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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 37 records · Page 2

RAPID STRUCTURE DETECTION IN SUPPORT OF DISASTER RESPONSE : A CASE STUDY OF THE 2018 KILAUEA VOLCANO ERUPTION

Disaster response requires timely damage assessment to prioritize rescue and restoration resources. However, providing critical and actionable knowledge after a natural disaster can be challenging due to the scale and the type of damages. This paper describes how remote sensing and machine learning techniques can be used to support rapid structure detection in the wake of a disaster. We use high resolution satellite imagery to identify structures on Hawaii’s Big Island to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response efforts during the 2018 K¯ilauea lava flow incident. This framework specifically showcases the generalizability of CNN models with no need to collect additional training samples to quickly map structures in pre- and post-event imagery and provide timely information to assist government agencies evaluating the extent and potential loss of disaster. With this case study, we further point out future directions to benefit similar larger scale efforts based on the lessons learned.

Laverdiere, Melanie↗

Follow-up observations for IceCube-170922A: Detection of rapid near-infrared variability and intensive monitoring of TXS 0506+056

Abstract We present our follow-up observations to search for an electromagnetic counterpart of the IceCube high-energy neutrino IceCube-170922A. Monitoring observations of a likely counterpart, TXS 0506+056, are also described. First, we quickly took optical and near-infrared images of seven flat-spectrum radio sources within the IceCube error region right after the neutrino detection and found a rapid flux decline of TXS 0506+056 in Kanata/HONIR J-band data. Motivated by this discovery, intensive follow-up observations of TXS 0506+056 were continuously performed, including our monitoring imaging observations, spectroscopic observations, and polarimetric observations in optical and near-infrared wavelengths. TXS 0506+056 showed a large-amplitude (∼1.0 mag) variability in a time scale of several days or longer, although no significant variability was detected in a time scale of a day or shorter. TXS 0506+056 also showed a bluer-when-brighter trend in optical and near-infrared wavelengths. Structure functions of the variabilities were examined and indicate that TXS 0506+056 is not a special blazar in terms of optical variability. Polarization measurement results of TXS 0506+056 are also discussed.

(galaxies:) BL Lacertae objects: general↗

Click-Chemistry-Based Free Azide versus Azido Sugar Detection Enables Rapid In Vivo Screening of Glycosynthase Activity

Engineering of carbohydrate-active enzymes such as glycosynthases to enable chemoenzymatic synthesis of bespoke oligosaccharides has been limited by the lack of suitable ultrahigh-throughput screening methods capable of robustly detecting either starting substrates or end-products of the glycosidic bond formation reaction. Currently, there are limited screening methods available for rapid and highly sensitive single-cell-based screening of glycosynthase enzymes employing azido sugars as activated donor glycosyl substrates. Here, we report a fluorescence-based approach employing click-chemistry for the selective detection of glycosyl azides as substrates versus free inorganic azides as reaction products that facilitated an ultrahigh-throughput in vivo single-cell-based assay of glycosynthase activity. This assay was developed based on the distinct differences observed in relative fluorescence intensity of the triazole-containing fluorophore product formed during the click-chemistry reaction of organic glycosyl azides versus inorganic azides. This discovery formed the basis for proof of concept validation of a directed evolution methodology for screening and sorting glycosynthase mutants capable of synthesis of targeted fucosylated oligosaccharides. Our screening approach facilitated fluorescence-activated cell sorting of an error-prone polymerase chain reaction-based mutant library of fucosynthases expressed in Escherichia coli to identify several novel mutants that showed increased activity for ß-fucosyl azide-activated donor sugars toward desired acceptor sugars (e.g., pNP-xylose and lactose). Finally, we discuss avenues for improving this proof of concept in vivo assay method to identify better glycosynthase mutants and further demonstrate the broader applicability of this screening methodology for synthesis of bespoke glycans.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Reliable cyber-threat detection in rapidly changing environments

