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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 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Advances in the Understanding of the Lifecycle of Photosystem II

Photosystem II is a light-driven water-plastoquinone oxidoreductase present in cyanobacteria, algae and plants. It produces molecular oxygen and protons to drive ATP synthesis, fueling life on Earth. As a multi-subunit membrane-protein-pigment complex, Photosystem II undergoes a dynamic cycle of synthesis, damage, and repair known as the Photosystem II lifecycle, to maintain a high level of photosynthetic activity at the cellular level. Cyanobacteria, oxygenic photosynthetic bacteria, are frequently used as model organisms to study oxygenic photosynthetic processes due to their ease of growth and genetic manipulation. The cyanobacterial PSII structure and function have been well-characterized, but its lifecycle is under active investigation. In this review, advances in studying the lifecycle of Photosystem II in cyanobacteria will be discussed, with a particular emphasis on new structural findings enabled by cryo-electron microscopy. These structural findings complement a rich and growing body of biochemical and molecular biology research into Photosystem II assembly and repair.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Engineering of 2‐ketoacid Decarboxylases for Production of Isobutanol and Other Fusel Alcohols in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Isobutanol is a fusel alcohol that can be produced microbially for use as a biofuel or upgraded into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). A key enzyme in the isobutanol biosynthetic pathway is 2-ketoacid decarboxylase (KDC), which irreversibly decarboxylates 2-ketoisovalerate (KIV) to yield isobutyraldehyde. However, many previously characterized KDC enzymes also act promiscuously on other 2-ketoacids, (e.g., pyruvate) to produce a related aldehyde (e.g., acetaldehyde). This unwanted side reaction is especially important when isobutanol is produced in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) because it leads to pyruvate being diverted to ethanol. In order to make S. cerevisiae a strict isobutanologen, a KDC enzyme that is specific for KIV must be deployed. In this study, we used a combination of cell-based and in vitro enzyme assays to investigate KDC substrate specificity, characterizing a large set of homologs for KIV, pyruvate, and phenylpyruvate (PPV) activity. A diverse range of substrate specificities was discovered, and some previously uncharacterized KDCs were revealed to have high KIV activity and low pyruvate activity. Multi-site saturation mutagenesis (SSM) of one of these KDCs identified mutants with increased KIV activity, while maintaining low levels of pyruvate activity. In a KIV bioconversion experiment, bioprospected and engineered KDCs allowed similar KIV consumption to when using the previously characterized Lactococcus lactis KdcA, though with some ethanol also produced. The KDCs identified here show promise for production of isobutanol and other alcohols derived from 2-ketoacids, and the dataset of newly characterized KDCs can inform future efforts to understand and engineer substrate specificity in KDCs.

2-ketoacid decarboxylase↗
DOE OSTI2024

Sound-localization-related activation and functional connectivity of dorsal auditory pathway in relation to demographic, cognitive, and behavioral characteristics in age-related hearing loss

Background Patients with age-related hearing loss (ARHL) often struggle with tracking and locating sound sources, but the neural signature associated with these impairments remains unclear. Materials and methods Using a passive listening task with stimuli from five different horizontal directions in functional magnetic resonance imaging, we defined functional regions of interest (ROIs) of the auditory “where” pathway based on the data of previous literatures and young normal hearing listeners ( n = 20). Then, we investigated associations of the demographic, cognitive, and behavioral features of sound localization with task-based activation and connectivity of the ROIs in ARHL patients ( n = 22). Results We found that the increased high-level region activation, such as the premotor cortex and inferior parietal lobule, was associated with increased localization accuracy and cognitive function. Moreover, increased connectivity between the left planum temporale and left superior frontal gyrus was associated with increased localization accuracy in ARHL. Increased connectivity between right primary auditory cortex and right middle temporal gyrus, right premotor cortex and left anterior cingulate cortex, and right planum temporale and left lingual gyrus in ARHL was associated with decreased localization accuracy. Among the ARHL patients, the task-dependent brain activation and connectivity of certain ROIs were associated with education, hearing loss duration, and cognitive function. Conclusion Consistent with the sensory deprivation hypothesis, in ARHL, sound source identification, which requires advanced processing in the high-level cortex, is impaired, whereas the right–left discrimination, which relies on the primary sensory cortex, is compensated with a tendency to recruit more resources concerning cognition and attention to the auditory sensory cortex. Overall, this study expanded our understanding of the neural mechanisms contributing to sound localization deficits associated with ARHL and may serve as a potential imaging biomarker for investigating and predicting anomalous sound localization.

