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At least 199 records · Page 11

Realistic operation of two residential cordwood-fired outdoor hydronic heater appliances—Part 2: Particle number and size

The use of wood as a fuel for home heating is a concern from an environmental health and safety perspective as biomass combustion appliances emit high concentrations of particulate matter. Wood burning significantly contributes to wintertime particulate matter concentrations in many states in the northern United States. Of particular concern are outdoor wood-fired hydronic heaters. These devices are concerning as they tend to have very large combustion chambers and typical use patterns can result in long periods of low output, which result in an increased particulate matter emission rate relative to high heat output operating conditions. In this study, the performance of two hydronic heaters operating under different combustion conditions, including four different heat output categories approximately corresponding to categories I–IV denoted in Environmental Protection Agency Method 28 Outdoor Wood-fired Hydronic Heaters, and during start-up and reloading events were investigated. Measurements of flue gas particulate number concentration and size for particles with aerodynamic diameters between 0.006 and 10 µm were made using a dilution sampling system. The measured particle number concentration in the flue gas was between 0.71 and 420 million particles per cubic centimeter and was dependent on fuel loading and heat output. For each hydronic heater tested, the highest average particle concentration was found at the beginning of each test during the cold-start condition. Additionally, the majority of the particles had aerodynamic diameters less than 0.100 µm (particles of this size made up between 64% and 97% of all particles) and less than 1% of all particles had aerodynamic diameters greater than 1 µm for all phases. For particles in the accumulation mode, between 0.100 and 1 µm, the mean particle diameter was dependent on fuel loading and heat output.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Mesh and model requirements for capturing deep-stall aerodynamics in low-Mach-number flows

Here, this work presents a comprehensive computational fluid dynamics investigation of the effects of grid resolution and turbulence-model choice for capturing the unsteady three-dimensional aerodynamic performance of NACA 0012 and 0021 airfoils, with specific focus on the deep-stall regime. At high angles of attack (α), wind turbine blades routinely experience vortex-induced vibrations, which can cause significant structural damages. Accurate predictions of post-stall aerodynamics can identify the frequencies at which such vibrations maybe triggered. In this context, the NACA 0012 airfoil simulations are conducted at a chord-based Reynolds number, Re c =2×10 6 , with the k-ω Shear-Stress Transport Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and Improved Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation (IDDES) hybrid RANS-Large Eddy Simulation turbulence models. The effect of mesh resolution both in the wall-normal and spanwise directions is investigated. Only the IDDES model with a minimum spanwise resolution of 24 cells per chord length correctly predicts the aerodynamic forces. Spectral analysis shows the peak primary shedding frequency at α=30°, which signifies the end of the stall region. In the post-stall regime, both lift and drag frequencies drop asymptotically with increasing α. The Strouhal number, based on normalised chord length, remains nearly constant in this region. Based on this study, NACA 0021 airfoil runs are performed with IDDES for Re c =2.7×10 5 and 2.0×10 6 on the finest wall-normal mesh and three spanwise grids. Simulations conducted on the finer spanwise grids demonstrate grid independence and show good agreement with experiments. The effect of varying Rec on the airfoil frequency statistics is investigated. Additionally, comparison studies are presented to investigate the impact of airfoil thickness on the frequency content at Re c =2.0×10 6 . The results from the study provide guidance on the choice of mesh resolution with the IDDES model to accurately capture aerodynamic quantities for complex industrial applications.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Frequency multiplication with toroidal mode number of kink/fishbone modes on a static HL-2A-like tokamak

In the presence of energetic particles (EPs), the long-lived mode (LLM) frequency multiplication with n = 1, 2, 3, or higher is often observed on HL-2A, where n is the toroidal mode number. Hybrid kinetic-MHD model simulations of the energetic particle (EP) driven kink/fishbone modes on a static HL-2A-like tokamak using NIMROD code find that when the background plasma pressure is relatively high, and the EP pressure and the beam energy are relatively low, the mode frequency increases almost linearly with EP pressure, and the frequency is proportional to n (‘frequency multiplication’), even in the absence of any equilibrium plasma rotation. In addition, the frequency multiplication persists as the safety factor at the magnetic axis q 0 varies. In the absence of EPs, the growth rate of the 1/1 mode is the largest; however, as the EP pressure increases, the growth rate of 2/2 modes or 3/3 modes becomes dominant, suggesting that higher-n modes are more vulnerable to EPs. These results may shed light on the understanding of the toroidal mode number dependence of kink/fishbone modes in the advanced scenarios of tokamaks with weak or reversed central magnetic shear.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Association between the findings of metachronous secondary primary malignancies and the number of Lugol-voiding lesions

