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At least 343 records · Page 19

Integration of Open-Source URBANopt and Dragonfly Energy Modeling Capabilities into Practitioner Workflows for District-Scale Planning and Design

High-performance districts and communities offer opportunities for reducing energy use, emissions, and costs, and can be instrumental in helping cities achieve their climate goals. The design of such communities requires identification of opportunities early on and their re-evaluation throughout the planning process. There is a need for energy modeling tools that connect 3D Computer-Aided Design (CAD) platforms to simulation engines, enabling detailed energy analysis of districts within the workflows and tools used by practitioners. This paper introduces the Dragonfly and URBANoptTM combined toolset that supports the creation of urban models from a range of geometry formats typically used by designers and planners, and provides an integrated pathway to simulate district-scale energy systems. The toolset is piloted by a global architecture and master planning firm to evaluate several key urban-scale technical questions for the design of a district in Chicago. The findings indicate that, while energy savings can be achieved through traditional architectural studies and enhancements to individual building efficiency, the modeling toolset helps identify additional savings and insights that can be achieved when considering district-scale energy systems. Finally, this study demonstrates how the Dragonfly/URBANopt toolset can integrate with master planning workflows, thereby enabling an iterative performance-based design process.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Optimal Operation of PV Sources in DC Grids for Improving Technical, Economical, and Environmental Conditions by Using Vortex Search Algorithm and a Matrix Hourly Power Flow

This document presents a master–slave methodology for solving the problem of optimal operation of photovoltaic (PV) distributed generators (DGs) in direct current (DC) networks. This problem was modeled using a nonlinear programming model (NLP) that considers the minimization of three different objective functions in a daily operation of the system. The first one corresponds to the minimization of the total operational cost of the system, including the energy purchasing cost to the conventional generators and maintenance costs of the PV sources; the second objective function corresponds to the reduction of the energy losses associated with the transport of energy in the network, and the third objective function is related to the minimization of the total emissions of CO2 by the conventional generators installed on the DC grid. The minimization of these objective functions is achieved by using a master–slave optimization approach through the application of the Vortex Search algorithm combined with a matrix hourly power flow. To evaluate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed approach, two test scenarios were used, which correspond to a grid-connected and a standalone network located in two different regions of Colombia. The grid-connected system emulates the behavior of the solar resource and power demand of the city of Medellín-Antioquia, and the standalone network corresponds to an adaptation of the generation and demand curves for the municipality of Capurganá-Choco. A numerical comparison was performed with four optimization methodologies reported in the literature: particle swarm optimization, multiverse optimizer, crow search algorithm, and salp swarm algorithm. The results obtained demonstrate that the proposed optimization approach achieved excellent solutions in terms of response quality, repeatability, and processing times.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Decomposition of Feynman integrals by multivariate intersection numbers

We present a detailed description of the recent idea for a direct decomposition of Feynman integrals onto a basis of master integrals by projections, as well as a direct derivation of the differential equations satisfied by the master integrals, employing multivariate intersection numbers. We discuss a recursive algorithm for the computation of multivariate intersection numbers, and provide three different approaches for a direct decomposition of Feynman integrals, which we dub the straight decomposition, the bottom-up decomposition, and the top-down decomposition. These algorithms exploit the unitarity structure of Feynman integrals by computing intersection numbers supported on cuts, in various orders, thus showing the synthesis of the intersection-theory concepts with unitarity-based methods and integrand decomposition. We perform explicit computations to exemplify all of these approaches applied to Feynman integrals, paving a way towards potential applications to generic multi-loop integrals.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Real-time dynamics of the Schwinger model as an open quantum system with Neural Density Operators

Ab-initio simulations of multiple heavy quarks propagating in a Quark-Gluon Plasma are computationally difficult to perform due to the large dimension of the space of density matrices. This work develops machine learning algorithms to overcome this difficulty by approximating exact quantum states with neural network parametrisations, specifically Neural Density Operators. As a proof of principle demonstration in a QCD-like theory, the approach is applied to solve the Lindblad master equation in the 1 + 1d lattice Schwinger Model as an open quantum system. Neural Density Operators enable the study of in-medium dynamics on large lattice volumes, where multiple-string interactions and their effects on string-breaking and recombination phenomena can be studied. Thermal properties of the system at equilibrium can also be probed with these methods by variationally constructing the steady state of the Lindblad master equation. Scaling of this approach with system size is studied, and numerical demonstrations on up to 32 spatial lattice sites and with up to 3 interacting strings are performed.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Electric dipole moments in 5+3 flavor weak effective theory

