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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 73 records · Page 4

Electrical and Elastic Properties of Individual Single-Layer Nb 4 C 3 T x MXene Flakes

2D carbides and nitrides (MXenes) are widely recognized for their exceptional promise for numerous applications. However, physical property measurements of their individual monolayers remain very limited despite their importance for revealing the intrinsic physical properties of MXenes. The first mechanical and electrical measurements of individual single-layer flakes of Nb 4 C 3 T x MXene, which are prepared via an improved synthetic method are reported. Characterization of field-effect transistor devices based on individual single-layer Nb 4 C 3 T x flakes shows an electrical conductivity of 1024 ± 165 S cm -1 , which is two orders of magnitude higher than the previously reported values for bulk Nb 4 C 3 T x assemblies, and an electron mobility of 0.41 ± 0.27 cm 2 V -1 s -1 . Atomic force microscopy nanoindentation measurements of monolayer Nb 4 C 3 T x membranes yield an effective Young's modulus of 386 ± 13 GPa, assuming a membrane thickness of 1.26 nm. This is the highest value reported for nanoindentation measurements of solution-processable 2D materials, revealing the potential of Nb 4 C 3 T x as a primary component for various mechanical applications. In conclusion, the agreement between the mechanical properties of 2D Nb 4 C 3 T x MXene and cubic NbC suggests that the extensive experimental data on bulk carbides could be useful for identifying new MXenes with improved functional characteristics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Mortality among individuals exposed to atomic bomb radiation in utero: 1950–2012

We examined the mortality risks among 2463 individuals who were exposed in utero to atomic bomb radiation in Hiroshima or Nagasaki in August 1945 and were followed from October 1950 through 2012. Individual estimates of mother’s weighted absorbed uterine dose (DS02R1) were used. Poisson regression method was used to estimate the radiation-associated excess relative risk per Gy (ERR/Gy) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for cause-specific mortality. Head size, birth weight, and parents’ survival status were evaluated as potential mediators of radiation effect. There were 339 deaths (216 males and 123 females) including deaths from solid cancer (n = 137), lymphohematopoietic cancer (n = 8), noncancer disease (n = 134), external cause (n = 56), and unknown cause (n = 4). Among males, the unadjusted ERR/Gy (95% CI) was increased for noncancer disease mortality (1.22, 0.10–3.14), but not for solid cancer mortality (-0.18,< -0.77–0.95); the unadjusted ERR/Gy for external cause mortality was not statistically significant (0.28, < -0.60–2.36). Among females, the unadjusted ERRs/Gy were increased for solid cancer (2.24, 0.44–5.58), noncancer (2.86, 0.56–7.64), and external cause mortality (2.57, 0.20–9.19). The ERRs/Gy adjusted for potential mediators did not change appreciably for solid cancer mortality, but decreased notably for noncancer mortality (0.39, < -0.43–1.91 for males; 1.48, - 0.046–4.55 for females) and external cause mortality (0.10, < -0.57–1.96 for males; 1.38, < -0.46–5.95 for females). In conclusion, antenatal radiation exposure is a consistent risk factor for increased solid cancer mortality among females, but not among males. The effect of exposure to atomic bomb radiation on noncancer disease and external cause mortality among individuals exposed in utero was mediated through small head size, low birth weight, and parental loss.

Public, Environmental & Occupational Health↗

Sectoral and growth rate control on elemental uptake by individual calcite crystals

Heterogeneous distribution of trace elements (impurities) within individual calcite crystals is a phenomenon commonly observed in natural and laboratory systems. Changes in thermodynamic intensive parameters (mostly chemical potential and temperature) cannot always explain the inhomogeneous impurity patterns in calcite crystals and it has been suggested that growth rate and crystallographic orientation may exert strong effects on elemental incorporation into calcite. In addition, there are a number of experimental studies on micro-scale element (E) distribution between non-equivalent pairs of calcite vicinal faces (known as sectoral zoning); however, the variability of partition coefficients (e.g., K E = (E/Ca) calcite /(E/Ca) fluid ) within individual crystals remains undetermined. In this study, we have extended the work on elemental distribution between crystal sectors to evaluation of partition coefficients of trace and minor elements (Li, B, Mg, and Sr) in calcite crystal faces (10–14) and (01-12), whose growth rates were assessed. Growth entrapment model (GEM) and lattice strain theory were applied to explain K E heterogeneity by varying near-surface diffusivity of Mg and Sr and by varying surface enrichment factor for Li, B, Mg, and Sr. Decoupling of sectoral and growth rate effects reveals that sectoral zoning plays a key role in elemental distribution. More specifically, K Li and K B vary by more than one order of magnitude and K Mg varies by a factor of two within individual crystal faces. Strontium sectoral distribution is different from those of Li, B, and Mg and K Sr varies by up to a factor of two. Finally, these behaviors likely reflect different mechanisms of incorporation of Li, B, Mg, and Sr into calcite.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Synchrotron resolved microscale mineralogy and elemental composition of individual plinthic and manganiferous nodules from agricultural soils

