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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 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Multi-omics data resource: Data package 25 (Pck025)

This data package comprises omics datasets from human pancreatic islets treated with IL-1β + IFNγ or with estrogen (E2) for 18 h. Two RNA-seq datasets are available: the first is a discovery dataset involving human islets treated with or without IL-1β + IFNγ for 18 hours; the second is a validation dataset, where human islets are treated with or without IL-1β + IFNγ or E2 for 18 hours. DIA proteomic analysis was performed on the same validation dataset samples. Data contributors: Kiersten L. Webster, Sarah Tersey & Raghavendra G. Mirmir: Kovler Diabetes Center and Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA. Soumyadeep Sarkar, Raghavendra Mirmira, Ernesto S. Nakayasu: Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99354, USA. Data repository: RNA-seq: GSE310965 Proteomics: MSV000101892 Publication: PMID 41279069

Sarkar, Soumyadeep [Pacific Northwest National Lab↗
DOE OSTI2025

Unlocking the biofuel power of cover crop in Washington State: Enhancing potential through hydrothermal liquefaction

This study evaluates cover crops in Washington State (WA) as a renewable feedstock for hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), supported by techno-economic (TEA) and life cycle (LCA) analysis. In the Pacific Northwest, fallow land is the common winter practice, generating no income for farmers. Over three years, field trials at two representative sites—Puyallup (cool, wet) and Othello (irrigated, no-till)tested triticale, hairy vetch, crimson clover, winter pea, and fava bean preceding cash crops. Biomass yields, composition, soil impacts, and net revenue were assessed across removal treatments. HTL conversion produced 32–37 wt% biocrude, lower than 48 wt% for sewage sludge, with modeled cradle-to-grave carbon intensities of 26–31 g CO 2 e/MJ and minimum fuel selling prices (MFSP) of $\$$6.75–$\$$7.18 per gallon gasoline equivalent (GGE), comparable to other lignocellulosic feedstocks. No significant changes were observed in soil carbon, nitrogen, or subsequent cash crop yields after cover crop removal. Farmer profitability was possible, particularly for triticale and hairy vetch at $\$$60 per dry ton. To address seasonal variability, blending with wastewater sludge was evaluated. All scenarios delivered >70 % carbon intensity reductions relative to fossil fuels, and with Renewable Identification Number (RIN) credits, MFSPs below $\$$2.5 GGE were achievable. These results demonstrate that cover crops can generate new revenue streams for farmers while serving as a flexible, low-carbon feedstock. Integrating cover crops with waste biomass offers a practical pathway to expand the bioeconomy and support year-round renewable fuel production.

Biofuels↗
DOE OSTI2026

Enabling depth resolved temporal resolved soil microbial sampling with novel vadose zone diffusion sampler

To address the difficulty in Earth system science in making time-course measurements of molecular signatures in soil biochemistry, we developed a soil stake system to sample and replace a defined soil analog medium, connected through hydraulic connectivity via perforated casings and modular inserts. We deployed these stakes to a site in Prosser, WA and measured microbial colonization of sterile sand-clay inserts enriched with N-acetyl-glucosamine at different depths over spring and summer. DNA and RNA analyses revealed distinct microbial recruitment and activity patterns. Inserts showed lower microbial diversity but higher abundance of Proteobacteriota and Bacteriota compared to native soils, alongside seasonal shifts in taxonomic and functional profiles. The soil stake system offers a novel approach for studying microbial dynamics across temporal and spatial scales.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Assessing the limitations of commercial sensors and models for supporting marine carbon dioxide removal monitoring: a case study

