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At least 631 records · Page 35

Improving Data Collection and Analysis Interface for the Data Acquisition Software of the Spin Laboratory at NASA Glenn Research Center

In jet engines, turbines spin at high rotational speeds. The forces generated from these high speeds make the rotating components of the turbines susceptible to developing cracks that can lead to major engine failures. The current inspection technologies only allow periodic examinations to check for cracks and other anomalies due to the requirements involved, which often necessitate entire engine disassembly. Also, many of these technologies cannot detect cracks that are below the surface or closed when the crack is at rest. Therefore, to overcome these limitations, efforts at NASA Glenn Research Center are underway to develop techniques and algorithms to detect cracks in rotating engine components. As a part of these activities, a high-precision spin laboratory is being utilized to expand and conduct highly specialized tests to develop methodologies that can assist in detecting predetermined cracks in a rotating turbine engine rotor. This paper discusses the various features involved in the ongoing testing at the spin laboratory and elaborates on its functionality and on the supporting data system tools needed to enable successfully running optimal tests and collecting accurate results. The data acquisition system and the associated software were updated and customized to adapt to the changes implemented on the test rig system and to accommodate the data produced by various sensor technologies. Discussion and presentation of these updates and the new attributes implemented are herein reported

Abdul-Aziz, Ali↗

Stalled Pulsing Inertial Oscillation Model for a Tornadic Cyclone

A supercell storm is a tall, rotating thunderstorm that can generate hail and tornadoes. Two models exist for the development of the storm's rotation or mesocyclone - the conventional splitting-storm model, and the more recent pulsing inertial oscillation (PIO) model, in which a nonlinear pulse represents the supercell. Although data support both models and both could operate in the same supercell, neither model has satisfactorily explained the tornadic cyclone. A tornadic cyclone is an elevated vorticity concentration of Rossby number approximately 1000 that develops within the contracting mesocyclone shortly before a major tornado appears at the surface. We now show that if the internal temperature excess due to latent energy release is limited to the realistic range of -12 K to +12 K, the PIO model can stall part way through the pulse in a state of contraction and spin-up. Should this happen, the stalled-PIO model can evolve into a tornadic cyclone with a central pressure deficit that exceeds 40 mb, which is greater than the largest measured value. This simulation uses data from a major tornadic supercell that occurred over Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, on May 3, 1999. The stalled-PIO mechanism also provides a strategy for human intervention to retard or reverse the development of a tornadic cyclone and its pendant tornado.

Costen, Robert C.↗

X-57 “Maxwell” High-Lift Propeller Testing and Model Development

NASA’s X-57 “Maxwell” distributed electric propulsion flight demonstrator has a high-lift system that includes 12 fixed-pitch high-lift propellers located upstream of the wing leading edge for lift augmentation at low speeds. These high-lift propellers are not required at higher speeds and are folded conformally along the nacelles to reduce drag when not in operation. Aircraft performance models and flight simulations incorporate propeller performance to predict thrust, moments, and power consumption and propeller model accuracy is important in identifying safe operating regimes for this aircraft. Current high-lift propeller performance models have been verified and calibrated against numerous computational fluid dynamics analyses under a variety of flight conditions. We performed a series of full-scale wind tunnel tests at the NASA Langley Research Center Low Speed Aeroacoustic Wind Tunnel to further validate these models, to identify any adverse operating conditions for these propellers, and to assess the accuracy of the facility’s new Propeller Test Stand. The results indicate that the models accurately predicted performance and that the right-handed propeller showed lower torque and thrust for a given propeller speed compared to the left-handed version. Acoustic data support these measurements, showing higher tonal noise for the left versus right propeller. We suspect this is due to slight differences in the material properties between the early production (right) and more recent (left) blade sets leading to greater detwisting in the right-handed blades under load. Both propellers demonstrated very stable operation throughout the test including during deployment, stowing, and windmilling. Furthermore, high-speed imagery of the spinning propeller indicated no blade oscillations or instabilities for any test case. We also leveraged these images to analyze the effects of propeller loading on blade detwisting and tip position. Unfortunately, the thrust measurements varied significantly during the test due to cross-loading of the Propeller Test Stand load cell, though trends in the thrust data were still observable. The torque measurement, however, remained very precise for all test points and was used for performance comparisons. As a result of this test, we validated and improved the X-57 high-lift propeller performance models, obtained detailed propeller acoustic data and high-speed imagery, observed the propeller operating safely during a variety of dynamic events, and identified two potentially adverse, low-propeller-speed conditions which will be avoided during normal aircraft operation.