A fully generic treatment of electric dipole moments (EDMs) is presented in the CP-violating and flavor-conserving weak effective field theory (WET) with five flavors of quarks and three flavors of leptons. We systematically analyze leading contributions to EDMs originating from QCD and QED renormalization group running between the electroweak scale and low energy scales of about 2 GeV. We include the full one-loop anomalous dimension and a subset of two-loop corrections, as well as threshold corrections at the bottom, charm and τ masses. This allows us to derive master formulae in the space of generic WET for the neutron and proton EDMs, for EDMs of diamagnetic atoms, and for the precession frequencies constrained in molecular EDM experiments, from which bounds on the electron EDM are extracted. In particular, our master formulae capture the contributions of WET CP-violating operators with heavy quark and lepton flavors. As an application, we study EDM constraints on the Yukawa couplings of the Higgs boson, in both the linear and non-linear realizations of electroweak symmetry breaking.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Next-to-$\mathrm{MHV}$ Yang-Mills kinematic algebra

Kinematic numerators of Yang-Mills scattering amplitudes possess a rich Lie algebraic structure that suggest the existence of a hidden infinite-dimensional kinematic algebra. Explicitly realizing such a kinematic algebra is a longstanding open problem that only has had partial success for simple helicity sectors. In past work, we introduced a framework using tensor currents and fusion rules to generate BCJ numerators of a special subsector of NMHV amplitudes in Yang-Mills theory. Here we enlarge the scope and explicitly realize a kinematic algebra for all NMHV amplitudes. Master numerators are obtained directly from the algebraic rules and through commutators and kinematic Jacobi identities other numerators can be generated. Inspecting the output of the algebra, we conjecture a closed-form expression for the master BCJ numerator up to any multiplicity. We also introduce a new method, based on group algebra of the permutation group, to solve for the generalized gauge freedom of BCJ numerators. It uses the recently introduced binary BCJ relations to provide a complete set of NMHV kinematic numerators that consist of pure gauge.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Amplitudes, supersymmetric black hole scattering at $\mathcal{O}\left({G}^5\right)$, and loop integration

We compute the potential-graviton contribution to the scattering amplitude, the radial action, and the scattering angle of two extremal black holes in $\mathcal{N}$ = 8 supergravity at the fifth post-Minkowskian order and to next-to-leading order in a large mass expansion (first self-force order). Properties of classical unitarity cuts allow us to focus on the integration-by-parts reduction of planar integrals, while nonplanar integrals at this order are obtained from the planar ones by straightforward manipulations. We present the solution to the differential equations for all master integrals necessary to evaluate the classical scattering amplitudes of massive scalar particles at this order in all gravitational theories, in particular in $\mathcal{N}$ = 8 supergravity, and in general relativity. Despite the appearance of higher-weight generalized polylogarithms and elliptic functions in the solution to the differential equation for master integrals, the final supergravity answer is remarkably simple and contains only (harmonic) polylogarithmic functions up to weight 2. The systematic analysis of elliptic integrals discussed here, as well as the particular organization of boundary integrals in $\mathcal{N}$ = 8 observables are independent of supersymmetry and may have wider applications, including to aspects of collider physics.

Black Holes↗

A multi-center quadrature scheme for the molecular continuum

We report a common way to evaluate electronic integrals for polyatomic molecules is to use Becke’s partitioning scheme (Becke and Chem, 1988) in conjunction with overlapping grids centered at each atomic site. The Becke scheme was designed for integrands that fall off rapidly at large distances, such as those approximating bound electronic states. When applied to states in the electronic continuum, however, Becke scheme exhibits slow convergence and it is highly redundant. Here, we present a modified version of Becke scheme that is applicable to functions of the electronic continuum, such as those involved in molecular photoionization and electron–molecule scattering, and which ensures convergence and efficiency comparable to those realized in the calculation of bound states. In this modified scheme, the atomic weights already present in Becke’s partition are smoothly switched off within a range of few bond lengths from their respective nuclei, and complemented by an asymptotically unitary weight. The atomic integrals are evaluated on small spherical grids, centered on each atom, with size commensurate to the support of the corresponding atomic weight. The residual integral of the interstitial and long-range region is evaluated with a central master grid. The accuracy of the method is demonstrated by evaluating integrals involving integrands containing Gaussian Type Orbitals and Yukawa potentials, on the atomic sites, as well as spherical Bessel functions centered on the master grid. These functions are representative of those encountered in realistic electron-scattering and photoionization calculations in polyatomic molecules.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Implementation of new mixture rules has a substantial impact on combustion predictions for H 2 and NH 3