Several unknowns remain surrounding marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR) monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) practices and capabilities. Current in-situ sensor technology is limited (primarily pH and pCO 2 ), requiring calculations and assumptions to estimate changes in carbonate chemistry parameters, including total alkalinity (TA). Considering that cost, energy consumption, and accuracy of commercial sensors can vary by orders of magnitude, understanding how well existing sensors perform in an mCDR context is important for this emerging community. Likewise, documenting sensor limitations and how relatively simple models can optimize sensor deployments will improve MRV efforts and support protocol development. Here we (1) compare performance a variety of commercially available sensors in a blind mesocosm experiment simulating ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE), and how sensor performance impacted carbonate chemistry estimates; (2) evaluate if sensors can distinguish the OAE signal from natural variability during a small scale OAE field test in Sequim Bay, WA, USA, and (3) use an idealized ocean biogeochemistry model to explore optimal sensor network design based on (1) and (2). Our mesocosm results indicate that correctly constraining pH uncertainty will be critical for accurate TA estimates with current sensor technology compared to the less impactful variation caused by uncertainty in pCO 2 (pH data that are presented throughout are reported on the total scale (pH T ) unless otherwise noted). Our pilot field test demonstrated that sensors were capable of distinguishing mCDR signatures from natural variability under optimal real-world conditions. Idealized modeling simulations of the field test showed that a range of sparse and dense (3 to 100) sensors sampling areas of detectable increases will underestimate the net change in surface pH by at least 35–55%, at both realistic and highly elevated alkalinity input levels. We also highlight the limitations of current sensing technology for MRV, and the importance of ocean biogeochemistry models as critical tools for predicting when and where mCDR signals will be detectable using available sensors. Overall, our findings suggest that commercially available pCO 2 sensors and some pH sensors will form an important backbone for mCDR MRV tasks, though complete MRV characterization will require these data to be used in combination with other tools.

OAE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Geographic source attribution of honey by strontium isotope analyses: Latvia and India measurements compared to model predictions in a feasibility study

Strontium isotope ratios ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) can be used to determine the geographic origin of agricultural products. Here, in this study, we measured the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr of honey samples from Richland, WA, USA, Latvia, and India, and compared the results to published 87 Sr/ 86 Sr from surrounding areas and values predicted based upon a random forest isoscape model (Bataille et al., 2020). While the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr of the honey samples compared well with previously published data, the model did not accurately predict the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr of the honey samples, demonstrating that further refinement of the model would be beneficial. Because Sr cycling in terrestrial ecosystems is complex, the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr of honey is likely to reflect several sources (e.g., nectar, surface water, dust) and may change over time. In order to accurately predict the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr of honey, models must consider local geology, ecology, and bee behavior. Additional research examining how Sr is incorporated into honey is needed to inform models.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Scenario Planning Management Actions to Restore Cold Water Stream Habitat: Comparing Mechanistic and Statistical Modeling Approaches

ABSTRACT Under the United States Clean Water Act, states are required to periodically assess state waters to determine compliance with water quality criteria (including temperature) and then to develop total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for impaired waters as necessary to bring them into compliance. We compared the performance of mechanistic stream temperature models (HeatSource, QUAL2K, and QUAL2Kw) applied to the mainstem of three TMDL watersheds (Middle Fork John Day, OR; Wind River, WA; South Fork Nooksack, WA) with that of spatial stream network (SSN) models applied to the full watersheds and used these to evaluate the potential effectiveness of restoration strategies. SSN models performed well with slightly lesser accuracy (RMSE = 0.47–0.87) for mainstem predictions than mechanistic models (RMSE = 0.4) but provided additional benefits to inform management, including information on spatial and temporal heterogeneity of restoration effectiveness throughout the watershed. Of the four scenarios considered (restoration of riparian zones to potential natural vegetation, channel narrowing, increasing flow by restricting irrigation withdrawals, and combined applications), riparian zone restoration was consistently the most effective in reducing temperatures at the outlet, mainstem, and throughout the watersheds. Predicted restoration effectiveness for thermal regimes varied significantly both within and among watersheds. A focus on water quality criteria exceedance only at the watershed outlet or along the mainstem reach can obscure knowledge of restoration potential for fish habitat in tributaries and headwaters, potential for creation of thermal refuge areas along the mainstem critical for maintaining migration corridors, and thermal regime heterogeneity across space and time.