Summary This study was designed to evaluate the relation between dysplastic squamous epithelium in the esophageal mucosa and the development of metachronous secondary primary malignancies (mSPM) other than esophagus after endoscopic resection (ER) in patients with early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). We studied 330 patients with early esophageal SCC who underwent ER as a post hoc analysis of a prospective multicenter cohort study (UMIN Clinical Trials Registry ID UMIN000001676). Lugol-voiding lesions (LVL) were graded into 3 categories (A = no lesion; B = 1 to 9 lesions; C ≥ 10 lesions). The following variables were studied: (i) the incidences of mSPM other than esophagus; (ii) the standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of mSPM; (iii) the cumulative incidence and total number of mSPM other than esophagus; and (iv) predictors of mSPM other than esophagus on analysis with a multivariate Cox proportional-hazards model. After a median follow-up of 46.6 months, mSPM other than esophagus was diagnosed in a total of 73 patients (90 lesions). Among the 106 patients in group C, 37 patients had mSPM (51 lesions), including head and neck cancer in 14 patients (24 lesions) and gastric cancer in 12 patients (16 lesions). The SIR of mSPM was 3.61 in this study subjects. An increase in the LVL grade (A to B to C) was associated with a progressive increase in the cumulative incidence rate of mSPM other than esophagus (P = 0.017 for A vs. C, P = 0.023 for B vs. C). An increase in the LVL grade (A to B to C) was also associated with a progressive increase in the total number of mSPM other than esophagus per 100 person-years (primary events, relative risk [RR] = 1.66 and 3.24 for grades B and C, respectively, vs. A, P = 0.002 for trend; all events, RR = 1.81 and 4.66 for grades B and C, respectively, vs. A, P < 0.0001 for trend). LVL grade C was a strong predictor of mSPM other than esophagus (RR = 3.41 for A vs. C). LVL grade may be a useful predictor of the risk of mSPM other than esophagus after ER in patients with early esophageal SCC.

Katada, Chikatoshi↗

Artemether-Lumefantrine Treatment Selects Plasmodium falciparum Multidrug Resistance 1 ( pfmdr1 ) Increased Copy Number Among African Malaria Infections

Abstract Background Decreased efficacy of artemether-lumefantrine, the globally most used antimalarial, has recently emerged in Africa. Methods An efficacy trial was carried out based on directly observed artemether-lumefantrine therapy at Bengo, Northern Angola. One-hundred Plasmodium falciparum uncomplicated malaria patients (2–10 years old) were enrolled, hospitalized for the treatment period, and followed up for 42 days. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) correction was performed with pfmsp1/2 plus glurp, with analysis considering 2 or 3 coincident markers. Infections were tested by quantitative PCR (qPCR) for pfmdr1 copy number (pfmdr1×N), a potential P. falciparum marker of lumefantrine resistance previously identified in the region. In vitro clone mixtures were built and used to determine the relation between qPCR copy number scores and actual intrainfection quantitative fractions of pfmdr1×N. Results We observed a significant posttreatment selection of gene amplification, suggesting a role in the parasite in vivo response to this drug. pfmdr1×2 qPCR scores of 1.3, 1.4, and 1.5 were determined to correspond to 15%, 25%, and 35% intrainfection rates. Patients carrying infections with a score ≥1.4 at baseline were linked to decreased artemether-lumefantrine day 42 efficacy (79% vs 97% single-copy pfmdr1). All infections were pfmdr1 N86 carriers and no pfk13 mutations were found. Conclusions Our study suggests pfmdr1×N as a marker of P. falciparum in vivo response to lumefantrine in Africa, while indicating patients carrying infections with a pretreatment pfmdr1×N score ≥1.4 before treatment are a group experiencing decreased artemether-lumefantrine performance.

