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At least 91 records · Page 5

Medium and Heavy Duty Vehicle Powertrain Electrification and Fleet Demonstration

The Contract Award Grant # EE0007513 dated 2 June, 2016 is for the design, development and demonstration of medium duty package delivery vehicles that will result in a 100% increase in fuel economy as measured in miles per gallon. The project was proposed in 3 phases over two budget periods. The Phases were: 1. Modeling and Simulation – This phase was completed and formed the basis of the specifications for the design and build of the physical systems. The modeling and simulation was conducted by AVL and used real world package delivery routes that AVL mapped. The motors, battery pack, range extender and balance of plant support systems were modeled and iterated until a system with the desired fuel economy improvement was realized. Early design of the major subsystems using the actual vehicle space constraints was also completed. This phase was successfully completed in May of 2017. 2. 1st Build and FE Confirmation - This phase was completed and resulted in the final design, release, procurement and build of all major vehicle systems for commissioning into the first vehicle. The work was a partnered effort between McLaren and AVL. McLaren built the eAxle system while AVL built the range extender and integrated the range extender, battery and balance of plant sub-systems into the first vehicle with a control system to make it operate. Prior to the end of this phase a real world HIL system test gave evidence that the fuel economy improvement would be achieved in the real world. This phase was exited with a 7 month delay due mostly to procurement and supply base issues and ended in May, 2018. 3. Final Build and Demonstration - This phase included the final build and commissioning of the four program vehicles and the operation of a demonstration on a set of routes near San Diego California. During this phase, a multitude of issues arose in different systems in the vehicle. These issue resolution exercises were quite complex and caused repeated delays but were all successfully completed. It should also be noted that an early commercialization analysis resulted in the conclusion that the complexity of the system would not make it cost effective, leading to the start of a follow-on design that used newly available component technologies to specify a more cost effective system. This design will be repurposed and put into demonstration on a separately (non-DOE) funded program. It was decided and agreed with DOE that this phase should be considered completed. The knowledge and know-how gained on this program has been incorporated into and transferred to the new program. This phase and the entire program was considered closed on June 1, 2021.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

FTO regulates myoblast proliferation by controlling CCND1 expression in an m6A-YTHDF2-dependent manner

Highlights: • Silencing FTO delays cell cycle and inhibits cell proliferation. • FTO regulates cell proliferation depending on its m{sup 6}A demethylation activity. • Silencing FTO suppresses CCND1 expression via YTHDF2-mediated mRNA degradation. • Knockdown YTHDF2 eliminates the cell cycle arrest in FTO-deficient cells. N6-Methyladenosine (m{sup 6}A) modification is the most abundant chemical modification in mRNA, and it participates in various biological processes, such as cell differentiation and proliferation. However, little is known about the function of m{sup 6}A demethylase fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) in myoblast proliferation. Here, we demonstrated that knockdown of FTO can significantly inhibit myoblast proliferation and promote apoptosis. RNA sequencing analysis revealed that a lot of downregulated genes in FTO knockdown cells are associated with cell cycle and apoptosis. Furthermore, silencing FTO drastically decreased cyclin D1 (CCND1) expression through YTHDF2-mediated mRNA degradation, thereby delaying the progression of G1 phase, and leading to impaired myoblast proliferation. These findings unraveled that FTO regulates myoblast proliferation by controlling CCND1 expression in an m{sup 6}A-YTHDF2-dependent manner, which highlights the critical roles of m{sup 6}A modification in myoblast proliferation.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Picosecond volume expansion drives a later-time insulator–metal transition in a nano-textured Mott insulator

There is significant technological interest in developing ever faster switching between different electronic and magnetic states of matter. Manipulating properties at terahertz rates requires accessing the intrinsic timescales of both electrons and associated phonons, which is possible with short-pulse photoexcitation. However, in many Mott insulators, the electronic transition is accompanied by the nucleation and growth of percolating domains of the changed lattice structure, leading to empirical timescales dominated by slowly coarsening dynamics. Here, in this study, we use time-resolved X-ray diffraction and reflectivity measurements to show that the photoinduced insulator-to-metal transition in an epitaxially strained Mott insulating thin film occurs without observable domain formation and coarsening effects, allowing the study of the intrinsic electronic and lattice dynamics. Above a fluence threshold, the initial electronic excitation drives a fast lattice rearrangement, which is followed by a slower electronic evolution into a metastable nonequilibrium state. Microscopic model calculations based on time-dependent dynamical mean-field theory and semiclassical lattice dynamics explain the threshold behaviour and elucidate the delayed onset of the electronic phase transition. This work highlights the importance of combined electronic and structural studies in unravelling the physics of dynamic transitions and the timescales of photoinduced processes. During a photoinduced phase transition, electronic rearrangements are usually faster than lattice ones. Time-resolved measurements now show that the insulator-to-metal transition in a thin-film Mott insulator is preceded by lattice reconfiguration.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effects of Velocity on Radar Waveforms

A common assumption in pulse-Doppler radar is that when interrogating a point, or point-like target, the received echo waveform is an attenuated and time-delayed, but otherwise faithful facsimile of the transmitted waveform. The effects of a relative line-of-sight velocity between radar and target is often presumed to manifest only as a pulse-to-pulse time delay, usually simplified as a phase shift. However, a significant line-of-sight velocity will also in fact substantially perturb the received waveform even for a single pulse, and may need to be accounted for, and compensated during radar signal processing.

