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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 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Combining Clinical and Dosimetric Features in a PBS Proton Therapy Cohort to Develop a NTCP Model for Radiation-Induced Optic Neuropathy

Radiation-induced optic neuropathy (RION) is a rare, yet severe complication following radiation therapy for brain, head and neck, or skull-base tumors. Although several risk factors, such as age, metabolic syndrome, and delivered dose, have been identified, we aimed at expanding the understanding of the mechanisms of interplay regarding dosimetry and patient variables leading to the onset of RION with a focus on proton therapy.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Impact of environmental variables on the degradation of photovoltaic components and perspectives for the reliability assessment methodology

Backsheet cracking has been a major issue observed in the field; however, standardized qualification tests, such as IEC61215, are inadequate to reliably identify such failures of PV modules due to the lack of the critical weathering factors applied sequentially or in combination, such as those found in the service environments. To address this problem, in this work we investigated the effects of various environmental variables on the degradation and failure behaviors of the polyamide-based backsheet in PV modules retrieved from five different locations, encompassing a variety of climates, including humid subtropical, hot-summer Mediterranean, tropical savanna climate and hot arid. The correlations between the degradation indicators and the weathering variables were further demonstrated by principle components analysis (PCA). We found strong relationships between: carbonyl formation and reflected solar radiation; hydroxyl formation and module temperature; yellowness and NO2 concentration, while no simple correlation could be found between a specific weathering factor and cracking. By introducing additional stress factors to the aged polyamide-based backsheet films with the novel 'fragmentation test', we successfully reproduced the field cracking behaviour. This study has demonstrated that different degradation modes of PV components respond differently to the environmental stresses encountered in service. Thereby, any accelerated laboratory test based on a single set condition or lacking key environmental variables would be inadequate to assess the long-term performance of PV modules and components. A new reliability-based methodology is proposed to quantitatively link laboratory testing with field results for the service life prediction of PV materials.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Social-ecological interactions in a disaster context: Puerto Rican farmer households’ food security after Hurricane Maria

Islands are uniquely vulnerable to extreme weather events and food insecurity, and have additional response challenges due to their limited landmasses and economies, isolation, colonial legacies, and high dependence of food imports. Domestic farmers have a key role in producing food for island communities like Puerto Rico, which can safeguard food security when food importation may be challenging. Nevertheless, in the context of disaster, farmers themselves may be vulnerable to food insecurity and unable to contribute to domestic markets. This paper examines Puerto Rican farmers households’ food security in the aftermath of 2017’s Hurricane Maria using a social-ecological lens. Survey data from 405 farmers gathered eight months after Maria, coupled with biophysical data from the hurricane’s impacts (winds, rains, and landslides), were analyzed. Overall, 69% of farmers experienced at least one month of food insecurity in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, and 38% reported persistent food insecurity (three months or more). A multinomial logistic regression suggests that biophysical impacts, but especially social factors, such as age and constraint access to external sources of support, are linked with persistent food insecurity. This suggests that the biophysical impacts of the hurricane interact with existing infrastructure and social resources to affect farmer vulnerability and the food environment in different ways. Thus, strengthening adaptive capacity in multiple domains can help farmers and vulnerable populations better navigate the disruptions faced during disasters to alleviate food insecurity.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Identification of driver genes for critical forms of COVID-19 in a deeply phenotyped young patient cohort

The drivers of critical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remain unknown. Given major confounding factors such as age and comorbidities, true mediators of this condition have remained elusive. We used a multi-omics analysis combined with artificial intelligence in a young patient cohort where major comorbidities were excluded at the onset. The cohort included 47 “critical” (in the intensive care unit under mechanical ventilation) and 25 “non-critical” (in a non-critical care ward) patients with COVID-19 and 22 healthy individuals. The analyses included whole-genome sequencing, whole-blood RNA sequencing, plasma and blood mononuclear cell proteomics, cytokine profiling, and high-throughput immunophenotyping. An ensemble of machine learning, deep learning, quantum annealing, and structural causal modeling were used. Patients with critical COVID-19 were characterized by exacerbated inflammation, perturbed lymphoid and myeloid compartments, increased coagulation, and viral cell biology. Among differentially expressed genes, we observed up-regulation of the metalloprotease ADAM9. This gene signature was validated in a second independent cohort of 81 critical and 73 recovered patients with COVID-19 and was further confirmed at the transcriptional and protein level and by proteolytic activity. Ex vivo ADAM9 inhibition decreased severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) uptake and replication in human lung epithelial cells. In conclusion, within a young, otherwise healthy, cohort of individuals with COVID-19, we provide the landscape of biological perturbations in vivo where a unique gene signature differentiated critical from non-critical patients. We further identified ADAM9 as a driver of disease severity and a candidate therapeutic target.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

