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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 343 records · Page 19
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

The increasing threat of Rift Valley fever virus globalization: strategic guidance for protection and preparation

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) (Bunyavirales: Phlebovirus) is a prominent vector-borne zoonotic disease threat to global agriculture and public health. Risks of introduction into nonendemic regions are tied to changing climate regimes and other dynamic environmental factors that are becoming more prevalent, as well as virus evolutionary factors and human/animal movement. Endemic to the African continent, RVFV has caused large epizootics at the decadal scale since the early 20th century but has spread to the Arabian Peninsula and shows increasing patterns of interepizootic transmission on the annual scale. This virus can be transmitted by mosquitoes as well as through direct contact with infected tissues and can cause sporadic to widespread morbidity and mortality in domestic ungulate livestock as well as humans. High viremias in infected livestock moved for legal and illegal trade as well as in infected mosquitoes or human travelers can spread this virus worldwide. With increasing global commerce, it is likely RVFV will be introduced to new areas with suitable hosts, mosquito vector species, and environments. However, the strong mosquito component of RVFV epidemiology combined with advancements in vaccines, diagnostics, and virus evolutionary factors create opportunities for strategies to leverage models of connectivity among potential source and emerging regions to target surveillance and mitigation activities to reduce the risk of RVFV introduction, or contain the virus should it be introduced, into new regions.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

CERES: CRISPR Engineering for the Rapid Enhancement of Strains

Previous strain development efforts for cyanobacteria have failed to achieve the necessary productivities needed to support economic biofuel production. We proposed to develop CRISPR Engineering for Rapid Enhancement of Strains (CERES). We developed genetic and computational tools to enable future high-throughput screening of CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) libraries in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002, including: (1) Operon- SEQer: an ensemble of algorithms for predicting operon pairs using RNA-seq data, (2) experimental characterization and machine learning prediction of gRNA design rules for CRISPRi, and (3) a shuttle vector for gene expression. These tools lay the foundation for CRISPR library screening to develop cyanobacterial strains that are optimized for growth or metabolite production under a wide range of environmental conditions. The optimization of cyanobacterial strains will directly advance U.S. energy and climate security by enabling domestic biofuel production while simultaneously mitigating atmospheric greenhouse gases through photoautotrophic fixation of carbon dioxide.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Post-hazard condition assessment of nuclear piping-equipment systems: Novel approach to feature extraction and deep learning

Over the past decade, the use of artificial intelligence techniques in the field of health-monitoring has gained significant interest, especially for structures such as building and bridges. However, applications to industrial systems such as equipment-piping systems in nuclear plants have not been explored. Here, in this paper, it is shown that the existing techniques developed for buildings and bridges cannot be extended directly to equipment-piping systems as the response of such systems is governed by multiple localized modes unlike that in buildings and bridges. This paper proposes a new approach that consists of three key aspects: (i) a novel vector of degradation-sensitive features extracted from measured data, (ii) using a deep Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for diagnosis of degradation location and degradation severity, and (iii) consideration of uncertainty in degradation severity when training the ANN. Degradation in piping-equipment systems can occur due to flow-accelerated erosion and corrosion. These locations can potentially exhibit damage such as localized yielding or initiation of cracking due to an external event such as an earthquake. Moreover, such locations can at times go undetected by current inspection techniques. Therefore, a robust framework is needed for detection of degradation after a seismic event. This manuscript proposes a proof-of-concept framework, which utilizes data collected from sensors to generate a deep ANN database for predicting degraded locations and severity in a piping-equipment system. Degradation severity is classified as minor, moderate, and severe. In the suggested methodology, a novel vector of degradation-sensitive features is extracted from the sensor data to train the ANN. A simple piping-equipment system is selected to demonstrate feature extraction as a means to simplify pattern recognition, explore the design and parameters of an ANN, and develop a sensor placement strategy. The effectiveness of the proposed framework is demonstrated on a realistic primary safety system of a two-loop nuclear reactor. It is shown that the proposed post-hazard condition assessment framework is able to detect degraded locations along with the severity levels, including minor degradation, with considerably higher accuracy.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Superconducting pairing mechanism in CeCoIn 5 revisited

