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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 1,225 records · Page 68
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

Genetic variation and radiation quality impact cancer promoting cellular phenotypes in response to HZE exposure

There exists a wide degree of genetic variation within the normal human population which includes disease free individuals with heterozygote defects in major DNA repair genes. A lack of understanding of how this genetic variation impacts cellular phenotypes that inform cancer risk post heavy ion exposure poses a major limitation in developing personalized cancer risk assessment astronauts. We initiated a pilot study with Human Mammary Epithelial Cell strains (HMEC) derived from wild type, a p16 silenced derivative of wild type, and various genetic variants that were heterozygote for DNA repair genes; BRCA1, BRCA2 and ATM. Cells strains were exposed to different high and low LET radiation qualities to generate both simple and complex lesions and centrosome aberrations were examined as a surrogate marker of genomic instability and cancer susceptibility post different exposures. Our results indicate that centrosome aberration frequency is higher in the genetic variants under study. The aberration frequency increases with dose, complexity of the lesion generated by different radiation qualities and age of the individual. This increase in genomic instability correlates with elevated check-point activation post radiation exposure. These studies suggest that the influence of individual genetics on cell cycle regulation could modify the degree of early genomic instability in response to complex lesions and potentially define cancer predisposition in response to HZE exposure. These results will have significant implications in estimating cancer susceptibility in genetically variant individuals exposed to HZE particles.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Crystal structure of the mitochondrial protein mitoNEET bound to a benze-sulfonide ligand

MitoNEET (gene cisd1) is a mitochondrial outer membrane [2Fe-2S] protein and is a potential drug target in several metabolic diseases. Previous studies have demonstrated that mitoNEET functions as a redox-active and pH-sensing protein that regulates mitochondrial metabolism, although the structural basis of the potential drug binding site(s) remains elusive. Here we report the crystal structure of the soluble domain of human mitoNEET with a sulfonamide ligand, furosemide. Exploration of the high-resolution crystal structure is used to design mitoNEET binding molecules in a pilot study of molecular probes for use in future development of mitochondrial targeted therapies for a wide variety of metabolic diseases, including obesity, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

TH-CD-207A-11: Sensitivity Analysis of Action Limits for Real-Time EPID-Based Delivery Verification System Using Artificial Clinical Relevant Error Simulations

Purpose: A real-time patient treatment delivery verification system using EPID (Watchdog) has been developed as an advanced patient safety tool. In a pilot study data was acquired for 119 prostate and head and neck (HN) IMRT patient deliveries to generate body-site specific action limits using statistical process control. The purpose of this study is to determine the sensitivity of Watchdog to detect clinically significant errors during treatment delivery. Methods: Watchdog utilizes a physics-based model to generate a series of predicted transit cine EPID images as a reference data set, and compares these in real-time to measured transit cine-EPID images acquired during treatment using chi comparison (4%, 4mm criteria) after the initial 2s of treatment to allow for dose ramp-up. Four study cases were used; dosimetric (monitor unit) errors in prostate (7 fields) and HN (9 fields) IMRT treatments of (5%, 7%, 10%) and positioning (systematic displacement) errors in the same treatments of (5mm, 7mm, 10mm). These errors were introduced by modifying the patient CT scan and re-calculating the predicted EPID data set. The error embedded predicted EPID data sets were compared to the measured EPID data acquired during patient treatment. The treatment delivery percentage (measured from 2s) where Watchdog detected the error was determined. Results: Watchdog detected all simulated errors for all fields during delivery. The dosimetric errors were detected at average treatment delivery percentage of (4%, 0%, 0%) and (7%, 0%, 0%) for prostate and HN respectively. For patient positional errors, the average treatment delivery percentage was (52%, 43%, 25%) and (39%, 16%, 6%). Conclusion: These results suggest that Watchdog can detect significant dosimetric and positioning errors in prostate and HN IMRT treatments in real-time allowing for treatment interruption. Displacements of the patient require longer to detect however incorrect body site or very large geographic misses will be detected rapidly.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2012

FGD Additives to Segregate and Sequester Mercury in Solid Byproducts (Final Report)

