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Results for “evolutionary predictability”

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 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1994

Cluster evolution and microwave source counts

We present the modeled counts for the expected Sunyaev-Zel'dovich microwave sources associated with clusters of galaxies, predicted for experiments with arcminute-scale spatial resolution, assuming self-similar cluster evolution, for different spectra of the primordial density fluctuations and values of the cosmological density parameter Omega. Our simulations show that the source counts should be a powerful test of the evolution of very high redshift clusters. Experiments with 1 - 2 min spatial resolution, with moderate sensitivity but covering a large area of the sky, would be most effective for studying the SZ source population. Recent arcminute-scale radio experiments, the Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO) RING experiment and VLA deep imaging, achieved sensitivity and sky coverage close to that needed for the detection of negative sources associated with very distant clusters. From the absence of cluster detections in these experiments, we rule out, with 90% confidence, models with Omega less than 0.3 and n = +1 as predicting too many bright sources; or there is no hot gas in clusters more distant than z(sub max) = 5 in such models. If the single negative source detected in the RING experiment is a distant cluster, the Omega = 1, n = -2 model also may be ruled out as it predicts too few sources. The new generation of telescopes, including the new SUZIE and Ryle instruments, will soon be able to detect distant clusters. The cluster population in the past has been modeled by scaling the observed present-day sample of X-ray clusters back to high redshifts, an approach which makes the best use of the observed cluster gas parameters, and makes the simulations robust to the assumed evolution at very early epochs. Although the pure self-similar model may be incompatible with the variety of observed evolutionary effects, we show that reasonable modifications to the intracluster gas history in that model, proposed to reconcile the self-similar evolution of cluster mass and the observed evolution of their X-ray luminosity, do not considerably change our microwave predictions made using the pure self-similar model. That is, the results of our simulations are applicable to the wide class of evolutionary models in which the cluster gas mass times gas temperature evolves as the dark mass times cluster virial temperature.

Markevitch, M.↗
DOE OSTI2025

A network-enabled pipeline for gene discovery and validation in non-model plant species

Identifying key regulators of important genes in non-model crop species is challenging due to limited multi-omics resources. To address this, we introduce the network-enabled gene discovery pipeline NEEDLE, a user-friendly tool that systematically generates coexpression gene network modules, measures gene connectivity, and establishes network hierarchy to pinpoint key transcriptional regulators from dynamic transcriptome datasets. After validating its accuracy with two independent datasets, we applied NEEDLE to identify transcription factors (TFs) regulating the expression of cellulose synthase-like F6 ( CSLF6 ), a crucial cell wall biosynthetic gene, in Brachypodium and sorghum. Our analyses uncover regulators of CSLF6 and also shed light on the evolutionary conservation or divergence of gene regulatory elements among grass species. These results highlight NEEDLE’s capability to provide biologically relevant TF predictions and demonstrate its value for non-model plant species with dynamic transcriptome datasets.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1981

Space Construction Experiment Definition Study (SCEDS), part 1. Volume 2: Study results

A basic Space Shuttle flight experiment which will provide needed data on the construction of large space systems from the Orbiter was defined. The predicted dynamic behavior of a representative large structure, on-orbit construction operations, and Orbiter control during and after construction were studied. Evolutionary or supplemental flight experiments for the development or augmentation of a basic flight experiment were identified and defined. The study was divided into six major tasks with appropriate sub-tasks noted.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1987

Spectral evolution of young stellar objects

An evolutionary sequence, from protostars to pre-main sequence stars, for the classification of young stellar objects is derived by comparing the predictions of the theoretical protostar models of Adams and Shu (AS, 1986) with the morphological classification scheme of Lada and Wilking (1984). It is shown that the AS models adequately explain the emergent spectral energy distributions of unidentified objects with negative spectral indices in the mid-IR and near-IR in both Taurus and Ophiuchus. If the infalling dust envelope is then completely removed, the spectra of the underlying stars and nebular disks used by AS provide a natural explanation for the near-IR and mid-IR excesses and the positive spectral indices of embedded T Tauri stars. It is found that the addition of a simple physical model for residual dust envelopes can reproduce the far-IR excesses found in some of these T Tauri stars.

