deg. C, or 60 deg. C (120, 130, or 140 deg. F); air RH ranges including 60-70%, 80%, or 90+% with initial filter dP of either 497.68 Pa, 746.52 Pa, or 995.36 Pa (2 inches water column (in. w. c.), 3 in. w. c., or 4 in. w. c.) included for full bracketing of each set of conditions. A study examining the effects of aging and fatigue on nuclear grade HEPA filters and medium elucidates the physical properties of media along with testing of new and aged ASME AG-1 HEPA filters. In addition to performing autopsies of the tested, aged filters to help better understand the service life of their performance, newly designed accelerated aging chambers allow new medium to undergo accelerated aging and exposure treatments. Evaluation of degradation in physical properties and functionality requires a high population of aged filters of different ages, designs, manufacturers, and operational histories. The limited availability of this population and the impropriety of looking solely at formulations and components from past years requires experimental design that will provide foresight into future filter performance. This undertaking therefore involves not only properties analysis of aged medium from different operational histories, ages, designs, and manufacturers, but also prescience in analytical goals via accelerated aging studies of newly manufactured media. A more complete understanding of the mechanisms of degradation from past formulations as well as current and future formulations is possible. Accelerated Aging of newly manufactured media utilizes exposure treatments based on the Arrhenius equation to artificially age medium and therefore glimpse into the future. Evaluation of current media properties This testing allows for the comparison of performance and durability of new filters under upset or design basis conditions with aged filters that were in service under ambient conditions and other aged filters retained in storage. Susceptibility of HEPA filters to the effects of combustion byproducts, heat, and water is also being studied in an attempt to gain understanding on the prevention of filter failures during fire events in nuclear facilities. ICET seeks to determine the effect of filter performance due to smoke loading using characterized smoke from variable fuel compositions, geometries, and loads; the smoke capacity of various filters with different burning conditions, heat release rates and transport, as well as mass transport from the air stream will be studied in low flow containment systems. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DIISC-II: Unveiling the Connections between Star Formation and Interstellar Medium in the Extended Ultraviolet Disk of NGC 3344

We present our investigation of the extended ultraviolet (XUV) disk galaxy, NGC 3344, conducted as part of Deciphering the Interplay between the Interstellar medium, Stars, and the Circumgalactic medium survey. We use surface and aperture photometry of individual young stellar complexes to study star formation and its effect on the physical properties of the interstellar medium. We measure the specific star formation rate (sSFR) and find it to increase from 10 –10 yr –1 in the inner disk to >10 –8 yr –1 in the extended disk. This provides evidence for inside-out disk growth. If these sSFRs are maintained, the XUV disk stellar mass can double in ~0.5 Gyr, suggesting a burst of star formation. The XUV disk will continue forming stars for a long time due to the high gas depletion times (τ dep ). The stellar complexes in the XUV disk have high-Σ H I and low-Σ SFR with τ dep ~ 10 Gyr, marking the onset of a deviation from the traditional Kennicutt–Schmidt law. We find that both far-ultraviolet (FUV) and a combination of FUV and 24 μm effectively trace star formation in the XUV disk. Hα is weaker in general and prone to stochasticities in the formation of massive stars. Investigation of the circumgalactic medium at 29.5 kpc resulted in the detection of two absorbing systems with metal-line species: the stronger absorption component is consistent with gas flows around the disk, most likely tracing inflow, while the weaker component is likely tracing corotating circumgalactic gas.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Hydrogen Embrittlement of Medium Mn Steels

Recent research efforts to develop advanced–/ultrahigh–strength medium-Mn steels have led to the development of a variety of alloying concepts, thermo-mechanical processing routes, and microstructural variants for these steel grades. However, certain grades of advanced–/ultrahigh–strength steels (A/UHSS) are known to be highly susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement, due to their high strength levels. Hydrogen embrittlement characteristics of medium–Mn steels are less understood compared to other classes of A/UHSS, such as high Mn twinning–induced plasticity steel, because of the relatively short history of the development of this steel class and the complex nature of multiphase, fine-grained microstructures that are present in medium–Mn steels. The motivation of this paper is to review the current understanding of the hydrogen embrittlement characteristics of medium or intermediate Mn (4 to 15 wt pct) multiphase steels and to address various alloying and processing strategies that are available to enhance the hydrogen-resistance of these steel grades.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Statistical Characterization of Medium-Duty Electric Vehicle Drive Cycles: Preprint

