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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2001

Contagious Coronal Heating from Recurring Emergence of Magnetic Flux

For each of six old bipolar active regions, we present and interpret Yohkoh/SXT and SOHO/MDI observations of the development, over several days, of enhanced coronal heating in and around the old bipole in response to new magnetic flux emerge= within the old bipole. The observations show: 1. In each active region, new flux emerges in the equatorward side of the old bipole, around a lone remaining leading sunspot and/or on the equatorward end of the neutral line of the old bipole. 2. The emerging field is marked by intense internal coronal heating, and enhanced coronal heating occurs in extended loops stemming from the emergence site. 3. In five of the six cases, a "rooster tail" of coronal loops in the poleward extent of the old bipole also brightens in response to the flux emergence. 4. There are episodes of enhanced coronal heating in surrounding magnetic fields that are contiguous with the old bipole but are not directly connected to the emerging field. From these observations, we suggest that the accommodation of localized newly emerged flux within an old active region entails far reaching adjustments in the 3D magnetic field throughout the active region and in surrounding fields in which the active region is embedded, and that these adjustments produce the extensive enhanced coronal heating. We also note that the reason for the recurrence of flux emergence in old active regions may be that active region flux tends to emerge in giant-cell convection downflows. If so, the poleward "rooster tail" is a coronal flag of a long-lasting downflow in the convection zone. This work was funded by NASA's Office of Space Science through the Solar Physics Supporting Research and Technology Program and the Sun-Earth Connection Guest Investigator Program.

Moore, Ronald L.↗
NASA NTRS2021

Mapping Global Forest Age from Forest Inventories, Biomass and Climate Data

Forest age can determine the capacity of a forest to uptake carbon from the atmosphere. However, a lack of global diagnostics that reflect the forest stage and associated disturbance regimes hampers the quantification of age-related differences in forest carbon dynamics. This study provides a new global distribution of forest age circa 2010, estimated using a machine learning approach trained with more than 40 000 plots using forest inventory, biomass and climate data. First, an evaluation against the plot-level measurements of forest age reveals that the data-driven method has a relatively good predictive capacity of classifying old-growth vs. non-old-growth (precision = 0.81 and 0.99 for old-growth and non-old-growth, respectively) forests and estimating corresponding forest age estimates (NSE = 0.6 – Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency – and RMSE = 50 years – root-mean-square error). However, there are systematic biases of overestimation in young- and underestimation in old-forest stands, respectively. Globally, we find a large variability in forest age with the old-growth forests in the tropical regions of Amazon and Congo, young forests in China, and intermediate stands in Europe. Furthermore, we find that the regions with high rates of deforestation or forest degradation (e.g. the arc of deforestation in the Amazon) are composed mainly of younger stands. Assessment of forest age in the climate space shows that the old forests are either in cold and dry regions or warm and wet regions, while young–intermediate forests span a large climatic gradient. Finally, comparing the presented forest age estimates with a series of regional products reveals differences rooted in different approaches and different in situ observations and global-scale products. Despite showing robustness in cross-validation results, additional methodological insights on further developments should as much as possible harmonize data across the different approaches. The forest age dataset presented here provides additional insights into the global distribution of forest age to better understand the global dynamics in the forest water and carbon cycles. The forest age datasets are openly available at https://doi.org/10.17871/ForestAgeBGI.2021 (Besnard et al., 2021).

