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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 235 records · Page 13
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Gene editing to enhance biotic stress tolerance in sugarcane

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) contributes approximately 80% of global sugar production and 40% of biofuel while serving as a promising feedstock for bioproducts (Brant et al., 2025). However, productivity faces mounting challenges from biotic threats including fungal, viral and bacterial diseases (Rott, 2018). Traditional breeding approaches are severely constrained by sugarcane’s complex polyploid genome containing 10–12 copies of "hom(oe)ologous genes within an approximately 10 Gb genome (Healey et al., 2024), extending breeding cycles to 12–15 years. Genome editing has revolutionized crop improvement by enabling targeted modifications without necessarily introducing foreign DNA, potentially circumventing regulatory hurdles while accelerating variety development (Li et al., 2022a). For sugarcane, these technologies offer unprecedented opportunities to enhance biotic stress resilience while improving yield and quality. This article examines current progress and prospects for developing biotic stress-tolerant sugarcane through gene editing, emphasizing technical advances, promising gene targets, and strategic approaches for trait stacking.

CRISPR-Cas systems↗
DOE OSTI2024

Permanent Stress Adaptation and Unexpected High Light Tolerance in the Shade-Adapted Chlamydomonas priscui

The Antarctic photopsychrophile, Chlamydomonas priscui UWO241, is adapted to extreme environmental conditions, including permanent low temperatures, high salt, and shade. During long-term exposure to this extreme habitat, UWO241 appears to have lost several short-term mechanisms in favor of constitutive protection against environmental stress. This study investigated the physiological and growth responses of UWO241 to high-light conditions, evaluating the impacts of long-term acclimation to high light, low temperature, and high salinity on its ability to manage short-term photoinhibition. We found that UWO241 significantly increased its growth rate and photosynthetic activity at growth irradiances far exceeding native light conditions. Furthermore, UWO241 exhibited robust protection against short-term photoinhibition, particularly in photosystem I. Lastly, pre-acclimation to high light or low temperatures, but not high salinity, enhanced photoinhibition tolerance. These findings extend our understanding of stress tolerance in extremophilic algae. In the past 2 decades, climate change-related increasing glacial stream flow has perturbed long-term stable conditions, which has been associated with lake level rise, the thinning of ice covers, and the expansion of ice-free perimeters, leading to perturbations in light and salinity conditions. Our findings have implications for phytoplankton survival and the response to change scenarios in the light-limited environment of Antarctic ice-covered lakes.

Plant Sciences↗
DOE OSTI2025

FLAW STABILITY ANALYSIS OF SURFACE CRACKS IN DOE STANDARD CANISTERS UNDER OPERATION LOADS AND WELDING RESIDUAL STRESSES

There are over 3000 commercial spent nuclear fuel (SNF) storage canisters that are made of stainless steel and planned for multi-purpose functions of SNF handling: interim storage, transportation, and ultimate disposal at a future SNF disposition location. To date, many multi-purpose canisters (MPC) are located in coastal regions for long-term storage. The canisters are fabricated by welding, and post-welding heat treatment is not required for relieving welding residual stresses (WRS). As a result, these canisters may be susceptible to chloride induced stress corrosion cracking (CISCC) due to the chloride-bearing marine salts. The flaw stability analysis of MPC canisters was performed at SRNL (i.e., PVP2016-4935 and PVP2016-63887) for through-wall flaws and for surface flaws respectively, where WRS was considered, and the failure assessment diagram (FAD)-based fracture mechanics method codified by API 579-1/ASME FFS-1-2007 Edition was adopted.