In some embodiments, a plurality of monitoring nodes each generate a series of current monitoring node values over time that represent a current operation of the industrial asset. An attack detection computer platform may receive the series of current monitoring node values and generate a set of current feature vectors including a current feature for capturing transients (e.g., local transients and/or global transients). The attack detection computer platform may also access an attack detection model having at least one decision boundary that was created using at least one of a set of normal feature vectors and/or a set of attacked feature vectors. The attack detection model may then be executed such that an attack alert signal is transmitted by the attack detection computer platform, when appropriate, based on the set of current feature vectors (including the current feature to capture transients) and the at least one decision boundary.

Abbaszadeh, Masoud↗

Non-target RNA depletion strategy to improve sensitivity of next-generation sequencing for the detection of RNA viruses in poultry

PCR-based assays have become the benchmark for detecting pathogens of poultry and other livestock; however, these techniques are limited in their ability to detect multiple infecting agents, provide limited genetic information on the pathogen, and, for RNA viruses, must be reviewed frequently to assure high sensitivity and specificity. In contrast, untargeted, high-throughput sequencing can rapidly detect all infecting agents in a sample while providing genomic sequence information to allow more in-depth characterization of viruses. Although next-generation sequencing (NGS) offers many advantages, one of its primary limitations is low sensitivity to pathogens given the abundance of host and other non-target sequences in sequencing libraries. We explored methods for improving the sensitivity of NGS to detect respiratory and enteric viruses in poultry from RNA extracts of swab samples. We employed commercial and custom-designed negative enrichment strategies to selectively deplete the most abundant rRNA reads from the host and non-target bacteria; host RNA was diminished from up to 40% of total reads to as low as 3%, and the total number of reads assigned to abundant bacterial classes were reduced greatly. Our treatment resulted in up to a 700-fold increase in the number of viral reads, detection of a greater number of viral agents, and higher average genome coverage for pathogens. Depletion assays added only 2 h to the NGS library preparation workflow. Custom depletion probe design offered significant cost savings (US$7–12 per sample) compared to commercial kits (US$30–50 per sample).

Parris, D. Joshua↗

Artificial neural network based isotopic analysis of airborne radioactivity measurement for radiological incident detection

Responders need tools to rapidly detect and identify airborne alpha radioactivity during consequence management scenarios. Traditional continuous air monitor systems used for this purpose compute the net counts in various energy windows to determine the presence of specified isotopes, such as 235U, 239Pu, and 241Am. These calculations rely on having a well-calibrated detector, which is challenging in low-background environments. Here an alternative approach of using artificial neural networks to classify alpha spectra is presented. Two network architectures, fully connected and convolutional networks, were trained to classify alpha spectra into four categories: background and background plus the three isotopes above. Sources were injected into measured background at various fractions of the derived response level (DRL) corresponding to early-phase Protective Action Guides. The convolutional network identifies all sources at 1% of the DRL with average probability of detection of 95% and false alarm probability of 1%. Further, the network identifies sources ranging between 0.25% and 1% of the DRL with higher than 80% probability of detection and lower than 7% false alarm probability. Most significantly, the network performance improves in low-count background conditions, increasing its minimum probability of detection to 93% and reducing the false alarm probabilities to lower than 0.25%. These results show that, once trained on datasets representing a range of detection scenarios, artificial neural networks can accurately identify alpha isotopes of interest without the need for detector calibration.