Simon Besnard↗
DOE OSTI2020

New soil carbon sequestration with nitrogen enrichment: a meta-analysis

Background and aims: Through agriculture and industry, humans are increasing the deposition and availability of nitrogen (N) in ecosystems worldwide. Carbon (C) isotope tracers provide useful insights into soil C dynamics, as they allow to study soil C pools of different ages. In this study we evaluated to what extent N enrichment affects soil C dynamics in experiments that applied C isotope tracers. Methods: Using meta-analysis, we synthesized data from 35 published papers. We made a distinction between “new C” and “old C” stocks, i.e., soil C derived from plant C input since the start of the isotopic enrichment, or unlabeled, pre-existing soil C. Results: Averaged across studies, N addition increased new soil C stocks (+30.3%), total soil C stocks (+6.1%) and soil C input proxies (+30.7%). Although N addition had no overall, average, effect on old soil C stocks and old soil C respiration, old soil C stocks increased with the amount of N added and respiration of old soil C declined. Nitrogen-induced effects on new soil C and soil C input both decreased with the amount of extraneous N added in control treatments. Conclusion: Although our findings require additional confirmation from long-term field experiments, our analysis provides isotopic evidence that N addition stimulates soil C storage both by increasing soil C input and (at high N rates) by decreasing decomposition of old soil C. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the widely reported saturating response of plant growth to N enrichment also applies to new soil C storage.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2012

Paleo-Environment and C-14 Dating: The Key to the Depositional Age of the Tha Chang and Related Sand Pits, Northeastern Thailand

Tha Chang sand pits, Nakhon Ratchasima Province and many other sand pits in the area adjacent to the Mun River are characterized by their fluviatile environment in association with mass wasting deposits, along the paleo-river channel and the flood plain of the Mun River. Sediments of these deposits are characterized by clasts of various rock types especially the resistant ones with frequent big tree trunks, logs and wood fragments in different sizes and various stages of transformation from moldering stage to lignification and petrification. Widespread pyritization of the lower horizon suggests strongly reducing environment during burial. The Tha Chang deposits have been received much attention from geoscientists especially paleontologist communities, as they contain fragments of some distinct vertebrate species such as Stegadon sp., hominoid primate, rhinoceros Aceratherium and others. Based on the associated mammal fauna and hominoid fossils, the late Miocene ( 9 - 6 Ma) was given for the time of deposition of this sand and gravel unit. Some other reports believed that sediments and materials of these sand and gravel quarries (pits) were deposited by high-energy flood pulses contemporaneous with the tektites forming event during mid-Pleistocene at c. 0.8 Ma. Interpretation from Palynostratigraphical study suggested that the lower horizon of Tha Chang sand pit was deposited during Pliocene/Pleistocene period and the upper horizons are Pleistoncene/Holocene. It is crystal clear that all the fluviatile sediments including tektites and almost all fossil fragments being deposited in these sand pits were, likely a multiple times reworked materials. Only some old bamboo trees, some old crowling trees and fossils grasses observed on the old river bank are considered in situ. C-14 dating of 5 old wood specimens from Tha Chang Sand Pits, 15 old wood specimens from Chumpuang Sand Pits and one sample of old pottery from a Chumpuang Sand Pit were carried out in the NSF- Arizona AMS Laboratory. Although, there is no sharp boundary between the unconsolidated sedimentary horizons in the pits, C-14 ages obtained from the Tha Chang vary from 34,340 BP at the middle horizon (approx 10 m below ground zero) to >49,900 BP at the lower horizon with unknown basal formation (highly pyritized zone approx 20 - 25 m below ground zero). The ages for the Chumpuang vary from 41,700 BP, >45,900 BP and >49,900 BP from the upper most to the lower most of a broad horizon (approx 8 m to approx 12 m below ground zero). The C-14 age of the pottery collected from layer approximately 5 m below ground zero is 2,514 BP. The nature of fluviatile together with occasional mass wasting characteristics of all sand pits studies suggest the relatively faster depositional rate of the lower horizon which involved more flooding and mass wasting deposits than those of the upper horizons. The apparent of some mixing of the wood ages may indicate reworking and lag deposits nature of the area. The depositional rate of the upper most sand and soil horizon (5 m thick) is approximately 1 m per 500 years which mean both erosion and deposition had played a significant role during that time period. In term of the true age of the formation, we argue that since most of the materials deposited are reworked materials, all ages obtained from fossil fragments could not be the age of sand and gravel formation. Furthermore, the maximum age of all the tektite bearing horizons cannot be older than 0.8 Ma. The oldest C-14 age of 49,900 BP is interpreted as the minimum age of the Tha Chang and related sand pits formation when geomorphology of the area was a lot more hilly and much higher gradient than that of the present day.