Spectroscopic-imaging scanning-tunneling microscopy (SI-STM) measurements have previously been applied to the study of the heavy-fermion system CeCoIn 5 to examine the superconducting gap structure and band dispersions via quasiparticle intereference. Here we directly measure the dispersing electron bands with angle-resolved-photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES) and compare with first principles electronic structure calculations. By auto-correllating the ARPES-resolved bands with themselves we can measure the potential q-vectors and discern exactly which bands the STM is measuring. We find that the STM results are dominated by scattering associated with a cloverleaf shaped band centered at the zone corners. This same band is also a viable candidate to host the superconducting gap. Overall, the electronic structure calculations indicate that this region of the Fermi surface involves significant contributions from the Co d-electrons, an indication that the superconductivity in these materials is more 3-dimensional than that found in the related unconventional superconductors, the cuprates and the pnictides.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Obliquity Constraints on an Extrasolar Planetary-mass Companion

We place the first constraints on the obliquity of a planetary-mass companion outside of the solar system. Our target is the directly imaged system 2MASS J01225093–2439505 (2M0122), which consists of a 120 Myr 0.4 M {sub ⊙} star hosting a 12–27 M {sub J} companion at 50 au. We constrain all three of the system’s angular-momentum vectors: how the companion spin axis, the stellar spin axis, and the orbit normal are inclined relative to our line of sight. To accomplish this, we measure projected rotation rates (v sin i) for both the star and the companion using new near-infrared high-resolution spectra with NIRSPEC at Keck Observatory. We combine these with a new stellar photometric rotation period from TESS and a published companion rotation period from Hubble Space Telescope to obtain spin-axis inclinations for both objects. We also fitted multiple epochs of astrometry, including a new observation with NIRC2/Keck, to measure 2M0122b’s orbital inclination. The three line-of-sight inclinations place limits on the true de-projected companion obliquity and stellar obliquity. We find that while the stellar obliquity marginally prefers alignment, the companion obliquity tentatively favors misalignment. We evaluate possible origin scenarios. While collisions, secular spin–orbit resonances, and Kozai–Lidov oscillations are unlikely, formation by gravitational instability in a gravito-turbulent disk—the scenario favored for brown dwarf companions to stars—appears promising.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

A new aerial approach for quantifying and attributing methane emissions: implementation and validation

Methane (CH 4 ) is a powerful greenhouse gas that is produced by a diverse set of natural and anthropogenic emission sources. Biogenic methane sources generally involve anaerobic decay processes such as those occurring in wetlands, melting permafrost, or the digestion of organic matter in the guts of ruminant animals. Thermogenic CH 4 sources originate from the breakdown of organic material at high temperatures and pressure within the Earth's crust, a process which also produces more complex trace hydrocarbons such as ethane (C 2 H 6 ). Here, we present the development and deployment of an uncrewed aerial system (UAS) that employs a fast (1 Hz) and sensitive (1–0.5 ppb s -1 ) CH 4 and C 2 H 6 sensor and ultrasonic anemometer. The UAS platform is a vertical-takeoff, hexarotor drone (DJI Matrice 600 Pro, M600P) capable of vertical profiling to 120 m altitude and plume sampling across scales up to 1 km. Simultaneous measurements of CH 4 and C 2 H 6 concentrations, vector winds, and positional data allow for source classification (biogenic versus thermogenic), differentiation, and emission rates without the need for modeling or a priori assumptions about winds, vertical mixing, or other environmental conditions. The system has been used for direct quantification of methane point sources, such as orphan wells, and distributed emitters, such as landfills and wastewater treatment facilities. With detectable source rates as low as 0.04 and up to ~1500 kg h -1 , this UAS offers a direct and repeatable method of horizontal and vertical profiling of emission plumes at scales that are complementary to regional aerial surveys and localized ground-based monitoring.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Light dark matter search with nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamonds

We propose an approach to directly search for light dark matter, such as the axion or the dark photon, by using magnetometry with nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamonds. If the dark matter couples to the electron spin, it affects the evolution of the Bloch vectors consisting of the spin triplet states, which may be detected through several magnetometry techniques. We give several concrete examples with the use of dc and ac magnetometry and estimate the sensitivity on dark matter couplings.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

CMB distance priors revisited: effects of dark energy dynamics, spatial curvature, primordial power spectrum, and neutrino parameters