Adams, Fred C.↗
NASA NTRS1998

A natural view of microbial biodiversity within hot spring cyanobacterial mat communities

This review summarizes a decade of research in which we have used molecular methods, in conjunction with more traditional approaches, to study hot spring cyanobacterial mats as models for understanding principles of microbial community ecology. Molecular methods reveal that the composition of these communities is grossly oversimplified by microscopic and cultivation methods. For example, none of 31 unique 16S rRNA sequences detected in the Octopus Spring mat, Yellowstone National Park, matches that of any prokaryote previously cultivated from geothermal systems; 11 are contributed by genetically diverse cyanobacteria, even though a single cyanobacterial species was suspected based on morphologic and culture analysis. By studying the basis for the incongruity between culture and molecular samplings of community composition, we are beginning to cultivate isolates whose 16S rRNA sequences are readily detected. By placing the genetic diversity detected in context with the well-defined natural environmental gradients typical of hot spring mat systems, the relationship between gene and species diversity is clarified and ecological patterns of species occurrence emerge. By combining these ecological patterns with the evolutionary patterns inherently revealed by phylogenetic analysis of gene sequence data, we find that it may be possible to understand microbial biodiversity within these systems by using principles similar to those developed by evolutionary ecologists to understand biodiversity of larger species. We hope that such an approach guides microbial ecologists to a more realistic and predictive understanding of microbial species occurrence and responsiveness in both natural and disturbed habitats.

Review↗
NASA NTRS1981

Evolutionary variations of solar luminosity

Theoretical arguments for a 30% increase in the solar luminosity over the past 4.7 billion years are reviewed. A scaling argument shows that this increase can be predicted without detailed numerical calculations. The magnitude of the increase is independent of nuclear reaction rates, as long as conversion of hydrogen to helium provides the basic energy source of the Sun. The effect of the solar luminosity increase on the terrestrial climate is briefly considered. It appears unlikely that an enhanced greenhouse effect, due to reduced gases (NH3, CH4), can account for the long-term paleoclimatic trends.

Endal, A. S.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Predicted High-Pressure Hot Superconductivity in Li 2 CaH 16 and Li 2 CaH 17 Phases that Resemble the Type-II Clathrate Structure

High-temperature high-pressure superconducting hydrides are typically characterized by cage-like hydrogenic lattices filled with electropositive metal atoms. Here, density functional theory based evolutionary crystal structure searches find two phases that possess these geometric features and are related to the Type-II clathrate structure. In these Fd$\overline{3}$m Li 2 CaH 16 and R$\overline{3}$m Li 2 CaH 17 phases the calcium atom occupies the larger cage and the lithium atom the smaller one. The highest superconducting critical temperatures predicted within the isotropic Eliashberg formalism, 330 K at 350 GPa for Fd$\overline{3}$m Li 2 CaH 16 and 370 K at 300 GPa for R$\overline{3}$m Li 2 CaH 17 , suggest these structures are another example of hot superconducting hydrides. As pressure is lowered the cage-like lattices distort with the emergence of quasimolecular hydrogenic motifs; nonetheless Li 2 CaH 17 is predicted to be superconducting down to 160 GPa at 205 K.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Structural switching dynamically controls the doubly pseudoknotted Rous sarcoma virus–programmed ribosomal frameshifting element

A hallmark of retrovirus replication is the translation of two different polyproteins from one RNA through programmed –1 frameshifting. This is a mechanism in which the actively translating ribosome is induced to slip in the 5′ direction at a defined codon and then continues translating in the new reading frame. Programmed frameshifting controls the stoichiometry of viral proteins and is therefore under stringent evolutionary selection. Forty years ago, the first frameshifting stimulatory element was discovered in the Rous sarcoma virus. The ~120 nt RNA segment was predicted to contain a pseudoknot, but its 3D structure has remained elusive. Now, we have determined cryoEM and X-ray crystallographic structures of this classic retroviral element, finding that it adopts a butterfly-like double-pseudoknot fold. One “wing” contains a dynamic pyrimidine-rich helix, observed crystallographically in two conformations and in a third conformation via cryoEM. The other wing encompasses the predicted pseudoknot, which interacts with a second unexpected pseudoknot through a toggle residue, A2546. This key purine switches conformations between structural states and tunes the stability of interacting residues in the two wings. We find that its mutation can modulate frameshifting by as much as 50-fold, likely by altering the relative abundance of different structural states in the conformational ensemble of the RNA. Taken together, our structure–function analyses reveal how a dynamic double pseudoknot junction stimulates frameshifting by taking advantage of conformational heterogeneity, supporting a multistate model in which high Shannon entropy enhances frameshifting efficiency.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
NASA NTRS1995

