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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 OSTI2024

Evaluation of FluSight influenza forecasting in the 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons with a new target laboratory-confirmed influenza hospitalizations

Accurate forecasts can enable more effective public health responses during seasonal influenza epidemics. For the 2021–22 and 2022–23 influenza seasons, 26 forecasting teams provided national and jurisdiction-specific probabilistic predictions of weekly confirmed influenza hospital admissions for one-to-four weeks ahead. Forecast skill is evaluated using the Weighted Interval Score (WIS), relative WIS, and coverage. Six out of 23 models outperform the baseline model across forecast weeks and locations in 2021–22 and 12 out of 18 models in 2022–23. Averaging across all forecast targets, the FluSight ensemble is the 2nd most accurate model measured by WIS in 2021–22 and the 5th most accurate in the 2022–23 season. Forecast skill and 95% coverage for the FluSight ensemble and most component models degrade over longer forecast horizons. In this work we demonstrate that while the FluSight ensemble was a robust predictor, even ensembles face challenges during periods of rapid change.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Evaluation of Triage Methods for Criticality Accidents

Studies indicate that early identification of persons involved in and receiving high doses of radiation in accidents is key to providing life-saving medical treatment. Although the risk of criticality accidents is low the potential impact to workers is significant. For facilities that employ large numbers of workers a key element in the response to a radiological emergency is identifying personnel that received significant, and potentially harmful, doses. Also important is having the ability to screen large numbers of workers to identify persons that did not receive significant exposure so as to reduce the impact on emergency response efforts. At the Y-12 National Security Complex the focus on criticality accident response is the rapid triage of personnel in order to identify persons exposed to large radiation doses and to prioritize those persons receiving the highest exposures. Once identified personnel are transported to local medical facilities including the Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS) for medical evaluation and treatment. The Y-12 external dosimetry program utilizes a number of techniques to identify and prioritize workers and these methods were evaluated at a criticality dosimetry intercomparison exercise. Finally, the methods used were shown to perform as intended and other sites may consider incorporating these methods into their accident dosimetry response procedures.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Optimisation of root traits to provide enhanced ecosystem services in agricultural systems: A focus on cover crops

Roots are the interface between the plant and the soil and play a central role in multiple ecosystem processes. With intensification of agricultural practices, rhizosphere processes are being disrupted and are causing degradation of the physical, chemical and biotic properties of soil. However, cover crops, a group of plants that provide ecosystem services, can be utilised during fallow periods or used as an intercrop to restore soil health. The effectiveness of ecosystem services provided by cover crops varies widely as very little breeding has occurred in these species. Improvement of ecosystem service performance is rarely considered as a breeding trait due to the complexities and challenges of belowground evaluation. Advancements in root phenotyping and genetic tools are critical in accelerating ecosystem service improvement in cover crops. In this study, we provide an overview of the range of belowground ecosystem services provided by cover crop roots: (1) soil structural remediation, (2) capture of soil resources and (3) maintenance of the rhizosphere and building of organic matter content. Based on the ecosystem services described, we outline current and promising phenotyping technologies and breeding strategies in cover crops that can enhance agricultural sustainability through improvement of root traits.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Data for Aerial Imagery Can Detect Nitrogen Fertilizer Effects on Biomass and Stand Health of Miscanthus × giganteus

Miscanthus × giganteus ( Miscanthus ) is a warm-season perennial grass grown for bioenergy feedstock production. Nitrogen (N) fertilizer management is crucial for the sustainability of Miscanthus production. In our two-year study (2018 and 2019), we investigated the role of vegetation indices (VIs) in evaluating N fertilization (0 N, 56 N, 112 N, and 168 N kg ha−1) impacts on Miscanthus biomass yield and stand health. The flight campaigns were conducted early, middle, and late during the summer growing season. Among the VIs, mid-summer growing season NDRE provided the best prediction of fresh biomass (R2 = 0.87 and 0.97) and dry biomass (R2 = 0.89 and 0.97) in 2018 and 2019, respectively. The VIs generally showed that it was possible to distinguish between 0 N and 168 N treatments, but neither 0 N and 56 N kg ha−1 nor 112 N and 168 N kg ha−1 could be separated. The results from this study highlight the importance of moderate application of N (112 kg N ha−1) in improving and maintaining the stand health and biomass yield of Miscanthus over time and suggest that mid-summer growing season VIs, NDRE in particular, can be useful for assessment of Miscanthus stand health and biomass yield.