DOE standard canister↗
DOE OSTI2024

Utah FORGE 5-2615: Laboratory Data for Insights on Hydraulic Fracture Closure and Stress Measurement

This dataset includes data from injection/fall-off experiments conducted in controlled laboratory settings. The aim is to investigate the physics governing fracture closure and the associated stress measurements during hydraulic fracturing. These time series data include flow rate, pressure, and volume measurements. These experiments were conducted as part of Utah FORGE Project 5-2615: Thermo-poromechanical Response of Fractured Rock.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Why Perovskite Thermal Stress is Unaffected by Thin Contact Layers

Metal halide perovskite photovoltaics have emerged as a high efficiency, low-cost alternative that can potentially rival or enhance conventional silicon technology. Despite exceptional initial power conversion efficiencies, achieving compliance with international standards and widespread adoption requires further enhancements to their operational stability. Notably, addressing mechanical strain and stress in brittle perovskites has emerged as a pivotal approach to mitigate chemical degradation and improve reliability during thermal cycling. Here, in this study, a popularized strain engineering strategy is investigated in which a high coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) hole transport layer (i.e., PDCBT) is cast onto inorganic perovskite (CsPbI 2 Br) at 100 °C. Contrary to previously published results, the X-ray diffraction (XRD):Sin 2 ψ and substrate curvature measurement techniques show that the hole transport layer has no discernible impact on perovskite strain. The accuracy of the XRD:Sin 2 ψ method for measuring strain is highlighted in contrast to an analysis based on shifts of single XRD peaks which can be influenced by multiple artifacts. The findings in this study are in accordance with mechanics theory: thin layers are unable to induce significant strain changes in perovskite thin films as the force they apply is negligible compared to that applied by a thick and stiff substrate.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

QTL Mapping of Seed Fatty Acid Contents in Camelina sativa Under Heat Stress

Heat stress alters oil quality in oilseed crops, yet its genetic underpinnings in Camelina sativa remain unclear. This study investigated the genetic basis of heat-induced changes in seed fatty acids using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from a cross between two camelina varieties, Suneson and Pryzeth. Exposure to high temperature during reproductive growth led to increased proportions of saturated (C16:0, C18:0) and monounsaturated (C18:1) fatty acids, whereas polyunsaturated C18:3, total unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) and the PUFA/MUFA ratio were decreased, suggesting an inhibition of the C18:1 → C18:2 → C18:3 desaturation pathway. A high-density linkage map (4981 bins across 20 chromosomes) was built, and 25 QTLs for fatty acids were detected, with hotspots on chromosomes 1, 9, 12, 13, 16, and 20. A major QTL on chromosome 1 (~ 80 cM) explained the largest variance component for PUFA/MUFA under heat. Three desaturase genes (FAD2, FAD7, FAD8) were located within key QTL intervals, nominating them as candidates for modulating unsaturation under elevated temperature. These results provide a genetic basis for fine mapping and functional validation, supporting future molecular and breeding efforts to stabilize oil quality under warming conditions.

Camelina↗
DOE OSTI2025

Evaluating grid stress and reliability in future electricity grids across a range of demand, generation mix, and weather trends

The reliability of power grids in the future will depend on how system planners account for the integration of new technologies, extreme weather events, and uncertainties in demand growth from increased electrification and data centers. This study introduces an open-source, multisectoral, multiscale modeling framework that projects grid stress and reliability trends between 2020 and 2055 in the Western Interconnection of the United States. The framework integrates global to national energy-water-land dynamics with power plant siting and hourly grid operations modeling. We analyze future wholesale electricity price shocks and unserved energy events across eight scenarios spanning a range of population growth and economic change, generation mixes, and weather conditions. Our results show future grids with high percentage of non-renewable generation and strong economic growth are characterized by higher reliability and lower wholesale electricity prices than lower growth scenarios because of larger reliance on dispatchable generators and lower fossil fuel extraction costs. Scenarios with high percentage of renewable resources have lower median but more volatile wholesale electricity prices as well as more frequent and severe unserved energy events compared to scenarios relying more on dispatchable generators. These events occur because higher proportion of solar and wind energy causes net demand curves to deepen during midday (duck curves get progressively severe), exacerbating the challenge of meeting demand during summer evening peaks. This study suggests that robust and co-optimized transmission and energy storage planning could help maintain low wholesale electricity prices and high reliability levels in future electricity grids across uncertainties in generation mixes.

