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NASA NTRS1977

Lunar transient phenomena /LTP/ - Manifestations, site distribution, correlations and possible causes

More than 1400 observations of lunar transient phenomena (LTP), encompassing brightenings, darkenings, and gaseous, reddish, and bluish events, are analyzed in an attempt to determine the possible causes of LTP. Hypotheses considered include effects of earth tides on the moon, low-angle illumination, thermal luminescence, UV heating, solar-particle acceleration by the magnetopause of earth's magnetotail, terrestrial magnetotail bow-shock-front turbulence, cathode luminescence due to magnetotail effects, and solar-flare particle bombardment. Analysis are performed in terms of histograms of the number of observations vs. phase of anomalistic period and of number vs. moon's age, percentage of numbers of observed phenomena and percentage of expected numbers as well as their ratios, and albedo behavior over a lunation period of chosen permanent points in ten specific features. The results indicate that different phenomena may have different causes, strong tidal effects are dubious, correlations with sunrise are most frequent, and the distribution of all LTP sites is distinct from that of deep- and shallow-focus moonquake epicenters.

Cameron, W. S.↗

DOE OSTI2021

Early Battery Performance Prediction for Mixed Use Charging Profiles Using Hierarchal Machine Learning

A key step limiting how fast batteries can be deployed is the time necessary to provide evaluation and validation of performance. Using data analysis approaches, such as machine learning, the validation process can be accelerated. However, questions on the validity of projecting models trained on limited data or simple cycling profiles, such as constant current cycling, to real-world scenarios with complex loads remains. Here, we present the ability to predict performance with less than 1.2% mean absolute percent error when trained on cells aged using complex electric vehicle discharge profiles, and either AC Level 2 charge or DC Fast charge profiles, using only the first 45 cycles, namely 5% of the total testing time. While error is low across the projections, this study also highlights that battery lifetime analysis using only cycling data may not extrapolate safely to certain real-world conditions due to the impact of calendar degradation.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2021

The Highest Energy HAWC Sources are Likely Leptonic and Powered by Pulsars

The HAWC Collaboration has observed gamma rays at energies above 56 TeV from a collection of nine sources. It has been suggested that this emission could be hadronic in nature, requiring that these systems accelerate cosmic-ray protons or nuclei up to PeV-scale energies. In this paper, we instead show that the spectra of these objects favor a leptonic (inverse Compton) origin for their emission. More specifically, the gamma-ray emission from these objects can be straightforwardly accommodated within a model in which $\sim \mathcal{O}(10\%)$ of the host pulsar's spindown power is transferred into the acceleration of electrons and positrons with a power-law spectrum that extends to several hundred TeV or higher. The spectral break that is observed among these sources is naturally explained within the context of this simple model, and occurs at the energy where the timescale for energy losses matches the age of the pulsar. In contrast, this spectral feature cannot be straightforwardly accommodated in hadronic scenarios. Furthermore, hadronic models predict that these sources should produce more emission at GeV-scale energies than is observed. In light of these considerations, we conclude that HAWC's highest energy sources should be interpreted as TeV halos or pulsar wind nebulae, which produce their emission through inverse Compton scattering, and are powered by the rotational kinetic energy of their host pulsar.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2025

SCILLA Secondary Aerosol Volume Concentration Airborne Data

This data set contains secondary aerosol volume concentration in cubic micrometers per cubic centimeter (um^3/cm^3). The aerosol was generated in an oxidation flow reactor (OFR) and its volume concentration measured with a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS). Both components were designed and built at the University of California Riverside. Ambient particles were removed with a Teflon filter upstream of the OFR and then pure ammonium sulfate particles were added to create a stable aerosol surface area on which low-volatility oxidation products condense. High concentrations of hydroxyl radical (OH) formed inside the OFR accelerate the oxidative chemistry that would typically occur over a period of several days in the atmosphere, resulting in the production of secondary aerosol from precursor gases present in the ambient air. Concentrations of added ozone and water vapor were controlled to produce the desired and approximately constant level of photochemical aging. The reactor temperature was controlled, while the pressure was not, and was always slightly lower than that of the sampled outside air. Sampled air was pulled from above the Naval Postgraduate School’s (NPS) Twin Otter aircraft through a rear-facing, ¼” OD PFA Teflon tube. The sample stream was split between the OFR and several gas analyzers (NOx, CO, O3, and H2O). Though not contained in these files, data from an aerosol mass spectrometer intermittently operated downstream of the OFR are also available.

