Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “mucK”

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.

17 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Gene Amplification, Laboratory Evolution, and Biosensor Screening Reveal MucK as a Terephthalic Acid Transporter in Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1

Microbial terephthalic acid (TPA) catabolic pathways are conserved among the few bacteria known to turnover this xenobiotic aromatic compound. However, to date there are few reported cases in which this pathway has been successfully expressed in heterologous hosts to impart efficient utilization of TPA as a sole carbon source. In this work, we aimed to engineer TPA conversion in Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1 via the heterologous expression of catabolic and transporter genes from a native TPA-utilizing bacterium. Specifically, we obtained ADP1-derived strains capable of growing on TPA as the sole carbon source using chromosomal insertion and targeted amplification of the tph catabolic operon from Comamonas sp. E6. Adaptive laboratory evolution was then used to improve growth on this substrate. TPA consumption rates of the evolved strains, which retained multiple copies of the tph genes, were ~0.2 g/L/h (or ~1 g TPA/g cells/h), similar to that of Comamonas sp. E6 and almost 2-fold higher than that of Rhodococcus jostii RHA1, another native TPA-utilizing strain. To evaluate TPA transport in the evolved ADP1 strains, we engineered a TPA biosensor consisting of the transcription factor TphR and a fluorescent reporter. In combination with whole-genome sequencing, the TPA biosensor revealed that transport of TPA was not mediated by the heterologous proteins from Comamonas sp. E6. Instead, the endogenous ADP1 muconate transporter MucK, a member of the major facilitator superfamily, was responsible for TPA transport in several evolved strains in which MucK variants were found to enhance TPA uptake. Furthermore, the IclR-type transcriptional regulator DcaS was identified as a repressor of mucK expression. Overall, this work presents an unexpected function of a native protein identified through gene amplification, adaptive laboratory evolution, and a combination of screening methods. This study also provides a TPA biosensor for application in ADP1 and identifies transporter variants for use in metabolic engineering applications focused on plastic upcycling of polyesters.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1977

The crystallisation trends of spinels in tertiary basalts from Rhum and Muck and their petrogenetic significance

Spinels found in transitional olivine basalts from the Islands of Rhum and Muck in the British Tertiary Province are analyzed to determine their chemical variability and their relationship to silicate phases. Chemical zoning of the cores of spinels which spilled into the basaltic liquid may be due to a reaction between the spinel and the liquid resulting in more Fe- and Ti-rich spinels. In addition, a peritectic-type reaction seems to have occurred, causing the transformation of aluminum spinel to chrome spinel with precipitation of plagioclase. Changes in the basaltic liquid are reflected by these transformations in the spinel composition.

Ridley, W. I.↗
DOE OSTI2026

AmeriFlux US-ABe Archbold Ungrazed Wetland

This is the AmeriFlux version of the carbon flux data for the site US-ABe Archbold Ungrazed Wetland. Site Description - The studied wetland is embedded within an intensively managed pasture, a common landscape in Florida, with the C4 bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flueggé) as forage grass. The wetland is an isolated, seasonal freshwater wetland. Soil was Samsula muck of Samsula Series (hyperthermic Terric Haplosaprists)

Bernacchi, Carl [Global Change and Photosynthesis ↗
DOE OSTI2026

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F US-ABe Archbold Ungrazed Wetland

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-ABe Archbold Ungrazed Wetland. This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-ABe Archbold Ungrazed Wetland produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The studied wetland is embedded within an intensively managed pasture, a common landscape in Florida, with the C4 bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flueggé) as forage grass. The wetland is an isolated, seasonal freshwater wetland. Soil was Samsula muck of Samsula Series (hyperthermic Terric Haplosaprists)

Bernacchi, Carl [Global Change and Photosynthesis ↗
NASA NTRS1971

Some chemical features of basalts from the British Tertiary Province.

An attempt has been made to chemically characterize the basalts from four islands, Rhum, Eigg, Canna, and Muck that, together with Skye, comprise the Inner Hebrides. The basalts are shown to be chemically distinct from tertiary basalts described from the Faroes and Iceland, but have the low concentrations of Rb, Sr found in some mildly alkaline basalts dredged from the Atlantic. Possible evolution of these rocks is discussed.

Ridley, W. I.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Lunar breccias, petrology, and earth planetary structure

Topics covered include: (1) petrologic studies of poikiloblastic textured rocks; (2) petrology of aluminous mare basalts in breccia 14063; (3) petrology of Apollo 15 breccia 15459; (4) high-alumina mare basalts; (5) some petrological aspects of imbrium stratigraphy; (6) petrology of lunar rocks and implication to lunar evolution; (7) the crystallization trends of spinels in Tertiary basalts from Rhum and Muck and their petrogenetic significance; (8) the geology and evolution of the Cayman Trench; (9) The petrochemistry of igneous rocks from the Cayman Trench and the Captains Bay Pluton, Unalaska Island and their relation to tectonic processes at plate margins; and (10) the oxide and silicate mineral chemistry of a Kimberlite from the Premier Mine with implications for the evolution of kimberlitic magma.