X-57↗

Port-O-Sim Object Simulation Application

Port-O-Sim is a software application that supports engineering modeling and simulation of launch-range systems and subsystems, as well as the vehicles that operate on them. It is flexible, distributed, object-oriented, and realtime. A scripting language is used to configure an array of simulation objects and link them together. The script is contained in a text file, but executed and controlled using a graphical user interface. A set of modules is defined, each with input variables, output variables, and settings. These engineering models can be either linked to each other or run as standalone. The settings can be modified during execution. Since 2001, this application has been used for pre-mission failure mode training for many Range Safety Scenarios. It contains range asset link analysis, develops look-angle data, supports sky-screen site selection, drives GPS (Global Positioning System) and IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) simulators, and can support conceptual design efforts for multiple flight programs with its capacity for rapid six-degrees-of-freedom model development. Due to the assembly of various object types into one application, the application is applicable across a wide variety of launch range problem domains.

Lanzi, Raymond J.↗

Connecting Users and Applications with Po.daac Hosted GHRSST Data

The 80+ GHRSST public datasets represent a rich resource for sea surface temperature research and applications given their time series length, resolution, spatial coverage, varying measurement types and processing levels, and availability in the full spectrum of PO.DAAC tools and services ecosystem. The PO.DAAC has created a publicly accessible recipe suite for the user community to perform straightforward yet powerful computations on GHRSST data using python recipes, Jupyter notebooks, R, Matlab, and the NCO programming language. These recipes include numerical computations for regional and global SST trends, anomaly derivations, EOF analysis, climate signal reproduction, and ocean phenology. For example, one recipe reproduces a famous SST based warming figure from the Fourth National Climate Assessment (USA) while another focuses on quantifying the regional changes in ocean SST phenology. Most are python-based while some contain hybrid calls and leverage the NCO programming interface too. All are available on the PO.DAAC user forum (https://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/forum/) and/or via the open source NASA GitHub repository (https://github.com/nasa/podaac_tools_and_services). Several are available in the Jupyter notebook framework including podaacypy (https://github.com/nasa/podaacpy), a recipe for GHRSST granule metadata discovery and application, and more recently a Jupyter notebook developed to support data analysis and visualization of a cloud-based Zarr formatted Level 4 MUR dataset in the AWS Open Data Registry. Throughout the summer of 2020, the PO.DAAC intends to add and migrate more of its numerical recipes to the Jupyter notebook framework and publish them on its open source GitHub repository.

Gentemann, Chelle↗

Seeing Red and Shooting Blanks: Study of Red Quasars and Blank X-Ray Sources

A major paper describing the technique and providing a list of 'blanks' was published in the Astrophysical Journal (abstract below). The results revealed a fascinating trove of novel X-ray sources: high redshift clusters of galaxies found efficiently; X-ray absorbed, optically clean AGN, which may be the bright prototypes of Chandra Deep Survey sources; and several with a still unknown nature. Recent XMM-Newton results confirm the existence of this class of X-ray source with much refined positions. During the first year of this project we have made a major discovery. The second 'blanks' X-ray source observed with Chandra was found to be extended. Using Chandra data and ground-based R and K band imaging we estimated this to be a high redshift cluster of galaxies with z approx. 0.85. Spectroscopy agrees with this estimate (z=0.89). This success shows that our method of hunting down 'blank' field X-ray sources is a highly efficient method of finding the otherwise elusive high redshift clusters. With extensive follow-up we should be able to use 'blanks' to make cosmological tests. The paper is now in press in the Astrophysical Journal (abstract below.) The other Chandra source is point-like, showing that there are a variety of 'blank' source types. Other follow-up observations with XMM-Newton, and (newly approved in cycle 2) with Chandra are eagerly awaited. A follow-up paper uses a large amount of supporting data for the remaining blanks. A combination of ROSAT, Chandra and ground based data convincingly identified one of the blanks as a Ultra-luminous X-ray source (ULX) in a spiral galaxy (abstract below). This program resulted in 3 refereed papers in major journals, 4 conference proceedings and a significant fraction of the PhD thesis of Dr. Ilaria Cagnoni. Details of the publications are given.