{"secondary aerosol concentration",aerosol_concent↗

NASA NTRS1966

Histopathology of the Chimpanzee Ear

Four female and two male chimpanzees were secured in various positions on a Daisy Decelerator and subjected to forces ranging from 54 to 180 G. It was found that forces in excess of 54 G may rupture the tympanic membranes and cause subepithelial hemorrhages in the middle ear. The majority of cases showed proteinaceous material, with or without cells in the petrous air spaces. When exposed to forces above 119 G, there was engorgement and often rupture of the pericarotid venous plexus. When supine, distortion of both superior and posterior semicircular canals was found. With forces in excess of 54 G, the cupulae of the cristae ampullaris were either elevated or destroyed. The hair processes were also often broken off. The otolithic membranes, especially of the maculae utriculi were also elevated or otherwise distorted and the saccule was often partially collapsed. In several instances, there was an overabundance of a proteinaceous substance in the lumina of the vestibular apparatus and in the cochlear ducts with their associated scalae. In half the cases, the cochlear duct was narrowed by the depression of the vestibular membrane. Although there seems to be considerable individual variation in ability to withstand these forces, neither age, sex nor weight appear to directly influence the results. The possible sources for the materials found both in the air cells and labyrinth are discussed.

ACCELERATION TOLERANCE↗

NASA NTRS2018

Valentina Tereshkova and Sally Ride - Women Space Pioneers

Soon after the dawn of the Space Age, when the Soviet Union and the United States began plans for launching people into space, the question arose of just exactly who those people should be. It was assumed that the stresses of space flight would require individuals already accustomed to that kind of work - familiar with advanced technology, high accelerations, quick reaction time, cool headed under pressure. Both countries decided that the best qualified people for space flight would be military pilots. In the late 1950's and early 1960's, military pilots were exclusively male, so the first groups selected for space flight, 20 in the Soviet Union and seven in the United States, were comprised of the cream of the crop among their military pilots. But could women also survive the stresses of space flight?

John Uri↗

DOE OSTI2025

The detrimental ratio ( ρ ): A critical metric complementing coulombic loss for long calendar-life silicon-based lithium-ion batteries

Silicon (Si) is a promising high-capacity anode in lithium-ion batteries but suffers from chronic chemical degradation and capacity fading during calendar aging, greatly hindering its automobile applications. Electrolyte engineering currently relies on conventional evaluation criteria of reducing coulombic consumption, which implicitly presume its equivalence to irreversible capacity loss and complicates battery development. Here, we introduce the detrimental ratio p to quantify the fraction of parasitic species that permanently degrades active material. This metric is independent and crucially complements total coulombic consumption for accurate performance evaluation. We systematically investigate multiple electrolyte formulations using high-precision leakage current measurements, open-circuit-voltage experiments, and post-mortem characterizations. Although some electrolytes exhibit similarly low coulombic consumption, they diverge significantly incapacity retention and p. Especially, dimethyl-carbonate-based localized-high concentration electrolyte can synergically achieve low coulombic consumption and detrimental ratio p during calendar aging, owing to its chemically inert and structurally resilient solidelectrolyte interface with minimal isolated Si material. By contrast, increasing fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) additive content suppresses electrolyte breakdown but suffers aggravated chemical degradation of more LixSi isolation for irreversible capacity loss with arising p. This study critically reveals that the chemistry-characteristic detrimental ratio p establishes physically informed performance evaluation to pave the way for accelerating battery development.

Calendar aging↗

DOE OSTI2022

Detecting Thermally-Induced Spinodal Decomposition with Picosecond Ultrasonics in Cast Austenitic Stainless Steels

Destructive techniques to monitor nuclear reactor component health may not always be available during service, as they are time-consuming and often require pre-installed inspection coupons. Non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques can bridge this gap by rapidly identifying the state of mission-critical reactor components, via inference between NDE-measurable material properties and those of ultimate interest, such as ductility and toughness. Here, we demonstrate one such inference about the health of thermally aged cast austenitic stainless steels. Observations of surface acoustic wave peak (SAW) splitting correlate with spinodal decomposition-induced embrittlement as destructively measured by Charpy impact energy. Elastodynamic calculations and molecular dynamics simulations of the effects of spinodal decomposition on elastic moduli support that the new acoustic modes present are due to stiffening in the δ-ferrite domains. Finally, this discovery enables one to probe structure-property relationships in materials in a greatly accelerated manner, suggesting that similar inference methods can be used to determine material fitness-for-service, or to quickly uncover new structure-property relationships.

