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At least 361 records · Page 20
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2019

Evaluating the Uncertainty of Terrestrial Water Budget Components over High Mountain Asia

This study explores the uncertainties in terrestrial water budget estimation over High Mountain Asia (HMA) using a suite of uncoupled land surface model (LSM) simulations. The uncertainty in the water balance components of precipitation (P), evapotranspiration (ET), runoff (R), and terrestrial water storage (TWS) is significantly impacted by the uncertainty in the driving meteorology, with precipitation being the most important boundary condition. Ten gridded precipitation datasets along with a mix of model-, satellite-, and gauge-based products, are evaluated first to assess their suitability for LSM simulations over HMA. The datasets are evaluated by quantifying the systematic and random errors of these products as well as the temporal consistency of their trends. Though the broader spatial patterns of precipitation are generally well captured by the datasets, they differ significantly in their means and trends. In general, precipitation datasets that incorporate information from gauges are found to have higher accuracy with low Root Mean Square Errors and high correlation coefficient values. An ensemble of LSM simulations with selected subset of precipitation products is then used to produce the mean annual fluxes and their uncertainty over HMA in P, ET, and R to be 2.11 ± 0.45, 1.26 ± 0.11, and 0.85 ± 0.36 mm per day, respectively. The mean annual estimates of the surface mass (water) balance components from this model ensemble are comparable to global estimates from prior studies. However, the uncertainty/spread of P, ET, and R is significantly larger than the corresponding estimates from global studies. A comparison of ET, snow cover fraction, and changes in TWS estimates against remote sensing-based references confirms the significant role of the input meteorology in influencing the water budget characterization over HMA and points to the need for improving meteorological inputs.

Terrestrial water budget↗
NASA NTRS1978

Diffusion of hydrogen through platinum membranes at high pressures and temperatures

The diffusion of hydrogen through platinum membranes has been measured at 450, 500, 550 and 600 C at 2000 bar pressure, using the hydrogen sensor technique. Ag + AgCl + 3M HCl was the starting solution inside the platinum tube. Hydrogen diffuses out of the platinum tube into a system containing Fe2O3 + Fe3O4 + H2O; that is, a solution with a fixed hydrogen fugacity. After quench, the drop in hydrogen fugacity inside the platinum tube was calculated from measurements of pH and chloride molality. The hydrogen fugacity is initially roughly proportional to the square root of time. Diffusion constants were calculated from these data by numerical integration.

Chou, I.-M.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Tungsten wire/FeCrAlY matrix turbine blade fabrication study

The objective was to establish a viable FRS monotape technology base to fabricate a complex, advanced turbine blade. All elements of monotape fabrication were addressed. A new process for incorporation of the matrix, including bi-alloy matrices, was developed. Bonding, cleaning, cutting, sizing, and forming parameters were established. These monotapes were then used to fabricate a 48 ply solid JT9D-7F 1st stage turbine blade. Core technology was then developed and first a 12 ply and then a 7 ply shell hollow airfoil was fabricated. As the fabrication technology advanced, additional airfoils incorporated further elements of sophistication, by introducing in sequence bonded root blocks, cross-plying, bi-metallic matrix, tip cap, trailing edge slots, and impingement inserts.

Melnyk, P.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Biogeochemistry of fluoride in a plant-solution system

Fluoride (F-) pollutants can harm plants and the animals feeding on them. However, it is largely unknown how complexing and chelating agents affect F bioavailability. Two studies were conducted that measured F- bioavailability and uptake by rice (Oryza sativa L.). In the first study, rice was grown in solution culture (pH 5.0) with 0, 2, or 4 mM F- as KF to compare the interaction of F- with humic acid (HA) and with a conventional chelating agent, N-hydroxyethylenthylenediaminetriacetic acid (HEDTA). In the second study, F was supplied at 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mM KF with an additional 2 mM F- treatment containing solution Ca at 2x (2 mM Ca) the level used in the first study, to test the effect added Ca had on F- availability and uptake. Total biomass was greatest with HEDTA and F- < 1 mM. Leaf and stem F concentrations increased exponentially as solution F- increased linearly, with nearly no F partitioning into the seed. Results suggest that F was taken up as HF0 while F- uptake was likely restricted. Additionally, F- competed with HA for Ca, thus preventing the formation of Ca-HA flocculents. The addition of soluble Ca resulted in the precipitation of CaF2 solids on the root surface, as determined by tissue analysis and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.