Complex-forming reactions comprise a substantial fraction of all important combustion reactions and are central to combustion behavior. Despite being often called “pressure-dependent” reactions, their rate constants depend on not only the pressure but also the composition. While modern combustion codes allow arbitrarily high accuracy in treating pressure dependence, recent work has consistently demonstrated dramatic failures of essentially all available treatments of mixture dependence. In situations where mixture dependence is treated at all, it is inevitably treated through specification of pressure-dependent rate constants for a set of pure bath gases, which are then combined to estimate the rate constant in a mixture via a “mixture rule.” While there had been a generally unquestioning confidence in these mixture rules, they had, in reality, been scarcely tested until the last decade, when comparisons against master equation calculations revealed order-of-magnitude errors for important pressure-dependent reactions. New mixture rules, based on the reduced pressure, have recently been proposed and shown to reproduce master equation calculations for broad classes of complex-forming reactions very accurately. Here, in this work, we present an implementation of one such new mixture rule (“LMR-R”) in Cantera and then use it to enable simulations that use new high-accuracy ab initio data for individual bath gases (for the first time, since codes previously could not accommodate the complex bath gas dependence). Demonstrations focus on combustion of H 2 and NH 3 , where (1) high-accuracy ab initio data are available and (2) the impact is expected to be large due to the high fractions of efficient colliders (e.g., H 2 O and NH 3 ) in the burned and unburned gases. Indeed, we find the impact of this treatment to be substantial and may explain previous modeling difficulties for these important carbon-free fuels, particularly for NH 3 , whose extraordinarily high third-body efficiency (~20) is often omitted from kinetic models.

Ammonia↗

A new highly enriched 233 U reference material for improved simultaneous determination of uranium amount and isotope amount ratios in trace level samples

A highly-enriched 233 U reference material (>0.99987 n( 233 U)/n(U)) has been prepared and characterized for use as an isotope dilution mass spectrometry spike. An ion exchange separation was performed on 1 g of high purity 233 U to further reduce trace amounts of contaminant Pu in the material. The purified 233 U was then prepared as a master solution which was analyzed for molality of uranium by modified Davies and Gray titration. A portion of the master solution was quantitatively diluted and dispensed for reference material units. Selected units were analyzed for verification of uranium amount and to characterize uranium isotope amount ratios by multi-collector inductively couple plasma mass spectrometry. Furthermore, modelling of spike-corrected isotopic data show that the new spike will enable simultaneous measurements of uranium amount and isotope amount ratios with resulting uncertainties that are substantially less sensitive to over spiking than widely used 233 U certified reference materials.

233U↗

Two deeply conserved non-coding sequences control PLETHORA1/2 expression and coordinate embryo and root development

Conserved non-coding sequences (CNSs) are integral elements of transcriptional regulation. Transcriptional tuning of PLETHORA (PLT) genes that encode master regulators of plant development is vital for embryogenesis and meristematic function. However, how the expression of PLT genes is modulated through CNSs remains unclear. Through motif-based mining of upstream sequences in 120 angiosperm genomes, we identified 21 conserved and lineage-specific CNSs, two of which are unusually long, similar, and colinear within eudicots. Using Arabidopsis thaliana, we demonstrate that these two deeply conserved elements, which we named BOX1 and BOX2, control PLT1 and PLT2 expression. CRISPR mutants within these elements specifically reduced PLT expression levels, and reporter lines revealed that deletion of either or both BOXes altered and/or abrogated the PLT2 expression pattern in the root tip, affecting the ability to rescue the plt1 plt2 double mutant. We further show that the influence of these elements on expression patterns is already exerted during embryogenesis and functional in the context of the early embryo. Finally, we reveal the existence of a BOX-mediated autoregulatory feedback loop that, in large part, explains CNS influence on expression patterns. We thus uncover a transcriptional mechanism by which genes encoding master regulators of embryo and root meristem development are regulated.

