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Tri-peptide reference structures for the calculation of relative solvent accessible surface area in protein amino acid residues

Relative amino acid residue solvent accessibility values allow the quantitative comparison of atomic solvent-accessible surface areas in different residue types and physical environments in proteins and in protein structural alignments. Geometry-optimised tri-peptide structures in extended solvent-exposed reference conformations have been obtained for 43 amino acid residue types at a high level of quantum chemical theory. Significant increases in side-chain solvent accessibility, offset by reductions in main-chain atom solvent exposure, were observed for standard residue types in partially geometry-optimised structures when compared to non-minimised models built from identical sets of proper dihedral angles abstracted from the literature. Optimisation of proper dihedral angles led most notably to marked increases of up to 54% in proline main-chain atom solvent accessibility compared to literature values. Similar effects were observed for fully-optimised tri-peptides in implicit solvent. The relief of internal strain energy was associated with systematic variation in N, C α and C β atom solvent accessibility across all standard residue types. The results underline the importance of optimisation of ‘hard’ degrees of freedom (bond lengths and valence bond angles) and improper dihedral angle values from force field or other context-independent reference values, and impact on the use of standardised fixed internal co-ordinate geometry in sampling approaches to the determination of absolute values of protein amino acid residue solvent accessibility. Finally, quantum chemical methods provide a useful and accurate alternative to molecular mechanics methods to perform energy minimisation of peptides containing non-standard (chemically modified) amino acid residues frequently present in experimental protein structure data sets, for which force field parameters may not be available. Reference tri-peptide atomic co-ordinate sets including hydrogen atoms are made freely available.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Tree crown damage and its effects on forest carbon cycling in a tropical forest

Abstract Crown damage can account for over 23% of canopy biomass turnover in tropical forests and is a strong predictor of tree mortality; yet, it is not typically represented in vegetation models. We incorporate crown damage into the Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator (FATES), to evaluate how lags between damage and tree recovery or death alter demographic rates and patterns of carbon turnover. We represent crown damage as a reduction in a tree's crown area and leaf and branch biomass, and allow associated variation in the ratio of aboveground to belowground plant tissue. We compare simulations with crown damage to simulations with equivalent instant increases in mortality and benchmark results against data from Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama. In FATES, crown damage causes decreases in growth rates that match observations from BCI. Crown damage leads to increases in carbon starvation mortality in FATES, but only in configurations with high root respiration and decreases in carbon storage following damage. Crown damage also alters competitive dynamics, as plant functional types that can recover from crown damage outcompete those that cannot. This is a first exploration of the trade‐off between the additional complexity of the novel crown damage module and improved predictive capabilities. At BCI, a tropical forest that does not experience high levels of disturbance, both the crown damage simulations and simulations with equivalent increases in mortality does a reasonable job of capturing observations. The crown damage module provides functionality for exploring dynamics in forests with more extreme disturbances such as cyclones and for capturing the synergistic effects of disturbances that overlap in space and time.

Needham, Jessica F.↗

Structural, magneto-optical properties and cation distribution of SrBi{sub x}La{sub x}Y{sub x}Fe{sub 12−3x}O{sub 19} (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.33) hexaferrites