Putthapiban, P.↗
DOE OSTI2020

The older plant gets the sun: Age-related changes in Miscanthus × giganteus phenology

Age-related changes are usually overlooked in perennial grass research; when they are considered it is usually as a change in plant size (e.g., biomass). Whether other physiological or developmental aspects change as stands age, and how those aspects may impact long-term stand dynamics, remains unclear. Conventional experimental designs study a single stand over multiple growing seasons and thereby confound age-related changes with growing season conditions. Here we used a staggered-start experimental design with three repeated planting years over two growing seasons to isolate growing season effects. We studied changes in Miscanthus × giganteus phenology during its yield-building stage (first 3 years) and estimated age, growing season and nitrogen (N) effects on development using nonlinear regression parameters. Stand age clearly changed plant growth; faster developmental rates were usually seen in 1-year-old stands (young), but because 2- and 3-year-old stands (mature) emerged 3 months earlier than newly planted stands they produced ~30% more stems with 30%–60% more leaves. Nitrogen fertilization modulated some age-related phenological changes. Fertilized 2-year-old stands reached similar stem densities as unfertilized 3-year-old stands and had fewer number of senesced leaves like 1-year-old stands. In addition, N fertilization had no effect on young M. × giganteus , but extended mature stands’ growing season more than 2 weeks by hastening emergence and delaying senescence. It also delayed flowering regardless of stand age. Our results suggest that, along with changes in size, M. × giganteus stands showed shifts in developmental strategies: young stands emerged later and developed faster, while mature stands grew for longer but more slowly. In temperate regions, where hard frost events are likely to interrupt development in late autumn, rapid early development is critical to plant survival. Nonlinear regression parameter differences proved effective in identifying phenological shifts.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1995

AVIRIS spectral trajectories for forested areas of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest

A simple mixing model employing reference endmembers (green vegetation, non-photosynthetic vegetation, soil and shade), and using 180 AVIRIS bands, was used to establish an interpretive framework for a forested area in the Pacific Northwest. A regrowth trend, based on changes in the endmember proportions, was defined for conifers that extends from clearcuts to mature forest, and by implication to old growth. Deciduous species within replanted forest plots caused the fractions to be displaced from the main coniferous regrowth trend and to move toward the green vegetation fraction. The results indicate that the spectral information in AVIRIS can be inverted to estimate approximate stand age and relative proportion of deciduous species in the context of the area studied. Using AVIRIS we measured a 3 to 5 percent increase in woody material in old-growth forest, as distinct from other mature forest. This result is consistent with a predicted increase in NPV in old-growth forest, based on field observations. Previous application of the mixing analysis to a TM image of the same area separated old growth based solely on the shade fraction; however the approach required successful removal of shade introduced by topography. Our new results suggest that with the high spectral resolution and high signal-to-noise of AVIRIS images it may be possible to characterize and map old-growth forests in the Northwest using both the NPV fraction and shade.

Sabol, Donald E., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Spectral analysis of heart rate dynamics in elderly persons with postprandial hypotension

Prior studies suggest that postprandial hypotension in elderly persons may be due to defective sympathetic nervous system activation. We examined autonomic control of heart rate (HR) after a meal using spectral analysis of HR data in 13 old (89 +/- 6 years) and 7 young (24 +/- 4 years) subjects. Total spectral power, an index of overall HR variability, was calculated for the frequency band between 0.01 and 0.40 Hz. Relatively low-frequency power, associated with sympathetic nervous system and baroreflex activation, was calculated for the 0.01 to 0.15 Hz band. High-frequency power, representing parasympathetic influences on HR, was calculated for the 0.15 to 0.40 Hz band. Mean arterial blood pressure declined 27 +/- 8 mm Hg by 60 minutes after the meal in elderly subjects, compared with 9 +/- 8 mm Hg in young subjects (p less than or equal to 0.0001, young vs old). The mean change in low-frequency HR power from 30 to 50 minutes after the meal was +19.4 +/- 25.3 U in young subjects versus -0.1 +/- 1.5 U in old subjects (p less than or equal to 0.02). Mean change in total power was also greater in young (19.0 +/- 26.6 U) subjects compared with old subjects (0.0 +/- 1.6 U, p greater than or equal to 0.02). Mean ratio of low:high-frequency power increased 3.1 +/- 3.3 U in young subjects vs 0.5 +/- 2.7 U in old subjects (p less than or equal to 0.01). The increase in low-frequency HR power and in the low:high frequency band ratio in young subjects is consistent with sympathetic activation in the postprandial period.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS).