As a physical and sufficient compression of the full CMB data, the CMB distance priors, or shift parameters, have been widely used and provide a convenient way to include CMB data when obtaining cosmological constraints. In this paper, we revisit this data vector and examine its stability under different cosmological models. We find that the CMB distance priors are an accurate substitute for the full CMB data when probing dark energy dynamics. This is true when the primordial power spectrum model is directly generalized from the power spectrum of the model used in the derivation of the distance priors from the CMB data. We discover a difference when a non-flat model with the untilted primordial inflation power spectrum is used to measure the distance priors. This power spectrum is a radical change from the more conventional tilted primordial power spectrum and violates fundamental assumptions for the reliability of the CMB shift parameters. We also investigate the performance of CMB distance priors when the sum of neutrino masses Σm ν and the effective number of relativistic species N eff are allowed to vary. Our findings are consistent with earlier results: the neutrino parameters can change the measurement of the sound horizon from CMB data, and thus the CMB distance priors. We find that when the neutrino model is allowed to vary, the cold dark matter density ω c and N eff need to be included in the set of parameters that summarize CMB data, in order to reproduce the constraints from the full CMB data. As a result, we present an updated and expanded set of CMB distance priors which can reproduce constraints from the full CMB data within 1σ, and are applicable to models with massive neutrinos, as well as non-standard cosmologies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Hybrid Data-Driven Based HVdc Ancillary Control for Multiple Frequency Data Attacks

The high voltage direct current (HVdc) intertie has been applied to provide ancillary-services for ac grids, utilizing the real-time feedback from phasor measurement units (PMUs). However, PMU data communication is vulnerable to false data injection attacks (FDIA) due to protocol defects, thus the HVdc ancillary control and system stability will be threatened. To address this issue, this article proposes a novel HVdc control strategy based on a hybrid data-driven (HDD) methodology. In this work, the HDD methodology is first proposed to detect the types and duration time of multiple frequency attacks. Specifically, the Hilbert Huang transform (HHT) is used to decompose the frequency data, using variational mode decomposition instead of the traditional empirical mode decomposition, to extract data features. Second, a multikernel support vector machine is proposed to classify the attacked data based on the designed distinctive features from HHT. Meanwhile, the attacking duration time is decided using an unsupervised technique. Third, an HDD-based HVdc ancillary control strategy is established to eliminate the effect of FDIAs on the HVdc frequency response. Comprehensive experiments of HDD-based HVdc ancillary controls under different FDIAs suggest that the proposed HDD could fast and accurately classify the FDIAs, and the HDD-based HVdc ancillary control strategy could significantly suppress the impact of the FDIAs.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Muonic force behind flavor anomalies

We develop an economical theoretical framework for combined explanations of the flavor physics anomalies involving muons: (g - 2) μ , R K(*), and b → sμ + μ - angular distributions and branching ratios, that was first initiated by some of us in ref. [1]. The Standard Model (SM) is supplemented with a lepton-flavored U(1) X gauge group. The U(1) X gauge boson with the mass of O(0.1) GeV resolves the (g - 2) μ tension. A TeV-scale leptoquark, charged under the U(1) X , carries a muon number and mediates B-decays without prompting charged lepton flavor violation or inducing proton decay. We explore the theory space of the chiral, anomaly-free U(1) X gauge extensions featuring the above scenario, and identify many suitable charge assignments for the SM+3ν R fermion content with the integer charges in the range X F i $\in$ [-10, 10]. We then carry out a comprehensive phenomenological study of the muonic force in representative benchmark models. Interestingly, we found models which can resolve the tension without conflicting the complementary constraints, and all of the viable parameter space will be tested in future muonic resonance searches. Finally, the catalog of the anomaly-free lepton-non-universal charge assignments motivated us to explore different directions in model building. We present a model in which the muon mass and the (g - 2) μ are generated radiatively from a common short-distance dynamics after the U(1) X breaking. We also show how to charge a vector leptoquark under U(1) μ-τ in a complete gauge model.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Magnetism of single crystalline breathing pyrochlore spinel AgInCr 4 ⁢S 8