Biomass Analytics↗
DOE OSTI2021

Efficient Synthesis of Pinoresinol, an Important Lignin Dimeric Model Compound

Pinoresinol is a high-value monolignol-derived lignan used in plant defense and with human health-supporting effects. The synthetic yield and isolation efficiency of racemic pinoresinol from coniferyl alcohol by conventional radical coupling methods is sub-optimal. In this work, a facile and efficient synthetic approach was developed to synthesize pinoresinol with much higher yield. By using 5-bromoconiferyl alcohol, which was synthesized in high yield from 5-bromovanillin, to make 5,5′-bromopinoresinol via a peroxidase-mediated radical coupling reaction takes advantage of the smaller variety of radical coupling products from the 5-substituted monolignol, producing simpler product mixtures from which 5,5′-bromopinoresinol may be readily crystalized with good yield (total yield of 44.1% by NMR; isolated crystalline yield of 24.6%). Hydro-debromination of the crystalline 5,5′-bromopinoresinol to pinoresinol was essentially quantitative. Gram quantities of pinoresinol were conveniently synthesized by using this approach. This simple alternative pathway to make pinoresinol will impact pinoresinol-related research including structural characterization and modification of lignins, as well as clinical applications of pinoresinol and its derivatives.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Aerial Imagery Can Detect Nitrogen Fertilizer Effects on Biomass and Stand Health of Miscanthus × giganteus

Miscanthus × giganteus (Miscanthus) is a warm-season perennial grass grown for bioenergy feedstock production. Nitrogen (N) fertilizer management is crucial for the sustainability of Miscanthus production. In our two-year study (2018 and 2019), we investigated the role of vegetation indices (VIs) in evaluating N fertilization (0 N, 56 N, 112 N, and 168 N kg ha –1 ) impacts on Miscanthus biomass yield and stand health. The flight campaigns were conducted early, middle, and late during the summer growing season. Among the VIs, mid-summer growing season NDRE provided the best prediction of fresh biomass (R 2 = 0.87 and 0.97) and dry biomass (R 2 = 0.89 and 0.97) in 2018 and 2019, respectively. The VIs generally showed that it was possible to distinguish between 0 N and 168 N treatments, but neither 0 N and 56 N kg ha –1 nor 112 N and 168 N kg ha –1 could be separated. The results from this study highlight the importance of moderate application of N (112 kg N ha –1 ) in improving and maintaining the stand health and biomass yield of Miscanthus over time and suggest that mid-summer growing season VIs, NDRE in particular, can be useful for assessment of Miscanthus stand health and biomass yield.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Reveal of Uranium Bioremediation Mechanisms by Bacillus Species through Proteomics Studies

Radionuclides, such as Uranium (U) and heavy metals continue to pose threats to the ecosystem health and processes at the Department of Energy (DOE) managed, Savannah River Site (SRS), located along the Savannah River near Aiken, SC. Such co-contaminated environments are difficult to remediate using conventional excavation and disposal or pump-and-treat approaches. Globally, more than 109 tons of uranium contaminated areas pose a long term threat to human and ecological health. Even with presented low concentrations in the brain, central nervous effects are still observed. Uranium and depleted uranium (DU) have long term effects on the kidneys. Some small general health effects include severe headaches and breathing problems. Uranus ions are toxic to living cells because they inhibit metabolism of carbohydrates by blocking ATP binding sites. Bioremediation by microorganisms represents an alternative solution, which is advantageous because of the possibility of biosorbent regeneration, cost-effectiveness, increased metal removal and easy recovery of some valuable metals. Bacillus sp. bacterium was previously used in the bioremediation of heavy metals in coal mine run off waters of SRS. However, its ability to bioremediate uranium was unknown so far. Hence, in the present study, uranium bioremediation by Bacillus sp. bacterium was investigated. The mechanism of bioremediation was also revealed through proteomics studies. Heavy metals contamination poses a serious threat to water, soil and human health. Soil and water are contaminated due to excessive exploitation of uranium mines for generation of nuclear energy and weaponry. It is not degradable easily and persist in soil and water for a long period of time due to its long half- life. Savannah river site (SRS) is one of the uranium contaminated sites. The physical or chemical remediation techniques are costly and complex. Microbial system approaches with competent bacteria has received increased attention due to its adaptability in various environmental matrices and cost effectiveness. However, even though there are multiple suggested pathways (F1), the specific mechanisms that drive this behavior are still unclear, especially with popular microorganisms such as Bacillus species. In a previous research (Ibeanusi et al, 2003) Bacillus sp. was shown to detoxify and precipitate a variety of heavy metals in coal pile runoff waters of SRS site. Additionally, genomic analysis demonstrated that this microorganism posses multiple attributes for chemical transport regulation and metabolic pathways. U remediation occurs during the first 20 hours of exposure. During this time period, Bacillus sp. may work primarily under two mechanisms - sorption and accumulation. These two mechanisms simultaneously work to protect the microorganism from high concentrations. Figure 10 demonstrates that certain proteins are up regulated and down regulated under extreme stressful conditions. Membrane fraction proteins were up regulated. Cytosolic fraction proteins were down regulated. This protein information coincides with the adsorption behavior. Bacillus sp. is a good candidate for U remediation at various concentrations.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2022