NASA Discipline Cardiopulmonary↗
DOE OSTI2022

Acute Copper Toxicity Displays a Nonmonotonic Relationship with Age Across the Medaka ( Oryzias latipes ) Life Span

The ability of an organism to cope with environmental stressors varies across the life span because of developmental stage–specific responses and age-related functional declines. In the present study, we examined the effect of age on acute copper toxicity in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes). We first determined the median lethal concentration (LC50) at 96 h for embryos, 7-day-old fry, and 6-month-old medaka. Embryos were exposed to 0, 15, 30, 60, 125, 250, and 500 ppb CuSO 4 through hatching. Fry were exposed to 0, 20, 50, 75, 100, 150, 250, and 500 ppb CuSO 4 for 96 h. Adult fish were exposed to 0, 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 ppb CuSO 4 for 96 h. The 96-h LC50 was 804 ppb for embryos, 262 ppb for embryonically exposed larvae, 60.3 ppb for 7-day-old fry, and 226 ppb for adults. We then challenged cohorts of fish aged 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, and 16 months with a 225-ppb CuSO 4 exposure to determine the acute toxicity across the life span. The fish exhibited a bimodal tolerance to copper, with tolerance peaking in 2- and 3-month-old fish and again at 10 and 11 months of age. Our data demonstrate that copper sensitivity is dynamic throughout the medaka life span and may be influenced by trade-offs with reproduction. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:2999–3006. © 2022 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Specific absorbed fractions for a revised series of the UF/NCI pediatric reference phantoms: internal photon sources

Assessment of radiation absorbed dose to internal organs of the body from the intake of radionuclides, or in the medical setting through the injection of radiopharmaceuticals, is generally performed based upon reference biokinetic models or patient imaging data, respectively. Biokinetic models estimate the time course of activity localized to source organs. The time-integration of these organ activity profiles are then scaled by the radionuclide S-value, which defines the absorbed dose to a target tissue per nuclear transformation in various source tissues. S-values are computed using established nuclear decay information (particle energies and yields), and a parameter termed the specific absorbed fraction (SAF). The SAF is the ratio of the absorbed fraction—fraction of particle energy emitted in the source tissue that is deposited in the target tissue—and the target organ mass. While values of the SAF may be computed using patient-specific or individual-specific anatomic models, they have been more widely available through the use of computational reference phantoms. In this study, we report on an extensive series of photon SAFs computed in a revised series of the University of Florida and the National Cancer Institute pediatric reference phantoms which have been modified to conform to the specifications embodied in the ICRP reference adult phantoms of Publication 110 (e.g. organs modeled, organ ID numbers, blood contribution to elemental compositions). Following phantom anatomical revisions, photon radiation transport simulations were performed using MCNPX v2.7 in each of the ten phantoms of the series—male and female newborn, 1 year old, 5 year old, 10 year old, and 15 year old—for 60 different tissues serving as source and/or target regions. A total of 25 photon energies were considered from 10 keV to 10 MeV along a logarithm energy grid. Detailed analyses were conducted of the relative statistical errors in the Monte Carlo target tissue energy deposition tallies at low photon energies and over all energies for source–target combinations at large intra-organ separation distances. Based on these analyses, various data smoothing algorithms were employed, including multi-point weighted data smoothing, and log–log interpolation at low energies (1 keV and 5 keV) using limiting SAF values based upon target organ mass to bound the interpolation interval. The final dataset is provided in a series of ten electronic supplemental files in MS Excel format. Finally, the results of this study were further used as the basis for assessing the radiative component of internal electron source SAFs as described in our companion paper (Schwarz et al 2021) for this same pediatric phantom series.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Specific absorbed fractions for a revised series of the UF/NCI pediatric reference phantoms: internal electron sources