Highlights: • SrBi{sub x}La{sub x}Y{sub x}Fe{sub 12−3x}O{sub 19} (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.33) hexaferrites have been prepared by sol-gel autocombustion. • XRD patterns show that SrBi{sub x}La{sub x}Y{sub x}Fe{sub 12−3x}O{sub 19} (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.33) hexaferrites exhibit hexagonal structure. • The intrinsic coercivity (H{sub ci}) above 15000 Oe reveals that all samples are magnetically hard materials. - Abstract: SrBi{sub x}La{sub x}Y{sub x}Fe{sub 12−3x}O{sub 19} (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.33) hexaferrites were produced via sol-gel auto combustion. XRD patterns show that all the samples are single-phase M-type strontium hexaferrite (SrM). The magnetic hysteresis (σ-H) loops revealed the ferromagnetic nature of nanoparticles (NPs). The coercive field decreases from 4740 Oe to 2720 Oe with increasing ion content. In particular, SrBi{sub x}La{sub x}Y{sub x}Fe{sub 12−3x}O{sub 19} NPs with x = 0.0, 0.1, 0.2 have suitable magnetic characteristics (σ{sub s} = 62.03–64.72 emu/g and H{sub c} = 3105–4740 Oe) for magnetic recording. The intrinsic coercivity (H{sub ci}) above 15000 Oe reveals that all samples are magnetically hard materials. Tauc plots were used to specify the direct optical energy band gap (E{sub g}) of NPs. The E{sub g} values are between 1.76 eV and 1.85 eV. {sup 57}Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy data, the variation in line width, isomer shift, quadrupole splitting, relative area and hyperfine magnetic field values on Bi{sup 3+} La{sup 3+} and Y{sup 3+} substitutions have been determined.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Convolutional neural network based non-iterative reconstruction for accelerating neutron tomography *

Abstract Neutron computed tomography (NCT), a 3D non-destructive characterization technique, is carried out at nuclear reactor or spallation neutron source-based user facilities. Because neutrons are not severely attenuated by heavy elements and are sensitive to light elements like hydrogen, neutron radiography and computed tomography offer a complementary contrast to x-ray CT conducted at a synchrotron user facility. However, compared to synchrotron x-ray CT, the acquisition time for an NCT scan can be orders of magnitude higher due to lower source flux, low detector efficiency and the need to collect a large number of projection images for a high-quality reconstruction when using conventional algorithms. As a result of the long scan times for NCT, the number and type of experiments that can be conducted at a user facility is severely restricted. Recently, several deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) based algorithms have been introduced in the context of accelerating CT scans that can enable high quality reconstructions from sparse-view data. In this paper, we introduce DCNN algorithms to obtain high-quality reconstructions from sparse-view and low signal-to-noise ratio NCT data-sets thereby enabling accelerated scans. Our method is based on the supervised learning strategy of training a DCNN to map a low-quality reconstruction from sparse-view data to a higher quality reconstruction. Specifically, we evaluate the performance of two popular DCNN architectures—one based on using patches for training and the other on using the full images for training. We observe that both the DCNN architectures offer improvements in performance over classical multi-layer perceptron as well as conventional CT reconstruction algorithms. Our results illustrate that the DCNN can be a powerful tool to obtain high-quality NCT reconstructions from sparse-view data thereby enabling accelerated NCT scans for increasing user-facility throughput or enabling high-resolution time-resolved NCT scans.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Local Recurrence of Benign, Borderline, and Malignant Phyllodes Tumors of the Breast: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate local recurrence (LR) rates among the three grades (benign, borderline, and malignant) of phyllodes tumors (PTs). The study also assessed various risk factors for LR. Methods: Electronic articles published between 1 January 1995 and 31 May 2018, were searched and critically appraised. The authors independently reviewed the abstracts and extracted data for LR rates and LR risk factors. Results: The review incorporated 54 studies with 9234 individual cases. The pooled LR rates were 8% for benign, 13% for borderline, and 18% for malignant PTs. The risk of LR was significantly increased by borderline versus benign PTs (odds ratio [OR] 2.00; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.68–2.38) and malignant versus borderline PTs (OR 1.28; 95% CI 1.05–1.55). The significant risk factors for LR were mitoses, tumor border (infiltrating vs. pushing), stromal cellularity (moderate/severe vs. mild), stromal atypia (severe vs. mild/absent), stromal overgrowth (severe vs. mild/absent), and tumor necrosis (positive vs. negative). Age and tumor size were not associated with LR risk. The subgroup analysis showed that breast-conserving surgery versus mastectomy and positive versus negative surgical margins were significantly associated with an increased LR risk only in malignant PTs. Conclusions: The risk of LR was significantly increased from benign to borderline to malignant PTs. Mitoses, tumor border, stromal cellularity, stromal atypia, stromal overgrowth, tumor necrosis, type of surgery, and surgical margin status may be risk factors for LR. Different management strategies could be considered for different PT grades.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Agro-waste shaped porous Al2O3/Ni composites: Corrosion resistance performance and artificial neural network modelling