Electric grid reliability↗
DOE OSTI2024

Stress intensity factor models using mechanics-guided decomposition and symbolic regression

The finite element method can be used to compute accurate stress intensity factors (SIFs) for cracks with complex geometries and boundary conditions. In contrast, handbook solutions act as surrogate SIF models that provide significantly faster evaluation times. However, the development of conventional surrogate SIF models relies on manual development based on low-order parameterizations. This limits surrogate model accuracy and generalizability. Here, in this paper, we develop a framework for the automated development of mechanics-guided handbook SIF solutions by using interpretable machine learning via genetic programming for symbolic regression (GPSR). Formalizing the mechanics-based approach of Raju and Newman, SIF training data is decomposed into multiple subsets. This decomposition enables parallel GPSR model development of subfunctions, each of which accounts for specific geometrical corrections with respect to a known analytical model. Using this mechanics-based approach with GPSR allows for equations to be learned with improved accuracy and reduced complexity relative to the Raju Newman equations while maintaining the inherent interpretability of mathematical expressions. In this paper, we present equations that match the complexity of the Raju Newman equations while having reduced error, as well as equations with similar errors and reduced complexity.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Experimental Soil Warming Impacts Soil Moisture and Plant Water Stress and Thereby Ecosystem Carbon Dynamics

Experimental soil heating experiments have found a consistent increase in soil-surface CO 2 emissions ( F s ), but inconsistent soil organic carbon (SOC) responses. Interpretation of heating effects is complicated by spatial heterogeneity and soil moisture, nitrogen availability, and microbial and plant responses. Here we applied a mechanistic ecosystem model to interpret heating impacts on a California forest subjected to 1 m deep, 4°C heating. The model accurately simulated control-plot CO 2 fluxes, SOC stocks, fine root biomass, soil moisture, and soil temperature, and the observed increases in F s and decreases in fine root biomass. We show that a complex suite of interactions can lead to a consistent increase in F s (~17%) over the 5-year study period, with very small changes in SOC stocks (<1%). Modeled increases in leaf water stress from soil drying reduced GPP and NPP. The resulting reduction in leaf and fine root allocation increased fine root litter inputs to the soil and reduced root exudation. Soil heating led to about a 50% larger increase in root autotrophic respiration than in heterotrophic respiration, with the heating effect on both these fluxes decreasing over the simulation period. Increased heterotrophic respiration led to increased soil N availability and plant N uptake. These heating responses are mechanistically linked, of magnitudes that can affect ecosystem dynamics, and long-term observations of them are rarely made. Therefore, we conclude that a coupled observational and mechanistic modeling framework is needed to interpret manipulation experiments, and to improve projections of climate change impacts on terrestrial ecosystem carbon dynamics.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Oxidative stress is a shared characteristic of ME/CFS and Long COVID

Over 65 million individuals worldwide are estimated to have Long COVID (LC), a complex multisystemic condition marked by fatigue, post-exertional malaise, and other symptoms resembling myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). With no clinically approved treatments or reliable diagnostic markers, there is an urgent need to define the molecular underpinnings of these conditions. By studying bioenergetic characteristics of peripheral blood lymphocytes in 25 healthy controls, 27 ME/CFS, and 20 LC donors, we find both ME/CFS and LC donors exhibit signs of elevated oxidative stress, especially in the memory subset. Using a combination of flow cytometry, RNA-seq, mass spectrometry, and systems chemistry analysis, we observed aberrations in reactive oxygen species (ROS) clearance pathways including elevated glutathione levels, decreases in mitochondrial superoxide dismutase protein levels, and glutathione peroxidase 4–mediated lipid oxidative damage. Strikingly, these redox pathways changes show sex-specific trends. While ME/CFS females exhibit higher total ROS and mitochondrial calcium levels, males have normal ROS levels, with pronounced mitochondrial lipid oxidative damage. In females, these higher ROS levels correlate with T cell hyperproliferation, consistent with the known role of elevated ROS in initiating proliferation. This hyperproliferation can be attenuated by metformin, suggesting this Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug as a possible treatment, as also suggested by a recent clinical study of LC patients. Moreover, these results suggest a shared mechanistic basis for the systemic phenotypes of ME/CFS and LC, which can be detected by quantitative blood cell measurements, and that effective, patient-tailored drugs might be discovered using standard lymphocyte stimulation assays.