Oliversen, Ronald↗

Biological methane production and accumulation under sulfate-rich conditions at Cape Lookout Bight, NC

Introduction: Anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) is hypothesized to occur through reverse hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis in marine sediments because sulfate reducers pull hydrogen concentrations so low that reverse hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis is exergonic. If true, hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis can theoretically co-occur with sulfate reduction if the organic matter is so labile that fermenters produce more hydrogen than sulfate reducers can consume, causing hydrogen concentrations to rise. Finding accumulation of biologically-produced methane in sulfate-containing organic-rich sediments would therefore support the theory that AOM occurs through reverse hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis since it would signal the absence of net AOM in the presence of sulfate. Methods: 16S rRNA gene libraries were compared to geochemistry and incubations in high depth-resolution sediment cores collected from organic-rich Cape Lookout Bight, North Carolina. Results: We found that methane began to accumulate while sulfate is still abundant (6–8 mM). Methane-cycling archaea ANME-1, Methanosarciniales, and Methanomicrobiales also increased at these depths. Incubations showed that methane production in the upper 16 cm in sulfate-rich sediments was biotic since it could be inhibited by 2-bromoethanosulfonoic acid (BES). Discussion: We conclude that methanogens mediate biological methane production in these organic-rich sediments at sulfate concentrations that inhibit methanogenesis in sediments with less labile organic matter, and that methane accumulation and growth of methanogens can occur under these conditions as well. Our data supports the theory that H2 concentrations, rather than the cooccurrence of sulfate and methane, control whether methanogenesis or AOM via reverse hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis occurs. We hypothesize that the high amount of labile organic matter at this site prevents AOM, allowing methane accumulation when sulfate is low but still present in mM concentrations

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Mechanisms Behind the Extratropical Stratiform Low-Cloud Optical Depth Response to Temperature in ARM Site Observations

Ground-based observations from three middle- and high-latitude sites managed by the U.S. Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program are used to determine the sensitivity of the low-cloud optical depth to temperature and to test whether observations support mechanisms previously proposed to affect the optical depth feedback. Analysis of cloud optical depth retrievals support previous satellite findings that the optical depth decreases or stays constant with increases in temperature when the cloud is warm but increases when the cloud is cold. The cloud liquid water path sensitivity to warming largely explains the optical depth sensitivity at all sites.Mechanisms examined in this study involve the temperature dependence of (a) the moist-adiabatic lapse rate, (b) cloud phase partitioning, (c) drying efficiency of cloud top mixing, (d) cloud top inversion strength,and (e) boundary layer decoupling. Mechanism (a) is present across all clouds and explains 30% to 50%of the increase in liquid water path with warming at temperatures below 0°C. However, the cloud's adiabaticity, the ratio between the liquid water path and its theoretical maximum, is at least as important and determines how the liquid water path sensitivity to temperature varies with temperature. At temperatures below 0°C, the adiabaticity increases with warming, and the data support mechanism (b).At warmer temperatures, the adiabaticity decreases with warming, overwhelming mechanism (a) and resulting in the liquid water path decreasing with warming. This adiabaticity decrease arises primarily because of mechanism (d), and to a lesser degree because of mechanism (e). No evidence is found supporting mechanism (c)

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Factors Contributing to Pilot Valve Fuel Seal Extrusion in Orbiter PRCS Thrusters

Extrusion of the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) pilot seal used in the monomethylhydrazine (fuel) valve of the Orbiter Primary Reaction Control System (PRCS) thrusters has been implicated in numerous on-orbit thruster failures and on-ground valve failures. Two extrusion mechanisms have been proposed, one or both may be occurring. The first mechanism is attributed to thermal expansion mismatch between adjacent PTFE and metal parts used in the fuel valve, and is referred to as thermal extrusion. The second mechanism is attributed to nitrogen tetroxide (oxidizer) leakage from the adjacent oxidizer valve on the same thruster during ground turnaround, and is referred to as oxidizer-induced extrusion. Model calculations of PTFE pilot seal in an exact pilot valve configuration show that extrusion can be caused by differential thermal expansion, without the intervening influence of oxidizer. Experimental data on semitrapped PTFE and TFM (modified PTFE) specimens simulating a fuel pilot valve configuration show that thermal extrusion 1) is incremental and irreversible, 2) increases with the size of the thermal excursion, 3) decreases with successive thermal cycling, and 4) is accompanied by gap formation. Both PTFE and TFM exhibit a higher affinity for oxidizer than fuel. The property changes associated with oxidizer uptake may explain why oxidizer seals do not exhibit extrusion. Impression replicas of fuel pilot seals removed from the Orbiter fleet show two types of extrusion: extrusion of the entire seal (loaded extrusion), or extrusion of non-sealing surface (unloaded extrusion). Both extrusion types may arise from differences in service history, rather than in failure mechanism. The plausibility oxidizer-induced extrusion was evaluated. Preliminary calculations suggest that enough energy, heat, or gas may be liberated under certain operational scenarios to cause catastrophic extrusion. However, given the lack of supporting data, conclusions implicating oxidizer leakage as a factor in extrusion must be made with caution.