Highlights: • Porous Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/Ni composites were developed with agro-waste pore-forming agents. • The RH and SCB graded composites showed Ni{sub 3}Al{sub 2}SiO{sub 8} and NiAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} spinels respectively. • Superior chemical stability was demonstrated by the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-2Ni-RH composite. • The ANN model demonstrated a good performance with R{sup 2} value of approx. 0.99. - Abstract: In the present study, an analysis on the combined effect of nickel (Ni) reinforcement and pore former type in characterizing the corrosion behavior of composite porous alumina ceramics was performed. In order to showcase the potential of the new porous ceramics, pore-forming agents (PFAs) from rice husk (RH) and sugarcane bagasse (SCB) were used in shaping the plain and composite porous alumina samples having sample formulation of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-xNi-PFA; x = 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 wt%. Results showed that the emergence of a highly stable Ni{sub 3}Al{sub 2}SiO{sub 8} spinelloid phase in the RH-graded composites enhanced their chemical stability in the corrosive mediums (10 wt% NaOH and 20 wt% H{sub 2}SO{sub 4}) relative to the plain and the corresponding SCB-graded counterparts. An artificial neural network (ANN) model has been developed for predicting the corrosion behavior of the plain and composite porous alumina ceramics based on the experimental data. The developed ANN model satisfactorily predicted the percent mass losses of the porous ceramics in strong alkali and strong acid solutions with coefficient of determination (R{sup 2}) of approximately 0.99.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A novel CMB component separation method: hierarchical generalized morphological component analysis

ABSTRACT We present a novel technique for cosmic microwave background (CMB) foreground subtraction based on the framework of blind source separation. Inspired by previous work incorporating local variation to generalized morphological component analysis (GMCA), we introduce hierarchical GMCA (HGMCA), a Bayesian hierarchical graphical model for source separation. We test our method on Nside = 256 simulated sky maps that include dust, synchrotron, free–free, and anomalous microwave emission, and show that HGMCA reduces foreground contamination by $25{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ over GMCA in both the regions included and excluded by the Planck UT78 mask, decreases the error in the measurement of the CMB temperature power spectrum to the 0.02–0.03 per cent level at ℓ > 200 (and $\lt 0.26{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ for all ℓ), and reduces correlation to all the foregrounds. We find equivalent or improved performance when compared to state-of-the-art internal linear combination type algorithms on these simulations, suggesting that HGMCA may be a competitive alternative to foreground separation techniques previously applied to observed CMB data. Additionally, we show that our performance does not suffer when we perturb model parameters or alter the CMB realization, which suggests that our algorithm generalizes well beyond our simplified simulations. Our results open a new avenue for constructing CMB maps through Bayesian hierarchical analysis.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Trumpler 16-26: a new centrifugal magnetosphere star discovered via SDSS/APOGEE H -band spectroscopy

ABSTRACT We report the discovery of a new example of the rare class of highly magnetized, rapidly rotating, helium enhanced, early B stars that produce anomalously wide hydrogen emission due to a centrifugal magnetosphere (CM). The star is Trumpler 16-26, a B1.5 V member of the Trumpler 16 open cluster. A CM was initially suspected based on hydrogen Brackett series emission observed in SDSS/APOGEE H-band spectra. Similar to the other stars of this type, the emission was highly variable and at all times remarkable due to the extreme velocity separations of the double peaks (up to 1300 km s−1.) Another clue lay in the TESS light curve, which shows two irregular eclipses per cycle when phased with the likely 0.971 8115-d rotation period, similar to the behaviour of the well-known CM host star σ Ori E. To confirm a strong magnetic field and rotation-phase-locked variability, we initiated a follow-up campaign consisting of optical spectropolarimetry and spectroscopy. The associated data revealed a longitudinal magnetic field varying between −3.1 and +1.6 kG with the period found from photometry. The optical spectra confirmed rapid rotation (v sin i = 195 km s−1), surface helium enhancement, and wide, variable hydrogen emission. Tr16-26 is thus confirmed as the 20th known, the fourth most rapidly rotating, and the faintest CM host star yet discovered. With a projected dipole magnetic field strength of Bd > 11 kG, Tr16-26 is also among the most magnetic CM stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Evaluating the impact of anatomical and physiological variability on human equivalent doses using PBPK models