304-type stainless steel↗

DOE OSTI2023

Increasing atmospheric dryness reduces boreal forest tree growth

Rising atmospheric vapour pressure deficit (VPD) associated with climate change affects boreal forest growth via stomatal closure and soil dryness. However, the relationship between VPD and forest growth depends on the climatic context. Here we assess Canadian boreal forest responses to VPD changes from 1951-2018 using a well-replicated tree-growth increment network with approximately 5,000 species-site combinations. Of the 3,559 successful growth models, we observed a relationship between growth and concurrent summer VPD in one-third of the species-site combinations, and between growth and prior summer VPD in almost half of those combinations. The relationship between previous year VPD and current year growth was almost exclusively negative, while current year VPD also tended to reduce growth. Tree species, age, annual temperature, and soil moisture primarily determined tree VPD responses. Younger trees and species like white spruce and Douglas fir exhibited higher VPD sensitivity, as did areas with high annual temperature and low soil moisture. Since 1951, summer VPD increases in Canada have paralleled tree growth decreases, particularly in spruce species. Accelerating atmospheric dryness in the decades ahead will impair carbon storage and societal-economic services.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2025

Water Temperature, Prey Concentration and Salmonid Density Influence Daily Growth of Wild Juvenile Salmonids in Tributaries of the Upper Salmon River, Idaho ( USA )

ABSTRACT Theory, experiments and field studies indicate that the somatic growth rate of freshwater consumers is shaped by the individual, additive and multiplicative effects of multiple factors, including consumer size and condition, temperature, prey resources and biotic interactions. While our understanding of how these factors affect wild populations of freshwater consumers is improving, the topic remains poorly studied, especially with respect to mobile species. Here, we report on an 8‐year, seven‐stream ( n = 49 stream‐year combinations) observational study examining the individual and interactive effects of invertebrate prey concentration (F, mg/m 3 ), mean daily water temperature (T, °C) and juvenile Chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ) density (D, fish/100 m 2 ) on summer daily growth rates (%/d) of mobile, anadromous, juvenile Chinook salmon (age‐0+, n = 382) and sub‐yearling (age‐0+, n = 61) and yearling (age‐1+) steelhead trout ( O. mykiss , n = 70) rearing in cold (mean daily summer: 12.1°C, range: 4.2°C–16.7°C) mountain tributaries of the Salmon River basin in central Idaho (USA). AIC c model selection indicated that daily juvenile salmonid growth positively correlated with water temperature, prey biomass concentration, local juvenile Chinook density and the interaction between water temperature and food but with species and age‐specific differences. Water temperature was a covariate in all top‐ranked models, with daily growth (%/day) rate increasing (0.05%–0.23%/d) linearly with mean daily summer water temperature. In addition to a direct positive relationship with daily growth rate, there was evidence that prey concentration positively interacted with water temperature to accelerate daily growth (F × T). The positive relationship between juvenile salmonid daily growth rate and juvenile Chinook density is difficult to explain and could result from confounding factors. The individual success observed in these streams may contribute to population‐level benefits for the focal consumers, as prey‐rich, warm summers may result in larger individuals with higher energy reserves at the end of the summer/autumn growing season, contributing to improved overwinter survival. Our results, taken in combination with evidence from models, experiments and observational studies, have climate change implications. Current and predicted increases in water temperature will necessitate higher rates of prey consumption by aquatic ectothermic consumers to offset accelerated metabolic demands. Thus, to improve the resilience of mobile freshwater consumers in a warming climate, we suggest that natural resource managers not only consider physical and chemical habitat conditions but also biotic conditions, including the spatiotemporal quantity and quality of prey resources.

Kiffney, Peter. M. [Fish Ecology, Northwest Fisher↗

DOE OSTI2020

Design and feasibility of a novel program of cervical screening in Nigeria: self-sampled HPV testing paired with visual triage

Background: Accelerated global control of cervical cancer would require primary prevention with human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in addition to novel screening program strategies that are simple, inexpensive, and effective. We present the feasibility and outcome of a community-based HPV self-sampled screening program. Methods: In Ile Ife, Nigeria, 9406 women aged 30–49 years collected vaginal self-samples, which were tested for HPV in the local study laboratory using Hybrid Capture-2 (HC2) (Qiagen). HPV-positive women were referred to the colposcopy clinic. Gynecologist colposcopic impression dictated immediate management; biopsies were taken when definite acetowhitening was present to produce a histopathologic reference standard of precancer (and to determine final clinical management). Retrospective linkage to the medical records identified 442 of 9406 women living with HIV (WLWH). Results: With self-sampling, it was possible to screen more than 100 women per day per clinic. Following an audio-visual presentation and in-person instructions, overall acceptability of self-sampling was very high (81.2% women preferring self-sampling over clinician collection). HPV positivity was found in 17.3% of women. Intensive follow-up contributed to 85.9% attendance at the colposcopy clinic. Of those referred, 8.2% were initially treated with thermal ablation and 5.6% with large loop excision of transformation zone (LLETZ). Full visibility of the squamocolumnar junction, necessary for optimal visual triage and ablation, declined from 68.5% at age 30 to 35.4% at age 49. CIN2+ and CIN3+ (CIN- Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia), including five cancers, were identified by histology in 5.9 and 3.2% of the HPV-positive women, respectively (0.9 and 0.5% of the total screening population), leading to additional treatment as indicated. The prevalences of HPV infection and CIN2+ were substantially higher (40.5 and 2.5%, respectively) among WLWH. Colposcopic impression led to over- and under-treatment compared to the histopathology reference standard. Conclusion: A cervical cancer screening program using self-sampled HPV testing, with colposcopic immediate management of women positive for HPV, proved feasible in Nigeria. Based on the collected specimens and images, we are now evaluating the use of a combination of partial HPV typing and automated visual evaluation (AVE) of cervical images to improve the accuracy of the screening program.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS1985

