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At least 739 records · Page 41

Data for Sugar Accumulation Enhancement in Sorghum Stem is Associated with Reduced Reproductive Sink Strength and Increased Phloem Unloading Activity

Sweet sorghum has emerged as a promising source of bioenergy mainly due to its high biomass and high soluble sugar yield in stems. Studies have shown that loss-of-function Dry locus alleles have been selected during sweet sorghum domestication, and decapitation can further boost sugar accumulation in sweet sorghum, indicating that the potential for improving sugar yields is yet to be fully realized. To maximize sugar accumulation, it is essential to gain a better understanding of the mechanism underlying the massive accumulation of soluble sugars in sweet sorghum stems in addition to the Dry locus. We performed a transcriptomic analysis upon decapitation of near-isogenic lines for mutant (d, juicy stems, and green leaf midrib) and functional (D, dry stems and white leaf midrib) alleles at the Dry locus. Our analysis revealed that decapitation suppressed photosynthesis in leaves, but accelerated starch metabolic processes in stems. SbbHLH093 negatively correlates with sugar levels supported by genotypes (DD vs. dd), treatments (control vs. decapitation), and developmental stages post anthesis (3d vs.10d). D locus gene SbNAC074A and other programmed cell death-related genes were down regulated by decapitation, while sugar transporter-encoding gene SbSWEET1A was induced. Both SbSWEET1A and Invertase 5 were detected in phloem companion cells by RNA in situ assay. Loss of the SbbHLH093 homolog, AtbHLH093, in Arabidopsis led to a sugar accumulation increase. This study provides new insights into sugar accumulation enhancement in bioenergy crops, which can be potentially achieved by reducing reproductive sink strength and enhancing phloem unloading.

Transcriptomics↗

Recovery of Rare Earth Elements from Low-Grade Feedstock Leachates Using Engineered Bacteria

The use of biomass for sorption of rare earth elements (REEs) for bioremediation and biomining applications has been the subject of many recent investigations. However, REE adsorption by bioengineered systems has been scarcely documented, and rarely tested with complex natural feedstocks. In this study, we engineered E. coli cells for enhanced cell surface-mediated extraction of REEs. Using Lpp-OmpA as an anchor, up to 16 copies of a Lanthanide binding tag (LBT) per OmpA protein were displayed on the E. coli cell surface, resulting in a 2-fold increase in Tb adsorption capacity compared to control cells. To test the efficacy of engineered E. coli cells to extract REEs from complex source materials, biosorption was performed with leachates from two mine tailings and two rare earth deposits. Although control E. coli cells exhibited preferential adsorption of REEs over most metals, functionalization of the cell surface with LBT yielded several notable advantages. First, the efficiency of REE adsorption from all tested leachates was enhanced with distribution coefficients for individual REEs increased by 2-10 fold. Second, although, Cu, Al, Ga and Pb were found to be the best competitors for REE binding to the E. coli cell surface, LBT-display enhanced the cell surface affinity for REEs over all non-REEs except Cu. Third, LBT-display systematically enhanced the affinity of the cell surface for REEs as a function of decreasing atomic radii, providing a means to separate high value HREEs such as Dy and Tb from more common LREEs such as La. Altogether, our results demonstrate that REE biosorption of high efficiency and selectivity can be achieved by engineering the native bacterial surface.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Selective recovery of rare earth elements with ligand-functionalized polymers in fixed-bed adsorption columns

Rare earth elements (REE) are a group of valuable metals with growing demand and broad applications. Mineral ores, the traditional sources of REE, require significant capital investment and their refinement has been a source of environmental contamination. Industrial fluids and natural REE-bearing liquids are potential alternative sources for these metals. This work investigated the performance and REE selectivity of polymer resin beads functionalized with N,N-bis(phosponomethyl)glycine (BPG) for extraction of REE from saline solutions in fixed-bed adsorption columns. Competitive batch adsorption experiments were conducted with various metals (Nd, Gd, Ho, Al, Fe, Co, Ni, Ba, Pb, Th, and U) and the BPG-functionalized resins were up to 137 times more selective for REE than aminated resins. In column experiments, the BPG-functionalized resins preferentially adsorbed heavier metals and REE were strongly retained in the functionalized column, taking 270 times longer than the amine column to reach 10% breakthrough and 128 times longer to reach 50% breakthrough. REE bound to the BPG-functionalized resins were recovered with a dilute HNO3 solution, yielding REE concentrations up to 236 times higher than the influent feedstock. This work provides new insight into the operational performance of novel functionalized adsorbents for recovery of REE from saline fluids.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Stress-Induced Changes in Alternative Splicing Landscape in Rice: Functional Significance of Splice Isoforms in Stress Tolerance