Assessment of radiation absorbed dose to internal organs of the body from the intake of radionuclides, or in the medical setting through the injection of radiopharmaceuticals, is generally performed based upon reference biokinetic models or patient imaging data, respectively. Biokinetic models estimate the time course of activity localized to source organs. The time-integration of these organ activity profiles are then scaled by the radionuclide S-value, which defines the absorbed dose to a target tissue per nuclear transformation in various source tissues. S-values are computed using established nuclear decay information (particle energies and yields), and a parameter termed the specific absorbed fraction (SAF). The SAF is the ratio of the absorbed fraction—fraction of particle energy emitted in the source tissue that is deposited in the target tissue—and the target organ mass. While values of the SAF may be computed using patient-specific or individual-specific anatomic models, they have been more widely available through the use of computational reference phantoms. In this study, we report on an extensive series of photon SAFs computed in a revised series of the University of Florida and the National Cancer Institute pediatric reference phantoms which have been modified to conform to the specifications embodied in the ICRP reference adult phantoms of Publication 110 (e.g. organs modeled, organ ID numbers, blood contribution to elemental compositions). Following phantom anatomical revisions, photon radiation transport simulations were performed using MCNPX v2.7 in each of the ten phantoms of the series—male and female newborn, 1 year old, 5 year old, 10 year old, and 15 year old—for 60 different tissues serving as source and/or target regions. A total of 25 photon energies were considered from 10 keV to 10 MeV along a logarithm energy grid. Detailed analyses were conducted of the relative statistical errors in the Monte Carlo target tissue energy deposition tallies at low photon energies and over all energies for source–target combinations at large intra-organ separation distances. Based on these analyses, various data smoothing algorithms were employed, including multi-point weighted data smoothing, and log–log interpolation at low energies (1 keV and 5 keV) using limiting SAF values based upon target organ mass to bound the interpolation interval. The final dataset is provided in a series of ten electronic supplemental files in MS Excel format. Finally, the results of this study were further used as the basis for assessing the radiative component of internal electron source SAFs as described in our companion paper (Schwarz et al 2021) for this same pediatric phantom series.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Long-term variability of root production in bioenergy crops from ingrowth core measurements

Long-term determination of root biomass production upon land-use conversion to biofuel crops is rare. To assess land-use legacy influences on belowground biomass accumulation, we converted 22-year-old Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grasslands and 50+-year-old agricultural (AGR) lands to corn (C), switchgrass (Sw) and restored prairie (Pr) biofuel crops. We maintained one CRP grassland as a reference (Ref). We hypothesized that land-use history and crop type have significant effects on root density, with perennial crops on CRP grasslands having a higher root biomass productivity, while corn grown on former agricultural lands produce the lowest root biomass. Methods The ingrowth core method was used to determine in situ ingrowth root biomass, alongside measurements of aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP). Ancillary measurements, including air temperature, growing season length and precipitation were used to examine their influences on root biomass production. Important Findings Root biomass productivity was the highest in unconverted CRP grassland (1716 g m-2 yr-1) and lowest in corn fields (526 g m-2 yr-1). All perennial sites converted from CRP and AGR lands had lower root biomass and ANPP in the first year of planting but peaked in 2011 for switchgrass and a year later for restored prairies. Ecosystem stability was higher in restored prairies (AGR-Pr: 4.3 ± 0.11; CRP-Pr: 4.1 ± 0.10), with all monocultures exhibiting a lower stability. Root biomass production was positively related to ANPP (R2 = 0.40). Overall, attention should be given to root biomass accumulation in large-scale biofuel production as it is a major source of carbon sequestration.