Visceral predictors of cardiovascular deconditioning in late middle-aged men

A number of visceral and behavioral factors connected with cardiovascular deconditioning were investigated, in order to identify a method for predicting the degree of orthostatic intolerance to spaceflight in several late-middle-aged men (55-65 years). Preliminary measurements were made of: mean arterial blood pressure plasma cortisol levels; and norepinephrine levels. Measurements of core temperature; plasma epinephrine level and subjective arousal from sleep were also obtained. Pairwise correlations were found for each of the variables and the time-to-blackout due centrifugal acceleration of up to +3 Gz. It is shown that the men with relatively low resting blood pressure were at greater risk of developing the clinical signs of cardiovascular deconditioning than were the men with higher basal blood pressure. Some applications of the experimental results to the development of selection criteria for Shuttle crews are discussed.

Goldwater, D. J.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Lunar rock surfaces as detectors of solar processes

Lunar rock surfaces exposed at or just below the lunar surface are considered as detectors of the solar wind, solar flares and solar-derived magnetic fields through their interactions with galactic cosmic rays. The degradation of the solar detector capabilities of lunar surface rocks by meteoroid impact erosion, accreta deposition, loose dust, and sputtering, amorphous layer formation and accelerated diffusion due to solar particles and illumination is discussed, and it is noted that the complex interactions of factors affecting the outer micron of exposed surface material has so far prevented the development of a satisfactory model for a particle detector on the submicron scale. Methods for the determination of surface exposure ages based on the accumulation of light solar wind noble gases, Fe and Mg, impact craters, solar flare tracks, and cosmogenic Kr isotopes are examined, and the systematic variations in the ages determined by the various clocks are discussed. It is concluded that a means of obtaining satisfactory quantitative rate or flux data has not yet been established.

Hartung, J. B.↗

NASA NTRS2021

The Brewer–Dobson Circulation in CMIP6

The Brewer–Dobson circulation (BDC) is a key feature of the stratosphere that models need to accurately represent in order to simulate surface climate variability and change adequately. For the first time, the Climate Model Intercomparison Project includes in its phase 6 (CMIP6) a set of diagnostics that allow for careful evaluation of the BDC. Here, the BDC is evaluated against observations and reanalyses using historical simulations. CMIP6 results confirm the well-known inconsistency in the sign of BDC trends between observations and models in the middle and upper stratosphere. Nevertheless, the large uncertainty in the observational trend estimates opens the door to compatibility. In particular, when accounting for the limited sampling of the observations, model and observational trend error bars overlap in 40 % of the simulations with available output. The increasing CO2 simulations feature an acceleration of the BDC but reveal a large spread in the middle-to-upper stratospheric trends, possibly related to the parameterized gravity wave forcing. The very close connection between the shallow branch of the residual circulation and surface temperature is highlighted, which is absent in the deep branch. The trends in mean age of air are shown to be more robust throughout the stratosphere than those in the residual circulation.

Brewer–Dobson circulation↗

NASA NTRS1978

Are supernovae radio sources - A search for radio emission from young supernova remnants

A search has been conducted for radio emission at 11 and 3.7 cm from 46 recent supernovae having accurately determined positions and ages of a few months to 79 years. None of these supernovae was detected at a flux density greater than 5-10 mJy. These negative results cannot be explained by internal absorption and are thus due to intrinsically weak synchrotron emission in young supernova remnants. There are two possibilities: either (1) relativistic particles are accelerated not by the supernova outburst but by processes occurring much later (at least about 75 years) in the remnant or (2) the magnetic field in the young remnants evolves very slowly, in proportion to the inverse square root of time, so that its value in the remnants observed was no more than about 0.002 gauss. The constraints the observations place on these possibilities and on the energy in cosmic rays in young remnants are discussed. Gamma-ray observations at times of no more than about 1 year following an outburst will allow one to discriminate between the two alternative explanations of the radio results.

