Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “production pathways”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1976

Formation of nucleoside 5'-polyphosphates under potentially prebiological conditions

The characteristics and efficiencies of biochemical reactions involving nucleoside 5'-diphosphates and -triphosphates (important substrates of RNA and DNA synthesis) under conditions corresponding to the primitive prebiotic earth are investigated. Urea catalysis of the formation of linear inorganic polyphosphates and metal ions promoting the reactions are discussed. Linear polyphosphate was incubated with Mg(++) in the presence of a nucleoside 5'-phosphate, to yield nucleoside 5'-polyphosphates when products are dried, while Mg(++) prompts depolymerization to trimetaphosphate in aqueous solutions. Plausible biogenetic pathways are examined.

Lohrmann, R.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Mass spectrometric studies of trimethylindium pyrolysis

The kinetics of the pyrolysis of trimethylindium (TMIn) in He, D2, and H2 carriers was investigated using the atmospheric pressure flow-tube apparatus described by Larsen et al. (1987) and a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The rate constant for the pyrolysis of TMIn in He was found to be comparable to that found by Jacko and Price (1964) for TMIn in toluene carrier (a radical scavenger), indicating that TMIn decomposes in He not by radical attack of methyl groups, but by homolytic fission. The decomposition of TMIn is enhanced in D2 and H2 carriers, where the principal products are CH3D and C2H6, and CH4 and C2H6, respectively, indicating that the reaction pathway in these carriers is different from those in He and toluene. The pyrolysis in H2 and D2 is attributed to a radical attack by H or D on TMIn. A reaction mechanism involving a short-lived hypervalent DTMIn species was proposed and was tested using numerical modeling techniques.

Buchan, N. I.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Use of microgravity bioreactors for development of an in vitro rat salivary gland cell culture model

During development, salivary gland (SG) cells both secrete factors which modulate cellular behavior and express specific hormone receptors. Whether SG cell growth is modulated by an autocrine epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor-mediated signal transduction pathway is not clearly understood. SG tissue is the synthesis site for functionally distinct products including growth factors, digestive enzymes, and homeostasis maintaining factors. Historically, SG cells have proven difficult to grow and may be only maintained as limited three-dimensional ductal-type structures in collagen gels or on reconstituted basement membrane gels. A novel approach to establishing primary rat SG cultures is use of microgravity bioreactors originally designed by NASA as low-shear culture systems for predicting cell growth and differentiation in the microgravity environment of space. These completely fluid-filled bioreactors, which are oriented horizontally and rotate, have proven advantageous for Earth-based culture of three-dimensional cell assemblies, tissue-like aggregates, and glandular structures. Use of microgravity bioreactors for establishing in vitro models to investigate steroid-mediated secretion of EGF by normal SG cells may also prove useful for the investigation of cancer and other salivary gland disorders. These microgravity bioreactors promise challenging opportunities for future applications in basic and applied cell research.

NASA Program Space Biology↗
NASA NTRS2011

Managing Toxicological Risks: The Legacy of Shuttle Operations

Space toxicology greatly matured as a result of research and operations associated with the Shuttle. Materials offgassing had been a manageable concern since the Apollo days, but we learned to pay careful attention to compounds that could escape containment, to combustion events, to toxic propellants, to overuse of utility compounds, and to microbial and human metabolites. We also learned that flying real-time hardware to monitor air pollutants was a pathway with unanticipated speed bumps. Each new orbiter was tested for any excess offgassing products that could pollute the air during flight. In the late 1990s toxicologists and safety experts developed a 5-level toxicity rating system to guide containment of toxic compounds. This system is now in use aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Several combustion events during Shuttle Mir and also during Shuttle free-flight impelled toxicologists to identify hardware capable of monitoring toxic products; however, rapid adaptation of the hardware for the unique conditions of spaceflight caused unexpected missteps. Current and planned combustion analyzers would be useful to commercial partners that wish to manage the risk of health effects from thermal events. Propellants received special attention during the Shuttle program because of the possibility of bringing them into the habitable volume on extravehicular activity suits. Monitors for the airlocks were developed to mitigate this risk. Utility materials, such as lubricants, posed limited toxicological problems because water was not recovered. One clearly documented case of microbial metabolites polluting the Shuttle atmosphere was noted, and this has implications for commercial flights and control of microbes. Finally, carbon dioxide, the major human metabolite, episodically presented air quality problems aboard Shuttle, especially when nominal air flows were obstructed. Commercial vehicles must maintain robust air circulation given the anticipated high density of human occupants.

