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At least 109 records · Page 6

An ancient role for nuclear beta-catenin in the evolution of axial polarity and germ layer segregation

The human oncogene beta-catenin is a bifunctional protein with critical roles in both cell adhesion and transcriptional regulation in the Wnt pathway. Wnt/beta-catenin signalling has been implicated in developmental processes as diverse as elaboration of embryonic polarity, formation of germ layers, neural patterning, spindle orientation and gap junction communication, but the ancestral function of beta-catenin remains unclear. In many animal embryos, activation of beta-catenin signalling occurs in blastomeres that mark the site of gastrulation and endomesoderm formation, raising the possibility that asymmetric activation of beta-catenin signalling specified embryonic polarity and segregated germ layers in the common ancestor of bilaterally symmetrical animals. To test whether nuclear translocation of beta-catenin is involved in axial identity and/or germ layer formation in 'pre-bilaterians', we examined the in vivo distribution, stability and function of beta-catenin protein in embryos of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis (Cnidaria, Anthozoa). Here we show that N. vectensis beta-catenin is differentially stabilized along the oral-aboral axis, translocated into nuclei in cells at the site of gastrulation and used to specify entoderm, indicating an evolutionarily ancient role for this protein in early pattern formation.

NASA Discipline Evolutionary Biology

Ejecta Pattern of the Impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9

The collision of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (SL 9) with Jupiter created crescent-shaped ejecta patterns around impact sites. Although the observed impact plumes rose through a similar height of approx.3000 km, the radii of the created ejects patterns differ from impact to impact and generally are larger for larger impacts. The azimuthal angle of the symmetry axis of the ejects pattern is larger than that predicted by the models of oblique impacts, due to the action of the Coriolis force that rotates ejecta patterns counterclockwise from the south. We study the formation of ejects patterns using a simple model of ballistic plume above a rotating plane. The ejected particles follow ballistic trajectories and slide horizontally for about an hour after reentry into the jovian atmosphere. The lateral expansion of the plume is stopped by the friction force, which is assumed to be proportional to the square of the horizontal velocity. Two different mass-velocity distributions used in the simulations produce qualitatively similar results. The simulated ejecta patterns fit very well the "crescents" observed at the impact sites. The sizes and azimuthal angles of symmetry axis of ejects patterns depend on a parameter L, which has dimension of length and is related to the mass of the fragment. Thus more massive impacts produce larger ejects patterns that are rotated through a wider angle.

Pankine, Alexey A.

Layered patterns of active scalar fields in a two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic system

Here, we observe the formation of staircase patterns in the magnetic potential (𝐴) in a weakly magnetized two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic system driven by a forced, fluctuating vortex array. Layering occurs due to inhomogeneous mixing of 𝐴 by vortex cells. Magnetic Reynolds number (𝑅 𝑚 )–dependent quenching of the turbulent diffusion of 𝐴 by weak magnetic fields increases the disparity between the (short) cell circulation time and the (long) time for intercell transport of magnetic potential. Thus, magnetic fields strengthen transport barriers between cells and reinforce the staircase, relative to its passive scalar counterpart. The analysis reveals a feedback mechanism, which promotes staircase formation. Magnetic staircases persist in both the flux expulsion (𝑅 𝑚 ⁢𝑣$^2_𝐴$/𝑈$^2_0$<1) and vortex disruption (𝑅 𝑚 ⁢𝑣$^2_𝐴$/𝑈$^2_0$≥1) limits. In the latter case, residual vortex cells homogenize 𝐴. Global layering morphology is shown to be well characterized by staircase curvature. Stochastic forcing of magnetic potential can support magnetic staircases against resistive decay.

magnetohydrodynamics

SIRTF and star formation

Four problems in the field of star formation that can be attacked to advantage with SIRTF are discussed: (1) the patterns of star formation in spiral galaxies, (2) the physical mechanism for bimodal star formation, (3) the nature of bipolar outflows from young stellar objects, and (4) the birth of brown dwarfs. In each case, SIRTF can provide the crucial combination of high angular resolution with great sensitivity over a broad range of wavelengths that is needed to address the relevant issues.