Single crystals of Ag⁢In⁢Cr 4⁢ S 8 are grown by chemical vapor transport and crystallographic ordering of Ag/In that results in a breathing pyrochlore motif of Cr 3+ is verified by x-ray and neutron diffraction. Long-range antiferromagnetic order is observed below a Néel temperature of 𝑇 N ≈ 9.6 K. The magnetic properties are characterized using ac and dc magnetization, specific heat capacity, and single crystal neutron diffraction measurements. The specific heat data are characterized by a small lambda anomaly near 9.5 K and the estimated magnetic entropy reaches ≈ $\frac{1}{3}$ of the expected value by 3⁢𝑇 N , suggesting significant short-range order in the paramagnetic phase. Single crystal neutron diffraction evidences an incommensurate spin structure with propagation vector 𝒌 = (0,0,𝛿) and 𝛿 = 0.343 at 5 K. The minimal model that accounts for the data consists of ferromagnetic layers of Cr atoms, with magnetic moments lying in the plane of the layers and modulating in the perpendicular direction to form a helical structure propagating along 𝒌. Furthermore, this study represents a rare investigation of single crystals within the family of breathing pyrochlore materials.

Frustrated magnetism↗
DOE OSTI2026

Search for Higgs bosons produced in association with a high-energy photon via vector-boson fusion and decaying to a pair of b -quarks in the ATLAS detector

A search for Standard Model Higgs bosons produced in association with a high-energy photon and decaying to $b\bar{b}$ is performed using 133 fb −1 of $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV pp collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The photon requirement reduces the multijet background, and the H → $b\bar{b}$ decay is the dominant decay mode. Event selection requirements target events produced by vector-boson fusion, the dominant production mode in this channel. Several improvements enhance the search sensitivity compared to previous measurements. These improvements include better background modelling and characterization, the use of a neural-network classifier, and an updated signal extraction strategy adopting a direct binned-likelihood fit to the classifier output. With these improvements, the Higgs boson signal strength is measured to be 0.2 ± 0.7 relative to the Standard Model prediction. This corresponds to an observed significance of 0.3 standard deviations, compared to an expectation of 1.5 standard deviations assuming the Standard Model.

ATLAS experiment↗
DOE OSTI2020

Multi-Axis Resonant Plate Shock Testing Evaluation and Test Specification Development

Resonant plate testing is a shock test method that is frequently used to simulate pyroshock events in the laboratory. Recently, it was discovered that if the unit under test is installed at an off-center location, a tri-axial accelerometer would record a shock response in three directions and the resulting shock response spectra implied that the test may have qualified the component in three directions simultaneously. The purpose of this research project was to evaluate this idea of multi-axis shock testing to determine if it was truly a multi-axis shock environment and if such a test could be used as an equivalent component qualification test. A study was conducted using generic, additively manufactured components tested on a resonant plate, along with an investigation of plate motion to evaluate the component response to off- center plate excitation. The data obtained here along with the analytical simulations performed indicate that off-center resonant plate tests are actually not three-axis shock tests, but rather single axis shocks at an arbitrary angle dictated by the location of the unit under test on the plate. This conclusion is supported by the fact that only one vectored shock input is provided to the component in a resonant plate test. Thus, the output response is a coupled response of the transverse plate vibration and the rotational motion of the component on the plate. Additionally, a multi-axis shock test defined by three single axis test environments always results in a significant component over-test in one direction.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Superfluid weight of strongly inhomogeneous superconductors

In this study, we obtain the superfluid weight of strongly inhomogeneous superconductors. We find that, in general, the response of the superconductor’s pairing potential to the perturbing vector potential is essential to obtain the correct value of the superfluid weight. We consider two exemplary cases: the case when strong inhomogeneities in the pairing potential are induced by a periodic potential, and the case when superconducting vortices are induced by an external magnetic field. For both cases we show that the correction to the superfluid weight due to the response of the paring potential to the perturbing vector potential can be significant, it must be included to obtain quantitatively correct results, and that for the case when vortices are present the expression of the superfluid weight that does not include such correction returns qualitatively wrong results. The results are directly relevant for superconducting states in moiré multilayer where the almost inevitable spatial variations of the magic angle and the proximity of superconductivity to anisotropic phases induce inhomogeneities in the pairing potential, and to the efforts to optimally pin superconducting vortices to achieve large superconducting critical currents.

Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations↗
DOE OSTI2026

$B \to π$, $B_{(s)} \to D_{(s)}$ from 2+1+1 Flavor Lattice QCD

We present a lattice-QCD calculation of the hadronic form factors for $B$-meson semileptonic decays computed using the highly improved staggered quark action for both valence and sea quarks on the MILC collaborations 2+1+1-flavor ensembles with lattice spacing ranging from 0.09 fm to 0.03 fm, many with physical pion masses On our finest ensembles, we compute the form factors directly at the physical $b$-quark mass. We discuss the computational setup and analysis strategies for two- and three-point correlation functions. For $B_{(s)} \to D_{(s)}$ we present preliminary results of chiral-continuum fits for the scalar and vector form factors. The goal of this project is a percent-level determination of the scalar and vector form factors to enable high-precision determinations of $|V_{ub}|$ and $|V_{cb}|$. This work fits into a broader program of lattice-QCD studies of weak $B$-meson decays by the Fermilab Lattice and MILC Collaborations.

Cassar, Nicholas [Colorado State U.]↗
DOE OSTI2026

Enhancers that direct gene expression to central nervous system vascular endothelial cells in vivo

CNS vascular endothelial cells (ECs) exhibit a distinctive gene expression program that is foundational for the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Previous research identified candidate cis-regulatory elements (CREs) that were hypothesized to control this program. In this work, transgenic mice and recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors have been used to interrogate these candidate CREs in vivo. These experiments show that an 850 bp genomic DNA segment ∼60 kb 5′ of Slc2a1 possesses enhancer activity that is (1) specific for BBB+ CNS ECs and (2) both necessary and sufficient for BBB+ EC gene expression. A screen of >8,000 genomic DNA segments from CNS EC-specific CRE candidates reveals several hundred with enhancer activity. Transcription factors ERG and LEF1 are shown to occupy sites in brain ECs that are highly enriched in candidate and experimentally validated CREs, lending strong support to a model in which canonical Wnt signaling activates the BBB program via LEF1.

CUT&RUN↗
DOE OSTI2024

In vivo human T cell engineering with enveloped delivery vehicles

Viruses and virally derived particles have the intrinsic capacity to deliver molecules to cells, but the difficulty of readily altering cell-type selectivity has hindered their use for therapeutic delivery. Here, we show that cell surface marker recognition by antibody fragments displayed on membrane-derived particles encapsulating CRISPR–Cas9 protein and guide RNA can deliver genome editing tools to specific cells. Compared to conventional vectors like adeno-associated virus that rely on evolved capsid tropisms to deliver virally encoded cargo, these Cas9-packaging enveloped delivery vehicles (Cas9-EDVs) leverage predictable antibody–antigen interactions to transiently deliver genome editing machinery selectively to cells of interest. Antibody-targeted Cas9-EDVs preferentially confer genome editing in cognate target cells over bystander cells in mixed populations, both ex vivo and in vivo. By using multiplexed targeting molecules to direct delivery to human T cells, Cas9-EDVs enable the generation of genome-edited chimeric antigen receptor T cells in humanized mice, establishing a programmable delivery modality with the potential for widespread therapeutic utility.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Inhomogeneous high temperature melting and decoupling of charge density waves in spin-triplet superconductor UTe 2

Charge, spin and Cooper-pair density waves have now been widely detected in exotic superconductors. Understanding how these density waves emerge — and become suppressed by external parameters — is a key research direction in condensed matter physics. Here we study the temperature and magnetic-field evolution of charge density waves in the rare spin-triplet superconductor candidate UTe 2 using scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy. We reveal that charge modulations composed of three different wave vectors gradually weaken in a spatially inhomogeneous manner, while persisting to surprisingly high temperatures of 10–12 K. We also reveal an unexpected decoupling of the three-component charge density wave state. Our observations match closely to the temperature scale potentially related to short-range magnetic correlations, providing a possible connection between density waves observed by surface probes and intrinsic bulk features. Importantly, charge density wave modulations become suppressed with magnetic field both below and above superconducting T c in a comparable manner. Our work points towards an intimate connection between hidden magnetic correlations and the origin of the unusual charge density waves in UTe 2 .

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