Waller, J.M.↗

Quantifying and Optimizing the Energy Benefits of Mass Timber Construction

The International Mass Timber Alliance (IMTA) is a global organization of industry leaders, engineers, scientists, and associations dedicated to advancing mass timber construction. Its mission is to generate and disseminate scientific data supporting the development of standardized construction and energy efficient practices that promote the adoption of mass timber worldwide. IMTA collaborated with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to leverage ORNL’s expertise in building envelope modeling and testing to evaluate how mass timber construction can reduce peak heating and cooling demand, lower overall energy use, and improve resilience during power outages. A previous study of 80 mass timber buildings in Finland found measured energy use up to 50% lower than predicted by simulation. This project aimed to validate and extend those findings for U.S. buildings through analytical modeling, laboratory testing, and full-scale building evaluations. The research focused on the thermal performance of low-embodied-energy wall assemblies, such as cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels and log walls, with particular attention to the effects of thermal inertia on indoor comfort and energy performance. While mass timber’s structural and fire-resistance properties are well documented, its whole-building thermal behavior has received limited attention. Field data, simulation results, and resilience testing from this study will inform future modeling practices, design guidelines, and construction practices by quantifying the unique thermal and demand-flexibility benefits of mass timber construction.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

SPT-3G D1: Maps of the millimeter-wave sky from 2019 and 2020 observations of the SPT-3G Main field

Maps of the sky in millimeter wavelengths contain rich information on cosmology through anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Creating multifrequency sky maps of anisotropies in the $I$, $Q$, and $U$ Stokes parameters is one of the first steps of CMB cosmology analyses. In this work, we describe the production and validation of a set of sky maps from the South Pole Telescope's third-generation camera, SPT-3G. The maps are from data taken in frequency bands centered at 95, 150, and 220 GHz and taken during the first two years, 2019 and 2020, of the SPT-3G Main survey, which covers $4\%$ of the sky. We applied high-pass filters to time series of individual detectors and binned the filtered time series samples into map pixels. After that, we calibrated and cleaned the maps to reduce known systematic errors. In addition, we searched for other systematic errors through null tests and mitigated a significant systematic error detected therein. The white noise levels of the full-depth maps of the $I$ Stokes parameter are $5.4$, $4.4$, and $16.2$$\mathrm{μK}$-$\mathrm{arcmin}$ in the 95, 150, and 220 GHz bands, respectively, and $8.4$, $6.6$, and $25.8$$\mathrm{μK}$-$\mathrm{arcmin}$ for $Q/U$. These maps are the deepest to date used for measurements of mid-to-high-$\ell$ primary temperature and $E$-mode polarization CMB anisotropies, and reconstructions of the CMB gravitational lensing potential. We make these maps and supporting data products publicly accessible.

Quan, W. [Argonne (main); Chicago U., EFI; Chicago↗

Dynamic Material Flow Analysis of Silicon Photovoltaic Modules to Support a Circular Economy Transition