The Importance of a Moving Boundary Approach for Modeling the SEI Layer Growth to Predict Capacity Fade

One of the contributing factors to the aging of lithium-ion batteries is the growth of the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer. The growth of the SEI layer leads to the irreversible loss of lithium available for cycling and increases the resistance of the battery. Physics-based models in literature model the kinetically limited or solvent diffusion-limited growth. In such models, the interface resistance is a constant, and the contribution to the overpotential of the intercalation reaction from the SEI layer is considered to be ohmic. In this study, we propose a model that describes the growth of the SEI layer on the electrode surface as a moving interface. The transport of lithium ions and the solvent in the electrolyte are affected by this moving interface. The equations that govern the species transport and the potential drop across the SEI layer are derived from dilute solution theory and solved by transforming the coordinates of the moving boundary. The ion transport induces changes in the conductivity across the SEI layer, which affects the potential drop that arises due to its growth. The effects of this potential on capacity fade are studied over cycling the battery.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Travel Patterns and Characteristics of Population in Rural Areas of New York State

Travel activities in rural communities tend to be reliant on personal vehicles due to limited public transportation options and long distances to essential services, with demographic factors such as age and income level influencing travel patterns. Addressing transportation challenges in rural New York State (NYS) necessitates an understanding of demographic trends and travel behaviors. This study examines rural households and populations by studying their demographics, mobility patterns, perspectives on transportation services, and how COVID-19 has influenced their transportation-related behaviors.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Impact of Controlled Storage Conditions on the Hydrolysis and Surface Morphology of Amorphous-UO 3

The hydration and morphological effects of amorphous (A)-UO 3 following storage under varying temperature and relative humidity have been investigated. This study provides valuable insight into U-oxide speciation following aging, the U-oxide quantitative morphological data set, and, overall, the characterization of nuclear material provenance. A-UO 3 was synthesized via the washed uranyl peroxide synthetic route and aged based on a 3-factor circumscribed central composite design of experiment. Target aging times include 2.57, 7.00, 14.0, 21.0, and 25.4 days, temperatures of 5.51, 15.0, 30.0, 45.0, and 54.5 °C, and relative humidities of 14.2, 30.0, 55.0, 80.0, and 95.8% were examined. Following aging, crystallographic changes were quantified via powder X-ray diffraction and an internal standard Rietveld refinement method was used to confirm the hydration of A-UO 3 to crystalline schoepite phases. The particle morphology from scanning electron microscopy images was quantified using both the Morphological Analysis of MAterials software and machine learning. Results from the machine learning were processed via agglomerative hierarchical clustering analysis to distinguish trends in morphological attributes from the aging study. Significantly hydrated samples were found to have a much larger, plate-like morphology in comparison to the unaged controls. Predictive modeling via a response surface methodology determined that while aging time, temperature, and relative humidity all have a quantifiable effect on A-UO 3 crystallographic and morphological changes, relative humidity has the most significant impact.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Aging-associated stem/progenitor cell dysfunction in the salivary glands of mice

Highlights: • The function of CD133-positive cells changes with age and is expected to be one of the causative factors associated with salivary gland aging. Although stem cell aging leads to a decline in tissue homeostasis and regenerative capacity, it remains unclear whether salivary gland stem cell function changes during this process. However, the salivary glands are gradually replaced by connective tissue during aging. Here, we show a decline in the stem cell ability of CD133-positive stem/progenitor cells in the salivary glands of aged mice. The CD133-positive cells were isolated from young, adult, and aged mice. The number of CD133-positive cells was significantly decreased in aged mice. They also showed a lower sphere formation capacity compared to young and adult mice. RNA sequencing revealed that CD133-positive cells in aged mice exhibited lower gene expression of several aging-related genes, including FoxO3a, than those in young and adult mice. Salivary gland cells infected with a recombinant lentivirus encoding the FoxO3a gene showed a reduction in oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide compared with those infected with a control virus. Thus, FoxO3a may inhibit stem cell aging via oxidative stress.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Daily operational impacts on battery degradation in heavy-duty electric drayage trucks

Battery aging is a critical factor influencing the performance, longevity, and cost of ownership of battery electric trucks (BETs). This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of battery aging for two Li-ion battery chemistries, Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC) and Lithium-Iron-Phosphate (LFP), accounting for both cycling and calendar aging. In contrast to traditional methods that rely on simplified linear degradation models based on manufacturer-provided data, this study employs semi-empirical aging models calibrated to experimentally collected data. The models are integrated into a detailed vehicle simulation environment, enabling a comprehensive assessment of battery degradation under realistic operating conditions. A case study focusing on heavy-duty electric drayage truck operations in the Port of Savannah, GA, is presented to illustrate the impact on battery pack lifespan of: seasonal variations, daily operational activities, charging strategies, and battery storage conditions. The results illuminate the significance of the battery pack’s state of charge during stationary periods, such as overnight storage or weekend parking, on battery degradation and its potential implications for long-term vehicle viability. Additionally, the study explores how different operational and environmental factors affect battery degradation, offering critical insights into best battery charging and storage practices. Our results demonstrate that LFP outperforms NMC in terms of years of useful life; however, by utilizing charging strategies that minimize the amount of time the battery spends resting at high levels of state-of-charge, the lifespan of the battery pack that uses NMC can nonetheless be increased by more than a factor of two.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Long-term thermal aging behavior and strength reduction in a laser powder bed fusion 316H stainless steel