Wu, Junzhi↗
DOE OSTI2023

Two-well injector direct-phonon terahertz quantum cascade lasers

We present an experimental study on a terahertz quantum cascade laser (THz QCL) design that combines both two-well injector and direct-phonon scattering schemes, i.e., a so-called two-well injector direct-phonon design. As a result of the two-well injector direct-phonon scheme presented here, the lasers benefit from both a direct phonon scattering scheme for the lower laser level depopulation and a setback for the doping profile that reduces the overlap of the doped region with active laser states. Additionally, our design also has efficient isolation of the active laser levels from excited and continuum states as indicated by negative differential resistance behavior all the way up to room temperature. This scheme serves as a good platform for improving the temperature performance of THz QCLs as indicated by the encouraging temperature performance results of the device with a relatively high doping level of 7.56 × 10 10 cm −2 and T max ∼ 167 K. With the right optimization of the molecular beam epitaxy growth and interface quality, the injection coupling strength, and the doping density and its profile, the device could potentially reach higher temperatures than the latest records reached for the maximum operating temperature (T max ) of THz QCLs.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2022

A simulation‐based integrated virtual testbed for dynamic optimization in smart manufacturing systems

Abstract In a manufacturing system, production control‐related decision‐making activities occur at different levels. At the process level, one of the main control activities is to tune the parameters of individual manufacturing equipment. At the system level, the main activity is to coordinate production resources and to route parts to appropriate workstations based on their processing requirement, priority indices, and control policy. At the factory level, the goal is to plan and schedule the processing of parts at different operations for the entire system in order to optimize certain objectives. Note that the results of such activities at different levels are closely coupled and affect the overall performance of the manufacturing system as a whole. Therefore, it is important to systematically integrate these control and optimization activities into one unified platform to ensure the goal of each individual activity is aligned with the overall performance of the system. In this paper, we develop a simulation‐based virtual testbed that implements dynamic optimization, automatic information exchange, and decision‐making from the process‐level, system‐level, and factory‐level of a manufacturing system into an integrated computation environment. This is demonstrated by connecting a Python‐based numerical computation program, discrete‐event simulation software (Simul8), and an optimization solver (CPLEX) via a third‐party master program. The application of this simulation‐based virtual testbed is illustrated by a case study in a machining shop.

Sun, Yuting↗
DOE OSTI2022

Targeting the Bet-Hedging Strategy with an Inhibitor of Bacterial Efflux Capacity Enhances Antibiotic Efficiency and Ameliorates Bacterial Persistence In Vitro

Persistence is a bet-hedging strategy in bacterial populations that increases antibiotic tolerance and leads to the establishment of latent infections. In this study, we demonstrated that a synthetic non-toxic taxane-based reversal agent (tRA), developed as an inhibitor of ABC transporter systems in mammalian cancer cells, enhanced antibiotic killing of persister populations from different pathogens, including Burkholderia, Pseudomonas, Francisella, and Yersinia. Acting as an inhibitor of bacterial efflux at 100 nM, tRA99020 enhanced antibiotic efficiency and suppressed the production of natural products of Burkholderia species polyketide synthase (PKS) function. We demonstrate that the metabolites produced by PKS in response to stress by different antibiotics act as inhibitors of mammalian histone deacetylase activity and stimulate cell death. Applying a single-molecule fluorescence in situ hybridization (smFISH) assay, we analyzed on a single-cell level the activation profiles of the persistence regulating pks gene in Burkholderia thailandensis treated with tRA99020 and antibiotics. We posit that a multi-pronged approach encompassing antibiotic therapies and inhibition of efflux systems and fatty acid catabolism will be required for efficient eradication of persistent bacterial populations.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