In an effort to help commercialize technologies for electric vehicles (EVs) through deployment and demonstration projects, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE's) American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provided funding to participating U.S. companies to cover part of the cost of purchasing new EVs. Within the medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicle segment, both Smith Electric Newton and and Navistar eStar vehicles qualified for such funding opportunities. In an effort to evaluate the performance characteristics of the new technologies deployed in these vehicles operating under real world conditions, data from Smith Electric and Navistar medium-duty EVs were collected, compiled, and analyzed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) Fleet Test and Evaluation team over a period of 3 years. More than 430 Smith Newton EVs have provided data representing more than 150,000 days of operation. Similarly, data have been collected from more than 100 Navistar eStar EVs, resulting in a comparative total of more than 16,000 operating days. Combined, NREL has analyzed more than 6 million kilometers of driving and 4 million hours of charging data collected from commercially operating medium-duty electric vehicles in various configurations. In this paper, extensive duty-cycle statistical analyses are performed to examine and characterize common vehicle dynamics trends and relationships based on in-use field data. The results of these analyses statistically define the vehicle dynamic and kinematic requirements for each vehicle, aiding in the selection of representative chassis dynamometer test cycles and the development of custom drive cycles that emulate daily operation. In this paper, the methodology and accompanying results of the duty-cycle statistical analysis are presented and discussed. Results are presented in both graphical and tabular formats illustrating a number of key relationships between parameters observed within the data set that relate to medium duty EVs.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

Statistical Characterization of Medium-Duty Electric Vehicle Drive Cycles

In an effort to help commercialize technologies for electric vehicles (EVs) through deployment and demonstration projects, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provided funding to participating U.S. companies to cover part of the cost of purchasing new EVs. Within the medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicle segment, both Smith Electric Newton and and Navistar eStar vehicles qualified for such funding opportunities. In an effort to evaluate the performance characteristics of the new technologies deployed in these vehicles operating under real world conditions, data from Smith Electric and Navistar medium-duty EVs were collected, compiled, and analyzed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) Fleet Test and Evaluation team over a period of 3 years. More than 430 Smith Newton EVs have provided data representing more than 150,000 days of operation. Similarly, data have been collected from more than 100 Navistar eStar EVs, resulting in a comparative total of more than 16,000 operating days. Combined, NREL has analyzed more than 6 million kilometers of driving and 4 million hours of charging data collected from commercially operating medium-duty electric vehicles in various configurations. In this paper, extensive duty-cycle statistical analyses are performed to examine and characterize common vehicle dynamics trends and relationships based on in-use field data. The results of these analyses statistically define the vehicle dynamic and kinematic requirements for each vehicle, aiding in the selection of representative chassis dynamometer test cycles and the development of custom drive cycles that emulate daily operation. In this paper, the methodology and accompanying results of the duty-cycle statistical analysis are presented and discussed. Results are presented in both graphical and tabular formats illustrating a number of key relationships between parameters observed within the data set that relate to medium duty EVs.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

Microstructures and Properties of Medium Manganese Sheet Steels - Strategies and Opportunities

Medium manganese steels, with 3 to 10 wt pct Mn, have been shown to be capable of being thermally-processed to produce sheet products with a variety of strength-ductility combinations and thus are receiving considerable attention as candidates for 3rd generation advanced high strength steels (3GAHSS). The steels typically contain refined microstructures with characteristic microstructural dimensions of 1 to 2 µm and consist of significant amounts of retained austenite in a fine grained ferritic matrix. Strategies for development of medium manganese steels are reviewed and results of recent property predictions based on composite modeling are presented. The importance of controlling austenite stability is illustrated with data on medium Mn (7 and 10 wt pct.), low carbon (0.1 and 0.15 wt pct) steels. Important forming variables (strain, strain rate, and temperature) are discussed, along with a consideration of yield point elongation, present in many medium Mn steels.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Quarkonium in-medium properties from realistic lattice NRQCD