Improvements in yield and quality of rice are crucial for global food security. However, global rice production is substantially hindered by various biotic and abiotic stresses. Making further improvements in rice yield is a major challenge to the rice research community, which can be accomplished through developing abiotic stress-resilient rice varieties and engineering durable agrochemical-independent pathogen resistance in high-yielding elite rice varieties. This, in turn, needs increased understanding of the mechanisms by which stresses affect rice growth and development. Alternative splicing (AS), a post-transcriptional gene regulatory mechanism, allows rapid changes in the transcriptome and can generate novel regulatory mechanisms to confer plasticity to plant growth and development. Mounting evidence indicates that AS has a prominent role in regulating rice growth and development under stress conditions. Several regulatory and structural genes and splicing factors of rice undergo different types of stress-induced AS events, and the functional significance of some of them in stress tolerance has been defined. Both rice and its pathogens use this complex regulatory mechanism to devise strategies against each other. This review covers the current understanding and evidence for the involvement of AS in biotic and abiotic stress-responsive genes, and its relevance to rice growth and development. Furthermore, we discuss implications of AS for the virulence of different rice pathogens and highlight the areas of further research and potential future avenues to develop climate-smart and disease-resistant rice varieties.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Simulations of x-ray absorption spectra for CO desorbing from Ru(0001) with transition-potential and time-dependent density functional theory approaches

The desorption of a carbon monoxide molecule from a Ru(0001) surface was studied by means of X-ray Absorption Spectra (XAS) computed with Transition Potential (TP-DFT) and Time Dependent (TD-DFT) DFT methods. By unraveling the evolution of the CO electronic structure upon desorption, we observed that at 2.3 Å from the surface, the CO molecule has already predominantly gas-phase character. While C 1s XAS is quite insensitive to changes in the C–O bond length, the O 1s excitation is very sensitive with the π* coming down in energy upon CO bond stretching, which competes with the increase in orbital energy due to the repulsive interaction with the metallic surface. We show in a systematic way that the TP-DFT method can describe the XAS rather well at the endpoints (chemisorbed and gas phase) but is affected by artificial charge transfer and/or incorrect spin treatment in the transition region in cases like CO, where there are low-lying π* orbitals and large exchange interactions between the core 1s and valence-acceptor π* orbitals. As an alternative, we demonstrate by comparing with experimental data that a linear response approach using TD-DFT employing common exchange-correlation functionals and finite-size clusters can yield a good description of the spectral evolution of the 1s → π* transition with correct spin and gas-to-chemisorbed chemical shifts in good agreement with experiment.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

High-Resolution Studies of Extreme-Ultraviolet Emission from CO by Electron Impact

We report a high-resolution study (0.0036 nm full width at half maximum) of electron-impact-induced emission spectra of CO at 30-, 75-, and 100-eV electron-impact energies. The spectral features were acquired in optically thin conditions. At the specified resolution, attainable with our 3-m vacuum ultraviolet spectrometer, we observe rotationally resolved emission bands of CO in the extreme ultraviolet, from the vibronic states B (sup 1)sigma(sup +)(0), C (sup 1)sigma(sup+)(0), and E (sup 1)pi(0), to the ground state X (sup 1)sigma(sup +)(0). A simple model of these bands, based on the Honl-London factors and the rotational constants, is constructed and is shown to be in good agreement with the observed spectra. The predissociation yield for the E (sup 1)pi electronic state has been determined, showing that the E state has the largest predissociation cross section of CO for all singlet-state Rydberg series members. The excitation function of the [E (sup 1)pi(0) yields X (sup 1)sigma(sup +)(0)] transition, in the 0-800-eV impact energy range, is measured, permitting determination of the oscillator strength by using a modified Born approximation analytical fit.

