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At least 757 records · Page 42

Cerium migration during PEM fuel cell assembly and operation

Cerium migration between PEM fuel cell components is influenced by potential-driven mobility, ionic diffusion, and gradients in water content. These factors were investigated in ex situ experiments and in operating fuel cells. Potential-induced migration was measured ex situ in hydrated window cells. Cerium-containing MEAs were also fabricated and tested under ASTs. MEA disassembly and subsequent XRF analysis were used to observe rapid cerium migration during cell assembly and operation. During MEA hot pressing, humidification, and low RH operation at OCV, ionic diffusion causes uniform migration from the membrane into the catalyst layers. During high RH operation at OCV, in-plane cerium gradients arise due to variations in water content. These gradients may diminish the scavenging efficacy of cerium by reducing its proximity to generated radicals.

08 HYDROGEN↗

GN/C translation and rotation control parameters for AR/C (category 2)

Detailed analysis of the Automatic Rendezvous and Capture problem indicate a need for three different regions of mathematical description for the GN&C algorithms: (1) multi-vehicle orbital mechanics to the rendezvous interface point, i.e., within 100 n.; (2) relative motion solutions (such as Clohessy-Wiltshire type) from the far-field to the near-field interface, i.e., within 1 nm; and (3) close proximity motion, the nearfield motion where the relative differences in the gravitational and orbit inertial accelerations can be neglected from the equations of motion. This paper defines the reference coordinate frames and control parameters necessary to model the relative motion and attitude of spacecraft in the close proximity of another space system (Region 2 and 3) during the Automatic Rendezvous and Capture phase of an orbit operation.

Henderson, David M.↗

Ascent, Stage Separation and Glideback Performance of a Partially Reusable Small Launch Vehicle

An integrated analysis is presented for ascent, stage separation and glide back performance of a small, partially reusable launch vehicle sized for a payload of about 330 lbs to a 150 nm polar orbit. The altitude margin was used a performance metric for the glideback performance. Aerodynamic databases for each of these three phases of flight were developed using a combination of engineering level code, free stream and proximity wind tunnel test data and Euler CFD results. The ascent and glideback trajectories were generated using POST and the stage separation simulation was done using the in-house software Sep-Sim as a front end to the commercially available multi-body dynamic simulation code ADAMS. The payload to the designated polar orbit was optimized subject to the constraints imposed by stage separation and adequate performance reserve for the glideback booster in addition to the usual ascent trajectory constraints.

Pamadi, Bandu N.↗

WE-H-BRA-08: A Monte Carlo Cell Nucleus Model for Assessing Cell Survival Probability Based On Particle Track Structure Analysis

Purpose: To correlate the damage produced by particles of different types and qualities to cell survival on the basis of nanodosimetric analysis and advanced DNA structures in the cell nucleus. Methods: A Monte Carlo code was developed to simulate subnuclear DNA chromatin fibers (CFs) of 30nm utilizing a mean-free-path approach common to radiation transport. The cell nucleus was modeled as a spherical region containing 6000 chromatin-dense domains (CDs) of 400nm diameter, with additional CFs modeled in a sparser interchromatin region. The Geant4-DNA code was utilized to produce a particle track database representing various particles at different energies and dose quantities. These tracks were used to stochastically position the DNA structures based on their mean free path to interaction with CFs. Excitation and ionization events intersecting CFs were analyzed using the DBSCAN clustering algorithm for assessment of the likelihood of producing DSBs. Simulated DSBs were then assessed based on their proximity to one another for a probability of inducing cell death. Results: Variations in energy deposition to chromatin fibers match expectations based on differences in particle track structure. The quality of damage to CFs based on different particle types indicate more severe damage by high-LET radiation than low-LET radiation of identical particles. In addition, the model indicates more severe damage by protons than of alpha particles of same LET, which is consistent with differences in their track structure. Cell survival curves have been produced showing the L-Q behavior of sparsely ionizing radiation. Conclusion: Initial results indicate the feasibility of producing cell survival curves based on the Monte Carlo cell nucleus method. Accurate correlation between simulated DNA damage to cell survival on the basis of nanodosimetric analysis can provide insight into the biological responses to various radiation types. Current efforts are directed at producing cell survival curves for high-LET radiation.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