Here, we present the final results of our high statistics study on the properties of bottomonium and charmonium at finite temperature. We focus on the temperature range around the crossover transition 150 ≤ T ≤ 410MeV, relevant for current heavy ion collision experiments. The QCD medium degrees of freedom, which consist of dynamical u,d, and s quarks and gluons are captured by realistic state-of-the art (m π ≈ 161MeV) lattice QCD simulations of the HotQCD collaboration. For the heavy quarks we deploy the non-relativistic effective field theory of QCD, NRQCD. The in-medium properties of quarkonium are deduced from their spectral functions, which are reconstructed using improved and novel Bayesian approaches. Through a systematic analysis we shed light on the origin of the discrepancies in melting temperatures previously reported in the literature, showing that they are owed to underestimated methods uncertainties of the deployed spectral reconstructions. Our simulations corroborate a picture of sequential in-medium modification, ordered according to the vacuum binding energy of the states. As a central quantitative result, our study reveals how the mass of the heavy quarkonium ground state reduces as temperature increases. The observed spectral modifications are interpreted in the light of, and compared to previous studies based on the complex lattice potential for heavy quarkonium. Furthermore for the first time we provide a robust picture of in-medium heavy quarkonium modification in the quark-gluon plasma consistent among different non-relativistic methods. We also critically discuss the perspectives for improving on these results.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Incompatibility of Contrast Medium and Trisodium Citrate

To test the compatibility of trisodium citrate, a catheter lock solution, with iodinated contrast medium. Iohexol, iobitridol, iodixanol, ioxaglate, ioxithalamate, iomeprol, and iopromide were tested. In all tests, 2 ml of contrast medium were mixed with 2 ml of trisodium citrate solution. Iodixanol and ioxaglate provoked a highly viscous gluelike precipitation when mixed with trisodium citrate. A brief transient precipitate was observed with iohexol, iomeprol, and ioxithalamate. Permanent precipitation occurred with iobitridol and iopromide. One must be aware of the potential for precipitation when contrast medium is mixed with trisodium citrate solution. Before trisodium citrate solution is injected, the catheter should be thoroughly flushed with saline if a contrast medium has previously been injected through it.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Ensuring combination of strength, ductility and toughness in medium-manganese steel through optimization of nano-scale metastable austenite

Highlights: • Medium-Mn steel was innovatively designed for medium to heavy steel plates. • Three intercritical annealing processes were adopted to ensure TRIP effect. • Austenite-martensite submicro-laminate structure was obtained after annealing. • The reversed austenite with different stability led to improved ductility. • TRIP effect induced by metastable austenite contributed excellent impact properties. - Abstract: Medium-Mn steel was innovatively designed in terms of alloying elements for medium to heavy steel plates to obtain combination of high strength, good ductility, and excellent low temperature toughness. Martensite was the dominant microstructure in the directly quenched steel plate because of high hardenability obtained by the addition of 5.6 wt% Mn. Three intercritical annealing processes were adopted to ensure transformation-induced-plasticity (TRIP) effect through optimization of the volume fraction, morphology, and C and Mn-enriched reversed austenite. On annealing, the dislocation density of martensite plate was decreased because of recovery and recrystallization, and metastable austenite film nucleated at the interface. Both thermal and mechanical stability of austenite decreased with increase in annealing temperature. The high yield strength of 840 MPa, good elongation after fracture of 24.3%, and excellent toughness at − 60 °C of 130.3 J was obtained at intermediate annealing temperature of 650 °C, and the volume fraction of reversed austenite at room temperature and − 80 °C was 22% and 17%, respectively. The reversed austenite exhibited different stability with increased tensile strain, leading to improved ductility and delayed necking. Moreover, the crack initiation energy and crack propagation energy were increased via dynamic stress partitioning and relaxation together with the transformation of metastable austenite. Thus, significant degree of TRIP effect induced by moderate stability of austenite played an important role in governing mechanical properties.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Biohydrogen production from hyperthermophilic anaerobic digestion of fruit and vegetable wastes in seawater: Simplification of the culture medium of Thermotoga maritima

Highlights: • H2 production from fruit and vegetable wastes by T. maritima in seawater was studied. • The supply of seawater can replace some components necessary for T. maritima. • Using natural seawater medium recorded similar results to the mineral basal medium. • No H{sub 2} production by T. maritima in absence of nitrogen and sulfur sources. - Abstract: Biohydrogen production by the hyperthermophilic and halophilic bacterium T. maritima, using fruit and vegetable wastes as the carbon and energy sources was studied. Batch fermentation cultures showed that the use of a culture medium containing natural seawater and fruit and vegetable wastes can replace certain components (CaCl{sub 2}, MgCl{sub 2}, Balch's oligo-elements, yeast extract, KH{sub 2}PO{sub 4} and K{sub 2}HPO{sub 4}) present in basal medium. However, a source of nitrogen and sulfur remained necessary for biohydrogen production. When fruit and vegetable waste collected from a wholesale market landfill was used, no decreases in total H{sub 2} production (139 mmol L{sup −1}) or H{sub 2} yield (3.46 mol mol{sup −1}) was observed.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Conditioned medium from alternatively activated macrophages induce mesangial cell apoptosis via the effect of Fas