Abstract Addressing human anatomical and physiological variability is a crucial component of human health risk assessment of chemicals. Experts have recommended probabilistic chemical risk assessment paradigms in which distributional adjustment factors are used to account for various sources of uncertainty and variability, including variability in the pharmacokinetic behavior of a given substance in different humans. In practice, convenient assumptions about the distribution forms of adjustment factors and human equivalent doses (HEDs) are often used. Parameters such as tissue volumes and blood flows are likewise often assumed to be lognormally or normally distributed without evaluating empirical data for consistency with these forms. In this work, we performed dosimetric extrapolations using physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models for dichloromethane (DCM) and chloroform that incorporate uncertainty and variability to determine if the HEDs associated with such extrapolations are approximately lognormal and how they depend on the underlying distribution shapes chosen to represent model parameters. We accounted for uncertainty and variability in PBPK model parameters by randomly drawing their values from a variety of distribution types. We then performed reverse dosimetry to calculate HEDs based on animal points of departure for each set of sampled parameters. Corresponding samples of HEDs were tested to determine the impact of input parameter distributions on their central tendencies, extreme percentiles, and degree of conformance to lognormality. This work demonstrates that the measurable attributes of human variability should be considered more carefully and that generalized assumptions about parameter distribution shapes may lead to inaccurate estimates of extreme percentiles of HEDs.

Toxicology↗

Estimation of pollen productivity and dispersal: How pollen assemblages in small lakes represent vegetation

Abstract Quantitative understanding of vegetation dynamics over timespans beyond a century remains limited. In this regard, the pollen‐based reconstruction of past vegetation enables unique research opportunities by quantifying changes in plant community compositions during hundreds to thousands of years. Critically, the methodological basis for most reconstruction approaches rests upon estimates of pollen productivity and dispersal. Previous studies, however, have reached contrasting conclusions concerning these estimates, which may be perceived to challenge the applicability and reliability of pollen‐based reconstruction. Here we show that conflicting estimates of pollen production and dispersal are, at least in part, artifacts of fixed assumptions of pollen dispersal and insufficient spatial resolution of vegetation data surrounding the pollen‐collecting lake. We implemented a Bayesian statistical model that related pollen assemblages in surface sediments of 33 small lakes (<2 ha) in the northeastern United States, with surrounding vegetation ranging from 10 1 to >10 5 m from the lake margin. Our analysis revealed three key insights. First, pollen productivity is largely conserved within taxa and across forest types. Second, when local (within a 1‐km radius) vegetation abundances are not considered, pollen‐source areas may be overestimated for some common taxa (Cupressaceae, Pinus , Quercus , and Tsuga ). Third, pollen dispersal mechanisms may differ between local and regional scales; this is missed by pollen‐dispersal models used in previous studies. These findings highlight the complex interactions between vegetation heterogeneity on the landscape and pollen dispersal. We suggest that, when estimating pollen productivity and dispersal, both detailed local and extended regional vegetation must be taken into account. Also, both deductive (mechanistic models) and inductive (statistical models) approaches are needed to better understand the emergent properties of pollen dispersal in heterogeneous landscapes.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Synthesis and characterization of La{sub 0.6}Sr{sub 0.4}Fe{sub 0.8}Cu{sub 0.2}O{sub 3−δ} oxide as cathode for Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Nanocrystalline La{sub 0.6}Sr{sub 0.4}Fe{sub 0.8}Cu{sub 0.2}O{sub 3−δ} (LSFCu) material was synthetized by combustion method using EDTA as fuel/chelating agent and NH{sub 4}NO{sub 3} as combustion promoter. Structural characterization using thermodiffraction data allowed to determine a reversible phase transition at 425 °C from a low temperature R-3c phase to a high temperature Pm-3m phase and to calculate the thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) of both phases. Important characteristics for cathode application as electronic conductivity and chemical compatibility with Ce{sub 0.9}Gd{sub 0.1}O{sub 2−δ} (CGO) electrolyte were evaluated. LSFCu presented a p-type conductor behavior with maximum conductivity of 135 S cm{sup −1} at 275 °C and showed a good stability with CGO electrolyte at high temperatures. This work confirmed that as prepared LSFCu has excellent microstructural characteristics and an electrical conductivity between 100 and 60 S cm{sup −1} in the 500–700 °C range which is sufficiently high to work as intermediate temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (IT-SOFCs) cathode. However a change in the thermal expansion coefficient consistent with a small oxygen loss process may affect the electrode-electrolyte interface during fabrication and operation of a SOFC. - Graphical abstract: Nanocrystalline La{sub 0.6}Sr{sub 0.4}Fe{sub 0.8}Cu{sub 0.2}O{sub 3−δ} was prepared by gel combustion and characterized by X-ray thermodiffraction and its conductivity was determined. The phase shows a reversible rhombohedral to cubic structural phase transition at 425 °C and a semiconductor to metallic phase transition at 275 °C. - Highlights: • LSFCu was prepared by gel combustion route using EDTA and NH{sub 4}NO{sub 3}. • LSFCu shows a reversible phase transition at 425 °C from R-3c to Pm-3m phase. • The sample has a maximum conductivity value of 135 S cm{sup −1} at 275 °C. • LSFCu shows a good chemical compatibility with CGO at 900 °C.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Host population diversity as a driver of viral infection cycle in wild populations of green sulfur bacteria with long standing virus-host interactions