The Novel Carbapenem, JDB/PQ-1-219, Has Potent Broad Spectrum Activity against Multi-Drug Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

Carbapenem resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii, driven largely by class D, along with class A and class B β- lactamases, has severely compromised the utility of these last resort antibiotics. As a result, infections caused by such pathogens are characterized by extremely high mortality rates. Here we describe the antimicrobial activity of the novel C5 methyl-substituted carbapenem JDB/PQ-1−219 against multidrug resistant A. baumannii and the mechanism of its interaction with its major carbapenemase, OXA-23. JDB/PQ-1-219 exhibits potent antimicrobial activity against A. baumannii producing various carbapenemases, with MICs that are all in the clinically susceptible range. The compound has unrestricted ingress through porins and avoids egress by efflux pumps, a unique property when compared to all commercial carbapenems. Kinetic experiments demonstrated that unlike for other carbapenems, acylation of OXA-23 by JDB/ PQ-1-219 is monophasic, and mass spectrometry studies showed that this results from the conversion of all enzyme into a reversible tetrahedral intermediate which gradually transitions into the stable acyl-enzyme complex. No deacylation of this complex is observed over a physiologically relevant time period, making JDB/PQ-1−219 an extremely potent inhibitor of OXA-23. Time-resolved crystallography revealed fine details of active site dynamics, leading to complete inhibition of the enzyme. Together, these studies identify JDB/PQ-1-219 as a uniquely effective novel carbapenem with clinically significant levels of activity against multidrug resistant A. baumannii.

Acinetobacter baumannii↗
DOE OSTI2025

Comparing Intrinsic Catalytic Activity and Practical Performance of Ni- and Pt-Based Alkaline Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzer Cathodes

The stringent cost and performance requirements of renewable hydrogen production systems dictate that electrolyzers benefit from the use of nonprecious catalysts only if they deliver the same level of activity and durability as their precious metal counterparts. Here we report on recent work to understand interrelationships between the intrinsic activity of Ni- and Pt-based electrolyzer cathode catalysts and their performance in zero-gap alkaline water electrolyzer assemblies. Our results suggest that nanoparticulate Ni–Mo exhibits HER activity that is roughly 10-fold lower than Pt–Ru on the basis of turnover frequency under low (≤100 mV) polarization conditions. We further found that the HER activity of Ni–Mo/C cathodes is inhibited by aryl piperidinium anionexchange ionomers bearing bicarbonate counter-anions. After addressing this poisoning effect, we produced electrolyzer assemblies based on Ni–Mo/C cathodes that delivered indistinguishable current density vs cell potential relationships compared to otherwise identical assemblies with Pt–Ru cathodes. This result indicates that the contribution of the cathode to the total cell polarization is small, even for the less active Ni–Mo/C catalyst, and further implies that Pt-based cathodes can indeed be replaced by nonprecious alternatives with no loss in performance.

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

Electro-activated indigos intensify ampere-level CO 2 reduction to CO on silver catalysts

The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) to carbon monoxide (CO) is challenged by a selectivity decline at high current densities. Here we report a class of indigo-based molecular promoters with redox-active CO 2 binding sites to enhance the high-rate conversion of CO 2 to CO on silver (Ag) catalysts. Theoretical calculations and in situ spectroscopy analyses demonstrate that the synergistic effect at the interface of indigo-derived compounds and Ag nanoparticles could activate CO 2 molecules and accelerate the formation of key intermediates (*CO 2 – and *COOH) in the CO pathway. Indigo derivatives with electron-withdrawing groups further reduce the overpotential for CO production upon optimizing the interfacial CO 2 binding affinity. By integrating the molecular design of redox-active centres with the defect engineering of Ag structures, we achieve a Faradaic efficiency for CO exceeding 90% across a current density range of 0.10 − 1.20 A cm –2 . The Ag mass activity toward CO increases to 174 A mg –1 Ag . This work showcases that employing redox-active CO 2 sorbents as surface modification agents is a highly effective strategy to intensify the reactivity of electrochemical CO 2 reduction.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