During inflammation in the glomerulus, the proliferation of myofiroblast-like mesangial cells is commonly associated with the pathological process. Macrophages play an important role in regulating the growth of resident mesangial cells in the glomeruli. Alternatively activated macrophage (M2 macrophage) is a subset of macrophages induced by IL-13/IL-4, which is shown to play a repair role in glomerulonephritis. Prompted by studies of development, we performed bone marrow derived macrophage and rat mesangial cell co-culture study. Conditioned medium from IL-4 primed M2 macrophages induced rat mesangial cell apoptosis. The pro-apoptotic effect of M2 macrophages was demonstrated by condensed nuclei stained with Hoechst 33258, increased apoptosis rates by flow cytometry analysis and enhanced caspase-3 activation by western blot. Fas protein was up-regulated in rat mesangial cells, and its neutralizing antibody ZB4 partly inhibited M2 macrophage-induced apoptosis. The up-regulated arginase-1 expression in M2 macrophage also contributed to this apoptotic effect. These results indicated that the process of apoptosis triggered by conditioned medium from M2 macrophages, at least is partly conducted through Fas in rat mesangial cells. Our findings provide compelling evidence that M2 macrophages control the growth of mesangial cells in renal inflammatory conditions. - Highlights: • Conditioned-medium from M2 macrophages induces rat mesangial cell (MsC) apoptosis. • M2 macrophage conditioned medium exerts its pro-apoptotic effects via Fas ligand. • Arginase-1 activity in M2 macrophages plays a role in inducing apoptosis in rat MsC.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Medium-Range Ordering in the Ionic Glass Electrolytes LiPON and LiSiPON

In this work, we provide an in-depth structural characterization of the amorphous ionic glasses LiPON and LiSiPON with high Li content. Based on ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, the structure of these materials is an inverted structure with either isolated polyanion tetrahedra or polyanion dimers in a Li+ matrix. Based on neutron scattering data, this type of inverted structure leads to a significant amount of medium-range ordering in the structure, as demonstrated by two sharp diffraction peaks and a periodic structural oscillation in the density function G(r). While this medium-range ordering is commonly observed in liquids and metallic glasses, it has not previously been observed in oxides. On a local scale, adding N and Si increases the number of anion bridges and polyanion dimer structures, leading to higher ionic conductivity. In the medium-range ordering, the addition of Si leads to more disorder in the polyanion substructure but a significant increase in the ordering of the O substructure. Finally, we demonstrate that this inverted structure with medium-range ordering results in a glassy material that is both mechanically stiff and ductile on the nanoscale.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Medium Effects are as Important as Catalyst Design for Selectivity in Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reduction by Iron-porphyrin Complexes

Several substituted iron porphyrin com-plexes were evaluated for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysis in different homogeneous and heterogeneous media. The selectivity for 4-electron re-duction to H2O vs. 2-electron reduction to H2O2 varies substantially from one medium to another for a given catalyst. In many cases, the influence of the medium in which the catalyst is evaluated has a larger effect on the observed selectivity than the factors attributable to chemical modification of the catalyst. For instance, introduction of potential proton relays has variable effects depending on the catalyst medium. Thus, comparisons of ORR selectivity results need to be interpreted with caution, as the catalysis is a property not just of the catalyst, but also of the larger mesoscale environment be-yond the catalyst. Still, in all the direct pairwise comparisons in the same medium, the catalysts with potential proton relays have similar or better selectivity for the preferred 4e– path. This work was supported as part of the Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences.

Rigsby, Matthew L.↗

Influence of the Ag concentration on the medium-range order in a CuZrAlAg bulk metallic glass

Fluctuation electron microscopy of bulk metallic glasses of CuZrAl(Ag) demonstrates that medium-range order is sensitive to minor compositional changes. Furthermore, by analyzing nanodiffraction patterns medium-range order is detected with crystal-like motifs based on the B2 CuZr structure and its distorted structures resembling the martensitic ones. This result thus demonstrates some structural homology between the metallic glass and its high temperature crystalline phase. The amount of medium-range order seems slightly affected with increasing Ag concentration (0, 2, 5 at.%) but the structural motifs of the medium-range ordered clusters become more diverse at the highest Ag concentration. The decrease of dominant clusters is consistent with the destabilization of the B2 structure measured by calorimetry and accounts for the increased glass-forming ability.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