James, John T.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Precision Fermentation: Relieving the Crabtree Effect in S. cerevisiae through Genetic Engineering

Nutrient degradation in the current NASA pre-packaged food system poses significant challenges to crew health in missions beyond low earth orbit as certain vitamins and nutrients have been shown to degrade during extended storage, and resupply and fresh food items cannot be readily provided. BioNutrients(BN) uses synthetic biology in an effort to supplement the NASA food system by delivering in situ production of nutrients and therapeutics produced by genetically engineered microbes. One yeast S. cerevisiae strain utilized in BN is genetically modified to produce two types of antioxidants: zeaxanthin and β-carotene. Zeaxanthin is a non-provitamin A carotenoid and has been implicated in eye health and vision performance, and β-carotene is a provitamin A carotenoid. Microbial production of high-value nutrients can aid our understanding and address the issue of nutrient degradation and loss in the NASA food system. Although S. cerevisiae is an excellent candidate for a long shelf life, on-demand nutrient production system, its space applications are limited by the Crabtree effect where respiration is shut down in favor of fermentative metabolism when glucose is present in high concentrations, causing the release of unwanted ethanol. Current and likely future life support systems are negatively impacted by ethanol and ethanol release is strictly limited.To improve feasibility of using S. cerevisiae, we explored ways to reduce the Crabtree effect, thereby limiting its ethanol production. Specifically, we used CRISPR-cas9 to genetically modify various genes in this pathway

E Zaroff↗
NASA NTRS2000

Cell signaling by reactive nitrogen and oxygen species in atherosclerosis

The production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species has been implicated in atherosclerosis principally as means of damaging low-density lipoprotein that in turn initiates the accumulation of cholesterol in macrophages. The diversity of novel oxidative modifications to lipids and proteins recently identified in atherosclerotic lesions has revealed surprising complexity in the mechanisms of oxidative damage and their potential role in atherosclerosis. Oxidative or nitrosative stress does not completely consume intracellular antioxidants leading to cell death as previously thought. Rather, oxidative and nitrosative stress have a more subtle impact on the atherogenic process by modulating intracellular signaling pathways in vascular tissues to affect inflammatory cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, and differentiation. Furthermore, cellular responses can affect the production of nitric oxide, which in turn can strongly influence the nature of oxidative modifications occurring in atherosclerosis. The dynamic interactions between endogenous low concentrations of oxidants or reactive nitrogen species with intracellular signaling pathways may have a general role in processes affecting wound healing to apoptosis, which can provide novel insights into the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

Review, Tutorial↗
NASA NTRS2010

Understanding the Transport of Patagonian Dust and Its Influence on Marine Biological Activity in the South Atlantic Ocean