Shu, Frank H.

Digitizing Named Entities Found Within Letters of Agreement

Letters of Agreement (LOAs) are text-based air traffic control documents that contain procedures and actions agreed upon by the different parties, typically two or more FAA facilities, that are subject to an agreement. The documents contain among other things generic constraints, which are explicit and implicit combinations of procedures that limit a flight’s trajectory and affects pilot actions. For example, a controller may be required, to assign a specific altitude to an aircraft crossing the boundary between two airspaces. Although LOA generic constraints directly impact the trajectory of an aircraft, they are not currently available in a digital form that can be used for (or directly ingested into automated) flight planning. Instead, the constraints are manually input into an onboard or ground based system. LOA documents are primarily stored at a controlling facility and the generic constraints are implemented by experienced air traffic controllers and pilots primarily using voice instructions. This increases the workload of the controllers, likelihood of error (e.g., due to noisy communication) and makes it impractical for implementation with unmanned aircraft. Therefore, steps must be taken to make existing constraints machine interpretable to enable e.g., automated handoffs which in turn would reduce controller workload. With recent advances in natural language processing, especially the rise in digitization of text documents (e.g., medical documents) and automated extraction of information therein, it is now possible to extract flight specific constraints from LOAs. The goal of this work is to digitize named entities through a combination of natural language processing tasks: named entity disambiguation, toponym resolution, and numeric parsing to extract general constraint components contained within LOAs, herein referred to as Entity Enhancement (EE). Starting with a small list of named entities (e.g., ARTCC, Tower, Altitude and Speed), EE can extract the named entities while simultaneously converting the string-based output into a digital format using an ensemble of processes like rule-based gazetteers and syntactic-lexical patterns. The digital format contains a diverse set of information based on the entity label in question, ranging from standardized facility names to units of measure (e.g., feet) and other numeric information. Upon validating our approach using a truth dataset, we show an overall F1-Score of 0.71 for the extraction process. Looking beyond entity enhancement, we are also working towards the goal of completely digitizing the general constraints by performing EE and fitting them into a standardized exchange model (XM) such as the Aeronautical Information Exchange Model (AIXM). This will allow for easy distribution and dissemination of LOA constraints to air users, better searchability within documents, and enable ingestion into automated flight planning. Finally, we show a preliminary version of the proposed XM architecture and demonstrate how the model can be populated from the EE output.

Stephen S. B. Clarke

Chemistry of the older supracrustals of Archaean age around Sargur

In the Archaeans of the Karnataka craton two stratigraphically distinct volcano-sedimentary sequences occur, namely the older supracrustals of the Sargur type and the younger Dharwar greenstones. The dividing line between these is the 3 by old component of the Peninsular gneiss. The trace and rare earth element chemistry of the Sargur metasediments show, in general, marked similarity to the Archaean sediments. The significant departures are in the nickel and chromium abundances. The REE data of the Sargur pelites of the Terakanambi region represented by Silli-gt-bio-feldspar schists and paragneisses show LREE enrichment and flat to depleted HREE pattern. Banded iron formations have very low REE abundance. They show slightly enriched LREE and flat to depleted HREE pattern. REE abundance in the Mn-horizons is comparable to that of the Archaean sediments. Mn-horizons show enriched LREE and flat HREE with anamolous Eu. REE patterns of these bands is well evolved and has similarities with PAAS.

Janardhan, A. S.

Understanding Oxide–Metal Interactions During Hot Isostatic Pressing to Diffusion Bond Aluminum Alloy 6061 Plates