PLETHORA↗

Dissolvable Template Nanoimprint Lithography: A Facile and Versatile Nanoscale Replication Technique

Nanoimprinting lithography (NIL) is a next-generation nanofabrication method, capable of replicating nanostructures from original master surfaces. In this work, we develop highly scalable, simple, and nondestructive NIL using a dissolvable template. Termed dissolvable template nanoimprinting lithography (DT-NIL), our method utilizes an economic thermoplastic resin to fabricate nanoimprinting templates, which can be easily dissolved in simple organic solvents. Additionally, we used the DT-NIL method to replicate cicada wings which have surface nanofeatures of ~100 nm in height. The master, template, and replica surfaces showed a >~94% similarity based on the measured diameter and height of the nanofeatures. The versatility of DT-NIL was also demonstrated with the replication of re-entrant, multiscale, and hierarchical features on fly wings, as well as hard silicon wafer-based artificial nanostructures. The DT-NIL method can be performed under ambient conditions with inexpensive materials and equipment. Our work opens the door to opportunities for economical and high-throughput nanofabrication processes.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Integrative genomics reveals paths to sex dimorphism in Salix purpurea L

Sex dimorphism and gene expression were studied in developing catkins in 159 F 2 individuals from the bioenergy crop Salix purpurea , and potential mechanisms and pathways for regulating sex development were explored. Differential expression, eQTL, bisulfite sequencing, and network analysis were used to characterize sex dimorphism, detect candidate master regulator genes, and identify pathways through which the sex determination region (SDR) may mediate sex dimorphism. Eleven genes are presented as candidates for master regulators of sex, supported by gene expression and network analyses. These include genes putatively involved in hormone signaling, epigenetic modification, and regulation of transcription. eQTL analysis revealed a suite of transcription factors and genes involved in secondary metabolism and floral development that were predicted to be under direct control of the sex determination region. Furthermore, data from bisulfite sequencing and small RNA sequencing revealed strong differences in expression between males and females that would implicate both of these processes in sex dimorphism pathways. These data indicate that the mechanism of sex determination in Salix purpurea is likely different from that observed in the related genus Populus . This further demonstrates the dynamic nature of SDRs in plants, which involves a multitude of mechanisms of sex determination and a high rate of turnover.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Stereoisomer-dependent unimolecular kinetics of 2,4-dimethyloxetanyl peroxy radicals

2,4,dimethyloxetane is an important cyclic ether intermediate that is produced from hydroperoxyalkyl (QOOH) radicals in the low-temperature combustion of n-pentane. However, the reaction mechanisms and rates of consumption pathways remain unclear. In the present work, the pressure- and temperature-dependent kinetics of seven cyclic ether peroxy radicals, which stem from 2,4,dimethyloxetane via H-abstraction and O 2 addition, were determined. The automated kinetic workflow code, KinBot, was used to model the complexity of the chemistry in a stereochemically resolved manner and solve the resulting master equations from 300–1000 K and from 0.01–100 atm. The main conclusions from the calculations include (i) diastereomeric cyclic ether peroxy radicals show significantly different reactivities, (ii) the stereochemistry of the peroxy radical determines which QOOH isomerization steps are possible, (iii) conventional QOOH decomposition pathways, such as cyclic ether formation and HO 2 elimination, compete with ring-opening reactions, which primarily produce OH radicals, the outcome of which is sensitive to stereochemistry. Ring-opening reactions lead to unique products, such as unsaturated, acyclic peroxy radicals, that form direct connections with species present in other chemical kinetics mechanisms through "cross-over" reactions that may complicate the interpretation of experimental results from combustion of n-pentane and, by extension, other alkanes. For example, one cross-over reaction involving 1-hydroperoxy-4-pentanone-2-yl produces 2-(hydroperoxymethyl)-3-butanone-1-yl, which is an iso-pentane-derived ketohydroperoxide (KHP). At atmospheric pressure, the rate of chemical reactions of all seven peroxy radicals compete with that of collisional stabilization, resulting in well-skipping reactions. However, at 100 atm, only one out of seven peroxy radicals undergoes significant well-skipping reactions. Here, the rates produced from the master equation calculations provide the first foundation for the development of detailed sub-mechanisms for cyclic ether intermediates. In addition, analysis of the complex reaction mechanisms of 2,4-dimethyloxetane-derived peroxy radicals provides insights into the effects of stereoisomers on reaction pathways and product yields.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

The Italian Summer Students Program at Fermilab and other US Laboratories: 40 years of education in particle physics and technology