THREE-DIMENSIONAL VELOCITY AND DENSITY RECONSTRUCTIONS OF THE LOCAL UNIVERSE WITH COSMICFLOWS-1

This paper presents an analysis of the local peculiar velocity field based on the Wiener Filter (WF) reconstruction method. We used our currently available catalog of distance measurements containing 1797 galaxies within 3000 km s{sup -1}: Cosmicflows-1. The WF method is used to recover the full three-dimensional peculiar velocity field from the observed map of radial velocities and to recover the underlying linear density field. The velocity field within a data zone of 3000 km s{sup -1} is decomposed into a local component that is generated within the data zone and a tidal one that is generated by the mass distribution outside that zone. The tidal component is characterized by a coherent flow toward the Norma-Hydra-Centaurus (Great Attractor) region, while the local component is dominated by a flow toward the Virgo Cluster and away from the Local Void. A detailed analysis shows that the local flow is predominantly governed by the Local Void and the Virgo Cluster plays a lesser role. The analysis procedure was tested against a mock catalog. It is demonstrated that the WF accurately recovers the input velocity field of the mock catalog on the scale of the extraction of distances and reasonably recovers the velocity field on significantly larger scales. The Bayesian WF reconstruction is carried out within the {Lambda}CDM WMAP5 framework. The WF reconstruction draws particular attention to the importance of voids in proximity to our neighborhood. The prominent structure of the Local Supercluster is wrapped in a horseshoe collar of under density with the Local Void as a major component.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Investigating genomic prediction strategies for grain carotenoid traits in a tropical/subtropical maize panel

Abstract Vitamin A deficiency remains prevalent on a global scale, including in regions where maize constitutes a high percentage of human diets. One solution for alleviating this deficiency has been to increase grain concentrations of provitamin A carotenoids in maize (Zea mays ssp. mays L.)—an example of biofortification. The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) developed a Carotenoid Association Mapping panel of 380 inbred lines adapted to tropical and subtropical environments that have varying grain concentrations of provitamin A and other health-beneficial carotenoids. Several major genes have been identified for these traits, 2 of which have particularly been leveraged in marker-assisted selection. This project assesses the predictive ability of several genomic prediction strategies for maize grain carotenoid traits within and between 4 environments in Mexico. Ridge Regression-Best Linear Unbiased Prediction, Elastic Net, and Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Spaces had high predictive abilities for all tested traits (β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, provitamin A, lutein, and zeaxanthin) and outperformed Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator. Furthermore, predictive abilities were higher when using genome-wide markers rather than only the markers proximal to 2 or 13 genes. These findings suggest that genomic prediction models using genome-wide markers (and assuming equal variance of marker effects) are worthwhile for these traits even though key genes have already been identified, especially if breeding for additional grain carotenoid traits alongside β-carotene. Predictive ability was maintained for all traits except lutein in between-environment prediction. The TASSEL (Trait Analysis by aSSociation, Evolution, and Linkage) Genomic Selection plugin performed as well as other more computationally intensive methods for within-environment prediction. The findings observed herein indicate the utility of genomic prediction methods for these traits and could inform their resource-efficient implementation in biofortification breeding programs.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Air Pathway Dose Modeling for the E-Area Low-Level Waste Facility

Dose-release factors (DRFs) were calculated for potential atmospheric releases of several radionuclides from the E-Area Low-Level Waste Facility (ELLWF). The ELLWF receives solid low-level radioactive waste from across the Savannah River Site (SRS) and offsite for disposal. These factors represent the maximum dose a receptor would receive if standing at either 100 m or 11,410 m (Site Boundary) from the edge of an ELLWF disposal unit which are points of assessment (POA) for Department of Energy (DOE) Order 435.1 performance assessments (PA). The DRFs were calculated for 1 Ci of the specified radionuclide being released from the ground surface to the atmosphere (mrem per curie released). The calculation conservatively represented the ELLWF as a point source, and conservatively assumed the receptor was positioned at the center of the contaminant plume and continuously exposed for a period of one year. These DRFs can be refined to take into consideration disposal unit size, proximity and timing of peak dose to establish less conservative radionuclide specific disposal limits. DRFs were calculated for H-3 and C-14 in Revision 0 of this report. H-3 as HTO and C-14 as CO 2 were identified as volatile radionuclides of potential concern in earlier radionuclide screening studies. In Revision 1, DRFs were calculated for eight additional radionuclides identified by an updated screening analysis as potentially important volatile radionuclides. These include Ar-37, Ar-39, Ar-42, Hg-194, Hg- 203, Kr-81, Kr-85, and Xe-127.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

The Sensor Test for Orion RelNav Risk Mitigation Development Test Objective

The Sensor Test for Orion Relative-Navigation Risk Mitigation (STORRM) Development Test Objective (DTO) ew aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-134, and was designed to characterize the performance of the ash LIDAR being developed for the Orion. This ash LIDAR, called the Vision Navigation Sensor (VNS), will be the primary navigation instrument used by the Orion vehicle during rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking. This paper provides an overview of the STORRM test objectives and the concept of operations. It continues with a description of the STORRM's major hardware compo nents, which include the VNS and the docking camera. Next, an overview of crew and analyst training activities will describe how the STORRM team prepared for flight. Then an overview of how insight data collection and analysis actually went is presented. Key ndings and results from this project are summarized, including a description of "truth" data. Finally, the paper concludes with lessons learned from the STORRM DTO.