Environmental Sciences & Ecology↗
DOE OSTI2023

Locoregional Treatment of Glioblastoma With Targeted α Therapy: [213Bi]Bi-DOTA–Substance P Versus [225Ac]Ac-DOTA–Substance P—Analysis of Influence Parameters

Background Glioblastoma (GB) is the most malignant primary brain tumor. Therefore, introduction of new treatment options is critically important. The aim of this study was to assess local treatment with α emitters [ 213 Bi]Bi-DOTA–substance P (SP) and [ 225 Ac]Ac-DOTA-SP. Methods Treatment was performed as salvage therapy in patients with recurrent primary and secondary GB. [ 213 Bi]Bi-DOTA-SP with injected activity 1.85 GBq per cycle was used in 20 primary (48.2 ± 11.8 years old) and in 9 secondary (38.8 ± 10.8 years old) GB patients and [ 225 Ac]Ac-DOTA-SP in 15 primary (45.1 ± 9.9 years old) and in 6 secondary (37.8 ± 6.4 years old) GB patients with a dose escalation scheme (10, 20, and 30 MBq). Results Local treatment with [ 213 Bi]Bi-DOTA-SP and [ 225 Ac]Ac-DOTA-SP was well tolerated with only few adverse effects. There was no statistically significant difference between [ 213 Bi]Bi-DOTA-SP and [ 225 Ac]Ac-DOTA-SP groups in survival parameters. For primary GB, survival parameters of patients treated with [ 213 Bi]Bi-DOTA-SP and [ 225 Ac]Ac-DOTA-SP were as follows(in months): progression-free survival time, 2.7 versus 2.4; OS-d (overall survival from time of diagnosis to death from any cause), 23.6 versus 21.0; OS-t (overall survival from the start of treatment to death from any cause), 7.5 versus 5.0; and OS-r (overall survival from recurrence in primary tumors to death from any cause), 10.9 versus 12.0. Survival parameters of secondary GB patients treated with [ 213 Bi]Bi-DOTA-SP and [ 225 Ac]Ac-DOTA-SP were as follows (in months): progression-free survival time, 5.8 versus 2.4; OS-d, 52.3 versus 65.0; OS-t, 16.4 versus 16.0; and OS-c (overall survival from conversion into secondary GB multiforme to death from any cause), 18.4 versus 36.0. Conclusions The similarity results of 213 Bi or 225 Ac may suggest that the local treatment of brain tumors can be greatly simplified. The experience to date shows that local radioisotope treatment of brain tumors requires further dosimetry studies, taking into account the complexity of biological processes.

Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging↗
DOE OSTI2023

Microbial life in 25-m-deep boreholes in ancient permafrost illuminated by metagenomics

This study describes the composition and potential metabolic adaptation of microbial communities in northeastern Siberia, a repository of the oldest permafrost in the Northern Hemisphere. Samples of contrasting depth (1.75 to 25.1 m below surface), age (from ~ 10 kyr to 1.1 Myr) and salinity (from low 0.1–0.2 ppt and brackish 0.3–1.3 ppt to saline 6.1 ppt) were collected from freshwater permafrost (FP) of borehole AL1_15 on the Alazeya River, and coastal brackish permafrost (BP) overlying marine permafrost (MP) of borehole CH1_17 on the East Siberian Sea coast. To avoid the limited view provided with culturing work, we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to show that the biodiversity decreased dramatically with permafrost age. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis placed the samples into three groups: FP and BP together (10–100 kyr old), MP (105–120 kyr old), and FP (> 900 kyr old). Younger FP/BP deposits were distinguished by the presence of Acidobacteriota, Bacteroidota, Chloroflexota_A, and Gemmatimonadota, older FP deposits had a higher proportion of Gammaproteobacteria, and older MP deposits had much more uncultured groups within Asgardarchaeota, Crenarchaeota, Chloroflexota, Patescibacteria, and unassigned archaea. The 60 recovered metagenome-assembled genomes and un-binned metagenomic assemblies suggested that despite the large taxonomic differences between samples, they all had a wide range of taxa capable of fermentation coupled to nitrate utilization, with the exception of sulfur reduction present only in old MP deposits.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Changes in trachoma indicators in Kiribati with two rounds of azithromycin mass drug administration, measured in serial population-based surveys