Since 1983 the Italian groups collaborating with Fermilab (US) have been running a 2-month summer training program for Master students. While in the first year the program involved only 4 physics students, in the following years it was extended to engineering students. Many students have extended their collaboration with Fermilab with their Master Thesis and PhD. The program has involved more than 600 Italian students from more than 20 Italian universities. Each intern is supervised by a Fermilab Mentor responsible for the training program. Training programs spanned from Tevatron, CMS, Muon (g-2), Mu2e and SBN (MicroBooNE, Icarus, and SBND) and DUNE design and data analysis, development of particle detectors, design of electronic and accelerator components, development of infrastructures and software for tera-data handling, quantum computing and research on superconductive elements and accelerating cavities. In 2015 the University of Pisa included the program within its own educational programs. Summer Students are enrolled at the University of Pisa for the duration of the internship and at the end of the internship they write summary reports on their achievements. After positive evaluation by a University of Pisa Examining Board, interns are acknowledged 6 ECTS credits for their Diploma Supplement. The program was paused in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it resumed in 2022. From 2022 to 2024, a total of 60 students participated in the nine-week training at Fermilab. We are currently organizing the 2025 program. This paper provides an overview of the program, which can serve as a model for other interested laboratories.

Barzi, Emanuela [Ohio State U.]↗

On the advantages of exploiting memory in Markov state models for biomolecular dynamics

Biomolecular dynamics play an important role in numerous biological processes. Markov State Models (MSMs) provide a powerful approach to study these dynamic processes by predicting long time scale dynamics based on many short molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. In an MSM, protein dynamics are modeled as a kinetic process consisting of a series of Markovian transitions between different conformational states at discrete time intervals (called “lag time”). To achieve this, a master equation must be constructed with a sufficiently long lag time to allow interstate transitions to become truly Markovian. This imposes a major challenge for MSM studies of proteins since the lag time is bound by the length of relatively short MD simulations available to estimate the frequency of transitions. Here, we show how one can employ the generalized master equation formalism to obtain an exact description of protein conformational dynamics both at short and long time scales without the time resolution restrictions imposed by the MSM lag time. Using a simple kinetic model, alanine dipeptide, and WW domain, we demonstrate that it is possible to construct these quasi-Markov State Models (qMSMs) using MD simulations that are 5–10 times shorter than those required by MSMs. These qMSMs only contain a handful of metastable states and, thus, can greatly facilitate the interpretation of mechanisms associated with protein dynamics. A qMSM opens the door to the study of conformational changes of complex biomolecules where a Markovian model with a few states is often difficult to construct due to the limited length of available MD simulations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

A simple improved low temperature correction for the hierarchical equations of motion

The study of open system quantum dynamics has been transformed by the hierarchical equations of motion (HEOM) method, which gives the exact dynamics for a system coupled to a harmonic bath at arbitrary temperature and system–bath coupling strength. However, in its standard form, this method is only consistent with the weak-coupling quantum master equation at all temperatures when many auxiliary density operators are included in the hierarchy, even when low temperature corrections are included. Here, we propose a new low temperature correction scheme for the termination of the hierarchy based on Zwanzig projection, which alleviates this problem and restores consistency with the weak-coupling master equation with a minimal hierarchy. The utility of the new correction scheme is demonstrated on a range of model systems, including the Fenna–Matthews–Olson complex. The new closure is found to improve convergence of the HEOM even beyond the weak-coupling limit and is very straightforward to implement in existing HEOM codes.

Fay, Thomas P. (ORCID:000000030625731X)↗

Melting of spatially modulated phases at domain wall/surface junctions in antiferrodistortive multiferroics

A physical understanding of the nature of spatially modulated phases (SMPs) in rare-earth-doped antiferrodistortive (AFD) multiferroics and how they behave close to surfaces and interfaces is lacking. Here the emergence of the antiferroelectric (AFE), ferroelectric (FE), or ferrielectric (AFE-FE) spatial modulation in the vicinity of the morphotropic phase transition in La x Bi 1 – x Fe O 3 ( x ~ 0.2 ) is explored on the atomic level using high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (HRSTEM). The suppression, or “melting,” of the AFE-type SMP in the vicinity of the AFD twin wall/surface junction is revealed by HRSTEM in La 0.22 Bi 0.78 Fe O 3 films and explained by the hybrid approach combining Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire (LGD) phenomenology and the semimicroscopic four-sublattice model (FSM). The LGD-FSM approach reduces the problem of AFE (or AFE-FE) SMP emergence and stability to the thermodynamic analysis of the free-energy functional with AFE, FE, and AFD long-range order parameters and two master parameters: the FE-AFE coupling strength between four neighboring A sites and the nonstoichiometry factor, which are proportional to the variations of La concentration in La x Bi 1 – x Fe O 3 films. Finally, we establish that the surface-induced melting of SMPs and the associated broadening of AFE AFD domain walls minimize the film free energy under certain conditions imposed on the master parameters and gradient energy below the critical value. The observed behavior provides insight into the origin of SMPs in AFD multiferroics.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