Ridley, W. I.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Effects of turbulence compressibility and unsteadiness in compression corner flow

The structure of the separated flow region over a 20 degree compression corner at a free-stream Mach number of 2.84 is investigated computationally using a Reynolds averaged Navier Stokes (R.A.N.S.) solver and kappa-epsilon model. At this Mach number and ramp angle, a steady-state recirculation region of order delta(sub o) is observed, with onset of a 'plateau' in the wall pressure distribution near the corner. At lower ramp angles, separation is negligible, while at an angle of 24 degrees, separation regions of length 2 delta(sub o) are expected. Of interest here is the response of the mathematical model to inclusion of the pressure dilatation term for turbulent kinetic energy. Compared with the experimental data of Smits and Muck (1987), steady-state computations show improvement when the pressure dilatation term is included. Unsteady computations, using both unforced and then forced inlet conditions, did not predict the oscillatory motion of the separation bubble as observed in laboratory experiments. An analysis of the separation bubble oscillation and the turbulent boundary layer (T.B.L.) frequencies for this flow suggests that the bubble oscillations are of nearly the same order as the turbulent frequencies, and therefore difficult for the model to separate and resolve.

Brankovic, A.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Transient resonant Auger–Meitner spectra of photoexcited thymine

In this paper, we present the first investigation of excited state dynamics by resonant Auger–Meitner spectroscopy (also known as resonant Auger spectroscopy) using the nucleobase thymine as an example. Thymine is photoexcited in the UV and probed with X-ray photon energies at and below the oxygen K-edge. After initial photoexcitation to a ππ* excited state, thymine is known to undergo internal conversion to an nπ* excited state with a strong resonance at the oxygen K-edge, red-shifted from the ground state π* resonances of thymine. We resolve and compare the Auger–Meitner electron spectra associated both with the excited state and ground state resonances, and distinguish participator and spectator decay contributions. Furthermore, we observe simultaneously with the decay of the nπ* state signatures the appearance of additional resonant Auger–Meitner contributions at photon energies between the nπ* state and the ground state resonances. We assign these contributions to population transfer from the nπ* state to a ππ* triplet state via intersystem crossing on the picosecond timescale based on simulations of the X-ray absorption spectra in the vibrationally hot triplet state. Moreover, we identify signatures from the initially excited ππ* singlet state which we have not observed in our previous study.

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

Disentangling the evolution of electrons and holes in photoexcited ZnO nanoparticles

The evolution of charge carriers in photoexcited room temperature ZnO nanoparticles in solution is investigated using ultrafast ultraviolet photoluminescence spectroscopy, ultrafast Zn K-edge absorption spectroscopy, and ab initio molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The photoluminescence is excited at 4.66 eV, well above the band edge, and shows that electron cooling in the conduction band and exciton formation occur in <500 fs, in excellent agreement with theoretical predictions. The x-ray absorption measurements, obtained upon excitation close to the band edge at 3.49 eV, are sensitive to the migration and trapping of holes. They reveal that the 2 ps transient largely reproduces the previously reported transient obtained at 100 ps time delay in synchrotron studies. In addition, the x-ray absorption signal is found to rise in ∼1.4 ps, which we attribute to the diffusion of holes through the lattice prior to their trapping at singly charged oxygen vacancies. Indeed, the MD simulations show that impulsive trapping of holes induces an ultrafast expansion of the cage of Zn atoms in <200 fs, followed by an oscillatory response at a frequency of ∼100 cm−1, which corresponds to a phonon mode of the system involving the Zn sub-lattice.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS1983

Constant-temperature hot-wire anemometer practice in supersonic flows. I - The normal wire

The performance of a constant-temperature normal hot-wire in a supersonic flow is critically examined. It is shown that this instrument is inherently unsuitable for measuring turbulent temperature correlations because of the highly nonlinear response to temperature fluctuations, particularly at low overheat ratios. The instrument is therefore limited to measurements of mean and fluctuating mass-flow rates. Suitable calibration procedures, as well as the limits on spatial and temporal resolution are discussed, and corrections for mean stagnation temperature changes are suggested.

Smits, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Constant-temperature hot-wire anemometer practice in supersonic flows. II - The inclined wire

The performance of a constant-temperature inclined hot-wire in a supersonic flow is critically examined. It is shown that calibration techniques applicable to subsonic flow, such as the cosine cooling law cannot be used when the flow is supersonic. Calibration and measurement procedures appropriate to supersonic flow are suggested, together with the possible limits on their validity. Experimental results for different wires indicate that the sensitivities do not seem to depend on flow direction according to any simple correlation. When the sensitivity exhibits a strong dependence on flow direction, the wire should be discarded to avoid errors due to nonlinear effects.