ME/CFS↗
DOE OSTI2025

MRCI Subtask 2.2: Precambrian Basement Structure, Faulting, and Stress Final Technical Summary Report

Subtask 2.2 was largely focused on compiling information about the Precambrian basement rock that underlies the MRCI region. Understanding the nature and extent of the basement rock is important in order to mitigate certain risks associated with CO2 injection. For example, this information will provide a resource for defining areas where a storage reservoir is in direct contact with the Precambrian or indirectly via a fault. Also, an understanding of the stress field in addition to fault orientations will help determine which faults may be subject to reactivation under increased pore pressures.

Battelle,CCS,CCUS,Carbon storage,MRCI,Midwest Regi↗
DOE OSTI2025

Machine learning reveals genes impacting oxidative stress resistance across yeasts

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are highly reactive molecules encountered by yeasts during routine metabolism and during interactions with other organisms, including host infection. Here, we characterized the variation in resistance to ROS across the ancient yeast subphylum Saccharomycotina and used machine learning (ML) to identify gene families whose sizes were predictive of ROS resistance.

AI↗
DOE OSTI2025

In Situ Measurement of Stress Corrosion Crack Tip Properties During Environmentally Induced Cracking in Stainless Steel 304L

The influence of the external cathodic area, stress intensity, and electrochemical polarization level on the resultant crack growth rate and crack tip pH and potential was studied for stainless steel 304L in a sodium chloride environment. Before testing, the validity of in situ crack tip property measurements using microprobes and drilled holes was supported through modeling efforts and confirmed with experimental observations. Here, it was found that increasing the R-ratio during corrosion fatigue increased the crack growth rate and decreased the measured crack tip pH of the 304L sample. Decreasing the electrochemical potential (i.e., cathodic polarization) of the bulk sample increased the crack tip pH and stopped measured crack extension under constant K conditions. Conversely, increasing the potential of the bulk sample decreased the crack tip pH and induced cracking under constant K conditions. Decreasing the cathodic area external to the crack increased the measured pH at the crack tip and decreased the crack growth rate under fatigue conditions. For the given configuration, environment, and alloy studied, fatigue crack growth is not sustained by cathodic reactions solely occurring in the crack wake and notch. These results have implications for the ability to predict atmospheric crack growth rates from laboratory, full immersion experiments.

corrosion fatigue↗
DOE OSTI2025

Unified Stress-Strain Model for Plasticity to the Structural Instability

A unified model for the work hardening Θσ Θ(σ) and stress-strain σε σ(ε) behavior is presented that accounts for deformation under tensile loading, from the onset of yielding at the proportional limit up to the ultimate strength as defined at the structural instability. The origin of this approach is based on a negative exponential formulation for an asymptotic-curvilinear work-hardening model that accounts for the rapid strengthening of metals as well as the continuation of steady-state deformation to the instability.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Global Corn Heat Stress: Mean and SD of Degree Days Above 29°C based on NEX-GDDP-CMIP6 Climate Projections

Description This global dataset provides the estimated mean and standard deviation (SD) of corn heat stress (degree days above 29°C) for a set of climate models in NEX-GDDP-CMIP6 at 0.25-degree resolution. The NEX-GDDP-CMIP6 dataset is comprised of global downscaled climate scenarios derived from the General Circulation Model (GCM) runs conducted under the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6). The current dataset includes: Long-Term Average Degree Days Above 29°C- Historical Long-Term Average Degree Days Above 29°C- SSP245 Long-Term Standard Deviation of Degree Days Above 29°C- Historical Long-Term Standard Deviation of Degree Days Above 29°C- SSP245 The mean and SD are calculated over 1985-2014 for the historical period and over 2035-2064 for future projections. A full description of methods, including growing season, daily temperature distribution, and statistical coefficients, can be found in Haqiqi (2024). The source climate data are obtained from https://ds.nccs.nasa.gov/thredds2/catalog/catalog.html and are described in Thrasher et al (2022). The codes used to create this dataset are available at https://github.com/ihaqiqi/dd29c_nex_cmip6. Acknowledgments This work was supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research Program, Earth and Environmental Systems Modeling, MultiSector Dynamics under Cooperative Agreement DE-SC0022141. The data processing, computation, and storage were completed on Purdue Anvil supercomputer and cyberinfrastructure supported by the National Science Foundation HDR award # 2118329: "NSF Institute for Geospatial Understanding through an Integrative Discovery Environment (I-GUIDE)". References Haqiqi. I. (2024). Trade can buffer climate-induced risks and volatilities in crop supply. Environmental Research: Food Systems. https://doi.org/10.1088/2976-601X/ad7d12 Thrasher, B., Wang, W., Michaelis, A., Melton, F., Lee, T., & Nemani, R. (2022). NASA global daily downscaled projections, CMIP6. Scientific Data, 9(1), 262. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01393-4