Ciocca, Marco↗

Fragmentation of jets containing a prompt J$/\psi$ meson in PbPb and pp collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}} =$ 5.02 TeV

Jets containing a prompt J$/\psi$ meson are studied in lead-lead collisions at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV, using the CMS detector at the LHC. Jets are selected to be in the transverse momentum range of 30 $\lt p_\mathrm{T} \lt$ 40 GeV. The J$/\psi$ yield in these jets is evaluated as a function of the jet fragmentation variable $z$, the ratio of the J$/\psi$$p_\mathrm{T} $ to the jet $p_\mathrm{T}$. The nuclear modification factor, $R_\mathrm{AA}$, is then derived by comparing the yield in lead-lead collisions to the corresponding expectation based on proton-proton data, at the same nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy. The suppression of the J$/\psi$ yield shows a dependence on $z$, indicating that the interaction of the J$/\psi$ with the quark-gluon plasma formed in heavy ion collisions depends on the fragmentation that gives rise to the J$/\psi$ meson.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Effects of size, geometry, and testing temperature on additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy

This article presents a comprehensive study concerning size and geometry effect on the ambient and high-temperature mechanical behavior of additively manufactured laser powder bed fusion Ti-6Al-4V alloy. Key mechanical property metrics are presented, including strain hardening rate, yield strength, and Young’s modulus as a function of thickness and testing temperature (ambient, 250 °C, and 450 °C). Here, the effect of specimen size on manufacturing-induced microstructural feature formation is demonstrated and discussed. A detailed analysis regarding Young’s modulus, yield strength, and strain hardening rate variation at elevated temperatures is also presented. Size effect and temperature-sensitive deformation mechanisms are linked to the underlying microstructural deformation mechanisms activated at respective temperatures. Counter-intuitively, this study determined that irrespective of the geometry, strain hardening rates increased as temperature increased. An in-depth microstructural examination is presented to explain the stated observation. The texture of Interrupted tensile test samples examined for ambient, 250 °C, and 450 °C post-yield was observed to be unchanged, indicating the strain hardening behavior was not texture dependent. Schmid factor analysis, coupled with experimental findings from previous work, was implemented to generate a hypothesis. This hypothesis suggests that the drop in critical resolved shear stress for basal and pyramidal slip systems, as temperature increases, paired with the high dislocation density of laser powder bed fusion Ti-6Al-4V, leads to dislocation entanglement and results in increased strain hardening at elevated temperatures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A function approximation approach to anomaly detection in propulsion system test data

Ground test data from propulsion systems such as the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) can be automatically screened for anomalies by a neural network. The neural network screens data after being trained with nominal data only. Given the values of 14 measurements reflecting external influences on the SSME at a given time, the neural network predicts the expected nominal value of a desired engine parameter at that time. We compared the ability of three different function-approximation techniques to perform this nominal value prediction: a novel neural network architecture based on Gaussian bar basis functions, a conventional back propagation neural network, and linear regression. These three techniques were tested with real data from six SSME ground tests containing two anomalies. The basis function network trained more rapidly than back propagation. It yielded nominal predictions with, a tight enough confidence interval to distinguish anomalous deviations from the nominal fluctuations in an engine parameter. Since the function-approximation approach requires nominal training data only, it is capable of detecting unknown classes of anomalies for which training data is not available.