A Likely Magnetic Activity Cycle for the Exoplanet Host M Dwarf GJ 3512

Current radial velocity data from specialized instruments contain a large amount of information that may pass unnoticed if their analysis is not accurate. The joint use of Bayesian inference tools and frequency analysis has been shown as effective in revealing exoplanets but they have been used less frequently to investigate stellar activity. We intend to use radial velocity data of the exoplanet host star GJ 3512 to investigate its magnetic activity. Our study includes the analysis of the photometric data available. The main objectives of our work are to constrain the orbital parameters of the exoplanets in the system, to determine the current level of activity of the star and to derive an activity cycle length for it. An adaptive importance sampling method was used to determine the parameters of the exoplanets orbit. Generalized Lomb–Scargle periodograms were constructed with both radial velocity curve and photometric data. A careful analysis of the harmonic frequencies was conducted in each periodogram. Our fit to multiple Keplerian orbits constrained the orbital parameters of two giant gas planets orbiting the star GJ 3512. The host star showed an increase of its magnetic activity during the last observing campaign. The accurate fit of the radial velocity curve data to the multi-Keplerian orbit permitted to reveal the star rotation in the residuals of the best fit and estimate an activity cycle length of ~14 yr.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

High glucose activates ERK1/2 to stabilize AP1 and increase MMP9 expression in diabetic foot ulcers

Increased matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) expression is involved in delayed wound healing in diabetic foot ulcers. We created skin wounds in normal SD rats and STZ-induced diabetic SD rats, then we found protein levels of activator protein-1 (AP1), a crucial transcription factor to increase MMP9 transcription, as well as MMP9 was up-regulated in epithelium of diabetic skin tissues. Then, we evaluated the mRNA and protein stability of AP1 subunits C-FOS/C-Jun in HaCaT cells after high glucose treatment. Results showed that high glucose could increase protein stability of C-FOS and C-Jun. Additionally, high glucose also activated extracellular signaling-related kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2). ERK1/2 inhibitor could rescue phosphorylation of C-FOS and C-Jun, increased protein stability of C-Jun, and increased MMP9 expressions. Thus, our study demonstrated that high glucose could activate ERK1/2 to stabilize AP1 and increase MMP9 expression in diabetic skin and HaCaT cells.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Target of 1 Rapamycin kinase is a positive regulator of plant fatty acid 2 and lipid synthesis

In eukaryotes, Target of Rapamycin (TOR), a conserved protein sensor kinase, integrates a diverse set of environmental cues, including growth factor signals, energy availability, and nutritional status, to direct cell growth. In plants, TOR is activated by light and sugars and regulates a wide range of cellular processes, including protein synthesis and metabolism. Fatty acid synthesis is key to membrane biogenesis that in turn, is required for cell growth. To elucidate the primary regulatory role(s) of TOR in lipid metabolism, we followed fatty acid and lipid changes in plants with altered TOR protein levels or activity for short durations, using Nicotiana benthamiana leaves, Arabidopsis seedlings and Brassica napus cell suspension cultures. Transient expression of TOR significantly elevated the levels of total fatty acids in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves, while treatment of Arabidopsis seedlings with Torin 2, a TOR specific inhibitor, for one day, caused significant reductions in fatty acids and membrane lipids. Similarly, incubating oil-producing Brassica napus suspension culture cells with Torin 2 for eight hours led to significant decreases in the levels of TFA and TAG. Taken together the results from three independent systems presented here establishes that TOR positively regulates lipid synthesis in plants, consistent with its role in animals. Furthermore, RNA-seq analysis of Torin 2-treated Arabidopsis seedlings showed that TOR promotes the upregulation of a number of genes involved in de novo fatty acid synthesis while downregulating genes involved in lipid turnover, which we propose as a mechanistic explanation for its promotion of lipid synthesis and accumulation.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Bringing Inorganic Carbon to Life: Developing Model Metalloenzymes for C1 Conversion Reactions