Fuller, M. R.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Baryon number violation: from nuclear matrix elements to BSM physics

Processes that violate baryon number, most notably proton decay and $n\bar{n}$ transitions, are promising probes of physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM) needed to understand the lack of antimatter in the Universe. To interpret current and forthcoming experimental limits, theory input from nuclear matrix elements to UV complete models enters. Thus, an interplay of experiment, effective field theory, lattice QCD, and BSM model building is required to develop strategies to accurately extract information from current and future data and maximize the impact and sensitivity of next-generation experiments. Here, we briefly summarize the main results and discussions from the workshop ‘INT-25-91W: Baryon Number Violation: From Nuclear Matrix Elements to BSM Physics,’ held at the Institute for Nuclear Theory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 13–17 January 2025.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Acoustic Particle Velocity Measurements around a Tidal Current Turbine

Quantifying the underwater sound produced by tidal turbines is essential both to understand their potential environmental impacts and to understand how that sound might interfere with the intended application of the turbine (e.g., powering acoustic monitoring systems). In this project, we measured the sound radiated by a small-scale crossflow tidal turbine. The turbine was deployed from October 2023 to March 2024 in the tidal channel at the entrance to Sequim Bay, WA. Acoustic measurements were made with three different sensor packages: a commercial-off-the-shelf vector sensor (operated by PNNL), a vector sensor array (operated by Integral Consulting), and drifting hydrophones (operated by UW). Acoustic recordings from the three sensors highlight changes in the turbine acoustic signature over the course of a tidal cycle and throughout the 6-month turbine deployment. Our results also highlight the utility of acoustic vector sensors for localizing sound attributable to marine energy devices in acoustically complex environments.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2025

CAMAS 2025: Continuing to Advance Arctic Marine Science

The Consortium for the Advancement of Marine Arctic Science (CAMAS) held its second annual Workshop and Early-Career School in Seattle, WA, on April 15-18, 2025. The workshop attracted 74 participants, including a dozen scientists from Europe (8) and Asia (4). The goal of CAMAS is to facilitate and enhance international collaboration on marine Arctic science, in order to advance the understanding and model representation of key marine Arctic processes that contribute to the rapid changes in the Arctic Earth system. These rapid changes have profound impacts on operations in the Arctic, including those associated with the national and energy security of the United States. The Early-Career School started the event on Tuesday April 15. Thirty-three early-career scientists (postdocs and students) gathered for lectures and discussions on topics like high-resolution Arctic Ocean and sea ice modeling; biogeochemistry of the Arctic; Machine Learning for Arctic Earth system modeling; and an Arctic perspective on geo-engineering.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Hanford Site Rare Plant Monitoring Report for Calendar Year 2025

This report summarizes rare plant monitoring data collected in calendar year (CY) 2025 and provides management recommendations accordingly. DOE/RL-2021-35, Central Hanford Rare Plant Management Plan, guides the approach to rare plant monitoring and management at the Hanford Site. In CY 2025, rare plant monitoring efforts occurred on the portion of the Hanford Site managed by the U.S. Department of Energy, Hanford Field Office (HFO; Figure 1-1), referred to herein as Central Hanford. The goal of monitoring is to collect data to evaluate the conservation status of rare plant species. Surveys conducted in CY 2025 built on previous monitoring efforts, tracking the abundance and distribution of rare plants at Central Hanford. Results from previous monitoring efforts are included for reference. Monitoring data are submitted to the Washington Natural Heritage Program (WNHP), part of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (WA DNR), to evaluate statewide conservation statuses.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

ToF-SIMS spectral data analysis of Paenibacillus sp. 300A biofilms and planktonic cells

Analysis of bacterial biofilms is particularly challenging and important with diverse applications from systems biology to biotechnology. Among the variety of techniques that have been applied, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) has many promising features in studying the surface characteristics of biofilms. ToF-SIMS offers high spatial resolution and high mass accuracy, which permit surface sensitive analysis of biofilm components. Thus, ToF-SIMS provides a powerful solution to addressing the challenge of bacterial biofilm analysis. This dataset covers ToF-SIMS analysis of Paenibacillus sp. 300A (300A) isolated from the Hanford site in Richland, WA. The strain is known to have metal and sulfur reducing properties and can be used for bioremediation, wastewater treatment, bioengineering and technology development. There is a current need to identify small molecules and fragments produced from bacterial biofilms. Static ToF-SIMS spectra of 300A were obtained using an IONTOF TOF-SIMS V instrument equipped with a 25 keV Bi 3 + metal ion gun. Identified molecules and molecular fragments are compared against known biological databases and the reported peaks have at least 65 ppm mass accuracy. These molecules range from lipids and fatty acids to flavonoids, quinolones, and other naturally occurring organic compounds. It is anticipated that the spectral identification of key peaks will assist detection of metabolites, extracellular polymeric substance molecules like polysaccharides, and biologically relevant small molecules using ToF-SIMS in future surface and interface research of bacterial biofilms.