Whitehead, Bruce A.↗

Improved Infrared Optical Constants from Pressed Pellets: II. Ellipsometric n and k Values for Ammonium Sulfate with Variability Analysis

Infrared spectral imaging is facilitated via the comparison of spectra recorded in situ to a databank of actual or synthetic infrared reflectance spectra. It has recently been shown that reference spectra corresponding to the many different morphological forms of the same chemical can be generated synthetically using the imaginary, k, and real, n, components of the complex refractive index, n~ = n + ik. One method to obtain the n and k vectors is infrared ellipsometry, which measures the changes in amplitude, tan ?, and phase, ?, of polarized light reflected from the sample both as a function of wavenumber and angle of incidence. The method requires specularly reflected light so best results are usually obtained with polished planar samples of large surface area. Due to the difficulties of obtaining such samples, however, we investigate the possibility of pressing powders of neat materials and obtaining the corresponding optical constants from the pellets. In this paper, variability in the sample pellet and preparation method is investigated, as is variability in the fitting procedure for the derived optical constants. The n/k vectors are derived from the measured ellipsometric parameters, tan ? and ?, as they are fit by an oscillator model which yield n(?) and k(?) vectors as a function of wavenumber, ?. Construction of the oscillator model is not automatic and depends on significant input from the analyst as well as the sample’s physical characteristics. For the pellet pressing, the experimental variability was found to be minimized for size-selected powdered samples as gauged by the minimal variance in ? and ? for three different pellets; similarly, the analytical precision for multiple measurements of the same pellet was also quite good, suggesting that a pressed pellet is a viable sample preparation method. The greatest variability came in the analytic fitting procedure with differences up to 20% arising from four different fits to the same data set. The final ellipsometric n/k data are compared to literature values obtained from crystalline (NH4)2SO4 samples as well as single-angle reflectance measurements that also used pressed pellets. Comparison with the previous literature values shows generally good agreement although higher k-values are observed for the independent sets of data derived from pressed pellets. These data are suggested as an improved set of optical constants for (NH4)2SO4.

optical constants, ellipsometry, ammonium sulfate,↗

Measurement of Neutron Multiplicity in Charged Current Neutrino Interactions on Oxygen

The Accelerator Neutrino Neutron Interaction Experiment (ANNIE) is a 26-ton gadolinium-doped water Cherenkov detector located 100~meters downstream in the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab). Its primary goals are to (1) measure the neutron yield from $\nu_\mu$ interactions as a function of momentum transfer $Q^2$ so that neutrino-nucleus interaction models can be better constrained, and (2) demonstrate the power of novel, fast-timing detectors with the first deployment of Large Area Picosecond PhotoDetectors (LAPPDs). Current knowledge of neutrino-nucleus interactions fall short in modeling the topologies of such interactions, leading to inaccurate reconstruction of event kinematics such as particle energy, direction, and vertex. As a consequence, the accuracy of cross section measurements is impacted, which is necessary for precise physics measurements. Neutrons are an indication of inelasticity and affect the determination of the energy of the parent neutrino. Quantifying the neutron yield is a step towards reducing the associated uncertainties, and thus improving our understanding of these complex interactions and benefiting the next generation of long-baseline neutrino experiments. ANNIE will make use of LAPPDs to measure neutron multiplicity of CC-0$\pi$ $\nu_\mu$ interactions on oxygen, making it the first experiment to deploy an array of these photodetectors. Because the LAPPD is a novel photodetection technology, much customization is required to integrate it into existing electronics. The first half of this thesis covers the significant progress made towards the first deployment of the LAPPD system. From its test stand at Fermilab, the LAPPD system was systematically tested and put together until deployment readiness was achieved. I present my contributions to the design, fabrication, and testing of the waterproof housing and cables, and the commissioning of the LVHV board that powers the LAPPD and its readout electronics. These efforts brought the LAPPD system significantly closer to deployment, and eventually first data. The second half of this thesis presents the vertex and energy reconstruction algorithms developed to analysis the beam data with PMT-only information. While much progress has been made towards the deployment of LAPPDs, with several in the detector tank, efforts to integrate the LAPPD datastream are in progress. Thus, I developed a ring edge detection technique using PMT data to fit the muon vertex and determine its energy. The analysis in this thesis finds average neutron yields of $\Bar{n}_{data} = 0.452 \pm 0.039 (\text{stat}) \pm 0.27 (\text{sys})$ for a selection of muon neutrino candidates in the fiducial volume of ANNIE and corrected with an averaged neutron detection efficiency. An equivalent analysis for simulated beam data results in an average neutron yield of $\Bar{n}_{MC} = 0.582 \pm 0.018 (\text{stat}) \pm 0.25 (\text{sys})$. Future work includes application of efficiency corrections at a positional level, quantification of all systematic uncertainties, and neutron multiplicity measurements with other event topologies.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Laser annealing of ion implanted CZ silicon for solar cell junction formation