NASA Discipline Life Support Systems↗
NASA NTRS2016

The First Multichroic Polarimeter Array on the Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Characterization and Performance

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope Polarimeter (ACTPol) is a polarization sensitive receiver for the 6-meter Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) and measures the small angular scale polarization anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). The full focal plane is composed of three detector arrays, containing over 3000 transition edge sensors (TES detectors) in total. The first two detector arrays, observing at 146 gigahertz, were deployed in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The third and final array is composed of multichroic pixels sensitive to both 90 and 146 gigahertz and saw first light in February 2015. Fabricated at NIST, this dichroic array consists of 255 pixels, with a total of 1020 polarization sensitive bolometers and is coupled to the telescope with a monolithic array of broad-band silicon feedhorns. The detectors are read out using time-division SQUID multiplexing and cooled by a dilution refrigerator at 110 meter Kelvins. We present an overview of the assembly and characterization of this multichroic array in the lab, and the initial detector performance in Chile. The detector array has a TES detector electrical yield of 85 percent, a total array sensitivity of less than 10 microns Kelvin root mean square speed, and detector time constants and saturation powers suitable for ACT CMB observations.

Ho, S. P.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Density Variations as a Function of Compostion in the Venusian Crust: Implications for Tesserae Formation

The Venusian surface plains are thought to be predominantly basaltic, while tesserae occupy ~ 7 % and are potentially the oldest units preserved [1]. They consist of layered, folded, and eroded rocks [2], potentially giving an insight into what tectonic regimes were present during Venus’ history. Studies of the tesserae have noted lower emissivity measurements compared to the surrounding plains [3]. Several explanations for these lower emissivity values have been proposed, including a more felsic composition for the tesserae [4], that the lower emissivity could be a result of a difference in mineralogy caused by chemical weathering facilitated between the rocks and atmosphere by the lower temperatures at the higher elevations of tesserae [5]. Alternatively, the morphology of some features on tesserae, such as the Ovda Fluctus, are more consistent with a basaltic composition [6]. The presence of significant amounts of felsic igneous compositions could either imply partial melting of hydrous material and hence a higher water content in early Venus [7], or differentiation of basaltic melts [8]. Further, tesserae composition influences the density of the crust with major implications for the stability of crustal roots. Here, we use thermodynamic modeling to compute phase diagrams and extract rock densities for two end-member compositions: a basalt and a granite. We discuss major phase and density changes for each composition and describe the effect of compositional variations along geothermal gradients with implications for the stability of crustal roots with the aim to provide constraints on the composition of tesserae.

A R Baker↗
DOE OSTI2023

Amino Acids Essential for the Assembly of Cellulose Synthase Complexes

Over 40 years ago, Andrew Staehelin's group showed that plant cellulose microfibrils are synthesized by protein complexes arranged in hexagonal arrays called 'particle rosettes'. Plant cellulose synthases (CESAs) differ from their bacterial ancestral forms by insertion of three unique sequences responsible for the assembly into compact multimeric units that aggregate further into rosettes. We used site-directed mutagenesis to replace amino acids within these sequences predicted to be essential for assembly and developed an in vivo method to determine the ability of mutated CesA1 transgenes to complement an Arabidopsis temperature-sensitive root-swelling1 (rsw1) mutant. Replacement of a Cys residue in the Class-Specific Region (CSR) or Pro417 and Arg453 of the Plant-Conserved Region (P-CR) rendered an AtCesA1 transgene unable to complement the rsw1 mutation. Despite an expected role for Arg457 in the trimerization of CESA proteins, AtCesA1 transgenes with Arg457Ala mutations were able to fully restore the wild-type phenotype in rsw1. Staehelin observed a third order of assembly in Micrasterias dendiculata, where hundreds of rosettes form large hexagonal arrays during the synthesis of secondary wall cellulose macrofibrils. We found by SEM of cytosolic faces of Micrasterias cell fragments that these arrays are associated with fields of regularly spaced slime secretion pore complexes.

arabidopsis↗
DOE OSTI2026

Metabolomics analysis of P. tremula × P. alba ‘717-1B4’ tissue culture hybrids grown in liquid media supplemented with EGGC and d4-EGGC

A metabolite linked to ethylene metabolism in Populus was recently structurally characterized as 2-hydroxyethyl β-D-glucopyranoside, an ethylene glycol glucose conjugate (EGGC). The dataset presented here is associated with the metabolomics analysis of various tissues (i.e., roots, stems/leaves) of plants grown in liquid media supplemented with EGGC and stable-isotope labelled EGGC (i.e., d4-EGGC). Data were collected using a Thermo Scientific gas chromatograph (GC) coupled to a Q Exactive Orbitrap mass spectrometer (MS). Samples were collected at three different timepoints and silylated prior to GCMS analysis.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
NASA NTRS1998

