Secondary structure drives self-assembly in weakly segregated globular protein-rod block copolymers
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Abstract. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) constitutes a large fraction of atmospheric aerosol. To assess its impacts on climate and air pollution, knowledge of the number of phases in internal mixtures of different SOA types is required. Atmospheric models often assume that different SOA types form a single phase when mixed. Here, we present visual observations of the number of phases formed after mixing different anthropogenic and biogenic SOA types. Mixing SOA types generated in environmental chambers with oxygen-to-carbon (O/C) ratios between 0.34 and 1.05, we found 6 out of 15 mixtures of two SOA types to result in two phase particles. We demonstrate that the number of phases depends on the difference in the average O/C ratio between the two SOA types (Δ(O/C)). Using a threshold Δ(O/C) of 0.47, we can predict the phase behavior of over 90 % of our mixtures, with one- and two-phase particles predicted for Δ(O/C)<0.47 and Δ(O/C)≥0.47, respectively. This threshold ΔO/C value provides a simple parameter to predict whether mixtures of fresh and aged SOA form one- or two-phase particles in the atmosphere. In addition, we show that phase-separated SOA particles form when mixtures of volatile organic compounds emitted from real trees are oxidized.
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Secondary crashes are crashes that occur as a result of the nonrecurrent congestion originating from primary crashes, and always have a greater impact on safety and traffic than a single crash. A better understanding of secondary crashes would benefit traffic incident management, and this requires accurate identification of secondary crashes. This study explores using crowdsourced Waze user reports to identify secondary crashes. Here, a network-based clustering algorithm is proposed to extract the primary crash cluster, including all user reports originating from the primary crash, and any crash that occurred within the cluster would be a secondary crash. This method works as a filter to select accurate primary–secondary relationships, thus precisely identifying secondary crashes. A case study is performed with crashes occurring from June to December 2019 on a 30-mi stretch of I-40 in Knoxville, TN. A static threshold method (crash duration and 10 mi) was used to preselect the potential primary–secondary crash pairs, and 75 out of 708 crashes were identified as potential secondary crashes. Based on the preselected primary–secondary crash pairs, 17 secondary crashes were obtained with the proposed method and the results were compared with one of the commonly used methods, the speed contour plot method. Though the proposed method captured fewer secondary crashes, it did identify several secondary crashes that could not be observed with the speed contour plot method. The results showed the applicability of the method and the potential of crowdsourced Waze user reports in secondary crash identification.
DIII-D ELMing discharges with a secondary X-point (XPT) inside the vessel were used to evaluate the power distribution between the primary and secondary divertors. The magnetic balance, defined by the distance between the primary and secondary separatrices at the outer midplane (dRsep), was varied from -5 mm (lower-single-null, LSN) to +16 mm (upper-single-null, USN). In this work, we find that the secondary divertor receives up to 1/3 of the total heat flux (primary + secondary divertors), and it is dominated by the ELM-driven flux. Both the radially-integrated and the peak heat flux to the secondary divertor decay below ~50% of the maximum as dRsep is varied from -5 to +6mm, but the integrated heat flux decay flattens out and it would take dRsep above ~25mm to reduce the ELM heat flux to the secondary divertor below 10% of the one deposited to a well-defined SN. Both the secondary inner and outer strike points receive heat flux during ELMs. The peak heat flux is comparable in both strike points for dRsep < 10mm, but the inner strike point receives less than 15% of the total flux. Furthermore, this is experimental evidence that the secondary inner divertor region receives significant ELM flux which should be taken into account for the design of future generation tokamaks.