The long-term thermal stability of structural alloys is essential for ensuring the safe and reliable operation of nuclear reactors and other power plants. While extensive research has explored the effects of thermal aging on conventional stainless steels, the behavior of additively manufactured (AM) alloys remains less understood. This study examines the thermal aging response of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) 316H stainless steel (SS) at temperatures ranging from 550 °C to 750 °C over durations of up to 10,000 h (approximately 1.14 years). Advanced characterization techniques, including electron microscopy and synchrotron X-ray diffraction, were used to investigate dislocation recovery and phase evolution. Based on these findings, a time-temperature-precipitation (TTP) diagram was developed for LPBF 316H SS, revealing a 10- to100-fold acceleration in precipitation kinetics compared to wrought 316H SS. A physics-informed model was calibrated using the short-term experimental data, enabling predictions of average precipitate sizes, volume fractions of M 23 C 6 and Laves phases, and changes in molybdenum solute concentration for aging up to 1 × 10⁶ h (114 years). These microstructural insights were further utilized to estimate yield strength and extrapolate strength reduction factors over the extended aging period. Despite the accelerated aging kinetics, LPBF 316H SS demonstrated superior yield strength retention compared to its wrought counterpart. In conclusion, this study establishes a framework for evaluating long-term performance using short-term experimental data and supports the accelerated qualification of AM materials for high-temperature structural applications.

Laser powder bed fusion↗
DOE OSTI2023

Nonequilibrium Behavior in Isoprene Secondary Organic Aerosol

Recent studies have shown that instantaneous gas-particle equilibrium partitioning assumptions fail to predict SOA formation, even at high relative humidity (~85%), and photochemical aging seems to be one driving factor. In this study, we probe the minimum aging time scale required to observe nonequilibrium partitioning of semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) between the gas and aerosol phase at ~50% RH. Seed isoprene SOA is generated by photo-oxidation in the presence of effloresced ammonium sulfate seeds at <1 ppbv NO x , aged photochemically or in the dark for 0.3–6 h, and subsequently exposed to fresh isoprene SVOCs. Our results show that the equilibrium partitioning assumption is accurate for fresh isoprene SOA but breaks down after isoprene SOA has been aged for as short as 20 min even in the dark. Modeling results show that a semisolid SOA phase state is necessary to reproduce the observed particle size distribution evolution. The observed nonequilibrium partitioning behavior and inferred semisolid phase state are corroborated by offline mass spectrometric analysis on the bulk aerosol particles showing the formation of organosulfates and oligomers. Here, the unexpected short time scale for the phase transition within isoprene SOA has important implications for the growth of atmospheric ultrafine particles to climate-relevant sizes.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Residual Stress Modeling and Advanced Diffraction Measurements of 347H Steel Weldments

The 347H stainless steel is a primary high-temperature material for many energy and power generation industries. Stress relief cracking (SRC) has been a particular concern in welding of this material. The residual stress induced by welding and its evolution during post-welding heat treatment (PWHT) and subsequent operating and service conditions is one of the primary factors contributing to SRC. The lifetime of welded structure components is also controlled by the precipitation kinetics that accompanies PWHT, stress relaxation process, and long-term aging and complex synergistic factors. Various theories have been proposed in the past to explain SRC. However, a widely accepted approach to predicting the entire damage evolution and the resulting performance reduction is still lacking. This study is to demonstrate a reliable solution for two critical issues that affect the predictions. First, the residual stress distribution obtained from both simulation and neutron diffraction is compared, which increases the accuracy of mechanical analysis simulation model and therefore builds a solid basis for the lifetime prediction model. Second, the generation, evolution, and annihilation of precipitates are monitored by the synchrotron diffraction experiment. Preliminary results demonstrate the critical importance of precipitation kinetics on the residual stress distribution/redistribution during heat treatments.