Modeling and remote sensing techniques were applied to examine the horizontal and vertical transport pathways of Patagonian dust and quantify the effect of soluble-iron- laden mineral dust deposition on marine primary productivity in the South Atlantic Ocean (SAO) surface waters. The global chemistry transport model GEOS-Chem, implemented with an iron dissolution scheme, was applied to evaluate the atmospheric transport and deposition of mineral dust and bioavailable iron during two dust outbreaks originating in the source regions of Patagonia. In addition to this "rapidly released" iron, offline calculations were also carried out to estimate the amount of bioavailable iron leached during the residence time of dust in the ocean mixed layer. Model simulations showed that the horizontal and vertical transport pathways of Patagonian dust plumes were largely influenced by the synoptic meteorological patterns of high and low pressure systems. Model-predicted horizontal and vertical transport pathways of Patagonian dust over the SAO were in reasonable agreement with remotely-sensed data. Comparison between remotely-sensed and offline calculated ocean surface chlorophyll-a concentrations indicated that, for the two dust outbreaks examined in this study, the deposition of bioavailable iron in the SAO through atmospheric pathways was insignificant. As the two dust transport episodes examined here represent typical outflows of mineral dust from South American sources, our study suggests that the atmospheric deposition of mineral dust is unlikely to induce large scale marine primary productivity and carbon sequestration in the South Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean.

Johnson, Matthew↗
NASA NTRS2002

Gas-Phase Reaction Pathways and Rate Coefficients for the Dichlorosilane-Hydrogen and Trichlorosilane-Hydrogen Systems

As part of NASA Ames Research Center's Integrated Process Team on Device/Process Modeling and Nanotechnology our goal is to create/contribute to a gas-phase chemical database for use in modeling microelectronics devices. In particular, we use ab initio methods to determine chemical reaction pathways and to evaluate reaction rate coefficients. Our initial studies concern reactions involved in the dichlorosilane-hydrogen (SiCl2H2--H2) and trichlorosilane-hydrogen (SiCl2H-H2) systems. Reactant, saddle point (transition state), and product geometries and their vibrational harmonic frequencies are determined using the complete-active-space self-consistent-field (CASSCF) electronic structure method with the correlation consistent polarized valence double-zeta basis set (cc-pVDZ). Reaction pathways are constructed by following the imaginary frequency mode of the saddle point to both the reactant and product. Accurate energetics are determined using the singles and doubles coupled-cluster method that includes a perturbational estimate of the effects of connected triple excitations (CCSD(T)) extrapolated to the complete basis set limit. Using the data from the electronic structure calculations, reaction rate coefficients are obtained using conventional and variational transition state and RRKM theories.

Dateo, Christopher E.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Systematic Sensitivity Analysis of Metabolic Controllers During Reductions in Skeletal Muscle Blood Flow

An acute reduction in oxygen delivery to skeletal muscle is generally associated with profound derangements in substrate metabolism. Given the complexity of the human bioenergetic system and its components, it is difficult to quantify the interaction of cellular metabolic processes to maintain ATP homeostasis during stress (e.g., hypoxia, ischemia, and exercise). Of special interest is the determination of mechanisms relating tissue oxygenation to observed metabolic responses at the tissue, organ, and whole body levels and the quantification of how changes in oxygen availability affect the pathways of ATP synthesis and their regulation. In this study, we apply a previously developed mathematical model of human bioenergetics to study effects of ischemia during periods of increased ATP turnover (e.g., exercise). By using systematic sensitivity analysis the oxidative phosphorylation rate was found to be the most important rate parameter affecting lactate production during ischemia under resting conditions. Here we examine whether mild exercise under ischemic conditions alters the relative importance of pathways and parameters previously obtained.

Radhakrishnan, Krishnan↗
NASA NTRS2015

Integration of Product, Package, Process, and Environment: A Food System Optimization