Solar photovoltaics (PV) are the fastest growing renewable energy technologies for clean, cheap, and sustainable electricity generation. To prepare for rapid scale-up, the PV industry needs to project material requirements to build out all aspects of the supply chain appropriately and plan to handle large volumes of module waste. Impacts of deploying different material circularity strategies to reduce waste and conserve primary resources need to be quantified to inform sustainable material management. Here, we introduce the photovoltaic dynamic material flow analysis (PV DMFA) model based on PV electricity generation. The model quantifies material flows and stocks in the cradle-to-cradle life cycles of utility-scale c-Si PV systems in the United States through 2100. We present case studies for solar flat glass and aluminum frame materials under various scenarios to project the impacts of PV performance, reliability, and processing parameters, material circularity strategies, and module design shifts. In the absence of circularity measures, ~100 million MT of flat glass and ~12 million MT of aluminum would be needed for PV installations by 2100 to meet projected growth in domestic utility PV demand to nearly 1000 TWh in 2100. With optimistic but feasible improvements in efficiency, reliability, and circularity, material intensity and waste could be reduced by nearly 50%. Efficient module collection, minimally intrusive recycling, and careful scrap handling and cleaning could improve material circularity in the PV value chain. This model serves as a sustainability data support tool that may aid in the circular economy transition for PV systems.

circular economy↗

Autonomous Science Analyses of Digital Images for Mars Sample Return and Beyond

To adequately explore high priority landing sites, scientists require rovers with greater mobility. Therefore, future Mars missions will involve rovers capable of traversing tens of kilometers (vs. tens of meters traversed by Mars Pathfinder's Sojourner). However, the current process by which scientists interact with a rover does not scale to such distances. A single science objective is achieved through many iterations of a basic command cycle: (1) all data must be transmitted to Earth and analyzed; (2) from this data, new targets are selected and the necessary information from the appropriate instruments are requested; (3) new commands are then uplinked and executed by the spacecraft and (4) the resulting data are returned to Earth, starting the process again. Experience with rover tests on Earth shows that this time intensive process cannot be substantially shortened given the limited data downlink bandwidth and command cycle opportunities of real missions. Sending complete multicolor panoramas at several waypoints, for example, is out of the question for a single downlink opportunity. As a result, long traverses requiring many science command cycles would likely require many weeks, months or even years, perhaps exceeding rover design life or other constraints. Autonomous onboard science analyses can address these problems in two ways. First, it will allow the rover to transmit only "interesting" images, defined as those likely to have higher science content. Second, the rover will be able to anticipate future commands, for example acquiring and returning spectra of "interesting" rocks along with the images in which they were detected. Such approaches, coupled with appropriate navigational software, address both the data volume and command cycle bottlenecks that limit both rover mobility and science yield. We are developing algorithms to enable such intelligent decision making by autonomous spacecraft. Reflecting the ultimate level of ability we aim for, this program has been dubbed the "Grad Student on Mars Project". We envision, for example, an appropriately intelligent Athena-like rover at the Pathfinder landing site might be able to traverse over the ridge towards "Twin Peaks" to obtain better information on the stratigraphy of these "streamlined islands" or of the size, composition and morphology of boulders located on them. Along the traverse, the intelligent rover would collect and analyze images and obtain spectra of geologically interesting features or regions. The intelligent rover might also traverse further up Arcs Vallis, and find additional paleoflood stage indicators such as slackwater deposits. Recognizing additional regions where boulders are imbricated, noting changes in their size, distribution, morphology, composition and the associated changes in channel geometry would yield important information on the outflow channel's paleoflood history, Representative images and associated supporting data from these locations could be downlinked to Earth along with the data requested by scientists from the previous uplink opportunity. Our initial work has focused on recognizing geologically interesting portions of images. Here we summarize some of the algorithms to date.

Gulick, V. C.↗

Interferometric data for a shock-wave/boundary-layer interaction

An experimental study of the axisymmetric shock-wave / boundary-layer strong interaction flow generated in the vicinity of a cylinder-cone intersection was conducted. The study data are useful in the documentation and understanding of compressible turbulent strong interaction flows, and are part of a more general effort to improve turbulence modeling for compressible two- and three-dimensional strong viscous/inviscid interactions. The nominal free stream Mach number was 2.85. Tunnel total pressures of 1.7 and 3.4 atm provided Reynolds number values of 18 x 10(6) and 36 x 10(6) based on model length. Three cone angles were studied giving negligible, incipient, and large scale flow separation. The initial cylinder boundary layer upstream of the interaction had a thickness of 1.0 cm. The subsonic layer of the cylinder boundary layer was quite thin, and in all cases, the shock wave penetrated a significant portion of the boundary layer. Owing to the thickness of the cylinder boundary layer, considerable structural detail was resolved for the three shock-wave / boundary-layer interaction cases considered. The primary emphasis was on the application of the holographic interferometry technique. The density field was deduced from an interferometric analysis based on the Able transform. Supporting data were obtained using a 2-D laser velocimeter, as well as mean wall pressure and oil flow measurements. The attached flow case was observed to be steady, while the separated cases exhibited shock unsteadiness. Comparisons with Navier-Stokes computations using a two-equation turbulence model are presented.