Biofilms↗
DOE OSTI2025

Low Carbon Intensity Formic Acid Chemical Synthesis from Direct Air Captured CO 2 Utilizing Chemical Plant Waste Heat - Final Technical Report

The primary objective of Low Carbon Intensity Formic Acid Chemical Synthesis from Direct Air Captured CO 2 Utilizing Chemical Plant Waste Heat (ChemFADAC) is to execute and complete a FEED study for an integrated direct air capture (DAC) and carbon conversion system (together, the DACUS system) co-located at a Nutrien nitric acid production facility in Kennewick, WA capable of capturing and converting a minimum of 5,000 MT/year net atmospheric CO 2 to low carbon intensity formic acid (FA) using industrial waste heat and renewable electricity. The goal will be achieved through the completion of four objectives using a collaborative approach with community stakeholders. Objective 1. Conduct a FEED study and Class 3 project cost estimate for the proposed DACUS system that maximizes use of thermal energy from the Nutrien KFO host site to produce low carbon intensity FA from atmospheric CO 2 . Objective 2. Perform a cradle-to-gate life-cycle analysis of the DACUS system to determine the environmental sustainability and carbon intensity (CI) of the proposed project and product from the results of the FEED study. Objective 3. Perform a business case analysis from results of the LCA, FEED study and cost estimate to justify investment to build the DACUS project at the Nutrien KFO site. Objective 4. Quantify how deployment of the proposed technology will promote and prepare a ready workforce for clean energy and manufacturing jobs and coordinate with community stakeholders to perform an environmental justice and a preliminary economic revitalization and job creation outcomes analysis.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Process-driven roadmap for depositing super duplex stainless steel via wire Arc additive manufacturing

Here, this study systematically investigates the effects of shielding gas, bead spacing, weld mode, and travel speed on the phase balance, porosity, and hardness of wire arc additively manufactured (WAAM) super duplex stainless steel (ER2594). Robotic WAAM was employed to fabricate multilayer walls under systematically varied process conditions, followed by phase transformation simulations, X-ray computed tomography (XCT), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and microhardness evaluation. Thermodynamic simulations predicted rapid cooling of AM process can suppress the potential formation of deleterious precipitates which was later validated via cross-sectional microstructure analyses of printed samples. XCT revealed porosity levels below 0.2% for all deposits, with reduced travel speed significantly lowering defect volume. Microstructural analyses revealed the evolution of various austenite precipitates, including grain boundary austenite (GBA), Widmanstätten austenite (WA), and intergranular austenite (IGA), sequentially upon cooling of the ferrite phase. Among all process parameters, weld transfer mode exhibited the strongest influence on phase balance; pulsed mode promoted higher ferrite retention (~ 36%) compared to RapidX mode. No consistent relationship between stabilized phase fraction and captured microhardness was observed. This work provides critical insights for optimizing WAAM parameters to control phase balance and mechanical performance, which is essential for producing high-integrity super duplex stainless-steel components for nuclear and marine applications.

Grain orientation↗
DOE OSTI2025

Directional Variations in Tidal Flow Multifractality and Intermittency

We explored distinct directional variations of multifractal and intermittent characteristics of ebb and flood flow velocities at nodule point, WA, tidal energy site, and complementary inspection on the East River, NY using scaling exponents of the structure function, distribution flatness, detrending moving average (DMA) analysis, multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MF-DFA), and high-order spectral moments. Our findings reveal that tidal flow presents higher long-range dependence (LRD) and intermittent levels for the ebb flow sections, whereas the flood flow sections exhibit a higher degree of multifractality and greater sensitivity to larger magnitude of turbulent fluctuations. We demonstrate that long-range dependence predominantly contributes to multifractal behavior in both ebb and flood flows, as evidenced by the significantly reduced multifractal spectrum width for temporally randomly permuted time series. Moreover, spectral kurtosis analysis uncovers a higher intermittent level across all frequency scales for ebb flow sections and reveals a distinct pattern of tidal flow intermittency differing from the monotonically increasing intermittent level observed in wall-bounded and grid turbulence. Finally, we demonstrate that DMA, MF-DFA, and high-order spectral moments provide more comprehensive insights than structure function scaling exponents and PDF flatness methods.