Fançony, Claudia (ORCID:0000000344211769)↗

Critical magnetic Reynolds number of the turbulent dynamo in collisionless plasmas

The intracluster medium of galaxy clusters is an extremely hot and diffuse, nearly collisionless plasma, which hosts dynamically important magnetic fields of ~μG strength. Seed magnetic fields of much weaker strength of astrophysical or primordial origin can be present in the intracluster medium. In collisional plasmas, which can be approximated in the magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) limit, the turbulent dynamo mechanism can amplify weak seed fields to strong dynamical levels efficiently by converting turbulent kinetic energy into magnetic energy. However, the viability of this mechanism in weakly collisional or completely collisionless plasma is much less understood. In this study, we explore the properties of the collisionless turbulent dynamo using three-dimensional hybrid-kinetic particle-in-cell simulations. We explore the properties of the collisionless turbulent dynamo in the kinematic regime for different values of the magnetic Reynolds number, Rm, initial magnetic-to-kinetic energy ratio, (E mag /E kin ) i , and initial Larmor ratio, (r Larmor /L box ) i , i.e. the ratio of the Larmor radius to the size of the turbulent system. We find that in the ‘un-magnetized’ regime, (r Larmor /L box ) i > 1, the critical magnetic Reynolds number for the dynamo action Rm crit ≈ 107 ± 3. In the ‘magnetized’ regime, (r Larmor /L box ) i ≲ 1, we find a marginally higher Rm crit = 124 ± 8. We find that the growth rate of the magnetic energy does not depend on the strength of the seed magnetic field when the initial magnetization is fixed. We also study the distribution and evolution of the pressure anisotropy in the collisionless plasma and compare our results with the MHD turbulent dynamo.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Effective viscosity, resistivity, and Reynolds number in weakly collisional plasma turbulence

ABSTRACT We examine dissipation and energy conversion in weakly collisional plasma turbulence, employing in situ observations from the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission and kinetic particle-in-cell simulations of proton–electron plasma. A previous result indicated the presence of viscous-like and resistive-like scaling of average energy conversion rates – analogous to scalings characteristic of collisional systems. This allows for extraction of collisional-like coefficients of effective viscosity and resistivity, and thus also determination of effective Reynolds numbers based on these coefficients. The effective Reynolds number, as a measure of the available bandwidth for turbulence to populate various scales, links turbulence macroscale properties with kinetic plasma properties in a novel way.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

Testing the Froggatt-Nielsen mechanism with lepton flavor and number violating processes

The Froggatt-Nielsen (FN) mechanism offers an elegant explanation for the observed masses and mixings of Standard Model fermions. In this work, we systematically study FN models in the lepton sector, identifying a broad range of charge assignments (“textures”) that naturally yield viable masses and mixings for various neutrino mass generation mechanisms. Using these textures, we consider higher-dimensional operators consistent with a FN origin and find that natural realizations predict distinct patterns in lepton flavor- and number-violating observables. For Dirac and Majorana neutrinos, FN-related correlations can lead to detectable rates of charged lepton flavor violation at next-generation low-energy experiments. Majorana and type-I seesaw models predict measurable rates of neutrinoless double beta decay. Determination of inverted neutrino mass ordering would exclude the Dirac neutrino FN scenario. Only a small minority of purely leptonic FN models predict detectable flavor violation at future muon colliders, though it is possible that a combined analysis with the quark sector will reveal motivated signals. These findings highlight the power of the FN mechanism to link neutrino mass generation to testable leptonic observables, offering new pathways for the experimental exploration of lepton number and underscoring the importance of next-generation low-energy probes.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Nonconservation of Lepton Numbers in the Neutrino Sector Could Change the Prospects for Core Collapse Supernova Explosions

We show that interactions violating the conservation of lepton numbers in the neutrino sector could significantly alter the standard low entropy picture for the presupernova collapsing core of a massive star. A rapid neutrino-antineutrino equilibration leads to entropy generation and enhanced electron capture and, hence, a lower electron fraction than in the standard model. This would affect the downstream core evolution, the prospects for a supernova explosion, and the emergent neutrino signal. If realized by lepton-number-violating neutrino self-interactions (LNV 𝜈⁢SI), the relevant mediator mass and coupling ranges can be probed by future accelerator-based experiments.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Measurement of the mean number of muons with energies above 500 GeV in air showers detected with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory

We present a measurement of the mean number of muons with energies larger than 500 GeV in near-vertical extensive air showers initiated by cosmic rays with primary energies between 2.5 and 100 PeV. The measurement is based on events detected in coincidence between the surface and in-ice detectors of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. Air showers are recorded on the surface by IceTop, while a bundle of high-energy muons (TeV muons) from the shower can subsequently produce a tracklike event in the IceCube in-ice array. Results are obtained assuming the hadronic interaction models Sibyll 2.1, QGSJet-II.04, and EPOS-LHC. The measured number of TeV muons is found to be in agreement with predictions from air-shower simulations. The results have also been compared to a measurement of low-energy muons by IceTop, indicating an inconsistency between the predictions for low- and high-energy muons in simulations based on the EPOS-LHC model.