The interaction between Mg, Si, and Al 2 O 3 during hot isostatic pressing diffusion bonding of aluminum alloy 6061 (AA6061) plates was investigated through thermodynamic calculations and experimental microstructural characterization. Thermodynamic calculations as functions of temperature, pressure, and composition revealed that the interaction among Mg, Si, and Al 2 O 3 yields Mg 2 Si and either MgO + Al or MgAl 2 O 4 + Al, facilitating the reduction of Al 2 O 3 and allowing Al/Al metallic bonds to form. Total pressure variation had a negligible influence on the oxygen partial pressure, and consequently, the reaction product formation. Oxygen partial pressure variation as a function of temperature and initial amount of Al 2 O 3 determined the formation of either MgO or MgAl 2 O 4 . Experimental Hot Isostatic Pressure (HIP) bonding at 723 K and 833 K under a constant pressure of 1017 atm documented the cooling rate-dependent formation of β–Mg 2 Si precipitates. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy imaging and selected area electron diffraction patterns verified the formation of β–Mg 2 Si and MgO at the interface but did not detect MgAl 2 O 4 . In conclusion, findings from this study clarify the role of thermochemical interactions in oxide disruption and bonding mechanisms during HIP diffusion bonding of AA6061 and provide guidance for optimizing joining processes for monolithic nuclear fuel assemblies.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS

Otoconia biogenesis, phylogeny, composition and functional attributes

This work consolidates data about these interesting organic crystals of vertebrate inner ears. It addresses 5 aspects of inner ear otoliths not completely understood to date: 1) embryological data that explains the formation of the crystals, 2) the significance of the organic and the inorganic phase of the otolith and the changing patterns of otoconia formation along the evolutionary tree, 3) otoliths contribution for detecting linear acceleration, 4) the effect that altered gravity and aminoglycosides have on the development and adult shape of the crystals, and the evolutionary significance of a changing shape of the crystals from primitive forms (lamprey) to high vertebrate birds and mammals is discussed, 5) functional attributes of the otolithic organs and morphological modifications of the otoliths by physical and chemical insults are presented with an extensive discussion of the most relevant literature published and available to us.

Non-NASA Center

Data-Driven Modeling and Control of Systems with Plasma-Surface Interactions (Final Technical Report)

This final technical report summarizes the activities and accomplishments in the period from February 2023 thru January 2026. The objective of the proposed research is to investigate the physical mechanisms and processes underlying the formation of structures and patterns in systems with plasma-surface interactions. In the past decades, there have been extensive studies on the interaction of glow discharges, dielectric barrier discharges, and arc discharges with confining or intervening surfaces. The advancement of the understanding of these phenomena is not only of fundamental scientific interest and relevance to the knowledge of the plasma state, but also with profound implications in various technological applications. The research will integrate theoretical, computational, and experimental work within an innovative framework of data assimilation, i.e., optimally combining model predictions with measurements. The scientific merit of this research has three aspects. Firstly, it extends the studies of plasma-surface interactions to systems with insulator surfaces and multi-layer systems, while existing studies are predominantly on electrode surfaces. Secondly, it expects to develop a novel data-driven modeling approach based on data assimilation to enhance the predictive and control capabilities, which could make transformative contributions to basic plasma research. Thirdly, it will shed new light on outstanding problems related to formation of patterns interfacing plasmas. This project also aims to launch an education and outreach initiative at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, a non-R1, minority-serving institution in South Texas. The initiative is structured as a four-tier pyramid. Tier one will be a webinar series for culture and capacity building to inform broader audience in the region about the research fields of plasma science and engineering. Tier two will be the creation and offering of an upper-level undergraduate course on introductory plasma physics, which will help with the recruitment for the upper tiers. On tier three, we will engage and mentor senior design students to conduct work toward the research goal of this project. There will also be a certificate program on general plasma science for undergrad and graduate students, part of which will be lab training at Princeton University. Tier four will be the supervision and mentoring of Ph.D. students. Therefore, this project will systematically expand the talent pipeline, broaden participation from communities historically and geographically underrepresented in DOE SC research portfolio, significantly improve the research and education capacity at the PI’s institution, and contribute to developing a diverse workforce in plasma science and engineering.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY

Structure of molybdenum disulfide films sputtered on substrates at various temperatures