The food systems slated for future NASA missions must meet crew nutritional needs, be acceptable for consumption, and use resources efficiently. Although the current food system of prepackaged, moderately stabilized food items works well for International Space Station (ISS) missions, many of the current space menu items do not maintain acceptability and/or nutritive value beyond 2 years. Longer space missions require that the food system can sustain the crew for 3 to 5 years without replenishment. The task "Integration of Product, Package, Process, and Environment: A Food System Optimization" has the objective of optimizing food-product shelf life for the space-food system through product recipe adjustments, new packaging and processing technologies, and modified storage conditions. Two emergent food processing technologies were examined to identify a pathway to stable, wet-pack foods without the detrimental color and texture effects. Both microwave-assisted thermal sterilization (MATS) and pressure-assisted thermal stabilization (PATS) were evaluated against traditional retort processing to determine if lower heat inputs during processing would produce a product with higher micronutrient quality and longer shelf life. While MATS products did have brighter color and better texture initially, the advantages were not sustained. The non-metallized packaging film used in the process likely provided inadequate oxygen barrier. No difference in vitamin stability was evident between MATS and retort processed foods. Similarly, fruit products produced using PATS showed improved color and texture through 3 years of storage compared to retort fruit, but the vitamin stability was not improved. The final processing study involved freeze drying. Five processing factors were tested in factorial design to assess potential impact of each to the quality of freeze-dried food, including the integrity of the microstructure. The initial freezing rate and primary freeze drying temperature and pressure were linked to final product quality in freeze-dried corn, indicating processing modifications that could lead to improved product shelf life. Storage temperatures and packaging systems were also assessed for the impact to food quality. Reduced temperature storage had inconclusive impact to the progression of rancidity in butter cookies. Frozen storage was detrimental to fruit and vegetable textural attributes but refrigerated storage helped to sustain color and organoleptic ratings for plant-based foods. With regard to packaging systems, the metallized film overwrap significantly decreased the progression of the rancidity of butter cookies as compared to the highest barrier non-metallized film. The inclusion of oxygen scavengers resulted in noticeable moisture gains in butter cookies over time, independent of packaging film systems. Neither emergent processing technology nor the freeze dry optimization resulted in compelling quality differences from current space food provisions such that a five-year shelf life is likely with these processing changes alone. Using a combination of refrigeration and PATS processing is expected to result in organoleptically-acceptable fruit quality for most fruits through five years. The vitamin degradation will be aided somewhat by the cold temperatures but, given the labile nature of vitamin C, a more stable fortification method, such as encapsulation, should also be investigated to ensure vitamin delivery throughout the product life. Similarly, significant improvement to the packaging film used in the MATS processing, optimization of formulation for dielectric properties, vitamin fortification, and reduced temperature storage should be investigated as a hurdle approach to reach a five year shelf life in wet-pack entrees and soups. Baked goods and other environmentally-sensitive spaceflight foods will require an almost impenetrable barrier to protect the foods from oxygen and moisture ingress but scavengers and reduced storage temperature did not improve baked good shelf life and are not recommended at this time for these foods.

Cooper, Maya R.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Propranolol and pyrogen effects on shivering and nonshivering thermogenesis in rats

The influence of pyrogen and propranolol (a beta-adrenergic antagonist) on shivering and nonshivering thermogenesis (NST) in male rats exposed to 24-25 C and 17-18 C is studied. It is found that intavenous injection of an exogenous pyrogen into rats exposed to 24-25 C elicited a thermogenic response manifested by elevated body temperature, rate of oxygen consumption, and shivering activity, and that propranolol markedly diminished the pyrogen-induced increases in oxygen consumption and colonic temperature, with little changes in shivering activity. In contrast, in cold-exposed rats, propranolol did nor significantly affect the pyrogen-evoked thermogenesis; shivering rather tended to increase when NST was blocked. It is suggested that the fibrile responses evoked by exogenous pyrogen involve differential effects on the two modes of heat production. The assumption that pyrogen acts at a site common to both shivering and nonshivering pathways or that it uniformly alters the individual set points and/or thresholds for both thermogenic effectors is therefore unlikely in the light of the data presented.