Woldegiorgis, Surafel F.↗

Laser ablation spectrometry for studies of uranium plasmas, reactor monitoring, and spent fuel safety

Nuclear security is one of the defining challenges of our time. Nuclear threats range from deliberate dispersal of radioactive material to contaminate the vital infrastructure to diversion and smuggling of special nuclear material for clandestine nuclear programs and nuclear terrorism, respectively. There is an associated need to develop and sustain the nuclear forensics capabilities, which requires the understanding of complex processes that occur in plasmas of nuclear materials. The area of nuclear safety has seen a resurgence of public interest, and there is a concomitant need to safely store used nuclear fuel and detect structural material failure in nuclear power systems, especially in innovative reactor designs envisioned for future adoption. Laser-produced plasmas are complicated extreme environments that can generate intense and rich, highly specific signatures of nuclear and radiological materials, which can then be explored in a wide range of applications. They include interdiction and rapid detection of nuclear materials, including their isotopic composition, detection over long distances, laboratory simulation of weapons effects, monitoring the condition of structural materials in dry cask storage containers, and novel instrumentation for nuclear power systems. We present a compilation of recent representative examples of the application of laser spectroscopy, and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy in particular, to nuclear safety and security problems. A case is made that spectroscopic techniques based on laser-produced plasmas offer complementary, and sometimes unique, capabilities that motivate the continued exploration of their efficient production and understanding of the signatures they produce

(020.3260) Isotope shifts, (140.3440) Laser-induce↗

Applying Anodic Stripping Voltammetry to Complex Wastewater Streams for Rapid Metal Detection (Final Report)

The overall objective of this project is the development of a lab-on-a-chip (LOC) electrochemical sensor capable of accurately measuring heavy metal (lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and arsenic (As)) concentrations in complex aqueous streams such as wastewater. The specific goals include: i) identify how heavy metal speciate and transform during the different stages of the wastewater treatment train, and explore pre-treatment methods that will de-complex heavy metals, making them available to ASV, ii) develop appropriate electrodes for ASV using organic/inorganic nanomaterials, and iii) integrate pre-treatment steps and specialized electrodes into an LOC sensor device capable of autonomously determining heavy metal concentrations in complex wastewater streams.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Colorimetric detection of actinides

A method for rapid detection of actinides including the steps of having a support including a colorimetric complexation, placing the support in communication with a sample through urinalysis, and receiving a visual indicator from the colorimetric complexation. The sample having an unknown concentration of at least one actinide within it. The colorimetric complexation is configured to activate when contacted by a threshold concentration of an actinide.

Riddle, Catherine↗

Strengthening Cybersecurity for Industrial Control Systems: Innovations in Protecting PLC-Based Infrastructure

In this paper, we propose two new approaches aimed at enhancing the security of industrial control systems (ICS) that utilize programmable logic controllers (PLCs) for the control of critical processes. The first approach involves the addition of a unique digital watermark to the PWM control that adjusts the motor speed to control the critical process. This enables efficient detection and identification of any unauthorized modifications to the sensor signals responsible for controlling the plant. The second approach focuses on monitoring the input current (i.e power) drawn by the PLC during the execution of critical process control tasks. Malicious intrusions to change the PLC parameters and/or unauthorized firmware updates can be rapidly detected. Both approaches demonstrate a substantial improvement in the security of ICS, effectively safeguarding against potential cyber-attacks. Experimental results from a laboratory scale water tank level controlled via PLC showcases rapid intrusion detection capabilities.

Huang, Peng-Hao↗

Rapid adaptation (or not) in restored plant populations

Abstract Mismatches between the traits of a colonizing population and a novel habitat can generate strong selection, potentially resulting in rapid adaptation. However, for most colonization events, it can be difficult to detect rapid adaptation or distinguish it from nonadaptive evolutionary changes. Here, I take advantage of a replicated prairie restoration experiment to compare recently established plant populations in two closely located restored prairies to each other and to their shared source population to test for rapid adaptation. Using a reciprocal transplant experiment six years after the populations were established, I found that one restored plant population showed evidence of adaptation, outperforming the other restored population when grown at its home site. In contrast, I detected no evidence for adaptation at the other site. These findings demonstrate that while rapid adaptation can occur in colonizing plant populations, it may not be the rule. Better understanding of when adaptation may or may not occur in these contexts may help us use evolution to our advantage, potentially improving establishment of desirable species in restored habitats.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