Iron and manganese oxides are strong sorbents and elemental scavengers in the environment that can form macroscopic nodules in soils. Despite their importance in the geochemical cycling of nutrients and contaminants, nodules are rarely characterized. When analyzed, they are often combined into bulk samples, obscuring individual characteristics. This study investigates the composition and mineralogy of individual plinthic and manganiferous nodules in soil from cropping systems in the Farming Systems Project in Beltsville, Maryland. Elemental composition indicates the accumulation of contaminants and nutrients, including copper in all nodules and high levels of phosphorus in select nodules. Sequential extractions determine that highly crystalline minerals comprise the nodules, locking away these nutrients and contaminants. Bulk X-ray diffraction (XRD) demonstrated distinct mineralogies in the plinthic and manganiferous nodules, with the former comprised of quartz, goethite, and kaolinite, and the latter consisting of quartz, Mn 2 O 3 , and hematite. Synchrotron and laboratory-based X-ray fluorescence (XRF) mapping gives critical insight into the elemental distribution within the nodules and elucidates spatial elemental associations, including the coupling of manganese and iron in the manganiferous nodules. XRF maps paired with µXRD provide microscale spatial resolution in mineralogy, which resolved several phases not apparent in bulk XRD, manganese’s association with goethite, and minerals indicative of redox transformations, including magnetite and maghemite. These novel results provide critical insight into the microscale mineralogy and individual elemental composition of plinthic and manganiferous nodules, as well as how they alter bulk soil geochemistry in ways largely unaccounted for in research on soil systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A mesoscopic link-transmission-model able to track individual vehicles

Macroscopic traffic flow is a common choice for large-scale traffic simulations. These models do not provide individual-specific metrics as outputs. However, this treatment is necessary in agent-based-models, as in, for example, assigning routes based on personal characteristics. Here, in this paper, we propose an extension of the link-transmission-model, an efficient and yet accurate discretization of the Lighthill-Whitham-Richards (LWR) model, which allow vehicles to be tracked individually while keeping the main features of the underlying model. The extension comprises modifying the link and node models to ensure that the flow between links is always at discrete levels. Therefore, every unit of flow is associated with one individual vehicle moving from its current to its next link. An upper bound of the discretization error is provided. We show that the proposed model resembles its continuous counterpart on lane drop, merge, and diverge cases. In addition, we apply the model into three different networks to validate its applicability in large networks. Finally, we also confirm the parameter transferability between continuous and discrete models and that both can well reproduce field data.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Deciphering the Mechanistic Role of Individual Oxide Phases and Their Combinations in Supported Mn–Na 2 WO 4 Catalysts for Oxidative Coupling of Methane

Oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) is an attractive direct route for upgrading methane to valuable chemicals. In this study, Temporal Analysis of Products (TAP) and steady state experiments are conducted to understand the role of individual oxide phases and their combinations in supported Mn-Na 2 WO 4 /SiO 2 catalysts for OCM. The results from TAP transient kinetic studies indicate that Mn plays an important role in promoting gas phase oxygen activation, while NaO x /SiO 2 and WO x /SiO 2 are relatively inert towards gas phase oxygen and methane activation. However, the supported catalyst combining Na and W in the form Na 2 WO 4 show enhanced gas phase oxygen activation exhibiting a much lower oxygen activation energy (148 kJ/mol) and enhanced activity toward methane activation as compared to the individual supported oxide catalysts. Addition of Mn to Na 2 WO 4 /SiO 2 further decreases the oxygen activation energy by 40 kJ/mol. Moreover, methane activation is also enhanced with CH 3 as the main intermediate but, with increasing Mn content, more CH 2 intermediates are observed. Different forms of oxygen (both dioxygen and atomic) are detected on the catalyst surface using isotopic pump/probe pulsing and their distribution is found to depend on the catalyst composition. An optimal Mn content in the Na 2 WO 4 /SiO 2 catalyst system is needed to enhance the amount of dioxide surface species (e.g., superoxide 16 O 2 - or peroxide 16 O 2 2- ) associated with the Na 2 WO 4 leading to high C 2 selectivity for OCM. When the Mn content is too high, the larger MnOx domains are shown to contribute to the formation of higher concertation of monoxide surface species that lead to nonselective OCM pathways. This insight from transient kinetic characterization using TAP combined with conventional steady state studies, provides a deeper understanding of the role of individual oxide phases and their combination on supported catalysts toward the formation of intermediate surface species and their impact on the OCM reaction mechanism. This knowledge is critical toward designing superior catalyst formulations for OCM.

10 SYNTHETIC FUELS↗

Structural and Mechanical Analysis of Individual Mineralized Collagen Fibrils Using In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy

Bone serves as an example of nature’s architectured material with its characteristic blend of strength and toughness, all at a lightweight design. Given the hierarchical nature of these materials, it is essential to understand the governing mechanisms and organization of their constituents across length scales for bioinspired structural design. Despite recent advances in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) that have allowed us to witness the hierarchical arrangement of bone at micro-down to the nanoscale, we are still missing the details about the structural organization and mechanical properties of the main building blocks of bone─mineralized collagen fibrils (MCFs). Here, we present a method to extract individual MCFs from nature’s model material, mineralized turkey leg tendon, using a dropcasting procedure. By isolating the MCFs onto TEM supporting grids, we visualized the arrangement of organic and mineral phases within individual MCFs at the nanoscale. Using a four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM) approach, the orientation of individual mineral crystals within the MCFs was examined. Furthermore, we conducted in situ tensile experiments, revealing exceptional tensile strains of at least 8%, demonstrating the intricate relationship between structural organization and the mechanical behavior of MCFs. These insights into the ultrastructure of mineralized tissue building blocks, as well as the proposed sample-extraction method compatible with in situ mechanical testing, provide a strong basis for research into nature-inspired material design.

4D-STEM↗

Large Individual Ion FTICR Measurements from the Mid-1990s Using Reactions for Charge Determination Mass Spectrometry

This article discusses from a personal and present-day perspective the first studies of large highly charged individual molecular ions that were conducted using electrospray ionization (ESI) with Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) MS in the mid-1990s. These studies are distinguished from current Charge Detection Mass Spectrometry (CDMS) research primarily by their use of individual ion charge state changes due to reactions. Here this work describes the key differences in technologies and methods with present CDMS, and the likely implications of these differences. I also comment on surprising individual ion behavior observed in some measurements involving increases in charge state, as well as their possible basis, and also briefly discuss the potential utility of the reaction-based mass measurement approach used in the context of what might more globally be referred to as ‘Charge Determination Mass Spectrometry’.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Methods to capture proteomic and metabolomic signatures from cerebrospinal fluid and serum of healthy individuals

Discovery of reliable signatures for the empirical diagnosis of neurological diseases—both infectious and non-infectious—remains unrealized. One of the primary challenges encountered in such studies is the lack of a comprehensive database representative of a signature background that exists in healthy individuals, and against which an aberrant event can be assessed. For neurological insults and injuries, it is important to understand the normal profile in the neuronal (cerebrospinal fluid) and systemic fluids (e.g., blood). Here, we present the first comparative multi-omic human database of signatures derived from a population of 30 individuals (15 males, 15 females, 23–74 years) of serum and cerebrospinal fluid. In addition to empirical signatures, we also assigned common pathways between serum and CSF. Together, our findings provide a cohort against which aberrant signature profiles in individuals with neurological injuries/disease can be assessed—providing a pathway for comprehensive diagnostics and therapeutics discovery.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Ptychographic atomic electron tomography: Towards three-dimensional imaging of individual light atoms in materials