Abbasi, R. [Loyola University Chicago]↗

Generation of high-winding-number superfluid circulation in Bose-Einstein condensates

We experimentally and numerically demonstrate a method to generate multiply quantized superfluid circulation about an obstacle in highly oblate Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). We experimentally achieve pinned superflow with winding numbers as high as 11, which persists for at least 4 s. Our method conceptually involves spiraling a blue-detuned laser beam, around and towards the center of the BEC, and is experimentally implemented by moving the BEC in a spiral trajectory around a stationary laser beam. This optical potential serves first as a repulsive stirrer to initiate superflow, and then as a pinning potential to transport the superfluid circulation within the BEC. The spiral technique can be used either to generate a high-winding-number persistent current, or for controlled placement of a cluster of singly quantized vortices of the same circulation. Thus, the technique may serve as a building block in experimental architectures to create on-demand vortex distributions in BECs.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Lifetime renormalization of weakly anharmonic superconducting qubits. I. Role of number nonconserving terms

The dynamics of a weakly anharmonic superconducting qubit in a complex electromagnetic environment is generally well described by an effective multimode Kerr Hamiltonian at sufficiently weak excitation. This Hamiltonian can be embedded in a master equation with losses determined by the details of the electromagnetic environment. Recent experiments indicate, however, that when a superconducting circuit is driven with microwave signals populating the system with sufficiently high excitations, the observed relaxation rates appear to be substantially different from expectations based on the electromagnetic environment of the qubit alone. This issue is a limiting factor in the optimization of superconducting qubit readout schemes. We claim here that an effective master equation with drive-power-dependent parameters is an efficient approach to model such quantum dynamics. In this sequence of papers, we derive effective master equations, whose parameters exhibit nonlinear dependence on the excitation level of the circuit as well as the electromagnetic environment of the qubit. Further, we show that the number nonconserving terms in the qubit nonlinearity generally lead to a renormalization of dissipative parameters of the effective master equation, while the number conserving terms give rise to a renormalization of the system frequencies. Here, in Paper I, we consider the excitation-relaxation dynamics of a transmon qubit that is prepared in a certain initial state, but is not driven otherwise. A unitary transformation technique is introduced to study the renormalization of (i) qubit relaxation due to coupling to a generic bath and (ii) Purcell decay. Analytic expressions are provided for the dependence of the nonlinear dissipative terms on the details of the electromagnetic environment of the qubit. The perturbation technique based on unitary transformations developed here is generalized to the continuously driven case in Paper II.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Quartic cumulant of baryon number in the presence of a QCD critical point

In the context of the ongoing search for the QCD critical point at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider, we study the equation of state near the critical point in the temperature and baryon chemical potential plane. We use the parametric representation introduced in earlier literature, which maps the universal three-dimensional Ising equation of state onto the QCD phase diagram using several non-universal parameters. We focus on the quartic cumulant of the baryon number, or baryon number susceptibility χ$^ B_4$, which can be accessed experimentally via net-proton fluctuation kurtosis measurements. It was originally predicted, through universality arguments based on the leading singular contribution, that χ$^ B_4$ and net-proton kurtosis should show a specific nonmonotonic behavior due to the critical point. In particular, when following the freeze-out curve on the phase diagram by decreasing beam energy, the kurtosis is expected to dip, and then peak, when the beam energy scan passes close to the critical point. We study the effects of the nonuniversal and thus far unknown parameters of the Ising-to-QCD mapping on the behavior of χ$^ B_4$. We find that, while the peak remains a solid feature, the presence of the critical point does not necessarily cause a dip in χ$^ B_4$ on the freeze-out line below the transition temperature. The critical point contribution to the dip appears only for a narrow set of mapping parameters, when subleading singular terms are sufficiently suppressed.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Microscopic calculation of fission product yields with particle-number projection