Abstract Temperate phages are viruses of bacteria that can establish two types of infection: a lysogenic infection in which the virus replicates with the host cell without producing virions, and a lytic infection where the host cell is eventually destroyed, and new virions are released. While both lytic and lysogenic infections are routinely observed in the environment, the ecological and evolutionary processes regulating these viral dynamics are still not well understood, especially for uncultivated virus-host pairs. Here, we characterized the long-term dynamics of uncultivated viruses infecting green sulfur bacteria (GSB) in a model freshwater lake (Trout Bog Lake, TBL). As no GSB virus has been formally described yet, we first used two complementary approaches to identify new GSB viruses from TBL; one in vitro based on flow cytometry cell sorting, the other in silico based on CRISPR spacer sequences. We then took advantage of existing TBL metagenomes covering the 2005–2018 period to examine the interactions between GSB and their viruses across years and seasons. From our data, GSB populations in TBL were constantly associated with at least 2-8 viruses each, including both lytic and temperate phages. The dominant GSB population in particular was consistently associated with two prophages with a nearly 100% infection rate for >10 years. We illustrate with a theoretical model that such an interaction can be stable given a low, but persistent, level of prophage induction in low-diversity host populations. Overall, our data suggest that lytic and lysogenic viruses can readily co-infect the same host population, and that host strain-level diversity might be an important factor controlling virus-host dynamics including lytic/lysogeny switch.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

High thermal stability and excellent dielectric properties of a novel X8R-type CdCu3Ti4O12 ceramics through a sol-gel technique