Molybdenum disulfide films 300 to 400 A thick were rf sputtered on aluminum and nickel surfaces at elevated, ambient, and liquid nitrogen temperatures. Electron transmission micrographs and electron diffraction patterns were taken to determine the structural growth. These transmission micrographs revealed that sputtered MoS2 films at ambient and elevated temperatures (320 and 150 C) formed an irregular network of ridges. The electron diffraction patterns of these films showed relatively sharp diffraction rings, indicating crystallinity. The transmission micrographs of sputtered films at liquid nitrogen temperatures revealed a continuous featureless film. The electron diffraction patterns showed broad, diffused rings indicating an amorphous film. The transmission micrographs of a post-annealed (425 C) MoS2 film sputtered at liquid-nitrogen temperature revealed the tendency for ridge formation. Electron diffraction patterns also showed increased sharpness of the diffraction rings. Friction tests showed that MoS2 films deposited at ambient and elevated temperatures exhibited good lubricating properties. The MoS2 films deposited at cryogenic temperatures had no lubricating characteristics.

Spalvins, T.

Nonlinear Shell Modeling of Thin Membranes with Emphasis on Structural Wrinkling

Thin solar sail membranes of very large span are being envisioned for near-term space missions. One major design issue that is inherent to these very flexible structures is the formation of wrinkling patterns. Structural wrinkles may deteriorate a solar sail's performance and, in certain cases, structural integrity. In this paper, a geometrically nonlinear, updated Lagrangian shell formulation is employed using the ABAQUS finite element code to simulate the formation of wrinkled deformations in thin-film membranes. The restrictive assumptions of true membranes, i.e. Tension Field theory (TF), are not invoked. Two effective modeling strategies are introduced to facilitate convergent solutions of wrinkled equilibrium states. Several numerical studies are carried out, and the results are compared with recent experimental data. Good agreement is observed between the numerical simulations and experimental data.

Tessler, Alexander

Nucleation of the Widmanstatten Pattern in Iron Meteorites

The Widmanstatten pattern develops at low temperatures during the evolution of the asteroids. We have studied the origin of the Widmanstatten pattern in order to obtain metallographic cooling rates in the temperature range (approx. 700 to 300 deg C). This paper summarizes our recent evaluation of the various mechanisms for the formation of the Widmanstatten pattern. All chemical groups of the iron meteorites are considered. We also propose a new mechanism for the formation of the Widmanstatten pattern in the low P metal phase of iron, stony-iron and stony meteorites. The results of this evaluation enables us to more accurately determine metallographic cooling rates particularly when incorporated with other recent advances in Fe-Ni and Fe-Ni (P saturated) phase diagrams and interdiffusion coefficients.

Yang, J.

An ecologic study of peat landforms in Canada and Alaska

The role of groundwater and surface runoff in controlling the water chemistry and development of peat landforms in northern Minnesota are described. The LANDSAT imagery taken duing spring break-up are particularly valuable in identifying potential zones of groundwater discharge. The vascular floras of raised bogs in eastern North Americas demonstrating the remarkabe uniformity of the ombrotrophic flora over broad geographic regions are described. The evolution of peat landforms in the major boreal peatlands of eastern America is examined. The LANDSAT imagery is used to determine the area of patterned to featureless peatlands, the area of ombrotrophic bog relative to minerotrophic fen, and the relative size and degree of streamlining of island landforms entirely composed of peat. Such measurements can be used to assess the role of climate, time, and hydrology in controlling the formation of peatland patterns across broad geographic regions.

Glaser, P. H.

Stochastic self-propagating star formation in the Large Magellanic Cloud

The considered investigation provides a unifying theoretical basis for an understanding of a variety of observations on the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). It is demonstrated that an intrinsically statistical theory can supply a model for individual objects. With the aid of the model of stochastic self-propagating star formation described by Gerola and Seiden (1978), many structural features, both in the stars and in the gas are related to the process of star formation and the evolution of the LMC. It is found that the pattern of massive star formation in the LMC is partially ordered. The stars occur in large clumps and their global pattern is basically irregular and asymmetric with respect to the rotation center. The mean rate of chemical evolution of the LMC is smaller than that of the Milky Way. This fact is largely explained by the model in terms of the difference in shear for these galaxies. The formation of large, dense regions of massive stars has a great effect on the gas.