On the luminosity function, lifetimes, and origin of blue stragglers in globular clusters

We compute theoretical evolutionary tracks of blue stragglers created by mergers. Two formation scenarios are considered: mergers of primordial binaries, and stellar collisions. These two scenarios predict strikingly different luminosity functions, which are potentially distinguishable observationally. Tabulated theoretical luminosity functions and lifetimes are presented for blue stragglers formed under a variety of input conditions. We compare our results with observations of the blue straggler sequences in 47 Tucanae and M3. In the case of 47 Tuc, the luminosity function and the formation rate are compatible with the hypothesis that the blue stragglers formed through the collision of single stars. Mergers of primordial binaries are only marginally cosistent with the data, and a significant enhancement of the collision cross section by binary-single-star encounters appears to be ruled out. In the case of M3, we find that the innermost blue stragglers have a luminosity function significantly different from that of the outer stragglers, thus confirming earlier suggestions that there are two distinct populations of blue stragglers in this cluster. The inner stragglers are preferentially brighter and bluer, as would be expected if they were made by collisions, but there are so many of them that the collision rate would need to be enhanced by interactions involving wide binaries. The luminosity function of the outer stragglers is almost identical to the predictions of mergers from primordial binaries and is inconsistent with the collision hypothesis.

Bailyn, Charles D.↗
NASA NTRS1995

New developments for SAW channelization for mobile satellite payloads

The use of SAW technology in mobile communication payloads is becoming widely accepted by the industry since being pioneered by Inmarsat for its third generation of satellites. This paper presents new developments in this area, including broadband processors of the Inmarsat 3 type, and the use of SAW filters at L-band. It is demonstrated that SAW processors have considerable potential for increasing the capacity of future communications payloads, while allowing fully transparent operation without any restriction on traffic type or modulation format. In addition to the evolutionary development of Inmarsat type processors, new SAW applications have also emerged recently. Therefore, despite the rapid changes in the industry, it is predicted that SAW processing has a strong future in satellite communications.

Peach, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Toward Optimal Transport Networks

Strictly evolutionary approaches to improving the air transport system a highly complex network of interacting systems no longer suffice in the face of demand that is projected to double or triple in the near future. Thus evolutionary approaches should be augmented with active design methods. The ability to actively design, optimize and control a system presupposes the existence of predictive modeling and reasonably well-defined functional dependences between the controllable variables of the system and objective and constraint functions for optimization. Following recent advances in the studies of the effects of network topology structure on dynamics, we investigate the performance of dynamic processes on transport networks as a function of the first nontrivial eigenvalue of the network's Laplacian, which, in turn, is a function of the network s connectivity and modularity. The last two characteristics can be controlled and tuned via optimization. We consider design optimization problem formulations. We have developed a flexible simulation of network topology coupled with flows on the network for use as a platform for computational experiments.

Alexandrov, Natalia↗
NASA NTRS2008

The Dearth of UV-bright Stars in M32: Implications for Stellar Evolution Theory

Using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope, we have obtained deep far ultraviolet images of the compact elliptical galaxy M32. When combined with earlier near-ultraviolet images of the same field, these data enable the construction of an ultraviolet color-magnitude diagram of the hot horizontal branch (HB) population and other hot stars in late phases of stellar evolution. We find few post-asymptotic giant branch (PAGB) stars in the galaxy, implying that these stars either cross the HR diagram more rapidly than expected, and/or that they spend a significant fraction of their time enshrouded in circumstellar material. The predicted luminosity gap between the hot HB and its AGB-Manque (AGBM) progeny is less pronounced than expected, especially when compared to evolutionary tracks with enhanced helium abundances, implying that the presence of hot HB stars in this metal-rich population is not due to (Delta)Y/(Delta)Z greater than or approx. 4. Only a small fraction (approx. 2%) of the HB population is hot enough to produce significant UV emission, yet most of the W emission in this galaxy comes from the hot HB and AGBM stars, implying that PAGB stars are not a significant source of W emission even in those elliptical galaxies with a weak W excess. Subject headings: galaxies: evolution - galaxies: stellar content - galaxies: individual (M32) - stars: evolution - stars: horizontal branch