Through numerical simulations, we demonstrate the combination of ptychography and atomic electron tomography as an effective method for low dose imaging of individual low-Z atoms in three dimensions. After generating noisy diffraction patterns with multislice simulations of an aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope through a 5-nm zinc-oxide nanoparticle, we have achieved three-dimensional (3D) imaging of individual zinc and oxygen atoms and their defects by performing tomography on ptychographic projections. The methodology has also been simulated in 2D materials, resolving individual sulfur atoms in vertical WS 2 /WSe 2 van der Waals heterostructure with a low total electron dose where annular-dark-field images fail to resolve. Overall, we envision that the development of this method could be instrumental in studying the precise 3D atomic structures of radiation sensitive systems and low-Z atomic structures such as 2D heterostructures, catalysts, functional oxides, and glasses.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Idaho Cyber Heroes: Helping Individuals Navigate Career Pathways in Cybersecurity

In 2019, there was a shortage of 3.5 million qualified cybersecurity professionals. Cyberattacks are ever on the rise, making it increasingly important these positions be filled quickly. The purpose of this research, as part of the Idaho Cyber Research Project, was to use information collected from open-source materials to depict the career path issues in cybersecurity for individuals. Interviews with professionals from various industry sectors in Idaho also influenced the course of our research. Early research revealed that one of the main problems is an unclear career path for individuals wanting to enter the cybersecurity workforce. Unclear pathways are defined by of a lack of awareness about a career field, uncertainty surrounding the knowledge and skills taught in college due to a lack of standardization between institutions, high qualification standards in hiring, and a lack of diverse representation in the cybersecurity workforce. Additionally, a platform called CyberKnights was assessed as it applies to the individual and their pathway. However, CyberKnights is not the only solution to this problem, and further research is needed to identify additional solutions.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Validation of a Proteomic Signature of Lung Cancer Risk from Bronchial Specimens of Risk-Stratified Individuals

A major challenge in lung cancer prevention and cure hinges on identifying the at-risk population that ultimately develops lung cancer. Previously, we reported proteomic alterations in the cytologically normal bronchial epithelial cells collected from the bronchial brushings of individuals at risk for lung cancer. The purpose of this study is to validate, in an independent cohort, a selected list of 55 candidate proteins associated with risk for lung cancer with sensitive targeted proteomics using selected reaction monitoring (SRM). Bronchial brushings collected from individuals at low and high risk for developing lung cancer as well as patients with lung cancer, from both a subset of the original cohort (batch 1: n = 10 per group) and an independent cohort of 149 individuals (batch 2: low risk (n = 32), high risk (n = 34), and lung cancer (n = 83)), were analyzed using multiplexed SRM assays. ALDH3A1 and AKR1B10 were found to be consistently overexpressed in the high-risk group in both batch 1 and batch 2 brushing specimens as well as in the biopsies of batch 1. Validation of highly discriminatory proteins and metabolic enzymes by SRM in a larger independent cohort supported their use to identify patients at high risk for developing lung cancer.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Improved Air-Conditioning Demand Response of Connected Communities over Individually Optimized Buildings

Connected communities potentially offer much greater demand response capabilities over singular building energy management systems (BEMS) through an increase of connectivity. The potential increase in benefits from this next step in connectivity is still under investigation, especially when applied to existing buildings. This work utilizes EnergyPlus simulation results on eight different commercial prototype buildings to estimate the potential savings on peak demand and energy costs using a mixed-integer linear programming model. This model is used in two cases: a fully connected community and eight separate buildings with BEMS. The connected community is optimized using all zones as variables, while the individual buildings are optimized separately and then aggregated. These optimization problems are run for a range of individual zone flexibility values. The results indicate that a connected community offered 60.0% and 24.8% more peak demand savings for low and high flexibility scenarios, relative to individually optimized buildings. Energy cost optimization results show only marginally better savings of 2.9% and 6.1% for low and high flexibility, respectively.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Call to Action for Global Access to and Harmonization of Quality Information of Individual Earth Science Datasets