Although there are increasing numbers of distributed energy resources (DERs) and microgrids being deployed, current IEEE and utility standards generally strictly limit their interconnection inside secondary networks. Secondary networks are low-voltage meshed (non-radial) distribution systems that create redundancy in the path from the main grid source to each load. This redundancy provides a high level of immunity to disruptions in the distribution system, and thus extremely high reliability of electric power service. There are two main types of secondary networks, called grid and spot secondary networks, both of which are used worldwide. In the future, primary networks in distribution systems that might include looped or meshed distribution systems at the primary-voltage (mediumvoltage) level may also become common as a means for improving distribution reliability and resilience. The objective of this multiyear project is to increase the adoption of microgrids in secondary networks and meshed distribution systems by developing novel protection schemes that allow for safe reliable operation of DERs in secondary networks. We will address these challenges by working with the appropriate stakeholders of secondary network operators, protection vendors, and standards committee. The outcomes of this project include: a) development and/or demonstration of candidate methods for enabling protection of secondary networks containing high levels of DER; b) development of modeling and testing tools for protection systems designed for use with secondary networks including DERs; and c) development of new industrial partnerships to facilitate widespread results dissemination and eventual commercialization of results as appropriate.
Turbulent secondary flows are defined as Prandtl's secondary flow of the first or second kind, the former produced by stretching and/or tilting of vorticity, the latter produced via spatial heterogeneity of Reynolds stresses. Both mechanisms are instantaneously active within inertia-dominated wall turbulence; Reynolds stress spatial heterogeneity is required for Reynolds-averaged secondary flows. Spanwise-variable surface roughness can induce turbulent stress spatial heterogeneity in the spanwise–wall-normal plane and provide sustenance for streamwise-aligned mean secondary flows. Herein, we demonstrate that turbulent secondary flows can also be sustained by spanwise variability in the surface heat flux in unstably stratified turbulent channels, defined hereafter as Prandtl's secondary flow of the third kind. Support for this mechanism is established with scaling arguments, while large-eddy simulation is used to model inertia-dominated channel turbulence responding to a lower boundary with uniform aerodynamic/hydrodynamic roughness but spanwise-variable surface heat flux. Transport equations for streamwise vorticity and turbulent kinetic energy, k, outline the conditions needed for third-kind production: shear and buoyancy production over the elevated heat flux regions necessitates lateral entrainment of low- k fluid, inducing mean counter-rotating secondary cells aligned such that upwelling and downwelling occur over the high and low heat flux regions, respectively. Buoyancy-driven production of k alters aggregate flow response and thus is a distinctly different mechanism responsible for sustenance of secondary flows.
Secondary wall deposition in xylem vessels is activated by Vascular-Related NAC Domain proteins (VNDs) that belong to a group of secondary wall NAC (SWN) transcription factors. By contrast, Xylem NAC Domain1 (XND1) negatively regulates secondary wall deposition in xylem vessels when overexpressed. The mechanism by which XND1 exerts its functions remains elusive. We employed the promoter of the fiber-specific Secondary Wall-Associated NAC Domain1 (SND1) gene to ectopically express XND1 in fiber cells to investigate its mechanism of action on secondary wall deposition. Ectopic expression of XND1 in fiber cells severely diminished their secondary wall deposition and drastically reduced the expression of SWN-regulated downstream transcription factors and secondary wall biosynthetic genes but not that of the SWN genes themselves. Transactivation analyses revealed that XND1 specifically inhibited SWN-activated expression of these downstream genes but not their MYB46-activated expression. Both the NAC domain and the C-terminus of XND1 were required for its inhibitory function and its NAC domain interacted with the DNA-binding domains of SWNs. XND1 was shown to be localized in the cytoplasm and the nucleus and its co-expression with VND6 resulted in the cytoplasmic sequestration of VND6. Furthermore, the C-terminus of XND1 was indispensable for the XND1-mediated cytoplasmic retention of VND6 and its fusion to VND6 was able to direct VND6 to the cytoplasm and render it unable to activate the gene expression. Since the XND1 gene is specifically expressed in xylem cells, these results indicate that XND1 acts through inhibiting VND functions to negatively regulate secondary wall deposition in xylem vessels.