The global carbon cycle is carefully balanced through the use of specialized enzymes in plants, algae, bacteria, and archaea. A primordial metabolic pathway for the conversion of inorganic carbon into cellular biomass uses a large, nickel-containing enzyme called carbon monoxide dehydrogenase (CODH)/acetyl coenzyme A synthase (ACS). This system fixes carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into carbon monoxide (CO) at the CODH site. The carbon monoxide is then used to generate acetyl coenzyme A, a biological building block, through a key carbon-carbon bond forming step at the nickel site in ACS. Despite the significance of these processes in the context of energy conversion, the fundamental chemistry underlying these transformations has remained elusive, in part due to the complexity of the natural enzyme. To better understand the principles governing these biological processes, which represent one-carbon (C 1 ) activation reactions, this project will develop functional models of CODH and ACS based on modifications to a small metalloprotein scaffold. Comprehensive characterization of these systems using advanced spectroscopic and biophysical techniques will reveal key elements responsible for conferring high levels of activity to the model systems, with implications for gaining insight into the mechanisms of the natural enzymes. Moreover, the principles learned from this research can be used to guide design of robust catalysts for efficient conversion of CO 2 and CO into liquid fuels.

10 SYNTHETIC FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Metal-induced oxidative stress and human plasma protein oxidation after SARS-CoV-2 infection

Pathogenesis of COVID-19 by SARS-CoV-2 resulted in a global pandemic and public health emergency in 2020. Viral infection can induce oxidative stress through reactive oxygen species (ROS). Inflammation and environmental stress are major sources of oxidative stress after infection. Micronutrients such as iron, copper, zinc, and manganese play various roles in human tissues and their imbalance in blood can impact immune responses against pathogens including SARS CoV-2. We hypothesized that alteration of free metal ions during infection and metal-catalyzed oxidation plays a critical role towards pathogenesis after infection. We analyzed convalescent and hospitalized COVID-19 patient plasma using orthogonal analytical techniques to determine redox active metal concentrations, overall protein oxidation, oxidative modifications, and protein levels via proteomics to understand the consequences of metal-induced oxidative stress in COVID-19 plasma proteins. Metal analysis using ICP-MS showed significantly greater concentrations of copper in COVID-19 plasma compared to healthy controls. We demonstrate significantly greater total protein carbonylation, other oxidative modifications, and deamidation of plasma proteins in COVID-19 plasma compared to healthy controls. Proteomics analysis showed that levels of redox active proteins including hemoglobulin were elevated in COVID-19 plasma. Molecular modeling concurred with potential interactions between iron binding proteins and SARS CoV-2 surface proteins. Overall, increased levels of redox active metals and protein oxidation indicate that oxidative stress-induced protein oxidation in COVID-19 may be a consequence of the interactions of SARS-CoV-2 proteins with host cell metal binding proteins resulting in altered cellular homeostasis.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Exploring the Interaction Between Head-Supported Mass, Posture, and Visual Stress on Neck Muscle Activation

Objective Assess neck muscle activity for varying interactions between helmet, posture, and visual stress in a simulated “helo-hunch” posture. Background Military aviators frequently report neck pain (NP). Risk factors for NP include head-supported mass, awkward postures, and mental workload. Interactions between these factors could induce constant low-level muscle activation during helicopter flight and better explain instances of NP. Method Interactions between physical loading (helmet doffed/donned), posture (symmetric/asymmetric), and visual stress (low/high contrast) were studied through neck muscle electromyography (EMG), head kinematics, subjective discomfort, perceived workload, and task performance. Subjects ( n = 16) performed eight 30-min test conditions (varied physical loading, posture, and visual stress) while performing a simple task in a simulated “helo-hunch” seating environment. Results Conditions with a helmet donned had fewer EMG median frequency cycles (which infer motor unit rotation for rest/recovery, where more cycles are better) in the left cervical extensor and left sternocleidomastoid. Asymmetric posture (to the right) resulted in higher normalized EMG activity in the right cervical extensor and left sternocleidomastoid and resulted in less lateral bending compared with neutral across all conditions. Conditions with high visual stress also resulted in fewer EMG cycles in the right cervical extensor. Conclusion A complex interaction exists between the physical load of the helmet, postural stress from awkward postures, and visual stress within a simulated “helo-hunch” seating environment. Application These results provide insight into how visual factors influence biomechanical loading. Such insights may assist future studies in designing short-term administrative controls and long-term engineering controls.