Baseline mapping in the two major population centers of Kiribati showed that trachoma was a public health problem in need of programmatic interventions. After conducting two annual rounds of antibiotic mass drug administration (MDA), Kiribati undertook trachoma impact surveys in 2019, using standardized two-stage cluster surveys in the evaluation units of Kiritimati Island and Tarawa. In Kiritimati, 516 households were visited and in Tarawa, 772 households were visited. Nearly all households had a drinking water source and access to an improved latrine. The prevalence of trachomatous trichiasis remained above the elimination threshold (0.2% in ≥15-year-olds) and was virtually unchanged from baseline. The prevalence of trachomatous inflammation—follicular (TF) in 1–9-year-olds decreased by approximately 40% from baseline in both evaluation units but remained above the 5% TF prevalence threshold for stopping MDA. TF prevalence at impact survey was 11.5% in Kiritimati and 17.9% in Tarawa. Infection prevalence in 1–9-year-olds by PCR was 0.96% in Kiritimati and 3.3% in Tarawa. Using a multiplex bead assay to measure antibodies to the C. trachomatis antigen Pgp3, seroprevalence in 1–9-year-olds was 30.2% in Kiritimati and 31.4% in Tarawa. The seroconversion rate, in seroconversion events/100 children/year, was 9.0 in Kiritimati and 9.2 in Tarawa. Seroprevalence and seroconversion rates were both assessed by four different assays, with strong agreement between tests. These results show that, despite decreases in indicators associated with infection at impact survey, trachoma remains a public health problem in Kiribati, and provide additional information about changes in serological indicators after MDA.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Stochastic parametric skeletal dosimetry model for humans: Pediatric and adult computational skeleton phantoms for internal bone marrow dosimetry

Currently, computational phantoms that simulate skeletal tissues are used in active red bone marrow (AM) internal dosimetry. Up-to-date reference computational phantoms recommended by the ICRP are based on the analysis of CT-images of cadavers. Such phantoms have significant disadvantages. One disadvantage is that the assessment of uncertainty due to the population variability of skeleton dimensions and microstructure results from the limited availability of autopsy material. Another disadvantage is the simplified modelling of cortical layer and bone microarchitecture. A method of stochastic parametric skeletal dosimetry modelling of the bone structures – SPSD modelling – has been developed as an alternative to the ICRP reference phantoms. In the framework of this approach, skeletal phantom parameters are evaluated based on extensively reviewed results of published measurements of real bones. The SPSD approach allows for the assessment of both population-average values and their variability. SPSD-phantoms of the skeleton are modelled in voxel representation. They consist of smaller phantoms of the bone sites – segments – described by simple geometric shapes with uniform microarchitecture parameters. Such segmentation makes it possible to account for non-homogeneous skeletal microarchitecture and to model the bone structure with the required voxel resolution to elaborate suitable skeletal phantoms. The current study presents the parameters of the SPSD skeletal phantoms for the following age-groups: newborn, 1-year-old, 5-year-old, 10-year-old, 15-year-old (male and female), and adult (male and female). This skeletal phantom can be used for dosimetry as an alternative to available reference phantoms for bone-seeking radionuclides. The above-mentioned age- and sex-specific skeletal phantoms are comprised of 289 unique segments. The characteristics of the SPSD phantoms do not contradict published data and are in good agreement with the measurement results of real bones.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2024

Spontaneous bodily coordination varies across affective and intellectual child-adult interactions

Research on child-adult interactions has identified that the morphology of bodily coordination seems to be sensitive to age and type of interaction. Mirror-like imitation emerges earlier in life and is more common during emotionally laden interactions, while anatomical imitation is acquired later and associated with cognitive tasks. However, it remains unclear whether these morphologies also vary with age and type of interaction during spontaneous coordination. Here we report a motion capture study comparing the spontaneous coordination patterns of thirty-five 3-year-old (20 girls; M age = 3.15 years) and forty 6-year-old children (20 girls; M age = 6.13 years) interacting with unacquainted adults during two storytelling sessions. The stories narrated the search of a character for her mother (Predominantly Affective Condition) or an object (Predominantly Intellectual Condition) inside a supermarket. Results show that children of both ages consistently coordinated their spontaneous movements towards adult storytellers, both in symmetric and asymmetric ways. However, symmetric coordination was more prominent in 3-year-old children and during predominantly emotional interactions, whereas asymmetric coordination prevailed in 6-year-old children and during predominantly intellectual interactions. These results add evidence from spontaneous interactions in favor of the hypothesis that symmetric coordination is associated with affective interactions and asymmetric coordination with intellectual ones.