Dunagan, Stephen E.↗

Data for Yield from Iowa’s first commercial miscanthus fields: implications of spatial variability for productivity and sustainability beyond research plots

This dataset contains biomass yield measurements and associated vegetation index data collected from commercial Miscanthus × giganteus fields in eastern Iowa during the 2022–2023 growing seasons. The data support the analyses presented in the article: “Yield From Iowa's First Commercial Miscanthus Fields: Implications of Spatial Variability for Productivity and Sustainability Beyond Research Plots.” We collected 105 ground-truth biomass samples from four mature commercial fields (>4 years old) covering 92.81 ha. Samples were taken from 3 m² quadrats that were hand-harvested in alignment with commercial harvest timing. Stem biomass (excluding leaves) was weighed, moisture-corrected, and converted to dry-matter yield expressed in Mg DM ha⁻¹. Sampling locations were selected to capture spatial variability visible in aerial imagery and were recorded using RTK GPS. Each biomass observation was paired with vegetation indices derived from high-resolution PlanetScope satellite imagery (3 m resolution). Images were acquired throughout the growing season, and indices were calculated to evaluate their ability to predict end-of-season biomass yield. Statistical and machine learning approaches were used to identify key predictors, and a linear regression model based on end-of-July Green Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (GNDVI) was developed and evaluated. This repository includes the data used in that modeling workflow. Management practices, economic data, full imagery time series, and additional methodological details are described in the associated publication and are not included here. The dataset consists of three comma-separated value (CSV) files: 1. Combine_Groundtruth_Yield_VI_22_23.csv This file contains ground-truth biomass yield measurements and associated key vegetation index values collected during the 2022 and 2023 growing seasons. Rows: 105 observations Columns: Year — Year of observation (2022 or 2023) Field — Field location identifier Sample_number — Unique sample identifier GNDVI_End_Jul — Green Normalized Difference Vegetation Index calculated at end of July GNDVI_End_Aug — Green Normalized Difference Vegetation Index calculated at end of August NDRE_End_Aug — Normalized Difference Red Edge index calculated at end of August Biomass_Stem_Yield_MgDM/ha — Measured stem biomass yield (megagrams dry matter per hectare) 2. trainData_GNDVI.csv This file contains the subset of observations used to train the predictive relationship between July GNDVI and biomass yield. Rows: 76 observations Columns: Unnamed: 0 — Row index retained from the original data processing workflow GNDVI_End_Jul — GNDVI at end of July Stem_Yield_MgDM/ha — Observed stem biomass yield (Mg DM ha⁻¹) 3. testData_GNDVI.csv This file contains the test dataset used to evaluate model performance. Rows: 29 observations Columns: Unnamed: 0 — Row index retained from the original data processing workflow GNDVI_End_Jul — GNDVI at end of July Predicted_Yield_MgDM/ha — Model-predicted stem biomass yield (Mg DM ha⁻¹) Observed_Yield_MgDM/ha — Measured stem biomass yield (Mg DM ha⁻¹)

Potential yield, yield gap, in-field management, y↗

Gravitropism and development of wild-type and starch-deficient mutants of Arabidopsis during spaceflight

The "starch-statolith" hypothesis has been used by plant physiologists to explain the gravity perception mechanism in higher plants. In order to help resolve some of the controversy associated with ground-based research that has supported this theory, we performed a spaceflight experiment during the January 1997 mission of the Space Shuttle STS-81. Seedlings of wild-type (WT) Arabidopsis, two reduced-starch strains, and a starchless mutant were grown in microgravity and then given a gravity stimulus on a centrifuge. In terms of development in space, germination was greater than 90% for seeds in microgravity, and flight seedlings were smaller (60% in total length) compared to control plants grown on the ground and to control plants on a rotating clinostat. Seedlings grown in space had two structural features that distinguished them from the controls: a greater density of root hairs and an anomalous hypocotyl hook structure. However, the slower growth and morphological changes observed in the flight seedlings may be due to the effects of ethylene present in the spacecraft. Nevertheless, during the flight hypocotyls of WT seedlings responded to a unilateral 60 min stimulus provided by a 1-g centrifuge while those of the starch-deficient strains did not. Thus the strain with the greatest amount of starch responded to the stimulus given in flight and therefore, these data support the starch-statolith model for gravity sensing.