In this investigation, we focus on the dependence of stable crack growth resistance, as measured by the short-rod fracture toughness test, on secondary void-initiating particles such as AlN and Ti-based grain-refining precipitates in a variety of high-strength steels with tempered martensitic microstructures. The model developed by Ritchie and Thompson is modified to illustrate the significant amounts of toughening that can result from the refinement of secondary particles. Analysis of the data suggests that material strength is a predominant factor in increasing the short-rod fracture toughness relative to linear-elastic measures of initiation fracture toughness, but the extent of toughening is limited by the size and number density of secondary particles in the microstructure. The variation in estimates of secondary microvoid initiation and growth strains with precipitate size reinforce the notion that primary fracture at non-metallic inclusions and secondary fracture at smaller particles occur as sequential processes with a degree of concurrence that is dependent on the state of precipitation in both particle dispersions. Toughening in this connection is maximized by increases in microvoid growth strain that result from decreases in the size and areal number density of secondary void-initiating particles. Finally, the occurrence of transient instabilities during crack extension in short-rod specimens is explained with a phenomenological model that relates crack growth stability to natural variations in the dispersion of secondary void-initiating particles in the microstructure.
Aptamers are oligonucleotide receptors that bind to their targets with high affinity. Here, we consider aptamers comprised of single-stranded DNA that undergo target-binding-induced conformational changes, giving rise to unique secondary and tertiary structures. Given a specific aptamer primary sequence, there are well-established computational tools (notably mfold) to predict the secondary structure via free energy minimization algorithms. While mfold generates secondary structures for individual sequences, there is a need for a high-throughput process whereby thousands of DNA structures can be predicted in real-time for use in an interactive setting, when combined with aptamer selections that generate candidate pools that are too large to be experimentally interrogated. We developed a new Python code for high-throughput aptamer secondary structure determination (GMfold). GMfold uses subgraph matching methods to group aptamer candidates by secondary structure similarities. We also improve an open-source code, SeqFold, to incorporate subgraph matching concepts. We represent each secondary structure as a lowest-energy bipartite subgraph matching of the DNA graph to itself. These new tools enable thousands of DNA sequences to be compared based on their secondary structures, using machine-learning algorithms. This process is advantageous when analyzing sequences that arise from aptamer selections via systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX). This work is a building block for future machine-learning-informed DNA-aptamer selection processes to identify aptamers with improved target affinity and selectivity and advance aptamer biosensors and therapeutics.
The R2R3-MYB transcription factor MYB46 functions as a master switch for secondary cell wall biosynthesis, ensuring the exquisite expression of the secondary wall biosynthetic genes in the tissues where secondary walls are critical for growth and development. At the same time, suppression of its function is needed when/where formation of secondary walls is not desirable. Little is known about how this opposing control of secondary cell wall formation is achieved. We used both transient and transgenic expression of MYB46 and mitogen-activated protein kinase 6 (MPK6) to investigate the molecular mechanism of the post-translational regulation of MYB46. We show that MYB46 is phosphorylated by MPK6, leading to site specific phosphorylation-dependent degradation of MYB46 by the ubiquitin-mediated proteasome pathway. In addition, the MPK6-mediated MYB46 phosphorylation was found to regulate in planta secondary wall forming function of MYB46. Furthermore, we provide experimental evidences that MYB83, a paralog of MYB46, is not regulated by MPK6. The coupling of MPK signaling to MYB46 function provides insights into the tissue- and/or condition-specific activity of MYB46 for secondary wall biosynthesis.
Secondary networks are used to supply power to loads that require very high reliability and are in use around the world, particularly in dense urban downtown areas. The protection of secondary network systems poses unique challenges. The addition of distributed energy resources (DERs) to secondary networks can compound these challenges, and deployment of microgrids on secondary networks will create a new set of challenges and opportunities. This report discusses secondary networks and their protection, the challenges associated with interconnecting DERs to a secondary network, issues expected to be associated with creating microgrids on secondary networks, standards that deal with these challenges and issues, and suggestions for research and development foci that would yield new means for addressing these challenges.