Cornejo, Carlos↗
DOE OSTI2020

The High-energy Radiation Environment around a 10 Gyr M Dwarf: Habitable at Last?

Recent work has demonstrated that high levels of X-ray and UV activity on young M dwarfs may drive rapid atmospheric escape on temperate, terrestrial planets orbiting within the habitable zone. However, secondary atmospheres on planets orbiting older, less active M dwarfs may be stable and present more promising candidates for biomarker searches. In order to evaluate the potential habitability of Earth-like planets around old, inactive M dwarfs, we present new Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory observations of Barnard’s Star (GJ 699), a 10 Gyr old M3.5 dwarf, acquired as part of the Mega-MUSCLES program. Despite the old age and long rotation period of Barnard’s Star, we observe two FUV (δ 130 ≈ 5000 s; E 130 ≈ 10 29.5 erg each) and one X-ray (E X ≈ 10 29.2 erg) flares, and we estimate a high-energy flare duty cycle (defined here as the fraction of the time the star is in a flare state) of ~25%. A publicly available 5 Å to 10 μm spectral energy distribution of GJ 699 is created and used to evaluate the atmospheric stability of a hypothetical, unmagnetized terrestrial planet in the habitable zone (r HZ ~ 0.1 au). Both thermal and nonthermal escape modeling indicate (1) the quiescent stellar XUV flux does not lead to strong atmospheric escape: atmospheric heating rates are comparable to periods of high solar activity on modern Earth, and (2) the flare environment could drive the atmosphere into a hydrodynamic loss regime at the observed flare duty cycle: sustained exposure to the flare environment of GJ 699 results in the loss of ≈87 Earth atmospheres Gyr -1 through thermal processes and ≈3 Earth atmospheres Gyr -1 through ion loss processes. These results suggest that if rocky planet atmospheres can survive the initial ~5 Gyr of high stellar activity, or if a second-generation atmosphere can be formed or acquired, the flare duty cycle may be the controlling stellar parameter for the stability of Earth-like atmospheres around old M stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Galaxy Populations in Groups and Clusters: Evidence for a Characteristic Stellar Mass Scale at M * ~ 10 9.5 M ⊙

We use the DR9 of the DESI legacy imaging survey and SDSS galaxy groups to measure the conditional luminosity function (CLF) for groups with halo mass Mh ≥ 10 12 M ⊙ and redshift 0.01 ≤ z ≤ 0.08, down to a limiting r-band magnitude of M r = –10 to –12. For given halo masses we measure the CLF for the total populations and for the red and blue populations classified using the (g – z) color. We find a clear faint-end upturn in the CLF of red satellites, with a slope α ≈ –1.8, which is almost independent of halo mass. This faint-end upturn is not seen for the blue and total populations. Our stellar population synthesis modeling shows that (g – z) provides a clean red/blue division and that red group galaxies defined by (g – z) are all dominated by old stellar populations. The fraction of old galaxies as a function of galaxy luminosity shows a minimum at M r ~ –18, corresponding to M * ~ 10 9.5 M ⊙ . This scale is independent of halo mass and is comparable to the characteristic luminosity at which galaxies show a dichotomy in surface brightness and size, suggesting that the dichotomy in the old fraction and in galaxy structure may have a common origin. The rising of the old fraction at the faint end for Milky Way (MW)–sized halos is in good agreement with the quenched fraction measured for the MW/M31 system and from the ELVES survey. We discuss the implications of our results for the formation and evolution of low-mass galaxies and for the stellar mass functions of low-mass galaxies to be observed at high redshift.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