Behavioral Sciences↗
DOE OSTI2023

Assessment of deep levels with selenium concentration in Cd 1–x Zn x Te 1–y Se y room temperature detector materials

Incorporation of Se into Cd 1–x Zn x Te (CZT) to form the quaternary compound semiconductor Cd 1–x Zn x Te 1–y Se y (CZTS) has proven to be an effective solution for compensating the major flaws associated with CZT, including poor homogeneity and high concentrations of electronically active deep levels that limit the performance of CZT detectors. In order to investigate how deep levels are affected by the Se concentration in CZTS, we performed photoinduced current transient spectroscopy (PICTS) measurements on CZTS crystals grown by the traveling heater method (THM) with 10% atomic Zn and varying atomic percentage of Se from 1.5% to 7.0%. The PICTS scans for up to 4% Se showed an exponential reduction in the capture cross section of deep levels associated with Te secondary phases in conjunction with an increase in a deep level positioned near the mid-gap, which initially increases the electron trapping time before degrading again at higher Se concentrations. The PICTS peaks present in 7% Se were anomalous relative to the other crystals and are expected to originate from transition metal impurities found in the lower-purity CdSe precursor material.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Catalytic oxidative coupling of arenes and alkanes: applications for efficient chemical synthesis and for hydrocarbon oligomerization. Progress Report 2016-7. Final report

This is the final report for DE-FG02-08ER15997 with a grant period of 8/15/2008-8/14/2018 (plus 1 year NCE); Program: Basic Energy Sciences; PI: Melanie S. Sanford; co-PI: Adam J. Matzger. The project resulted in 20 publications, 12 supported entirely by this grant and 8 supported substantially by this grant. The overall goals of this project were design catalysts (both homogeneous catalysts and MOF-supported catalysts) to control reactivity and selectivity in energy relevant C–H bond functionalization reactions. The proposed research led to a variety of new catalysts and catalytic processes which are currently finding application in organic synthesis. These efforts were well aligned with the goals of the DOE BES Catalysis Science Program. C–H functionalization reactions have extensive applications in energy-related industries, including petroleum and biofuels processing. The research activities also matched many of the priority areas identified by the Catalysis Science Program, including: investigating problems at the interface of heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis as a means to derive new catalysts; incorporating 2° interactions to modulate catalyst stability, reactivity, and selectivity; using these new catalysts to tune molecular-level catalytic activity and selectivity; and studying structure-reactivity relationships of inorganic, organic, or hybrid catalytic materials in solution.

02 PETROLEUM↗
DOE OSTI2020

Activity Time-Use Patterns and Experienced Satisfaction: Travel Behavioral Dynamics from the 2010–2013 American Time-Use Survey Data

Central to the theory of activity-based approaches is the role of time-use and its impacts on various decision processes related to individual activity-travel patterns, thereby determining ones’ daily well-being. This research aims at quantifying and investigating the underlying correlation of time-use and happiness using the repeated cross-section data from the 2010-2013 American Time Use Survey Well-Being module. The survey specifically records reported levels of activity satisfaction as measured through – happiness, meaningfulness, tiredness, sadness and stress experienced from activity participation. Using these scores, we first construct a composite degree of activity satisfaction that a person experiences using latent class cluster analysis. A series of regression models are then estimated to jointly analyze episodic duration and satisfaction separately for each of years from 2010-2013, by controlling for socioeconomics, household lifecycle stages (29-groups based on age, gender, marital status and presence of children), activity characteristics and global life and health assessment measures. Overall, model estimation results reveal a strong negative correlation between episodic duration and happiness from individual activity engagement patterns. This correlation pattern is temporally stable for the years 2010-2013, with minor variations. Results also suggest that household lifecycle stage has a major impact on activity time-use and satisfaction behavior. Further, single parent and younger couples (25 years to 45 years) with children are more likely to engage in longer and less happy episodes due to family commitments. The model findings also show a strong correlation between health conditions and activity happiness.

Ravulaparthy, Srinath↗