Many mercury control strategies for U.S. coal-fired power generating plants involve co-benefit capture of oxidized mercury from flue gases treated by wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems. For these processes to be effective at overall mercury control, the captured mercury must not be re-emitted to the atmosphere or into surface or ground water. The project sought to identify scrubber additives and FGD operating conditions under which mercury re-emissions would decrease and mercury would remain in the liquor and be blown down from the system in the chloride purge stream. After exiting the FGD system, mercury would react with precipitating agents to form stable solid byproducts and would be removed in a dewatering step. The FGD gypsum solids, free of most of the mercury, could then be disposed or processed for reuse as wallboard or in other beneficial reuse. The project comprised extensive bench-scale FGD scrubber tests in Phases I and II. During Phase II, the approaches developed at the bench scale were tested at the pilot scale. Laboratory wastewater treatment tests measured the performance of precipitating agents in removing mercury from the chloride purge stream. Finally, the economic viability of the approaches tested was evaluated.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Long Island Smart Metering Pilot Project

The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) Smart Meter Pilots provided invaluable information and experience for future deployments of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), including the deployment planned as part of LIPA's Smart Grid Demonstration Project (DE-OE0000220). LIPA will incorporate lessons learned from this pilot in future deployments, including lessons relating to equipment performance specifications and testing, as well as equipment deployment and tracking issues. LIPA ultimately deployed three AMI technologies instead of the two that were originally contemplated. This enabled LIPA to evaluate multiple systems in field conditions with a relatively small number of meter installations. LIPA experienced a number of equipment and software issues that it did not anticipate, including issues relating to equipment integration, ability to upgrade firmware and software over the air (as opposed to physically interacting with every meter), and logistical challenges associated with tracking inventory and upgrade status of deployed meters. In addition to evaluating the technology, LIPA also piloted new Time-of-Use (TOU) rates to assess customer acceptance of time-differentiated pricing and to evaluate whether customers would respond by adjusting their activities from peak to non-peak periods. LIPA developed a marketing program to educate customers who received AMI in the pilot areas and to seek voluntary participation in TOU pricing. LIPA also guaranteed participating customers that, for their initial year on the rates, their electricity costs under the TOU rate would not exceed the amount they would have paid under the flat rates they would otherwise enjoy. 62 residential customers chose to participate in the TOU rates, and every one of them saved money during the first year. 61 of them also elected to stay on the TOU rate without the cost guarantee at the end of that year. The customer who chose not to continue on the rate was also the one who achieved the greatest savings. However, after the first year, the customer in question installed equipment that would have made TOU rates a more costly option than the residential flat rate. During the second year, all but one customer saved money. That customer increased usage during peak hours, and as a result saw an increase in annual costs (as compared to the flat rate) of $\$$24.17. The results were less clear for commercial customers, which LIPA attributes to rate design issues that it will take into account for future deployments. LIPA views this pilot as a complete success. Not only is LIPA better prepared for a larger deployment of AMI, but it is confident that residential customers will accept AMI and TOU rates and shift their energy consumption from peak to non-peak periods in response to pricing. On a larger scale, this will benefit LIPA and all of its customers by potentially lowering peak demand when energy costs are highest.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Brine Availability Test in Salt (BATS) FY23 Update

This report summarizes the fiscal year 2023 (FY23) status of the second phase of a series of borehole heater tests in salt at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) funded by the Disposal Research and Development (R&D) program of the Spent Fuel & Waste Science and Technology (SFWST) office at the US Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy’s (DOE-NE) Office in the Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition (SFWD) program.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS1975

Redundant actuator development program

Two concepts of redundant secondary actuator mechanization, applicable to future advanced flight control systems, were studied to quantitatively assess their design applicability to an AST. The two actuator concepts, a four-channel, force summed system and a three-channel, active/standby system have been developed and evaluated through analysis, analog computer simulation, and piloted motion simulation. The quantitative comparison of the two concepts indicates that the force summed concept better meet performance requirements, although the active/standby is superior in other respects. Both concepts are viable candidates for advanced control application dependent on the specific performance requirements.

Chenoweth, C. C.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Aircraft cockpit vision: Math model

A mathematical model was developed to describe the field of vision of a pilot seated in an aircraft. Given the position and orientation of the aircraft, along with the geometrical configuration of its windows, and the location of an object, the model determines whether the object would be within the pilot's external vision envelope provided by the aircraft's windows. The computer program using this model was implemented and is described.