Abstract. We provide the first dedicated laboratory study of collisions of supercooled water drops with ice particles as a secondary ice production mechanism. We experimentally investigated collisions of supercooled water drops (∼ 5 mm in diameter) with ice particles of a similar size (∼ 6 mm in diameter) placed on a glass slide at temperatures >-12 ∘C. Our results showed that secondary drops were generated during both the spreading and retraction phase of the supercooled water drop impact. The secondary drops generated during the spreading phase were emitted too fast to quantify. However, quantification of the secondary drops generated during the retraction phase with diameters >0.1 mm showed that 5–10 secondary drops formed per collision, with approximately 30 % of the secondary drops freezing over a temperature range between −4 and −12 ∘C. Our results suggest that this secondary ice production mechanism may be significant for ice formation in atmospheric clouds containing large supercooled drops and ice particles.
Practical, vendor-agnostic interoperability guidelines for the secondary control architecture of microgrids (MGs) with multiple grid-forming (GFM) inverter-based resources (IBRs) have not yet been developed. Therefore, this paper proposes a generic and vendor-agnostic secondary control architecture that operates with all GFM IBRs and synchronous generators. This secondary control does not require the use of additional measurement devices in the MG and utilizes the inherent communication systems of the GFM units, such as Modbus TCP/IP. The practical challenges of Modbus registers, such as packet loss and quantization error, and their detrimental impacts on secondary control actions are investigated. The proposed three-stage modification for any secondary control architecture to mitigate these impacts includes: 1) averaging the data read, 2) situational event-triggering of the controller, and 3) finite iteration of the controlling action. The proposed method is validated using a three-phase electric power, 480 V, 60 Hz, 500 kVA laboratory hardware microgrid with commercial two GFM IBRs and one diesel generator. The experimental results corroborates the fact the proposed modification in the secondary control architecture is advantageous for practical usage under erroneous measurements.
The way multipacting develops, depends strongly on the secondary emission property of the surface material. The knowledge of secondary electron yield is crucial for accurate prediction of the multipacting threshold. Variations in secondary electron yield parameters from experimental measurements create uncertainty, stemming from handling and surface preparation, and these uncertainties significantly affect multipacting threshold predictions. Despite their significance, the previous studies on the multipacting phenomenon did not adequately address the effect of an assumed random distribution of the secondary emission parameters on the multipacting threshold. Therefore, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive statistical study on how the different random distributions of the secondary emission parameters and, as a result, the uncertainty in the secondary electron yield affect multipacting thresholds. We focus on three commonly used distributions, namely uniform, normal, and truncated normal distributions, to define the uncertainty of random inputs. We use the chaos polynomial expansion method to determine how much each of the random parameters contributes to the multipacting threshold uncertainty. Additionally, we calculate Sobol sensitivity indices to evaluate the impact of the individual parameters or groups of parameters on the model outputs and study how different random distributions of these parameters affected the Sobol index results.
Practical, vendor-agnostic interoperability guidelines for the secondary control architecture of microgrids (MGs) with multiple grid-forming (GFM) inverter-based resources (IBRs) have not yet been developed. Therefore, this paper proposes a generic and vendor-agnostic secondary control architecture that operates with all GFM IBRs and synchronous generators. This secondary control does not require the use of additional measurement devices in the MG and utilizes the inherent communication systems of the GFM units, such as Modbus TCP/IP. The practical challenges of Modbus registers, such as packet loss and quantization error, and their detrimental impacts on secondary control actions are investigated. The proposed three-stage modification for any secondary control architecture to mitigate these impacts includes: 1) averaging the data read, 2) situational event-triggering of the controller, and 3) finite iteration of the controlling action. The proposed method is validated using a 3-..phi.., 480 V, 60 Hz, 500 kVA laboratory hardware microgrid with commercial two GFM IBRs and one diesel generator. The experimental results corroborates the fact the proposed modification in the secondary control architecture is advantageous for practical usage under erroneous measurements.