Knowledge about the quality of data and metadata is important to support informed decisions on the (re)use of individual datasets and is an essential part of the ecosystem that supports open science. Quality assessments reflect the reliability and usability of data. They need to be consistently curated, fully traceable, and adequately documented, as these are crucial for sound decision- and policy-making efforts that rely on data. Quality assessments also need to be consistently represented and readily integrated across systems and tools to allow for improved sharing of information on quality at the dataset level for individual quality attribute or dimension. Although the need for assessing the quality of data and associated information is well recognized, methodologies for an evaluation framework and presentation of resultant quality information to end users may not have been comprehensively addressed within and across disciplines. Global interdisciplinary domain experts have come together to systematically explore needs, challenges and impacts of consistently curating and representing quality information through the entire lifecycle of a dataset. This paper describes the findings of that effort, argues the importance of sharing dataset quality information, calls for community action to develop practical guidelines, and outlines community recommendations for developing such guidelines. Practical guidelines will allow for global access to and harmonization of quality information at the level of individual Earth science datasets, which in turn will support open science.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗

Individual-blade-control research in the MIT VTOL Technology Laboratory 1977-1985

A new, advanced system for active control of helicopters and its application to the solution of rotor aerodynamic and aeroelastic problems is described. Each blade is individually controlled in the rotating frame over a wide range of frequencies. Application of the system to gust alleviation, attitude stabilization, vibration alleviation, blade lag damping augmentation, stall flutter suppression, blade flapping stabilization, stall alleviation, and performance enhancement is outlined. The effectiveness of the system in achieving most of these applications is demonstrated by experimental results from wind tunnel tests of a model helicopter rotor with individual blade control. The feasibility of achieving many or all of the applications of individual blade control using the conventional helicopter swash plate is demonstrated, and the necessary control laws are presented.

Ham, N. D.↗

Real-time measurement of sodium chloride in individual aerosol particles by mass spectrometry

The method of particle analysis by mass spectrometry has been applied to the quantitative measurement of sodium chloride in individual particles on a real-time basis. Particles of known masses are individually introduced, in the form of a beam, into a miniature Knudsen cell oven (1600 K). The oven is fabricated from rhenium metal sheet (0.018 mm thick) and is situated in the ion source of a quadrupole mass spectrometer. A particle once inside the oven is trapped and completely volatilized; this overcomes the problem of partial volatilization due to particles bouncing from the filament surface. Individual particles are thermally volatilized and ionized inside the rhenium oven, and produce discrete sodium ion pulses whose intensities are measured with the quadrupole mass spectrometer. An ion pulse width of several milliseconds (4-12 ms) is found for particles in the mass range 1.3 x 10 to the -13th to 5.4 x 10 to the -11th g. The sodium ion intensity is found to be proportional to the particle mass to the 0.86-power. The intensity distribution for monodisperse aerosol particles possesses a geometric standard deviation of 1.09, showing that the method can be used for the determination of the mass distribution function with good resolution in a polydisperse aerosol.

Sinha, M. P.↗

Helicopter gust alleviation, attitude stabilization, and vibration alleviation using individual-blade-control through a conventional swash plate

The novel active control system presented for helicopter rotor aerodynamic and aeroelastic problems involves the individual control of each blade in the rotating frame over a wide range of frequencies (up to the sixth harmonic of rotor speed). This Individual Blade Control (IBC) system controls blade pitch by means of broadband electrohydraulic actuators attached to the swash plate (in the case of three blades) or individually to each blade, using acceleratometer signals to furnish control commands to the actuators. Attention is given to IBC's application to blade lag, flapping, and bending dynamics. It is shown that gust alleviation, attitude stabilization, vibration alleviation, and air/ground resonance suppression, are all achievable with a conventional helicopter swash plate.

Ham, N. D.↗

Helicopter individual-blade-control research at MIT 1977-1985

A new advanced system for active control of helicopters and its application to the solution of rotor aerodynamic and aeroelastic problems is described. Each blade is individually controlled in the rotating frame over a wide range of frequencies. Application of the system to gust alleviation, attitude stabilization, vibration alleviation, blade lag damping augmentation, stall flutter suppression, blade flapping stabilization, stall alleviation, and performance enhancement is outlined. The effectiveness of the system in achieving most of these applications is demonstrated by experimental results from wind tunnel tests of a model helicopter rotor with individual blade control. The feasibility of achieving many or all of the applications of individual blade control using the conventional helicopter swash plate is demonstrated, and the necessary control laws are presented.

Ham, Norman D.↗