Bashir, J.↗
NASA NTRS1978

EXXON donor solvent coal liquefaction process

A solvent coal liquefaction process to produce low-sulfur liquid products from a wide range of coals is described. An integrated program of laboratory and engineering research and development in conjunction with operation of a 250 T/D pilot plant is discussed.

Epperly, W. R.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Automated solar panel assembly line

The initial stage of the automated solar panel assembly line program was devoted to concept development and proof of approach through simple experimental verification. In this phase, laboratory bench models were built to demonstrate and verify concepts. Following this phase was machine design and integration of the various machine elements. The third phase was machine assembly and debugging. In this phase, the various elements were operated as a unit and modifications were made as required. The final stage of development was the demonstration of the equipment in a pilot production operation.

Somberg, H.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Emergency in-flight egress for general aviation aircraft

A NASA program for development of an inflight egress system for the left (pilot) door of general aviation aircraft is described. The pyrotechnic release door was felt to be necessary because of pilot difficulty in reaching the right door when subjected to spin/stall centrifugal effects. A flexible, linear shaped charged of hexanitrostibene II and a lanyard actuated detonator are discussed, along with mock-up tests and instrumentation. The egress system was designed for minimum structural impact, mimimum pilot initiation procedures, low weight, and no egress interference, and to provide sufficient force to blow off the door, have low required maintenance, and high reliability. Results of 68 tests are reviewed, noting the inclusion of a screen to keep glass fragments from spraying the cabin. Certification was achieved, and uses in the F-111 and B-1 aircraft are noted.

Bement, L. J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Design and Conduct of a Windshear Detection Flight Experiment

A description of the design and conduct of a series of flight experiments which tested the performance of candidate windshear detection devices is presented. With prototype windshear sensors installed, a NASA Boeing 737 test aircraft conducted numerous low altitude penetrations of microburst windshear conditions. These tests were preceded by extensive preparations which included piloted simulations, determination of safe operating limits, and the development of unique flight test hardware, displays, and procedures. The test aircraft and more than 50 research and support personnel were deployed to Orlando, Florida, and Denver, Colorado, during June and July 1991 for field testing. Upon receiving a forecast of developing weather activity, the aircraft crew launched and proceeded to the storm location, guided by uplinked ground radar information and voice communications with ground weather personnel. The tests required constant monitoring of numerous factors including aircraft flight parameters, ground obstructions, windshear magnitude, lightning, escape routes, ATC coordination, storm cell development, and others. The flight tests were extremely successful, safely recording more than 25 low altitude microburst windshear and strong gust front approaches and penetrations, along with completing a full test matrix of additional requirements related to windshear sensor performance. Data quality from the tests was excellent and indicates strong potential for airborne remote sensors to accurately predict and warn the flight crew of hazardous windshear conditions with ample time for precautionary crew action.

Flight Testing↗
NASA NTRS1994

The navigation toolkit

This report summarizes the experience of the authors in managing, designing, and implementing an object-oriented applications framework for orbital navigation analysis for the Flight Design and Dynamics Department of the Rockwell Space Operations Company in Houston, in support of the Mission Operations Directorate of NASA's Johnson Space Center. The 8 person year project spanned 1.5 years and produced 30,000 lines of C++ code, replacing 150,000 lines of Fortran/C. We believe that our experience is important because it represents a 'second project' experience and generated real production-quality code - it was not a pilot. The project successfully demonstrated the use of 'continuous development' or rapid prototyping techniques. Use of formal methods and executable models contributed to the quality of the code. Keys to the success of the project were a strong architectural vision and highly skilled workers. This report focuses on process and methodology, and not on a detailed design description of the product. But the true importance of the object-oriented paradigm is its liberation of the developer to focus on the problem rather than the means used to solve the problem.

Rich, William F.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Computerized Attendance Accounting and Emergency Assistance Communications: Viable Tools in Secondary School Administration

In the late 1968, the Space Technology Application Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) initiated a pilot study to determine whether technological aids could be developed that would help secondary school administrators cope with the volatile and chaotic situations that often accompany student activism, disorders, and riots. The study was conducted in cooperation with the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) and at the John F. Kennedy Senior High School (JFK) in Sacramento, California. The problems at JFK and in the SCUSD were identified and described to the JPL team by members of the Kennedy staff and personnel at various levels and departments within the school district. The JPL team of engineers restricted their scope to problems that appeared solvable, or at least partially solvable, through the use of technological systems. Thus far, two hardware systems have been developed for use in the school. The first, a personal emergency assistance communication system, has already been tested operationally at JFK and has met the objectives established for it. The second technological aid developed was a computerized attendance accounting system. This system has been fabricated, tested, and installed at JFK. Full-scale operational testing began in April 1971. While studies and hardware tests were in progress at JFK, contacts were made with several other schools in order that, insofar as practicable, hardware designs could allow for possible adaptation to schools other than JFK.