Sweigart, Allen V.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Evolutionary variations of solar luminosity

The Theoretical arguments for a 30% increase in the solar luminosity over the past 4.7 billion years are reviewed. A scaling argument shows that this increase can be predicted without detailed numerical calculations. The magnitude of the increase is independent of nuclear reaction rates, as long as conversion of hydrogen to helium provides the basic energy source of the Sun. The effect of the solar luminosity increase on the terrestrial climate is briefly considered. It appears unlikely that an enhanced greenhouse effect, due to reduced gases (NH3, CH4), can account for the long-term paleoclimatic trends.

Endal, A. S.↗
NASA NTRS1972

The calculation and publication of a grid of line-blanketed model stellar atmospheres

The luminosity, mass, and elemental abundances, as well as other properties of each star are studied in order to locate them in an evolutionary pattern. A method for determining the flux, gravity, and abundances at the stellar surface is the construction of theoretical stellar atmospheric models that predict the observed energy distribution and detailed stellar spectrum.

Avrett, E. H.↗
DOE OSTI2025

A call for caution in the biological interpretation of viral auxiliary metabolic genes

Virus-encoded auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) are non-essential genes that increase viral fitness by maintaining or manipulating host metabolism during infection. AMGs are intriguing from an evolutionary perspective, as most viral genomes are highly compact and have limited coding capacity for accessory genes. Advances in viral (meta)genomics have expanded the detection of putative AMGs from viruses in diverse environments. However, this has also led to many instances of misannotation due to the limitations of annotation tools, resulting in misinterpretations about the roles of some viral genes. Here, we highlight studies that support claims about AMGs with more than just function predictions for guidance on best practices. We then propose the adoption of an expanded, inclusive view of all genes auxiliary to core viral functions with the term ‘auxiliary viral genes’ (AVGs), alongside an associated eco-evolutionary framework for considering the types of analyses that can better support claims made about AVGs.

Environmental microbiology↗
NASA NTRS1976

Degradation of large, period II lunar craters

Nighttime thermal maps of large, young lunar craters show an evolutionary sequence in the gross morphology of thermal patterns associated with the craters. The nature of the sequence is consistent with crater degradation models which predict a filling of large craters with material from the walls. Detailed comparison of a nighttime thermal map of Copernicus with a geologic map demonstrates that a smooth floor unit characterized as impact melt is more likely wall debris. Nighttime thermal maps will be particularly useful for quantifying crater modification which has occurred in the relatively quiescent post-basin period of lunar history.

Mendell, W. W.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Contact binary stars

Densities, corrected primary colors, minimum periods, inferred masses, luminosities, and specific angular momenta are computed from data on 37 W Ursae Majoris systems. A-type systems, having lower densities and angular momenta than the W-type systems, are shown to be evolved, and a new class of contact binary is identified, the OO Aquilae systems, whose members have evolved into contact. Evolutionary grids based on the contact condition agree with observation, except in that the evolved A-type systems have lost more angular momentum than predicted by gravitational radiation alone. This is accounted for by stellar wind magnetic braking, which is shown to be effective on a shorter time scale and to be important in other kinds of binaries containing a cool, tidally coupled component.

Mochnacki, S. W.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Numerical studies of collapsing interstellar clouds

Numerical simulation of the structure and evolution of interstellar clouds was conducted. Steps were taken toward an integrated treatment of the dynamical, thermal, and chemical processes entering model calculations, and a detailed study was made of radiative transfer in molecular lines to allow model predictions to be tested against empirical data. It is shown that the shapes of molecular lines are sensitive to details of the cloud structure and evolutionary state and are thus useful in inferring the cloud density, temperature, chemical composition, age, and initial conditions. The calculations have successfully reproduced and explained several observed cloud properties, including abundances of complex molecular species and the apparent depletion of CO in dense cores.

Bodenheimer, Peter↗