Horwitz, B. A.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Osteoblasts respond to pulsatile fluid flow with short-term increases in PGE(2) but no change in mineralization

Although there is no consensus as to the precise nature of the mechanostimulatory signals imparted to the bone cells during remodeling, it has been postulated that deformation-induced fluid flow plays a role in the mechanotransduction pathway. In vitro, osteoblasts respond to fluid shear stress with an increase in PGE(2) production; however, the long-term effects of fluid shear stress on cell proliferation and differentiation have not been examined. The goal of this study was to apply continuous pulsatile fluid shear stresses to osteoblasts and determine whether the initial production of PGE(2) is associated with long-term biochemical changes. The acute response of bone cells to a pulsatile fluid shear stress (0.6 +/- 0.5 Pa, 3.0 Hz) was characterized by a transient fourfold increase in PGE(2) production. After 7 days of static culture (0 dyn/cm(2)) or low (0.06 +/- 0.05 Pa, 0.3 Hz) or high (0.6 +/- 0.5 Pa, 3.0 Hz) levels of pulsatile fluid shear stress, the bone cells responded with an 83% average increase in cell number, but no statistical difference (P > 0.53) between the groups was observed. Alkaline phosphatase activity per cell decreased in the static cultures but not in the low- or high-flow groups. Mineralization was also unaffected by the different levels of applied shear stress. Our results indicate that short-term changes in PGE(2) levels caused by pulsatile fluid flow are not associated with long-term changes in proliferation or mineralization of bone cells.

NASA Discipline Musculoskeletal↗
NASA NTRS2017

Temperature Changes in the United States

Temperature is among the most important climatic elements used in decision-making. For example, builders and insurers use temperature data for planning and risk management while energy companies and regulators use temperature data to predict demand and set utility rates. Temperature is also a key indicator of climate change: recent increases are apparent over the land, ocean, and troposphere, and substantial changes are expected for this century. This chapter summarizes the major observed and projected changes in near-surface air temperature over the United States, emphasizing new data sets and model projections since the Third National Climate Assessment (NCA3). Changes are depicted using a spectrum of observations, including surface weather stations, moored ocean buoys, polar-orbiting satellites, and temperature-sensitive proxies. Projections are based on global models and downscaled products from CMIP5 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5) using a suite of Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs; see Ch. 4: Projections for more on RCPs and future scenarios).

Vose, R. S.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Hydrogen Migration and Vinylidene Pathway for Formation of Methane in the 193 nm Photodissociation of Propene: CH3CH=CH2 and CD3CD=CD2

Photodissociation channels and the final product yields from the 193 nm photolysis of propene-h6 (CH2=CHCH3) and propene-d6 (CD2=CDCD3) have been investigated, employing gas chromatography, mass spectroscopy, and flame ionization (GC/MS/FID) detection methods. The yields of methane as well as butadiene relative to ethane show considerable variations when propene-h6 or propene-d6 are photolyzed. This suggests significant variances in the relative importance of primary photolytic processes and/or secondary radical reactions, occurring subsequent to the photolysis. Theoretical calculations suggest the potential occurrence of an intramolecular dissociation through a mechanism involving vinylidene formation, accompanied by an ethylenic H-migration through the pi-orbitals. This process affects the final yields of methane-h4 versus methane-d4 with respect to other products. The product yields from previous studies of the 193 nm photolysis of methyl vinyl ketone-h6 and -d6 (CH2=CHCOCH3, CD2=CDCOCD3), alternative precursors for generating methyl and vinyl radicals, are compared with the current results for propene.

Zhao, Yi-Lei↗
NASA NTRS1986

Shock-tube pyrolysis of chlorinated hydrocarbons - Formation of soot

Soot formation in pyrolysis of chlorinated methanes, their mixtures with methane, and chlorinated ethylenes were studied behind reflected shock waves by monitoring the attenuation of an He-Ne laser beam. An additional single-pulse shock-tube study was conducted for the pyrolysis of methane, methyl chloride, and dichloromethane. The experiments were performed at temperatures 1300-3000 K, pressures of 0.4-3.6 bar, and total carbon atom concentrations of 1-5 x 10 to the 17th atoms cu cm. The amounts of soot produced in the pyrolysis of chlorinated hydrocarbons are larger than that of their nonchlorinated counterparts. The sooting behavior and product distribution can be generally explained in terms of chlorine-catalyzed chemical reaction mechanisms. The pathway to soot from chlorinated methanes and ethylenes with high H:Cl ratio proceeds via the formation of C2H, C2H2, and C2H3 species. For chlorinated hydrocarbons with low H:Cl ratio, the formation of C2 and its contribution to soot formation at high temperatures becomes significant. There is evidence for the importance of CHCl radical and its reactions in the pyrolysis of dichloromethane.