The merits of large spot size pulsed laser annealing of phosphorus implanted, Czochralski grown silicon for function formation of solar cells are evaluated. The feasibility and requirements are also determined to scale-up a laser system to anneal 7.62 cm diameter wafers at a rate of one wafer/second. Results show that laser annealing yields active, defect-free, shallow junction devices. Functional cells with AM 1 conversion efficiencies up to 15.4% for 2 x 2 cm and 2 x 4 cm sizes were attained. For larger cells, 7.62 cm dia., conversion efficiencies ranged up to 14.5%. Experiments showed that texture etched surfaces are not compatible with pulsed laser annealing due to the surface melting caused by the laser energy. When compared with furnace annealed cells, the laser annealed cells generally exhibited conversion efficiencies which were equal to or better than those furnace annealed. In addition, laser annealing has greater throughput potential.

Katzeff, J. S.↗

Molecular dynamics based study on the effects of cation size on the local structure and diffusion in polymerized ionic liquids

We have used coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to understand the effect of cation size on ion diffusion in polymerized ionic liquids at temperatures well above the glass transition temperature of the polymers. We investigated dependencies of the diffusion constant on the cation radius and static dielectric constant and interpreted these results in terms of underlying structural changes, and decoupling phenomenon. We have found non-monotonic effects of the cation radius on the diffusion constant, with a maximum at an intermediate radius resulting from two different size dependent effects. Changes in the radial distribution functions characterizing spatial distribution of cations with respect to anions result in a monotonic increase in the coordination number. This yields an increase in the effective interaction energy as a function of cation radius, which can explain the decrease in the diffusion constant. This increase is counteracted at small cation radii by a corresponding increase in decoupling of cation and anion dynamics. In addition, the diffusion constant is found to increase on increasing the static dielectric constant for all radii of the cations. These results highlight the significant role of decoupling in designing polymerized ionic liquids with an enhanced diffusion constant of cations.

Gillespie, Colin [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000320287080)↗

Measurement of the production and elliptic flow of (anti)nuclei in Xe-Xe collisions at √sNN = 5.44 TeV

Measurements of (anti)deuteron and (anti) 3He production in the rapidity range |𝑦|<0.5 as a function of the transverse momentum and event multiplicity in Xe-Xe collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon pair of √𝑠𝑁⁢𝑁=5.44 TeV are presented. The coalescence parameters 𝐵2 and 𝐵3 are measured as a function of the transverse momentum per nucleon. The ratios between (anti)deuteron and (anti) 3He yields and those of (anti)protons and pions are reported as a function of the mean charged-particle multiplicity density and compared with two implementations of the statistical hadronization model and with coalescence predictions. The elliptic flow of (anti)deuterons is measured for the first time in Xe-Xe collisions and shows features similar to those already observed in Pb-Pb collisions, i.e., the mass ordering at low transverse momentum and the meson-baryon grouping at intermediate transverse momentum. The production of nuclei is particularly sensitive to the chemical freeze-out temperature of the system created in the collision, which is extracted from a grand-canonical-ensemble-based thermal fit, performed for the first time including light nuclei along with light-flavor hadrons in Xe-Xe collisions. The extracted chemical freeze-out temperature 𝑇chem=(154.2±1.1) MeV in Xe-Xe collisions is similar to that observed in Pb-Pb collisions and close to the crossover temperature predicted by lattice quantum chromodynamics calculations.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Dynamic-mechanical response of graphite/epoxy composite laminates and neat resin

Dynamic mechanical measurement results are presented for the case of carbon fiber-reinforced, epoxy matrix composite laminates subjected to loading perpendicular to the lamination plane, as well as for neat epoxy resin under the same conditions, where temperatures ranged between 20 and 200 C and deformation levels lie within the linear viscoelastic region. In-phase and out-of-phase stiffnesses are found to become superposed, forming master curves that cover a 12-decade frequency range. The application of a master curve scaling procedure shows that the in-phase stiffness has the same shape, and out-of-phase stiffness has the same dispersion, for all laminates irrespective of stacking sequence and are, in turn, nearly identical to those for the neat epoxy resin. An empirical function is found for the relaxation modulus which, when converted to a dynamic modulus, yields good overall agreement for both of the dynamic stiffness components as a function of frequency.