Correlating Time-Resolved Pressure Measurements With Rim Sealing Effectiveness for Real-Time Turbine Health Monitoring

Purge flow is bled from the upstream compressor and supplied to the under-platform region to prevent hot main gas path ingress that damages vulnerable under-platform hardware components. A majority of turbine rim seal research has sought to identify methods of improving sealing technologies and understanding the physical mechanisms that drive ingress. While these studies directly support the design and analysis of advanced rim seal geometries and purge flow systems, the studies are limited in their applicability to real-time monitoring required for condition-based operation and maintenance. As operational hours increase for in-service engines, this lack of rim seal performance feedback results in progressive degradation of sealing effectiveness, thereby leading to reduced hardware life. To address this need for rim seal performance monitoring, this study utilizes measurements from a one-stage turbine research facility operating with true-scale engine hardware at engine-relevant conditions. Time-resolved pressure measurements collected from the rim seal region are regressed with sealing effectiveness through the use of common machine learning techniques to provide real-time feedback of sealing effectiveness. Two modeling approaches are presented that use a single sensor to predict sealing effectiveness accurately over a range of two turbine operating conditions. Here, the results show that an initial purely data-driven model can be further improved using domain knowledge of relevant turbine operations, which yields sealing effectiveness predictions within 3% of measured values.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Correlating Time-Resolved Pressure Measurements With Rim Sealing Effectiveness for Real-Time Turbine Health Monitoring

Purge flow is bled from the upstream compressor and supplied to the under-platform region to prevent hot main gas path ingress that damages vulnerable under-platform hardware components. A majority of turbine rim seal research has sought to identify methods of improving sealing technologies and understanding the physical mechanisms that drive ingress. While these studies directly support the design and analysis of advanced rim seal geometries and purge flow systems, the studies are limited in their applicability to real-time monitoring required for condition-based operation and maintenance. As operational hours increase for in-service engines, this lack of rim seal performance feedback results in progressive degradation of sealing effectiveness, thereby leading to reduced hardware life. To address this need for rim seal performance monitoring, the present study utilizes measurements from a one-stage turbine research facility operating with true-scale engine hardware at engine-relevant conditions. Time-resolved pressure measurements collected from the rim seal region are regressed with sealing effectiveness through the use of common machine learning techniques to provide real-time feedback of sealing effectiveness. Two modelling approaches are presented that use a single sensor to predict sealing effectiveness accurately over a range of two turbine operating conditions. Results show that an initial purely data-driven model can be further improved using domain knowledge of relevant turbine operations, which yields sealing effectiveness predictions within three percent of measured values.

Compressors↗
DOE OSTI2022

Naval Reactors Facility Environmental Monitoring Report (CY2020)

This report presents the results of the radiological and non-radiological environmental monitoring programs for 2020 at the Naval Reactors Facility (NRF). Current operations at NRF are in compliance with applicable regulations governing use, emission, and disposal of solid, liquid, and gaseous materials. The results obtained from the environmental monitoring programs verify that releases to the environment from operations at NRF did not have any adverse effect on human health or the environment. Evaluation of the environmental data confirms that the operation of NRF continues to have no adverse effect on the environment or the health and safety of the general public. Furthermore, a conservative assessment of radiation exposure to the general public as a result of NRF operations demonstrated that the maximum potential dose received by any member of the public was well below the most restrictive dose limits prescribed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US Department of Energy (DOE), and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Naval Reactors Facility Environmental Monitoring Report (CY2019)