Climate Change↗
DOE OSTI2025

IM3 Projected U.S. Western Interconnection Grid Stress Dataset

This dataset provides projected grid stress and reliability results (including all model inputs and outputs from GO WEST and TEP) for Integrated Multisector, Multiscale Modeling (IM3) Phase 2 simulations across eight different scenarios for the U.S. Western Interconnection through 2055. The scenarios include combinations of two Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP3 and SSP5) with four high-resolution climate projections specific to the United States from a set of Thermodynamic Global Warming (TGW) simulations. These climate projections include "hotter" and "cooler" variants for two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). The resulting eight simulations are: rcp45cooler_ssp3 rcp45cooler_ssp5 rcp45hotter_ssp3 rcp45hotter_ssp5 rcp85cooler_ssp3 rcp85cooler_ssp5 rcp85hotter_ssp3 rcp85hotter_ssp5 GO WEST is an open-source power grid modeling framework for the U.S. Western Interconnection, which allows users to tailor the model depending on their research study and science questions. It covers 28 balancing authorities (BAs) and 12 states in U.S. Western Interconnection. GO WEST allows users to select different number of nodes and come up with a simplified network by utilizing 10,000 nodal topology of the U.S. Western Interconnection (ACTIVSg10k). Users can select different number of nodes, mathematical formulations (linear programming vs. mixed-integer linear programming), transmission line limit scaling factors, and hurdle rate scaling factors. GO WEST offers a unit commitment and economic dispatch (UC/ED) module to simulate grid operations on an hourly scale. In this sense, users can calibrate and validate their model versions by comparing model outputs to historical datasets. TEP is an open-source transmission capacity expansion model, built on the GO WEST framework. It utilizes linear programming to optimize transmission capacity addition investment on existing lines within the GO WEST framework. The TEP model only increases the thermal capacity of existing transmission lines and does not add new lines to the system, which leaves the topology preserved. In order to use TEP model, users need to create scenarios with the GO WEST framework. Please refer to README file for a detailed description of the dataset including individual files and references.

Capacity Expansion Model↗
DOE OSTI2025

Zymomonas mobilis oxidative stress transcriptomics

Transcriptomic analysis of WT, a deletion of ZMO_0422, and a deletion of ZMO_1411 in Zymomonas mobilis ZM4 under aerobic and anaerobic growth conditions along with various oxidative stresses: Paraquate addition, No Iron, and hydrogen peroxide addition.

aerobic↗
DOE OSTI2026

OxyR regulates the oxidative stress response in Zymomonas mobilis during oxic growth and anoxic biofuel fermentation

The bacterium Zymomonas mobilis is widely studied for its potential as an industrial biofuel producer. Anoxic fermentation by Z. mobilis in lignocellulosic hydrolysate can generate bioethanol from renewable plant biomass. In this study, we deleted a gene from the Z. mobilis genome encoding a homolog of OxyR, a transcription factor that activates an oxidative stress response in bacteria to reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS). Deletion of this transcription factor inhibited growth of Z. mobilis in oxic, but not anoxic, conditions in laboratory media. RNA-Sequencing was perfromed on wild-type Z. mobilis (ZM4) and ∆oxyR in both oxic and anoxic conditions in rich media (ZRMG). This study reveals the indirect regulon of OxyR in Z. mobilis, which is important for both oxic growth and anoxic biofuel fermentation.

bioenergy↗