Christian, John A.↗

Dataset_for_Conserved_macromolecular_architecture_of_Poplar_secondary_cell_walls_revealed_by_ssNMR_and_atomistic_modeling

This dataset contains solid-state 13C NMR data and atomistic molecular dynamics simulation files supporting the study of nanoscale secondary cell wall architecture across 13 genetically diverse Populus trichocarpa genotypes grown under uniform greenhouse conditions in 13C-enriched CO2 atmospheres (~89% 13C enrichment).The dataset contains two collections of solid-state 13C NMR data. (1) 200 MHz data (Bruker Avance III HD, 4 mm HX probe, 10 kHz MAS): raw Bruker TopSpin experiment folders and DMFIT-exported ascii spectra for selective and non-selective 1D 13C-13C spin diffusion experiments (3000 ms mixing) used to quantify inter-polymer spatial proximities, and short-mixing (1 ms) reference spectra used for polymeric abundance quantification by spectral deconvolution. (2) 600 MHz data (Bruker Avance III, 1.6 mm PhoenixNMR HXY probe, 30 kHz MAS): raw Bruker TopSpin experiment folders containing 2D CORD, 2D CP-INADEQUATE, and 13C/1H relaxation (T1, T1rho) experiments for all 13 genotypes, with processed Excel workbooks per experiment type. Molecular dynamics simulation code, coordinate files, and analysis scripts (NAMD/CHARMM/Python) for six atomistic cell wall models are included. Summarized ssNMR data are compiled into a single excel file and subjected to statistical analysis. Multivariate analysis code (PCA, Pearson correlation) and summary data are provided as excel worksheets and Jupyter notebooks (Python 3).

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Proximal ecological effects of the 1980 eruptions of Mount St. Helens

The diversity of ecosystems and volcanic processes involved in the 1980 eruptions of Mount St. Helens, southwest Washington, provide an excellent setting for examining effects of volcanic events on ecosystems. These eruptions included a lateral blast, debris avalanche, mudflows, pyroclastic flows, and airfall tephra. Affected ecosystems within 30 km of the vent were lakes, streams, upland and riparian forest, and meadows. Ecological disturbances imposed by the Mount St. Helens events were predominantly physical, rather than climatic or chemical which are the dominant classes of disturbances considered in analysis of global catastrophes. Analysis of ecosystem response to disturbance should be based on consideration of composition and structure of the predisturbance system in terms that represent potential survivability of organisms, mechanisms in the primary disturbance, initial survivors, secondary disturbances arising from the primary disturbance and the biological responses to secondary disturbances, invasion of the site by new propagules, interactions among secondary disturbance processes and surviving and invading organisms. Predicting ecosystem response to disturbance is enchanced by considering the mechanisms of disturbance rather than type of disturbance. In the 1980 Mount St. Helens events, the disturbance types, involved primarily the mechanisms of sedimentation, heating, and shear stress. Each disturbance type involved one or more mechanisms. Ecosystem response varied greatly across the landscape. Analysis of ecosystem response to disturbance, regardless of type, should include detailed consideration of the properties of individual species, primary and secondary disturbance mechanisms, and their distributions across landscapes.

Swanson, F. J.↗

Determining HPGe Total Detection Efficiency Using γ–γ Coincidence

Abstract Both the peak and total detection efficiencies are generally needed in order to calculate sample activity from a gamma spectroscopic measurement, except in the case of isotope specific calibration. This is particularly true when the sample is in close proximity to the detector and corrections for cascade summing effects are required to avoid significant inaccuracy in the result. These corrections use the total detection efficiency to correct for summing-in and summing-out events, and the extent of the correction depends on both the geometry and the gamma cascade for the isotope in question. Experimentally determining the total efficiency is a labor intensive endeavor requiring multiple measurements with a set of single-gamma-emitting standards. Modeling the total efficiency vs. energy may be less time consuming, but is also likely to produce less confidence in the final result. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Radiation Detection and Nuclear Sciences group has constructed a low background 14-crystal HPGe array for sample measurement; in all measurements, samples will be in close proximity to the germanium crystals. This close geometry and the sheer number efficiency calibrations required for the system have led us to investigate methods to simplify the efficiency calibration procedure. One method we are developing uses the Y-Y coincidence plane to isolate Compton scattering event populations, allowing experimental determination of total detection efficiency values from the measurement of a single mixed isotope standard. A description of the analysis and experimental results of this method are presented.