This report presents the results of the radiological and non-radiological environmental monitoring programs for 2019 at the Naval Reactors Facility (NRF). Current operations at NRF are in compliance with applicable regulations governing use, emission, and disposal of solid, liquid, and gaseous materials. The results obtained from the environmental monitoring programs verify that releases to the environment from operations at NRF did not have any adverse effect on human health or the environment. Evaluation of the environmental data confirms that the operation of NRF continues to have no adverse effect on the environment or the health and safety of the general public. Furthermore, a conservative assessment of radiation exposure to the general public as a result of NRF operations demonstrated that the maximum potential dose received by any member of the public was well below the most restrictive dose limits prescribed by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Zinc against COVID-19? Symptom surveillance and deficiency risk groups

A wide variety of symptoms is associated with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, and these symptoms can overlap with other conditions and diseases. Knowing the distribution of symptoms across diseases and individuals can support clinical actions on timelines shorter than those for drug and vaccine development. Here, we focus on zinc deficiency symptoms, symptom overlap with other conditions, as well as zinc effects on immune health and mechanistic zinc deficiency risk groups. There are well-studied beneficial effects of zinc on the immune system including a decreased susceptibility to and improved clinical outcomes for infectious pathogens including multiple viruses. Zinc is also an anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative stress agent, relevant to some severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms. Unfortunately, zinc deficiency is common worldwide and not exclusive to the developing world. Lifestyle choices and preexisting conditions alone can result in zinc deficiency, and we compile zinc risk groups based on a review of the literature. It is also important to distinguish chronic zinc deficiency from deficiency acquired upon viral infection and immune response and their different supplementation strategies. Zinc is being considered as prophylactic or adjunct therapy for COVID-19, with 12 clinical trials underway, highlighting the relevance of this trace element for global pandemics. Using the example of zinc, we show that there is a critical need for a deeper understanding of essential trace elements in human health, and the resulting deficiency symptoms and their overlap with other conditions. This knowledge will directly support human immune health for decreasing susceptibility, shortening illness duration, and preventing progression to severe cases in the current and future pandemics.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Parabacteroides distasonis : intriguing aerotolerant gut anaerobe with emerging antimicrobial resistance and pathogenic and probiotic roles in human health

Parabacteroides distasonis is the type strain for the genus Parabacteroides, a group of gram-negative anaerobic bacteria that commonly colonize the gastrointestinal tract of numerous species. First isolated in the 1930s from a clinical specimen as Bacteroides distasonis, the strain was re-classified to form the new genus Parabacteroides in 2006. Currently, the genus consists of 15 species, 10 of which are listed as 'validly named' (P. acidifaciens, P. chartae, P. chinchillae, P. chongii, P. distasonis, P. faecis, P. goldsteinii, P. gordonii, P. johnsonii, and P. merdae) and 5 'not validly named' (P. bouchesdurhonensis, P. massiliensis, P. pacaensis, P. provencensis, and P. timonensis) by the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature. The Parabacteroides genus has been associated with reports of both beneficial and pathogenic effects in human health. Herein, we review the literature on the history, ecology, diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and genetics of this bacterium, illustrating the effects of P. distasonis on human and animal health.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

The effect of ambient ozone exposure on three types of diabetes: a meta-analysis

Background: Ozone as an air pollutant is gradually becoming a threat to people's health. However, the effect of ozone exposure on risk of developing diabetes, a fast-growing global metabolic disease, remains controversial. Objective: To evaluate the impact of ambient ozone exposure on the incidence rate of type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes mellitus. Method: We systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases before July 9, 2022, to determine relevant literature. Data were extracted after quality evaluation according to the Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS) and the agency for healthcare research and quality (AHRQ) standards, and a meta-analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between ozone exposure and type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D), and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). The heterogeneity test, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias were performed using Stata 16.0. Results: Our search identified 667 studies from three databases, 19 of which were included in our analysis after removing duplicate and ineligible studies. Among the remaining studies, three were on T1D, five were on T2D, and eleven were on GDM. The result showed that ozone exposure was positively correlated with T2D [effect size (ES) = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.11] and GDM [pooled odds ratio (OR) = 1.01, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.03]. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that ozone exposure in the first trimester of pregnancy might raise the risk of GDM. However, no significant association was observed between ozone exposure and T1D. Conclusion: Long-term exposure to ozone may increase the risk of T2D, and daily ozone exposure during pregnancy was a hazard factor for developing GDM. Decreasing ambient ozone pollution may reduce the burden of both diseases.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

What the Flicker is going on here? Temporal Light Modulation in Automotive Lighting