Highlights: • CdCu{sub 3}Ti{sub 4}O{sub 12} (CdCTO) ceramics were successfully synthesized via the sol-gel method, and the optimized processing parameters were obtained. • The outstanding dielectric properties: ε{sub r} ≈ 1.63 × 10{sup 4} and tan δ = 0.035 (at 10 kHz) could be obtained in CdCTO ceramics sintered at 1000 °C. • The CdCTO-SG ceramics obtained an excellent thermal stability. - Abstract: CdCu{sub 3}Ti{sub 4}O{sub 12} (CdCTO) ceramics were systematically synthesized via the sol-gel technique. The optimal CH{sub 3}COOH and Ti(OC{sub 4}H{sub 9}){sub 4} concentrations in the synthesis solution and processing temperature were found to be 5.0 vol%, 0.50 mol/L and 60 °C, respectively. These materials exhibited high densities and fine-grained microstructures along with outstanding dielectric properties, including an ε{sub r} of approximately 1.63 × 10{sup 4} and a tan δ of 0.035 at 10 kHz. Over the temperature range from −55 to 150 °C, the temperature coefficients of the dielectric constant at 1 and 10 kHz were −13.9% to 1.20% and −9.10% to 3.92%, respectively, indicating that these ceramics possess excellent thermal stability. These properties also meet the requirements for X8R applications. Data acquired from complex impedance spectroscopy and electrical modulus assessments demonstrates that the superior dielectric properties of these CdCTO ceramics can be attributed to the internal barrier layer capacitor theory (IBLC).

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

In Situ Study of Resistive Switching in a Nitride‐Based Memristive Device

Abstract Resistive switching (RS) devices with ultra‐low‐voltage threshold and reliable switching repeatability exhibits great potential applications in energy‐efficient data storage and neuromorphic computing. Understanding switching mechanisms at nanoscale is critical to design RS devices with improved performance. In this work, a lamella memristive device using focused ion beam (FIB) method based on the metal/TiO x /TiN/Si structure device is fabricated. In situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and current–voltage ( I–V ) characteristic demonstrate that the lamella device shows a volatile RS behavior with a threshold switching at ≈ ± 0.4 V. In situ scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) experiments with electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) reveal that the charge carriers such as oxygen vacancies migrate under positive/negative DC bias and modulate Schottky barriers at the top and bottom metal/semiconductor interfaces. The RS mechanism of the lamella device is based on the Schottky barriers modulation and Joule heating assisted electric field triggered thermal runaway (FTTR) occurred at the metal/semiconductor interfaces. The fundamental insights gained from this study presents a perspective on interface‐type RS devices processing and opens up new technological opportunities of fabricating ultra‐low‐energy memristive devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

BaSn{sub 6}Co{sub 6}O{sub 19}-A novel frustrated antiferromagnet with the magnetoplumbite type structure

Single crystals of the novel compound BaSn{sub 6}Co{sub 6}O{sub 19} with maximum width 1 mm and thickness around 0.05 mm were grown from a barium chloride flux. The composition was determined from refinements of single crystal X-ray diffraction data and microprobe analysis. BaSn{sub 6}Co{sub 6}O{sub 19} crystallizes in the magnetoplumbite type structure (hexagonal, space group P6{sub 3}/mmc, a=6.0940(1) A, c=23.9633(5) A, V=770.69 A{sup 3}, Z=2). A significant disorder is generated by random occupation of two octahedrally coordinated crystallographic sites with Co{sup 2+} and Sn{sup 4+} ions, while further sites are exclusively occupied by either Co{sup 2+} (tetrahedrally coordinated) or Sn{sup 4+} (octahedrally coordinated). One site with mixed occupation realizes the topology of a kagome net. The temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility for a single crystal BaSn{sub 6}Co{sub 6}O{sub 19} reveals a low temperature antiferromagnetic order at T{sub N}=14 K. A relatively large value of frustration factor f{sub ||=}|{Theta}{sub W||}|/T{sub N} Almost-Equal-To 26 and f{sub Up-Tack }=|{Theta}{sub W Up-Tack }|/T{sub N} Almost-Equal-To 12 implies a frustrated antiferromagnetism. - Graphical abstract: Single crystals of novel magnetoplumbite BaSn{sub 6}Co{sub 6}O{sub 19} have been characterized. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A novel compound magnetoplumbite BaSn{sub 6}Co{sub 6}O{sub 11} is synthesized in single crystalline form. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer It contains structural subunits with kagome topology, sandwiched between spinel blocks. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Structural disorder in both subunits by random replacement of magnetic Co{sup 2+} with nonmagnetic Sn{sup 4+}. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Bulk magnetic measurements indicate long-range antiferromagnetic order below 14 K. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The anisotropic frustration factor indicates strongly frustrated antiferromagnetism.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Energetic Particle Data From the Global Positioning System Constellation