Feitzinger, V.

Electronic heterodyne recording of interference patterns

An electronic heterodyne technique is being investigated for video (i.e., television rate and format) recording of interference patterns. In the heterodyne technique electro-optic modulation is used to introduce a sinusoidal phase shift between the beams of an interferometer. For phase modulation frequencies between 0.1 and 15 MHz an image dissector camera may be used to scan the resulting temporally modulated interference pattern. Heterodyne detection of the camera output is used to selectively record the interference pattern. An advantage of such synchronous recording is that it permits recording of low-contrast fringes in high ambient light conditions. The application of this technique to the recording of holograms is discussed.

Merat, F. L.

Real-time tracking and analysis of gas bubble dynamics in laser powder bed fusion using in-situ X-ray characterization and machine learning

Porosity defects remain a significant challenge in the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process, adversely affecting the mechanical properties and reliability of additively manufactured components. Here, this study investigates the real-time formation and trajectory of gas bubbles during LPBF of Al6061 alloy using advanced in-situ X-ray characterization and machine learning. The unsupervised Gaussian mixture model and particle tracking algorithm developed are able to precisely track and quantify the properties of gas bubbles and keyhole pores. Our analysis identified five distinct types of gas bubble formation and movement patterns, emphasizing the diverse origins and behaviors of these defects. It enables precise quantification of trajectories, velocities, and morphological changes of gas bubbles, offering a granular view of the subsurface dynamics within the melt pool. Additionally, we explored keyhole-induced pore dynamics, revealing the critical role of keyhole oscillation and collapse for the formation of both large and small gas pores. It defines four different regions of gas bubble movement within the melt pool, providing a clearer understanding of how local fluid dynamics affect pore behavior. The results underscore the importance of integrating in-situ experimental observation and automated machine learning to develop a more robust predictive model for defect formation in LPBF.

In-situ X-ray imaging

Emerging hierarchical dislocation structures: Insights from scanning electron microscopy-electron backscatter diffraction in situ tensile testing and multifractal analysis

Understanding the evolution of dislocation structures during plastic deformation is critical for predicting the mechanical performance of metallic materials. In this work, we applied in situ scanning electron microscopy/electron backscatter diffraction tensile testing combined with multifractal (MF) analysis to assess deformation-induced dislocation structure evolution in solution-annealed 304 L stainless steel, both in its as-received and neutron-irradiated states (5.4 displacements per atom). The analysis of kernel average misorientation patterns revealed the formation of hierarchical dislocation arrangements that exhibit clear MF scaling behavior. Despite pronounced visual differences between nonirradiated and irradiated specimens—most notably, the appearance of dislocation channels after irradiation—the singularity spectra suggest that both conditions give rise to similar underlying hierarchical structures. MF analysis provides a quantitative measure of the spatial complexity and self-organization of dislocation patterns, highlighting the accelerated emergence and evolution of the dislocation structures in irradiated polycrystalline materials, as well as the limitation of their spatial extent. The findings indicate that irradiation not only modifies microstructure but also alters correlation-driven dislocation organization. More generally, they demonstrate that MF analysis is a powerful tool for probing mesoscale deformation mechanisms.

Dislocation structures

Automata network models of galaxy evolution

Two ideas appear frequently in theories of star formation and galaxy evolution: (1) star formation is nonlocally excitatory, stimulating star formation in neighboring regions by propagation of a dense fragmenting shell or the compression of preexisting clouds; and (2) star formation is nonlocally inhibitory, making H2 regions and explosions which can create low-density and/or high temperature regions and increase the macroscopic velocity dispersion of the cloudy gas. Since it is not possible, given the present state of hydrodynamic modeling, to estimate whether one of these effects greatly dominates the other, it is of interest to investigate the predicted spatial pattern of star formation and its temporal behavior in simple models which incorporate both effects in a controlled manner. The present work presents preliminary results of such a study which is based on lattice galaxy models with various types of nonlocal inhibitory and excitatory couplings of the local SFR to the gas density, temperature, and velocity field meant to model a number of theoretical suggestions.

Chappell, David