Smits, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

The behaviour of a compressible turbulent boundary layer under incipient separation conditions

This paper presents an experimental study of a turbulent boundary-layer/shock-wave interaction. The interaction was generated by a two-dimensional compression corner, and the flow was on the point of separating. Measurements were made using both normal and inclined hot wires, and the data include measurements of the longitudinal mass-flow fluctuation intensity and the mass-weighted Reynolds shear stress.

Muck, K. C.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Structure of the wall pressure fluctuations in a shock-induced separated turbulent flow

This paper presents the results of an experimental study of the unsteady nature of a shock wave/turbulent boundary layer interaction. The interaction was generated using an unswept compression ramp. The incoming freestream Mach number was 2.9 and the flow was separated at the corner. An array of flush mounted miniature high frequency pressure transducers was used to make multi-channel measurements of the fluctuating wall pressure within the interaction. From the present results, an overall picture of the instantaneous structure of the unsteady shock system (as inferred from the wall pressure signals) can be constructed. The flow ahead of the corner can be considered as composed of two regions, namely the 'intermittent' region where there is essentially a single leading shock which exhibits significant streamwise 'flapping' and spanwise 'rippling', and the separated region where the flow experiences continuous compression.

Muck, K. C.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Experimental study of three shock wave/turbulent boundary layer interactions

The paper presents a systematic study of the supersonic flow of a turbulent boundary layer over several compression-corner models. The wind tunnel and the compression-corner models (ramps fitted with aerodynamic fences to minimize three-dimensional effects) were identical with those used by Settles et al. (1979); constant-temperature hot-wire anemometry was used for the mass-flow measurements. The turning angles used for the compression corners were 8, 16, and 20 deg. In all three flow cases, the shock wave/turbulent flow interaction did amplify the turbulent stresses dramatically, with amplification increasing with increasing turning angle. However, different stress components were amplified by different amounts.

Smits, Alexander J.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Applying AI tools to operational space environmental analysis

The U.S. Air Force and National Oceanic Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) space environmental operations centers are facing increasingly complex challenges meeting the needs of their growing user community. These centers provide current space environmental information and short term forecasts of geomagnetic activity. Recent advances in modeling and data access have provided sophisticated tools for making accurate and timely forecasts, but have introduced new problems associated with handling and analyzing large quantities of complex data. AI (Artificial Intelligence) techniques have been considered as potential solutions to some of these problems. Fielding AI systems has proven more difficult than expected, in part because of operational constraints. Using systems which have been demonstrated successfully in the operational environment will provide a basis for a useful data fusion and analysis capability. Our approach uses a general purpose AI system already in operational use within the military intelligence community, called the Temporal Analysis System (TAS). TAS is an operational suite of tools supporting data processing, data visualization, historical analysis, situation assessment and predictive analysis. TAS includes expert system tools to analyze incoming events for indications of particular situations and predicts future activity. The expert system operates on a knowledge base of temporal patterns encoded using a knowledge representation called Temporal Transition Models (TTM's) and an event database maintained by the other TAS tools. The system also includes a robust knowledge acquisition and maintenance tool for creating TTM's using a graphical specification language. The ability to manipulate TTM's in a graphical format gives non-computer specialists an intuitive way of accessing and editing the knowledge base. To support space environmental analyses, we used TAS's ability to define domain specific event analysis abstractions. The prototype system defines events covering reports of natural phenomena such as solar flares, bursts, geomagnetic storms, and five others pertinent to space environmental analysis. With our preliminary event definitions we experimented with TAS's support for temporal pattern analysis using X-ray flare and geomagnetic storm forecasts as case studies. We are currently working on a framework for integrating advanced graphics and space environmental models into this analytical environment.

Krajnak, Mike↗
NASA NTRS2002

ATCA Detects Cometary-Shaped Objects In the Giant H II Region

Three protoplanetary disks in the giant H II region NGC 3603, originally found by HST (Hubble Space Telescope) + VLT (Very Large Telescope), have been detected with the ATCA (Australia Telescope Compact Array) at 3 and 6 cm. All three ProPlyDs (protoplanetary disks) are clearly resolved, showing a head-tail extent of approx. 4 inches. Proplyd 3 shows the most pronounced head-tail structure with a 3 cm flux density ratio between head and tail of about 10:1. The tail is very well defined and at least 2 inches long, pointing away from the central star cluster. Unfortunately, ProPlyD 3 is rather faint in the low-sensitivity HST broad band image shown by Brandner et al.; it is located outside the region of their high sensitivity HST H(alpha) image.

Mucke, A.↗