Mechanotransduction molecules in the plant gravisensory response: amyloplast/statolith membranes contain a beta 1 integrin-like protein

It has been hypothesized that the sedimentation of amyloplasts within root cap cells is the primary event in the plant gravisensory-signal transduction cascade. Statolith sedimentation, with its ability to generate weighty mechanical signals, is a legitimate means for organisms to discriminate the direction of the gravity vector. However, it has been demonstrated that starchless mutants with reduced statolith densities maintain some ability to sense gravity, calling into question the statolith sedimentation hypothesis. Here we report on the presence of a beta 1 integrin-like protein localized inside amyloplasts of tobacco NT-1 suspension culture, callus cells, and whole-root caps. Two different antibodies to the beta 1 integrin, one to the cytoplasmic domain and one to the extracellular domain, localize in the vicinity of the starch grains within amyloplasts of NT-1. Biochemical data reveals a 110-kDa protein immunoprecipitated from membrane fractions of NT-1 suspension culture indicating size homology to known beta 1 integrin in animals. This study provides the first direct evidence for the possibility of integrin-mediated signal transduction in the perception of gravity by higher plants. An integrin-mediated pathway, initiated by starch grain sedimentation within the amyloplast, may provide the signal amplification necessary to explain the gravitropic response in starch-depleted cultivars.

NASA Discipline Plant Biology↗
DOE OSTI2021

Nitrogen Fertilizer, Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi, and Soil Nematodes Affect Lignin Quality and Quantity in Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.)

Plant lignin content and composition, which limit cell wall digestibility and efficiency of cellulose conversion to bioethanol, can be influenced by belowground biotic and abiotic factors. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a leading lignocellulosic biofuel crop and forms strong belowground associations with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), is susceptible to belowground plant-parasitic nematodes (PPN), and when grown in monoculture generally requires nitrogen (N) fertilization. The main objectives of the study were to investigate the effects of N fertilizer and belowground organisms on lignin content and composition of switchgrass. Here, leaf, stem, and root tissues were evaluated separately to test whether these factors had varying belowground (local) or aboveground (systemic) effects on plants. These factors were manipulated in a field study in 2017 using biocide applications to reduce soil fungi and nematodes. Combined biocide application reduced p-hydroxyphenyl (H) unit abundance in the leaves by 14% and increased the syringyl:guaiacyl (S:G) ratio in stems by 2%. Application of fungicide alone increased stem syringyl (S) unit by 12.4% as compared with control plots, and 11.1% as compared with nematicide plots. Overall, fertilizer increased total stem lignin by 3%, stem S unit by 6.7%, and stem S:G ratio by 10%, whereas it reduced the amount of H-unit in the roots by 11%. While the effects of N fertilizer were more pronounced in this study, changes to soil organisms had similar magnitudes of effect for some measures of lignin, indicating that these belowground interactions may be important for growers to consider in the future.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1990

Macromolecular differentiation of Golgi stacks in root tips of Arabidopsis and Nicotiana seedlings as visualized in high pressure frozen and freeze-substituted samples

The plant root tip represents a fascinating model system for studying changes in Golgi stack architecture associated with the developmental progression of meristematic cells to gravity sensing columella cells, and finally to "young" and "old", polysaccharide-slime secreting peripheral cells. To this end we have used high pressure freezing in conjunction with freeze-substitution techniques to follow developmental changes in the macromolecular organization of Golgi stacks in root tips of Arabidopsis and Nicotiana. Due to the much improved structural preservation of all cells under investigation, our electron micrographs reveal both several novel structural features common to all Golgi stacks, as well as characteristic differences in morphology between Golgi stacks of different cell types. Common to all Golgi stacks are clear and discrete differences in staining patterns and width of cis, medial and trans cisternae. Cis cisternae have the widest lumina (approximately 30 nm) and are the least stained. Medial cisternae are narrower (approximately 20 nm) and filled with more darkly staining products. Most trans cisternae possess a completely collapsed lumen in their central domain, giving rise to a 4-6 nm wide dark line in cross-sectional views. Numerous vesicles associated with the cisternal margins carry a non-clathrin type of coat. A trans Golgi network with clathrin coated vesicles is associated with all Golgi stacks except those of old peripheral cells. It is easily distinguished from trans cisternae by its blebbing morphology and staining pattern. The zone of ribosome exclusion includes both the Golgi stack and the trans Golgi network. Intercisternal elements are located exclusively between trans cisternae of columella and peripheral cells, but not meristematic cells. In older peripheral cells only trans cisternae exhibit slime-related staining. Golgi stacks possessing intercisternal elements also contain parallel rows of freeze-fracture particles in their trans cisternal membranes. We propose that intercisternal elements serve as anchors of enzyme complexes involved in the synthesis of polysaccharide slime molecules to prevent the complexes from being dragged into the forming secretory vesicles by the very large slime molecules. In addition, we draw attention to the similarities in composition and apparent site of synthesis of xyloglucans and slime molecules.