Frenklach, M.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Dimerization in Highly Concentrated Solutions of Phosphoimidazolide Activated Mononucleotides

Phosphoimidazolide activated ribomononucleotides (*pN) are useful substrates for the non-enzymatic synthesis of polynucleotides. However, dilute neutral aqueous solutions of *pN typically yield small amounts of dimers and traces of polymers; most of *pN hydrolyzes to yield nucleoside 5'-monophosphate. Here we report the self-condensation of nucleoside 5'-phosphate 2- methylimidazolide (2-MeImpN with N = cytidine, uridine or guanosine) in the presence of Mg2(+) in concentrated solutions, such as might have been found in an evaporating lagoon on prebiotic Earth. The product distribution indicates that oligomerization is favored at the expense of hydrolysis. At 1.0 M, 2-MelmpU and 2-MelmpC produce about 65% of oligomers including 4% of the 3',5'-Iinked dimer. Examination of the product distribution of the three isomeric dimers in a self-condensation allows identification of reaction pathways that lead to dimer formation. Condensations in a concentrated mixture of all three nucleotides (U,C,G mixtures) is made possible by the enhanced solubility of 2-MeImpG in such mixtures. Although percent yield of intemucleotide linked dimers is enhanced as a function of initial monomer concentration, pyrophosphate dimer yields remain practically unchanged at about 20% for 2-MelmpU, 16% for 2-MeImpC and 25% of the total pyrophosphate in the U,C,G mixtures. The efficiency by which oligomers are produced in these concentrated solutions makes the evaporating lagoon scenario a potentially interesting medium for the prebiotic synthesis of dimers and short RNAs.

Kanavarioti, Anastassia↗
NASA NTRS2001

Ongoing cell death and immune influences on regeneration in the vestibular sensory organs

Hair cells in the vestibular organs of birds have a relatively short life span. Mature hair cells appear to die spontaneously and are then quickly replaced by new hair cells that arise from the division of epithelial supporting cells. A similar regenerative mechanism also results in hair cell replacement after ototoxic damage. The cellular basis of hair cell turnover in the avian ear is not understood. We are investigating the signaling pathways that lead to hair cell death and the relationship between ongoing cell death and cell production. In addition, work from our lab and others has demonstrated that the avian inner ear contains a resident population of macrophages and that enhanced numbers of macrophages are recruited to sites of hair cells lesions. Those observations suggest that macrophages and their secretory products (cytokines) may be involved in hair cell regeneration. Consistent with that suggestion, we have found that treatment with the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone reduces regenerative cell proliferation in the avian ear, and that certain macrophage-secreted cytokines can influence the proliferation of vestibular supporting cells and the survival of statoacoustic neurons. Those results suggest a role for the immune system in the process of sensory regeneration in the inner ear.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS2013

Ketene Formation in Interstellar Ices: A Laboratory Study

The formation of ketene (H2CCO, ethenone) in polar and apolar ices was studied with in situ 0.8 MeV proton irradiation, far-UVphotolysis, and infrared spectroscopic analyses at 10-20 K. Using isotopically enriched reagents, unequivocal evidencewas obtained for ketene synthesis in H2O-rich and CO2-rich ices, and several reaction products were identified. Results from scavenging experiments suggested that ketene was formed by free-radical pathways, as opposed to acid-base processes or redox reactions. Finally, we use our results to draw conclusions about the formation and stability of ketene in the interstellar medium.

molecules↗