Brown, R. L.↗

DOE OSTI2023

Normative Ranges for, and Interrater Reliability of, Rotational Vestibular and Balance Tests in U.S. Military Service Members and Veterans

Purpose: The objectives of this study were to (a) describe normative ranges—expressed as reference intervals (RIs)—for vestibular and balance function tests in a cohort of Service Members and Veterans (SMVs) and (b) to describe the interrater reliability of these tests. Method: As part of the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC)/Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence 15-year Longitudinal Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Study, participants completed the following: vestibulo-ocular reflex suppression, visual-vestibular enhancement, subjective visual vertical, subjective visual horizontal, sinusoidal harmonic acceleration, the computerized rotational head impulse test (crHIT), and the sensory organization test. RIs were calculated using nonparametric methods and interrater reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients between three audiologists who independently reviewed and cleaned the data. Results: Reference populations for each outcome measure comprised 40 to 72 individuals, 19 to 61 years of age, who served either as noninjured controls (NIC) or injured controls (IC) in the 15-year study; none had a history of TBI or blast exposure. A subset of 15 SMVs from the NIC, IC, and TBI groups were included in the interrater reliability calculations. RIs are reported for 27 outcome measures from the seven rotational vestibular and balance tests. Interrater reliability was considered excellent for all tests except the crHIT, which was found to have good interrater reliability. Conclusion: This study provides clinicians and scientists with important information regarding normative ranges and interrater reliability for rotational vestibular and balance tests in SMVs.

Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology↗

DOE OSTI2025

Advanced Diagnosis and Accelerated Testing of Balance of System Components for Utility Scale PV Installations: October 1, 2022-September 30, 2024

A study of the durability of PV Balance of System components was performed. Specifically, wire cable jackets and cable connectors were examined within the direct current (DC) PV Power Transmission Chain (PTC). Degraded and failed samples have been obtained from utility PV installations to provide feedback on the degradation modes and the related damage-enabling considerations in today's PV systems. An industry interface group (including system owners, system inspectors, component manufacturers, and test labs) was used to help identify and obtain field-failed samples, for feedback (including samples and experimental design), and to facilitate the subsequent dissemination of the results of this study. Samples were empirically studied using accelerated stress testing with steady-state conditions (cable jackets) in addition to combined-accelerated stress testing (cable jackets, connectors and uncapped connectors). Steady-state accelerated testing has been performed using at least one applied stressor (e.g. UV light) to aid understanding of jacket durability relative to its application. Component- and material-focused failure analysis was conducted to develop an understanding and advise the PV industry. In-depth characterization will be applied selectively to field- and artificially aged-samples, to gain scientific understanding of the structural, chemical, electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties enabling degradation.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2022

The Eel Pulsar Wind Nebula: A PeVatron-candidate Origin for HAWC J1826-128 and HESS J182-130

HAWC J1826–128 is one of the brightest Galactic TeV γ-ray sources detected by the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory, with photon energies extending up to nearly ~100 TeV. This HAWC source spatially coincides with the H.E.S.S. TeV source HESS J1826–130 and the "Eel" pulsar wind nebula (PWN), which is associated with the GeV pulsar PSR J1826–1256. In the X-ray band, Chandra and XMM-Newton revealed that the Eel PWN is composed of both a compact nebula (~15'') and diffuse X-ray emission (~6' × 2') extending away from the pulsar. Our NuSTAR observation detected hard X-ray emission from the compact PWN up to ~20 keV and evidence of the synchrotron burn-off effect. In addition to the spatial coincidence between HESS J1826–130 and the diffuse X-ray PWN, our multiwavelength spectral energy distribution (SED) analysis using X-ray and γ-ray data establishes a leptonic origin of the TeV emission associated with the Eel PWN. Furthermore, our evolutionary PWN SED model suggests (1) a low PWN B-field of ~1 μG, (2) a significantly younger pulsar age (t ~ 5.7 kyr) than the characteristic age (τ = 14.4 kyr), and (3) a maximum electron energy of ${E}_{\max }=2$ PeV. The low B-field, as well as the putative supersonic motion of the pulsar, may account for the asymmetric morphology of the diffuse X-ray emission. Our results suggest that the Eel PWN may be a leptonic PeVatron particle accelerator powered by the ~6 kyr old pulsar PSR J1826–1256 with a spin-down power of 3.6 × 10 36 erg s –1 .

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