low background HPGe High Purity Germanium detector↗

Machine learning models of intermittent operation of RO wellhead water treatment for salinity reduction and nitrate removal

Machine learning models were developed for intermittent multi-mode operation of a wellhead reverse osmosis water purification and desalination system to predict salt passage, nitrate passage, and permeate flux. The models, based on long short-term memory (LSTM) recurrent neural network (RNN) architecture, included an attention mechanism to increase model performance in proximity of the regulatory limit for nitrate. Training and testing of the models for the Startup, Production, Shutdown and Flushing operational modes were based on operational data (consisting of 22 process variables per data sample) acquired every 2–5 s over a six-month period. The significant sets of model input attributes for the different operational modes were assessed via Spearman ranking correlation, Self-Organizing Map (SOM) analysis and feed forward feature selection (FFFS). Although the variability of nitrate passage, salt passage and permeate flux was significant over the four operational modes, prediction performance for the three outcomes were with R2 and Average Absolute Relative Error (AARE) of 0.78–0.95 and 2.96–6.16 %, respectively. Model updates post membrane elements replacement demonstrated similar levels of prediction accuracy. The study results suggest that there is merit in exploring the utility of multi-mode models for sensor fault detection, data imputation, and for potential use in model-predictive control.

Intermittent RO operation↗

4'- C -Methoxy-2-deoxy-2'-fluoro Modified Ribonucleotides Improve Metabolic Stability and Elicit Efficient RNAi-Mediated Gene Silencing

We designed novel 4'-modified 2'-deoxy-2'-fluorouridine (2'-F U) analogues with the aim to improve nuclease resistance and potency of therapeutic siRNAs by introducing 4'-C-methoxy (4'-OMe) as the alpha (C4'α) or beta (C4'β) epimers. The C4'α epimer was synthesized by a stereoselective route in six steps; however, both α and β epimers could be obtained by a nonstereoselective approach starting from 2'-F U. 1H NMR analysis and computational investigation of the α-epimer revealed that the 4'-OMe imparts a conformational bias toward the North-East sugar pucker, due to intramolecular hydrogen bonding and hyperconjugation effects. The α-epimer generally conceded similar thermal stability as unmodified nucleotides, whereas the β-epimer led to significant destabilization. Both 4'-OMe epimers conferred increased nuclease resistance, which can be explained by the close proximity between 4'-OMe substituent and the vicinal 5'- and 3'-phosphate group, as seen in the X-ray crystal structure of modified RNA. siRNAs containing several C4'α-epimer monomers in the sense or antisense strands triggered RNAi-mediated gene silencing with efficiencies comparable to that of 2'-F U.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Activation and thermal stability of ultra-shallow B{sup +}-implants in Ge

The activation and thermal stability of ultra-shallow B{sup +} implants in crystalline (c-Ge) and preamorphized Ge (PA-Ge) following rapid thermal annealing was investigated using micro Hall effect and ion beam analysis techniques. The residual implanted dose of ultra-shallow B{sup +} implants in Ge was characterized using elastic recoil detection and was determined to correlate well with simulations with a dose loss of 23.2%, 21.4%, and 17.6% due to ion backscattering for 2, 4, and 6 keV implants in Ge, respectively. The electrical activation of ultra-shallow B{sup +} implants at 2, 4, and 6 keV to fluences ranging from 5.0 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 13} to 5.0 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 15} cm{sup -2} was studied using micro Hall effect measurements after annealing at 400-600 Degree-Sign C for 60 s. For both c-Ge and PA-Ge, a large fraction of the implanted dose is rendered inactive due to the formation of a presumable B-Ge cluster. The B lattice location in samples annealed at 400 Degree-Sign C for 60 s was characterized by channeling analysis with a 650 keV H{sup +} beam by utilizing the {sup 11}B(p, {alpha})2{alpha} nuclear reaction and confirmed the large fraction of off-lattice B for both c-Ge and PA-Ge. Within the investigated annealing range, no significant change in activation was observed. An increase in the fraction of activated dopant was observed with increasing energy which suggests that the surface proximity and the local point defect environment has a strong impact on B activation in Ge. The results suggest the presence of an inactive B-Ge cluster for ultra-shallow implants in both c-Ge and PA-Ge that remains stable upon annealing for temperatures up to 600 Degree-Sign C.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Dark Matter Searches with the Fermi-LAT in the Direction of Dwarf Spheroidals

The dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies of the Milky Way are some of the most dark-matter-dominated objects known. Due to their proximity, high dark matter content, and lack of astrophysical backgrounds, dwarf spheroidal galaxies are widely considered to be among the most promising targets for the indirect detection of dark matter via gamma rays. Here we report on gamma-ray observations of Milky Way dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies based on 6 years of Fermi Large Area Telescope data processed with the new Pass 8 reconstruction and event-level analysis. None of the dwarf galaxies are significantly detected in gamma rays, and we present upper limits on the dark matter annihilation cross section from a combined analysis of the 15 most promising dwarf galaxies. The constraints derived are among the strongest to date using gamma rays, and lie below the canonical thermal relic cross section for WIMPs of mass ≲ 100GeV annihilating via the bb-bar and τ⁺τ⁻ channels.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Ultrastructure of the green alga Dunaliella salina strain CCAP19/18 (Chlorophyta) as investigated by quick-freeze deep-etch electron microscopy

The single-celled green alga Dunaliella salina is a model system for studies on stress biology, in particular regarding secondary carotenoid accumulation. Under non-stress conditions the cells are green, but under abiotic stress the cells turn orange, because they switch their metabolism and accumulate β-Carotene in globules in the chloroplast. For the first time, Quick-freeze deep-etch electron microscopy was used to visualize cellular structures in green and orange cells of D. salina strain CCAP19/18. This allowed us to present an in-depth analysis of the cellular ultrastructure describing and comparing the features of the two cell types. Our images illustrate the presence of a pericellular matrix for this strain of D. salina. The pericellular matrix was spongy and strands of unknown material anchored it into the plasma membrane. The cytoplasm contained a variety of vesicles, vacuoles, and acidocalcisomes. We could show for strain CCAP19/18 that cytoplasmic lipid bodies were often in close proximity to and sometimes in contact with the outer chloroplast envelope membrane and with the endoplasmic reticulum. Major visible differences between green and orange cells were in the chloroplast: the orange cells have greatly reduced amounts of thylakoid membranes and greatly increased numbers of β-Carotene globules. We showed that the β-Carotene globules often made point contacts with thylakoid membranes, and frequently laid side-by-side along the thylakoid membrane surface, providing support to studies that indicated exchange of molecules between β-Carotene globules and thylakoid membranes. A unique finding was the β-Carotene globule duplets, suggesting intermediate stages in β-Carotene globule morphogenesis. Overall, the β-Carotene globules appear to be similar to plant plastoglobuli. We provide this description of the cellular ultrastructure features as a resource in the context of the recent publication of the genome of D. salina strain CCAP19/18 to expand on the knowledge regarding this novel reference strain.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Selective mass enhancement close to the quantum critical point in BaFe 2 (As 1-x P x ) 2

A quantum critical point (QCP) is currently being conjectured for the BaFe 2 (As 1-x P x ) 2 system at the critical value x c ≈ 0.3. In the proximity of a QCP, all thermodynamic and transport properties are expected to scale with a single characteristic energy, given by the quantum fluctuations. Such a universal behavior has not, however, been found in the superconducting upper critical field H c2 . Here we report H c2 data for epitaxial thin films extracted from the electrical resistance measured in very high magnetic fields up to 67 Tesla. Using a multi-band analysis we find that H c2 is sensitive to the QCP, implying a significant charge carrier effective mass enhancement at the doping-induced QCP that is essentially band-dependent. Our results point to two qualitatively different groups of electrons in BaFe 2 (As 1-x P x ) 2 . The first one (possibly associated to hot spots or whole Fermi sheets) has a strong mass enhancement at the QCP, and the second one is insensitive to the QCP. The observed duality could also be present in many other quantum critical systems.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Monitoring the SNS basement neutron background with the MARS detector

Here, we present the analysis and results of the first dataset collected with the MARS neutron detector deployed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) for the purpose of monitoring and characterizing the beam-related neutron (BRN) background for the COHERENT collaboration. MARS was positioned next to the COH-CsI coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering detector in the SNS basement corridor. This is the basement location of closest proximity to the SNS target and thus, of highest neutrino flux, but it is also well shielded from the BRN flux by infill concrete and gravel. Furthermore, these data show the detector registered roughly one BRN per day. Using MARS' measured detection efficiency, the incoming BRN flux is estimated to be 1.20 ± 0.56 neutrons/m 2 /MWh for neutron energies above ~3.5 MeV and up to a few tens of MeV. We compare our results with previous BRN measurements in the SNS basement corridor reported by other neutron detectors.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