Roberts, Vasel W.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Quiet Supersonic Wind Tunnel Development

The ability to control the extent of laminar flow on swept wings at supersonic speeds may be a critical element in developing the enabling technology for a High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT). Laminar boundary layers are less resistive to forward flight than their turbulent counterparts, thus the farther downstream that transition from laminar to turbulent flow in the wing boundary layer is extended can be of significant economic impact. Due to the complex processes involved experimental studies of boundary layer stability and transition are needed, and these are performed in "quiet" wind tunnels capable of simulating the low-disturbance environment of free flight. At Ames, a wind tunnel has been built to operate at flow conditions which match those of the HSCT laminar flow flight demonstration 'aircraft, the F-16XL, i.e. at a Mach number of 1.6 and a Reynolds number range of 1 to 3 million per foot. This will allow detailed studies of the attachment line and crossflow on the leading edge area of the highly swept wing. Also, use of suction as a means of control of transition due to crossflow and attachment line instabilities can be studied. Topics covered include: test operating conditions required; design requirements to efficiently make use of the existing infrastructure; development of an injector drive system using a small pilot facility; plenum chamber design; use of computational tools for tunnel and model design; and early operational results.

King, Lyndell S.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Pre-Departure Clearance (PDC): An Analysis of Aviation Safety Reporting System Reports Concerning PDC Related Errors

Airlines operating in the United States are required to operate under instrument flight rules (EFR). Typically, a clearance is issued via voice transmission from clearance delivery at the departing airport. In 1990, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began deployment of the Pre-Departure Clearance (PDC) system at 30 U.S. airports. The PDC system utilizes aeronautical datalink and Aircraft Communication and Reporting System (ACARS) to transmit departure clearances directly to the pilot. An objective of the PDC system is to provide an immediate reduction in voice congestion over the clearance delivery frequency. Participating airports report that this objective has been met. However, preliminary analysis of 42 Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) reports has revealed problems in PDC procedures and formatting which have caused errors in the proper execution of the clearance. It must be acknowledged that this technology, along with other advancements on the flightdeck, is adding more responsibility to the crew and increasing the opportunity for error. The present study uses these findings as a basis for further coding and analysis of an additional 82 reports obtained from an ASRS database search. These reports indicate that clearances are often amended or exceptions are added in order to accommodate local ATC facilities. However, the onboard ACARS is limited in its ability to emphasize or highlight these changes which has resulted in altitude and heading deviations along with increases in ATC workload. Furthermore, few participating airports require any type of PDC receipt confirmation. In fact, 35% of all ASRS reports dealing with PDC's include failure to acquire the PDC at all. Consequently, this study examines pilots' suggestions contained in ASRS reports in order to develop recommendations to airlines and ATC facilities to help reduce the amount of incidents that occur.

Montalyo, Michael L.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) Project Summary

Since the 1960's, NASA has performed numerous rendezvous and docking missions. The common element of all US rendezvous and docking is that the spacecraft has always been piloted by astronauts. Only the Russian Space Program has developed and demonstrated an autonomous capability. The Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) project currently funded under NASA's Space Launch Initiative (SLI) Cycle I, provides a key step in establishing an autonomous rendezvous capability for the United States. DART's objective is to demonstrate, in space, the hardware and software necessary for autonomous rendezvous. Orbital Sciences Corporation intends to integrate an Advanced Video Guidance Sensor and Autonomous Rendezvous and Proximity Operations algorithms into a Pegasus upper stage in order to demonstrate the capability to autonomously rendezvous with a target currently in orbit. The DART mission will occur in April 2004. The launch site will be Vandenburg AFB and the launch vehicle will be a Pegasus XL equipped with a Hydrazine Auxiliary Propulsion System 4th stage. All mission objectives will be completed within a 24 hour period. The paper provides a summary of mission objectives, mission overview and a discussion on the design features of the chase and target vehicles.

TImothy E Rumford↗