short duration↗

Draft ASME Code Case to qualify L-PBF 316H material for Section III, Division 5 applications

This report documents the AMMT program’s development and submission of a draft ASME Code Case to qualify Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L PBF) Type 316H stainless steel for Section III, Divi-sion 5 Class A and SM high temperature nuclear applications. It summarizes the technical basis, the comprehensive high temperature mechanical test database assembled between 2023–2026, and the proposed code language and qualification framework submitted to ASME. The work was co-ordinated across multiple national laboratories and leverages prior ASME efforts to integrate additive manufacturing into the Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code. The body of the report describes the experimental database and analysis supporting the Code Case: tensile, creep, fatigue, creep fatigue, and thermal aging tests collected from multiple additive manufacturing sites, machine types, and powder lots, with material processed by a solution anneal heat treatment. The dataset — including both full size and subsized specimens and tests oriented parallel and perpendicular to build direction — shows limited tensile anisotropy, tensile properties comparable to wrought 316H, creep strength within the scatter of wrought material, but markedly reduced creep ductility above about 650 °C associated with rapid σ phase formation in L PBF microstructures. The draft Code Case itself prescribes a staged qualification model (manufacturing process qualification, component qualification, and per build witness testing), treats L PBF components as equivalent to Type 316 weld metal for design and inspection, and requires mechanical, chemical, and metallographic controls tied to ASTM/ISO 52946. Key acceptance criteria include tensile tests within a 90% prediction interval of the AMMT dataset, a creep fatigue screening test adapted from ASME Section III, Division 5, Subsection HB, HBB 2800 but with the cycle acceptance reduced to 100 for L PBF material, and double volumetric inspection of production components. The report concludes that the present data support treating L PBF 316H as analogous to conventional fusion weld metal for Division 5 design and inspection, while highlighting important caveats: the σ phase driven loss of creep ductility above ~650 °C, preliminary indications of enhanced creep fatigue sensitivity in some lots, and remaining gaps in long term aging and additional cyclic testing. Recommended next actions include completing outstanding cyclic and long duration creep/aging tests on the solution annealed condition, supporting inclusion of the 316H chemistry and heat treatment in ASTM/ISO 52946, and continuing engagement with ASME and NRC during balloting and review to enable industry adoption.

Messner, Mark C. (ORCID:0000000200404385)↗

Physical, Ecological, and Societal Indicators for the National Climate Assessment

The National Climate Assessment (NCA) is being conducted under the auspices of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), pursuant to the Global Change Research Act of 1990, Section 106, which requires a report to Congress every 4 years. The current NCA (http://globalchange.gov/what-we-do/assessment/) differs in multiple ways from previous U.S. climate assessment efforts, being: (1) more focused on supporting the Nation s activities in adaptation and mitigation and on evaluating the current state of scientific knowledge relative to climate impacts and trends; (2) a long-term, consistent process for evaluation of climate risks and opportunities and providing information to support decision-making processes within regions and sectors; and (3) establishing a permanent assessment capacity both inside and outside of the federal government. As a part of ongoing, long-term assessment activities, the NCA intends to develop an integrated strategic framework and deploy climate-relevant physical, ecological, and societal indicators. The NCA indicators framework is underdevelopment by the NCA Development and Advisory Committee Indicators Working Group and are envisioned as a relatively small number of policy-relevant integrated indicators designed to provide a consistent, objective, and transparent overview of major variations in climate impacts, vulnerabilities, adaptation, and mitigation activities across sectors, regions, and timeframes. The potential questions that could be addressed by these indicators include: How do we know that there is a changing climate and how is it expected to change in the future? Are important climate impacts and opportunities occurring or predicted to occur in the future? Are we adapting successfully? What are the vulnerabilities and resiliencies given a changing climate? Are we preparing adequately for extreme events? It is not expected that the NCA societal indicators would be linked directly to a single decision or portfolio of decisions, but subsets of indicators, or the data supporting the indicator, might be used to inform decision-making processes such as the development and implementation of climate adaptation strategies in a particular sector or region.

Kenney, Melissa A.↗