Fission fragments' charge and mass distribution is an important input to applications ranging from basic science to energy production or nuclear nonproliferation. In simulations of nucleosynthesis or calculations of superheavy elements, these quantities must be computed from models, as they are needed in nuclei where no experimental information is available. Until now, standard techniques to estimate these distributions were not capable of accounting for fine-structure effects, such as the odd-even staggering of the charge distributions. In this work, we combine a fully microscopic collective model of fission dynamics with a recent extension of the particle number projection formalism to provide the highest-fidelity prediction of the primary fission fragment distributions for the neutron-induced fission of 235 U and 239 Pu. Here, we show that particle-number projection is an essential ingredient to reproduce odd-even staggering in the charge yields and benchmark the performance of various empirical probability laws that could simulate its effect. This new approach also enables for the first time the realistic determination of two-dimensional isotopic yields within nuclear density functional theory.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Scattering matrix pole expansions for complex wave numbers in R -matrix theory

In this followup article to Ducru et al., we establish new results on scattering matrix pole expansions for complex wave numbers in R-matrix theory. In the past, two branches of theoretical formalisms emerged to describe the scattering matrix in nuclear physics: R-matrix theory and pole expansions. The two have been quite isolated from one another. Recently, our study of Brune's alternative parametrization of R-matrix theory has shown the need to extend the scattering matrix (and the underlying R-matrix operators) to complex wave numbers. Two competing ways of doing so have emerged from a historical ambiguity in the definitions of the shift S and penetration P functions: the legacy Lane and Thomas's “force closure” approach versus analytic continuation (which is the standard in mathematical physics). The R-matrix community has not yet come to a consensus as to which to adopt for evaluations in standard nuclear data libraries, such as ENDF. Here, in this article, we argue in favor of analytic continuation of R-matrix operators. We bridge R-matrix theory with the Humblet-Rosenfeld pole expansions, and discover new properties of the Siegert-Humblet radioactive poles and widths, including their invariance properties to changes in channel radii a c . We then show that analytic continuation of R-matrix operators preserves important physical and mathematical properties of the scattering matrix—canceling spurious poles and guaranteeing generalized unitarity—while still being able to close channels below thresholds.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Particle-number fluctuations near the critical point of nuclear matter

Equation of state with the quantum statistics corrections is used for particle-number fluctuations ω of the isotopically symmetric nuclear matter with interparticle van der Waals and Skyrme local density interactions. Here, the fluctuations, ω ∝ 1/K, are analytically derived through the isothermal incompressibility K at first order over a small quantum-statistics parameter. Our approximate analytical results appear to be in good agreement with the results of accurate numerical calculations. These results are also close to those obtained by using more accurate Tolman and Rowlinson expansions of the incompressibility K near the critical point. More general formula for fluctuations ω, improved at the critical point, was obtained for a finite particle-number average $\langle$N$\rangle$ by neglecting, for simplicity, small quantum statistics effects. It is shown that for a large dimensionless parameter, α ∝ K 2 $\langle$N$\rangle$/K", where K" is the second derivative of the incompressibility K as function of the average particle density n, far from the critical point (α >> 1), one finds the traditional asymptote, ω ∝ 1/K, for the fluctuations ω. For a small parameter, α << 1, near the critical point, where K = 0 and α = 0, one obtains another asymptote of ω. These fluctuations, having a maximum near the critical point as function of the average density n, for finite values of $\langle$N$\rangle$ are finite and relatively small, in contrast to the results of the traditional calculations.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Phase transition amplification of proton number fluctuations in nuclear collisions from a transport model approach

The time evolution of particle number fluctuations in nuclear collisions at intermediate energies (E lab = 1.23–10⁢A GeV) is studied by means of the UrQMD-3.5 transport model. The transport description incorporates baryonic interactions through a density-dependent potential. This allows for an implementation of a first-order phase transition including a mechanically unstable region at large baryon density. The scaled variance of the baryon and proton number distributions is calculated in the central cubic spatial volume of the collisions at different times. A significant enhancement of fluctuations associated with the unstable region is observed. This enhancement persists to late times, reflecting a memory effect for the fluctuations. The presence of the phase transition has a much smaller influence on the observable event-by-event fluctuations of protons in momentum space.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Molecular dynamics analysis of particle number fluctuations in the mixed phase of a first-order phase transition

Molecular dynamics simulations are performed for a finite nonrelativistic system of particles with Lennard-Jones potential. We study the effect of liquid-gas mixed phase on particle number fluctuations in coordinate subspace. A metastable region of the mixed phase, the so-called nucleation region, is analyzed in terms of a noninteracting cluster model. Large fluctuations due to spinodal decomposition are observed. They arise due to the interplay between the size of the acceptance region and that of the liquid phase. These effects are studied with a simple geometric model. The model results for the scaled variance of particle number distribution are compared with those obtained from the direct molecular dynamic simulations.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