Temporal light modulation (TLM), colloquially known as “flicker,” is once again an issue in almost all lighting applications, due to widespread adoption of LED and OLED sources and their driving electronics. A subset of LED/OLED lighting systems delivers problematic TLM, often in specific types of residential, commercial, outdoor, and vehicular lighting. Dashboard displays, touchscreens, marker lights, taillights, daytime running lights, interior lighting, etc. frequently use PWM circuits to achieve different luminances for different times of day and user visual adaptation levels. The resulting TLM waveforms and viewing conditions can result in distraction and disorientation, nausea, cognitive effects, and serious health consequences in some populations, occurring with or without the driver, passenger, or pedestrian consciously “seeing” the flicker. There are three visual responses to TLM: direct flicker, the stroboscopic effect, and phantom array effect (also called the “beads effect”). Metrics for the first two have limitations in both calculation and application. The phantom array effect has no established visibility measure at all, and this is the effect most associated with vehicular flicker because of the widespread use of PWM. Conventional wisdom from the recent past, especially concerning acceptable driver frequency ranges, needs to be reconsidered and replaced with improved guidelines to protect health and comfort. Four principal TLM waveform characteristics affect TLM visibility: frequency, modulation depth, duty cycle, and waveshape. This paper proposes much higher frequency operation if PWM control cannot be avoided; but it may be possible to modify the four principal waveform characteristics together in order to achieve reduced TLM visibility and improved health and comfort.

flicker, TLM, temporal light modulation, automotiv↗
DOE OSTI2020

Zeolite-templated carbons as effective sorbents to remove methylsiloxanes and derivatives: A computational screening

Though widely used in our daily lives, volatile methylsiloxanes and derivatives are emerging contaminants and becoming a high-priority environment and public health concern. Developing effective sorbent materials can remove siloxanes in a cost-effective manner. Herein, by means of Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations, we evaluated the potentials of the recently proposed 68 stable zeolite-templated carbons (ZTCs) for the removal of four linear methylsiloxanes and derivatives as well as two cyclic methylsiloxanes by the calculated average loading and average adsorption energy values. Four ZTCs, namely ISV, FAU1, FAU3, and H8326836, were identified with the top 50% adsorption performance toward all the six targeted contaminants, which outperform activated carbons. Further first principles computations revealed that steric hindrance, electrostatic interactions (further enhanced by charge transfer), and CH-π interactions account for the outstanding adsorption performance of these ZTCs. This work provides a quick procedure to computationally screen promising ZTCs for siloxane removal, and help guide future experimental and theoretical investigations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Clean Energy Co-Benefits: Air Quality, Health and Just Energy Transitions

Outdoor air pollution is a leading environmental risk factor and contributes to public health concerns. With assistance from the Department of State, NREL researchers supported the expansion of the Intervention Model for Air Pollution (InMAP) to Global InMAP model. This model offers a new approach to estimating the human health impacts caused by air pollutant emissions and how those impacts are distributed across populations around the world. Further research sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and executed by NREL and the University of Minnesota applied the Global InMAP Model for the first time in a study of the effects of renewable electricity deployment on air quality and human health in Southeast Asia. This brief details the inception, application, and novel approach of the Global InMAP model, and more broadly NREL's capabilities for air quality modeling and health effects co-benefits analyses in the context of just energy transitions.

air quality↗
DOE OSTI2022

Compounding Risks from Natural Phenomena Hazards at U.S. Department of Energy Facilities

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facilities are exposed to adverse effects of natural phenomena hazards (NPHs). While the DOE Standard (STD) 1020-2016 provides criteria and guidance for assessing these effects, certain gaps exist, particularly related to combinations of NPHs that can compound the risk to DOE facility assets. This report describes a methodology to systematically consider compounding NPHs, identified gaps in DOE-STD-1020-2016, and recommends ways to update the standard. At any given DOE facility, NPH effects depend on the site-specific hydrometeorologic and geoseismic conditions. Therefore, compounding NPHs should be determined using site-specific assessments. DOE facility assets generally are assessed using site-specific NPHs with the assessment usually limited to the DOE site extents. However, an inventory analysis of a selected DOE facility also revealed that some assets may have off-site dependencies. These dependencies may be part of threat pathways that can lead to on-site asset failures because of off-site effects of the same NPHs that also affect the DOE site. These threat pathways usually are not accounted for in traditional NPH analyses. The report also describes the effects of duration of NPH effects. Duration of disruption, particularly for off-site dependencies can lead to on-site asset failures, disruption of evacuation roadways, and consequent human health and safety effects. Finally, the report recommends some considerations for updating DOE-STD-1020-2016 to include explicit consideration of compounding NPHs.

42 ENGINEERING↗