NASA Program Space Biology↗
NASA NTRS1985

Calcium movement, graviresponsiveness and the structure of columella cells and columella tissues in roots of Allium cepa L

Roots of Allium cepa L. cv. Yellow are differentially responsive to gravity. Long (e.g. 40 mm) roots are strongly graviresponsive, while short (c.g. 4 mm) roots are minimally responsive to gravity. Although columella cells of graviresponsive roots are larger than those of nongraviresponsive roots, they partition their volumes to cellular organelles similarly. The movement of amyloplasts and nuclei in columella cells of horizontally-oriented roots correlates positively with the onset of gravicurvature. Furthermore, there is no significant difference in the rates of organellar redistribution when graviresponsive and nongraviresponsive roots are oriented horizontally. The more pronounced graviresponsiveness of longer roots correlates positively with (1) their caps being 9-6 times more voluminous, (2) their columella tissues being 42 times more voluminous, (3) their caps having 15 times more columella cells, and (4) their columella tissues having relative volumes 4.4 times larger than those of shorter, nongraviresponsive roots. Graviresponsive roots that are oriented horizontally are characterized by a strongly polar movement of 45Ca2+ across the root tip from the upper to the lower side, while similarly oriented nongraviresponsive roots exhibit only a minimal polar transport of 45Ca2+. These results indicate that the differential graviresponsiveness of roots of A. cepa is probably not due to either (1) ultrastructural differences in their columella cells, (2) differences in the rates of organellar redistribution when roots are oriented horizontally. Rather, these results indicate the graviresponsiveness may require an extensive columella tissue, which, in turn, may be necessary for polar movement of 45Ca2+ across the root tip.

Onions/cytology/growth & development/metabolism/ul↗
NASA NTRS1993

A data base of crop nutrient use, water use, and carbon dioxide exchange in a 2O square meter growth chamber: I. Wheat as a case study

A data set is given describing the daily nutrient uptake, gas exchange, environmental conditions, and carbon (C), and nutrient partitioning at harvest for the entire canopy and root system of a wheat crop (Triticum aestivum, cv. Yecora Rojo). The data were obtained from a 20 m2 stand of wheat plants grown from planting to maturity in a closed, controlled environment, and include daily nutrient uptake [macronutrients, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S); and micronutrients, iron (Fe), boron (B), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and molybdenum (Mo)], canopy carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange rates, and transpiration. Environmental factors such as relative humidity, air temperature, nutrient solution temperature, pH and electrical conductivity, and photoperiod were controlled in the chamber to specific set points. A detailed description of biomass yield for each of the 64 plant growth trays comprising the 20 m2 of growth area is also provided, and includes dry weights of grain, straw, chaff, and roots, along with the concentration of nutrients in different plant tissues and the percent carbohydrate, fat, and protein. To our knowledge, this information represents one of the most extensive data sets available for a canopy of wheat grown from seed to maturity under controlled environmental and nutritional conditions, and thus may provide useful information for model development and validation. A methods section is included to qualify any assumptions that might be required for the use of the data in plant growth models, along with a daily event calendar indicating when adjustments in set points and occasional equipment or sensor failures occurred.

NASA Discipline Number 61-20↗
DOE OSTI2022

Phosphate Availability Modulates Root Exudate Composition and Rhizosphere Microbial Community in a Teosinte and a Modern Maize Cultivar

Domestication and breeding have affected interactions between plants and their microbiomes in ways that are only beginning to be understood but may have important implications for recruitment of rhizosphere microorganisms, particularly under stress conditions. We investigated the responses of a modern maize (Zea mays subsp. mays) cultivar and its wild relative, teosinte (Z. mays subsp. parviglumis), to different phosphate availabilities. We appraised responses of the plant-microbial holobiont to phosphate stresses by profiling root exudate metabolomes, and microbial communities in the root endosphere and rhizosphere. We also performed plate assays to quantify phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms from the rhizosphere. Although root exudate metabolite profiles were distinct between the teosinte and modern maize under high phosphate, both plants shifted exudate compositions in response to phosphate stress toward a common metabolite profile. Root and rhizosphere microbial communities also responded significantly to both plant type and the phosphate availability. A subset of bacterial and fungal taxa were differentially abundant under the different phosphate conditions, with each of the three conditions favoring different taxa. Both teosinte and maize rhizospheres harbored phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms under all growth conditions. These results suggest that the root exudation response to phosphate stress was conserved through the domestication of maize from teosinte, shifting exudation levels of specific metabolites. Although microbial communities also shifted, plate-based assays did not detect selective recruitment of phosphate solubilizers in response to phosphate availability.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