Yang, Yi↗
DOE OSTI2021

Prevalence of human papillomavirus genotypes in high-grade cervical precancer and invasive cervical cancer from cancer registries before and after vaccine introduction in the United States

Background. US population-based cancer registries can be used for surveillance of human papillomavirus (HPV) types found in HPV-associated cancers. Using this framework, HPV prevalence among high-grade cervical precancers and invasive cervical cancers were compared before and after HPV vaccine availability. Methods. Archived tissue from 2 studies of cervical precancers and invasive cervical cancers diagnosed from 1993-2005 (prevaccine) were identified from 7 central cancer registries in Florida; Hawaii; Iowa; Kentucky; Louisiana; Los Angeles County, California; and Michigan; from 2014 through 2015 (postvaccine) cases were identified from 3 registries in Iowa, Kentucky, and Louisiana. HPV testing was performed using L1 consensus polymerase chain reaction analysis. HPV-type–specific prevalence was examined grouped by hierarchical attribution to vaccine types: HPV 16, 18, HPV 31, 33, 45, 52, 58, other oncogenic HPV types, and other types/HPV negative. Generalized logit models were used to compare HPV prevalence in the prevaccine study to the postvaccine study by patient age, adjusting for sampling factors. Results. A total of 676 precancers (328 prevaccine and 348 postvaccine) and 1140 invasive cervical cancers (777 prevaccine and 363 postvaccine) were typed. No differences were observed in HPV-type prevalence by patient age between the 2 studies among precancers or invasive cancers. Conclusions. The lack of reduction in vaccine-type prevalence between the 2 studies is likely explained by the low number of cases and low HPV vaccination coverage among women in the postvaccine study. Monitoring HPV-type prevalence through population-based strategies will continue to be important in evaluating the impact of the HPV vaccine.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

YAP1 Dysfunction Promotes Molecular Properties Linked to Breast Cancer Susceptibility

YAP1 is a cotranscription factor that promotes malignant and stem cell properties in cancer. We previously found that YAP1 dysregulation is associated with aging in human mammary epithelia. With increased age, YAP1 expression changes in luminal epithelial cells, the prospective breast cancer cell of origin. Because age is a significant risk factor for breast cancer, we tested whether YAP1 dysregulation acted early in cancer progression by conferring cellular states associated with increased cancer susceptibility. In this study, we find that with increased age and genetic risk for developing cancer, human breast tissues showed significantly increased YAP1 expression, and cultured primary human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC) showed significantly increased expression of both YAP1 and its transcriptional targets. Increased YAP1 expression in cultured HMEC induced gene expression changes associated with increased cancer susceptibility, such as genes associated with stem cell states, increased telomerase activity, breast cancer progression, and increased age and genetic breast cancer risk. Furthermore, overexpression of YAP1 in post-stasis HMEC—finite lifespan cells that have bypassed a retinoblastoma-mediated senescence barrier—promoted properties related to increased growth potential. We found that YAP1 dysregulation in finite epithelial cells allows for access to gene programs and functions that are typically thought to be restricted to stem cells. We hypothesize that YAP1 acts early in breast cancer progression, long before the development of a tumor, to impose cancer-susceptible molecular states.

YAP1↗
DOE OSTI2021

Factors affecting the reactivity of slag at early and late ages

This study investigates the difference between the reactivity of slag in NaOH solution (w/s = 100) and in cement paste (w/b = 0.4). The reactivity of slag is much higher in NaOH solution than in cement paste. When the NaOH solution is saturated with portlandite, the rate of reaction of slag decreases to approach that in cement paste. This suggests that the slower reaction of slag in cement paste might be due to the presence of calcium ions released by the clinker phases. At 28 days, relative humidity measurements indicate that water is only present in pores less than 6 nm. Above 6 nm, hydration cannot take place due to the lack of water. From a thermodynamic point of view, the small size of water filled pores may slow down the slag reaction due to the high concentration of species in solution required for hydrate growth to balance the increase of the surface energy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Inhibition of USP7 activity selectively eliminates senescent cells in part via restoration of p53 activity

The accumulation of senescent cells (SnCs) is a causal factor of various age-related diseases as well as some of the side effects of chemotherapy. Pharmacological elimination of SnCs (senolysis) has the potential to be developed into novel therapeutic strategies to treat these diseases and pathological conditions. Here we show that ubiquitin-specific peptidase 7 (USP7) is a novel target for senolysis because inhibition of USP7 with an inhibitor or genetic depletion of USP7 by RNA interference induces apoptosis selectively in SnCs. The senolytic activity of USP7 inhibitors is likely attributable in part to the promotion of the human homolog of mouse double minute 2 (MDM2) ubiquitination and degradation by the ubiquitin–proteasome system. This degradation increases the levels of p53, which in turn induces the pro-apoptotic proteins PUMA, NOXA, and FAS and inhibits the interaction of BCL-XL and BAK to selectively induce apoptosis in SnCs. Further, we show that treatment with a USP7 inhibitor can effectively eliminate SnCs and suppress the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) induced by doxorubicin in mice. These findings suggest that small molecule USP7 inhibitors are novel senolytics that can be exploited to reduce chemotherapy-induced toxicities and treat age-related diseases.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