Cheng, Shyuan [Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champai↗
DOE OSTI2024

Microbial Metagenomes Across a Complete Phytoplankton Bloom Cycle: High-Resolution Sampling Every 4 Hours Over 22 Days

In May and June of 2021, marine microbial samples were collected for DNA sequencing in East Sound, WA, USA every 4 hours for 22 days. This high temporal resolution sampling effort captured the last 3 days of a Rhizosolenia sp. bloom, the initiation and complete bloom cycle of Chaetoceros socialis (8 days), and the following bacterial bloom (2 days). Metagenomes were completed on the time series, and the dataset includes 128 size-fractionated microbial samples (0.22–1.2 µm), providing gene abundances for the dominant members of bacteria, archaea, and viruses. This dataset also has time-matched nutrient analyses, flow cytometry data, and physical parameters of the environment at a single point of sampling within a coastal ecosystem that experiences regular bloom events, facilitating a range of modeling efforts that can be leveraged to understand microbial community structure and their influences on the growth, maintenance, and senescence of phytoplankton blooms.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Host cell and viral protease targets of human SERPINs identified by in silico docking

Serine protease inhibitors (SERPINs) are involved in various physiological processes and diseases, such as inflammation, cancer metastasis, and neurodegeneration. Their role in viral infections is poorly understood, as their expression patterns during infection and the range of proteases they target have yet to be fully characterized. Here, we show widespread expression of human SERPINs in response to respiratory virus infections, both in bronchioalveolar lavages from COVID-19 patients and in polarized human airway epithelial cultures. Using in silico docking of 10 SERPINs to 48 host proteases, we confirm known targets and predict new interactions. Protease activity assays validated selected interactions, confirming the newly predicted host targets for PAI-1 (SERPINE1) and PAI-2 (SERPINB2). PAI-1 inhibits cathepsin L, essential for SARS-CoV-2 maturation, and suppresses multi-cycle replication of both ancestral SARS-CoV-2 WA-1 and its variant Omicron BA.1. In addition, we identify PAI-2 as an antiviral SERPIN that reduces infectivity of human adenovirus 5 by directly inhibiting the adenoviral protease. Our study leverages in silico docking using full-length 3D protein structures to uncover new SERPIN targets, offering a range of candidate targets for therapeutic interventions.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Charged-particle transport in high energy density plasmas

This Special Topic Collection grew out of two gatherings of researchers active in the high energy density (HED) physics community: a mini-conference on charged-particle transport in HED plasma held during the 64th annual meeting of the American Physical Society's Division of Plasma Physics (Spokane, WA, November 2022) and a dedicated charged-particle transport coefficient code comparison workshop (Livermore, CA, July 2023). These gatherings provided opportunities for theoretical, computational, and experimental researchers to discuss the state of the field, including current capabilities and methods, needs of hydrodynamic simulations, and frontiers for future research. Finally, this special issue collects a total of 13 research and review articles on charged-particle transport in HED plasmas.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Sampling in Long-Screened Wells: Issues, Misconceptions, and Solutions

The issues associated with long-screened wells (LSWs) (and open boreholes) at contaminated sites are well documented in the groundwater literature but are still not fully appreciated in practice. As established in seminal and review papers going back over three decades, the interpretation of sampling results from LSWs is challenging in the presence of vertical hydraulic gradients and borehole flow; furthermore, LSWs allow for vertical redistribution of contamination between aquifer layers. Acknowledgment of these issues has led to the development of new technologies and well designs to enable discrete-zone monitoring (DZM), yet LSWs remain common for many reasons, for example, as multipurpose wells, for geophysical logging, and (or) as legacy installations. Despite the literature on LSWs and despite the adoption of DZM at many sites, the use of LSWs persists and the challenges of interpreting sampling results from LSWs remain. In this issue paper, we provide a conceptual overview of the problems posed by LSWs and review existing literature and past work to improve the interpretation of sampling in LSWs. We draw on experience from previous studies at the Hanford Site in eastern WA, USA, and use synthetic examples to illustrate key concepts and challenges for interpretation. A recently published analytical modeling framework is used to develop illustrative synthetic examples and demonstrate a workflow for building scientific intuition to understand issues around interpreting samples from LSWs, which is critical to effective characterization and groundwater remediation at sites with LSWs.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