Abstract Since 2000, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Combined X‐ray and Dosimeter (CXD) and Burst Detector Dosimeter for Block II‐R (BDD‐IIR) instruments have been fielded on Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites. Today, 21 of the 31 operational GPS satellites are equipped with a CXD detector and a further 2 carry a BDD‐IIR. Each of these instruments measures a wide range of energetic electrons and protons. These data have now been publicly released under the terms of the Executive Order for Coordinating Efforts to Prepare the Nation for Space Weather Events. The specific goal of releasing space weather data from the GPS satellites is to enable broad scientific community engagement in enhancing space weather model validation and improvements in space weather forecasting and situational awareness. The time period covered by this data release is approximately 16 years, which corresponds to more than 167 satellite years of data. The large number of GPS satellites, distributed over six orbital planes, will provide important context for ongoing and historical science missions, as well as enabling new types of research not previously possible.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Image-Based Fracture Surface Defect Characterization Methods for Additively Manufactured Ti-6Al-4V Tested in Fatigue

Abstract Fatigue initiation in additively manufactured samples/parts often occurs at processed-induced defects such as lack-of-fusion (LoF), keyhole, or other morphological/microstructural defects that have unique characteristics and measurable qualities. Attempts at identifying and minimizing such defects have utilized optimized processing conditions along with in situ and ex situ characterization that includes metallography and/or X-ray computed tomography (XCT). This paper highlights the benefits of using fracture surface analyses to detect and quantify defects that may not be detected by metallography/XCT due to sectioning and resolution limits. In addition to using manual quantification of fatigue initiating LoF and keyhole defects on fracture surfaces, image-based machine learning using convolutional neural networks such as U-Net were also used to automate the process. Statistical analyses were used to identify the extreme cases of defects that initiated and accelerated fatigue and to model the distribution of defect size and shape characteristics to distinguish the type of defect. Initial results show agreement between trained machine learning models and ground truth data in defect segmentation, and the distributions of defect characteristics are distinguishable to particular process-induced defect types.

Materials Science↗

Soil carbon cycling proxies: Understanding their critical role in predicting climate change feedbacks

The complexity of processes and interactions that drive soil C dynamics necessitate the use of proxy variables to represent soil characteristics that cannot be directly measured (correlative proxies), or that aggregate information about multiple soil characteristics into one variable (integrative proxies). These proxies have proven useful for understanding the soil C cycle, which is highly variable in both space and time, and are now being used to make predictions of the C fate and persistence under future climate scenarios. As these proxies are used at increasingly larger scales, the C pools and processes that proxies represent must be thoughtfully considered in order to minimize uncertainties in empirical understanding, as well as in model parameters and in model outcomes. The importance of these uncertainties is further amplified by the current need to make predictions of the C cycle for the non steady state environmental conditions resulting from global climate change. To clarify the appropriate uses of proxy variables, we provide specific examples of proxy variables that could improve decision making, adaptation choices, and modeling skill, while not foreclosing on – and also encouraging – continued work on their mechanistic underpinnings. We explore the use of three common soil proxies used to study soil organic matter: metabolic quotient, clay content, and physical fractionation. We also consider emerging data types, specifically genome-sequence data, and how these serve as proxies for microbial community activities. We opine that the demand for increasing mechanistic detail, and the flood of data from new imaging and genetic techniques, does not replace the value of correlative and integrative proxies--variables that are simpler, easier, or cheaper to measure. By closely examining the current knowledge gaps and broad assumptions in soil C cycling with the proxies already in use, we can develop new hypotheses and specify criteria for new and needed proxies.

Bailey, Vanessa L.↗