The nuclear charge radius of 13 C

The size is a key property of a nucleus. Accurate nuclear radii are extracted from elastic electron scattering, laser spectroscopy, and muonic atom spectroscopy. The results are not always compatible, as the proton-radius puzzle has shown most dramatically. Beyond helium, precision data from muonic and electronic sources are scarce in the light-mass region. The stable isotopes of carbon are an exception. We present a laser spectroscopic measurement of the root-mean-square (rms) charge radius of 13 C and compare this with ab initio nuclear structure calculations. Measuring all hyperfine components of the 2 3 S → 2 3 P fine-structure triplet in 13 C 4+ ions referenced to a frequency comb allows us to determine its center-of-gravity with accuracy better than 2 MHz although second-order hyperfine-structure effects shift individual lines by several GHz. We improved the uncertainty of R c ( 13 C) determined with electrons by a factor of 6 and found a 3σ discrepancy with the muonic atom result of similar accuracy.

Müller, Patrick [Technical Univ. of Darmstadt (Ger↗
DOE OSTI2022

Soil resistance and recovery during neotropical forest succession

The recovery of soil conditions is crucial for successful ecosystem restoration and, hence, for achieving the goals of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Here, we assess how soils resist forest conversion and agricultural land use, and how soils recover during subsequent tropical forest succession on abandoned agricultural fields. Our overarching question is how soil resistance and recovery depend on local conditions such as climate, soil type and land-use history. For 300 plots in 21 sites across the Neotropics, we used a chronosequence approach in which we sampled soils from two depths in old-growth forests, agricultural fields (i.e. crop fields and pastures), and secondary forests that differ in age (1–95 years) since abandonment. We measured six soil properties using a standardized sampling design and laboratory analyses. Soil resistance strongly depended on local conditions. Croplands and sites on high-activity clay (i.e. high fertility) show strong increases in bulk density and decreases in pH, carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) during deforestation and subsequent agricultural use. Resistance is lower in such sites probably because of a sharp decline in fine root biomass in croplands in the upper soil layers, and a decline in litter input from formerly productive old-growth forest (on high-activity clays). Soil recovery also strongly depended on local conditions. During forest succession, high-activity clays and croplands decreased most strongly in bulk density and increased in C and N, possibly because of strongly compacted soils with low C and N after cropland abandonment, and because of rapid vegetation recovery in high-activity clays leading to greater fine root growth and litter input. Furthermore, sites at low precipitation decreased in pH, whereas sites at high precipitation increased in N and decreased in C : N ratio. Extractable phosphorus (P) did not recover during succession, suggesting increased P limitation as forests age. These results indicate that no single solution exists for effective soil restoration and that local site conditions should determine the restoration strategies.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2010

Mutualism in a Reduced Gravity Environment (MuRGE)

Mutualism in a Reduced Gravity Environment (MuRGE) is a ground research study to determine the feasibility of assessing fungi-plant (Piriformospora indica-Arabidopsis thaliana) interactions in microgravity. Seeds from the plant Arabiddospsis thaliana (At) will be grown in the presence of Piriformospora indica (Pi) an endophytic Sebacinacae family fungus. Pi is capable of colonizing the roots of a wide variety of plant species, including non-mycorrhizal hosts like At, and promoting plant growth similarly to AMF (arbusuclar mychorrizal fungi) unlike most AMF, Pi is not an obligate plant symbiont and can be grown in the absence of a host. In the presence of a suitable plant host, Pi can attach to and colonize root tips. Interaction visualization is accomplished with strong autofluorescence in the roots, followed by root colonization via fungal hyphae, and chlamydospore production. Increased root growth can be observed even before root colonization is detectable. In addition, Pi chlamydospores generated from axenic culture in microgravity will be used to inoculate roots of At grown in 1g to determine the effect of microgravity upon the inherent virulence or beneficial effects. Based on recent reports of increased virulence of S. typhimurium, P. aeruginosa, and S. Pneumoniae in reduced gravity, differences in microbial pathogenic responses and host plant systemic acquired resistance are expected. The focus of this project within MuRGE involved the development P. indica culture media evaluation and microscopy protocol development. High, clean spore harvest yields for the detection of fungi-plant interactions microscopically was the immediate goal of this experiment.

Haire, Timothy C.↗