Yang, P.↗

Constitutive modeling for single crystal superalloys

The inelastic response of single crystal gamma/gamma prime superalloys is quite different from the behavior of polycrystalline nickel base superalloys. Upto a critical temperature the yield stress of single crystal alloys is a function of the material orientation relative to the direction of the applied stress and the material exhibits significant tension/compression asymmetry. This behavior is primarily due to slip on the octahedral slip system. Above the critical temperature there is a sharp drop in the yield stress, cube slip becomes more predominant and the tension/compression asymmetry is reduced. Similar orientation and tension/compression asymmetry is observed in creep and secondary creep above the critical temperature is inferred to occur by octahedral slip. There are two exceptions to this behavior. First, loading near the (111) orientation exhibits cube slip at all temperatures, and; second, loading near the (001) orientation produces only octahedral slip at all temperatures. The constitutive model is based on separating the total global strain into elastic and inelastic components. This model is developed and briefly discussed.

Stouffer, D. C.↗

Aneutronic Fusion in Collision of Oppositely Directed Plasmoids

Tri-Alpha and Helion energy companies have proposed an approach as the near future fusion reactor. The method used in this kind of reactor for attaining high fusion yield is based on the formation and throwing of two plasmoids toward each other. In this study, the optimized reaction rate for interpenetration of two head on colliding plasmoids is investigated. Calculations are performed by supposing the velocity of plasmoids ions as Maxwellian distribution function. Fusion output-to-input power ratio (Q factor) was computed by evaluation of the velocity-averaged cross sections and also ion−electron and ion−ion Coulomb power loss. A fluid model including a computational code has been used for the precise calculations of fusion power balance. The optimum interpenetration velocity and plasmoids parameters required to reach the ignition are studied for aneutronic fusion fuels, such as p–{sup 11}B and D–{sup 3}He, as well as D−T and D−D fuels. The results of investigation show that the breakeven is attainable in specific collision velocity and plasma temperature for each fuel. Also, the plasma density has to be around 10{sup 20} ions/cm{sup 3}.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Adaptation Strategies Strongly Reduce the Future Impacts of Climate Change on Simulated Crop Yields

Abstract Simulations of crop yield due to climate change vary widely between models, locations, species, management strategies, and Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs). To understand how climate and adaptation affects yield change, we developed a meta‐model based on 8703 site‐level process‐model simulations of yield with different future adaptation strategies and climate scenarios for maize, rice, wheat and soybean. We tested 10 statistical models, including some machine learning models, to predict the percentage change in projected future yield relative to the baseline period (2000–2010) as a function of explanatory variables related to adaptation strategy and climate change. We used the best model to produce global maps of yield change for the RCP4.5 scenario and identify the most influential variables affecting yield change using Shapley additive explanations. For most locations, adaptation was the most influential factor determining the projected yield change for maize, rice and wheat. Without adaptation under RCP4.5, all crops are expected to experience average global yield losses of 6%–21%. Adaptation alleviates this average projected loss by 1–13 percentage points. Maize was most responsive to adaptive practices with a projected mean yield loss of −21% [range across locations: −63%, +3.7%] without adaptation and −7.5% [range: −46%, +13%] with adaptation. For maize and rice, irrigation method and cultivar choice were the adaptation types predicted to most prevent large yield losses, respectively. When adaptation practices are applied, some areas are predicted to experience yield gains, especially at northern high latitudes. These results reveal the critical importance of implementing adequate adaptation strategies to mitigate the impact of climate change on crop yields.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