42 ENGINEERING↗

The 100 pc White Dwarf Sample in the SDSS Footprint

In this work, we present follow-up spectroscopy of 711 white dwarfs within 100 pc, and we present a detailed model atmosphere analysis of the 100 pc white dwarf sample in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey footprint. Our spectroscopic follow-up is complete for 83% of the white dwarfs hotter than 6000 K, where the atmospheric composition can be constrained reliably. We identify 1508 DA white dwarfs with pure hydrogen atmospheres. The DA mass distribution has an extremely narrow peak at 0.59 M ⊙ and reveals a shoulder from relatively massive white dwarfs with M = 0.7–0.9 M ⊙. Comparing this distribution with binary population synthesis models, we find that the contribution from single stars that form through mergers cannot explain the overabundance of massive white dwarfs. In addition, the mass distribution of cool DAs shows a near absence of M > 1 M ⊙ white dwarfs. The pile-up of 0.7–0.9 M ⊙ and the disappearance of M > 1 M ⊙ white dwarfs is consistent with the effects of core crystallization. Even though the evolutionary models predict the location of the pile-up correctly, the delay from the latent heat of crystallization by itself is insufficient to create a significant pile-up, and additional cooling delays from related effects like phase separation are necessary. We also discuss the population of infrared-faint (ultracool) white dwarfs and demonstrate for the first time the existence of a well-defined sequence in color and magnitude. Curiously, this sequence is connected to a region in the color–magnitude diagrams where the number of white dwarfs with a helium-dominated atmosphere is low. This suggests that the infrared-faint white dwarfs likely have mixed H/He atmospheres.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Timing the r -process Enrichment of the Ultra-faint Dwarf Galaxy Reticulum II

The ultra-faint dwarf galaxy Reticulum II (Ret II) exhibits a unique chemical evolution history, with ${72}_{-12}^{+10}$% of its stars strongly enhanced in r-process elements. We present deep Hubble Space Telescope photometry of Ret II and analyze its star formation history. As in other ultra-faint dwarfs, the color–magnitude diagram is best fit by a model consisting of two bursts of star formation. If we assume that the bursts were instantaneous, then the older burst occurred around the epoch of reionization, forming ~80% of the stars in the galaxy, while the remainder of the stars formed ~3 Gyr later. When the bursts are allowed to have nonzero durations, we obtain slightly better fits. The best-fitting model in this case consists of two bursts beginning before reionization, with approximately half the stars formed in a short (100 Myr) burst and the other half in a more extended period lasting 2.6 Gyr. Considering the full set of viable star formation history models, we find that 28% of the stars formed within 500 ± 200 Myr of the onset of star formation. The combination of the star formation history and the prevalence of r-process-enhanced stars demonstrates that the r-process elements in Ret II must have been synthesized early in its initial star-forming phase. We therefore constrain the delay time between the formation of the first stars in Ret II and the r-process nucleosynthesis to be less than 500 Myr. This measurement rules out an r-process source with a delay time of several Gyr or more, such as GW170817.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

System and method for inspecting parts using dynamic response function

A system and method for the non-destructive testing of additively manufactured parts. An input mechanism excites with an excitation force (e.g., a vibration) an additive manufacturing build structure, which includes a part on a build platform, to induce a dynamic response in the part. An output mechanism (e.g., a non-contact transducer) senses the induced dynamic response in the part. A processor determines and examines the relationship between the response and excitation to identify an indication of a defect in the part, and communicates an alert if the indication is identified. The processor may compare the phase, magnitude, coherence, or time delay of the relationship to a reference relationship and/or may compare the modal frequency or the modal damping to a reference to identify a deviation greater than a pre-established threshold.

Hartwig, Troy Juan↗

Repurposing the θ (Al 2 Cu) phase to simultaneously increase the strength and ductility of an additively manufactured Al–Cu alloy

The Al–Cu–Mn–Zr (ACMZ) cast family of alloys offers unique properties and value propositions for higher strength, higher temperature lightweight components of future vehicles. Earlier research has demonstrated trade-offs in the selection of the alloy chemistry in which an increase in Cu content from 6 up to 9 wt% improves hot tear resistance but lowers ductility. However, a recent study has demonstrated that higher-Cu (9Cu) ACMZ fabricated with laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing (AM) results in an increase in both ductility and strength when compared to as-aged microstructure of cast 9Cu alloys. The mechanisms of differing mechanical performance of the cast and AM ACMZ alloys are elucidated in the current paper through the utilization of in situ high energy x-ray diffraction (HEXRD) tensile testing wherein lattice strains of different phases are calculated and correlated to their stresses. The ACMZ alloys consisted of theta (θ) and theta prime (θ') phases (both Al 2 Cu in nominal composition) within an aluminum matrix. The larger micron-size θ phase which decorated the grain boundaries in 9Cu ACMZ cast alloys recorded small lattice strains, while the submicron, homogeneously distributed θ phase in the 9Cu ACMZ AM alloy recorded considerably higher lattice strains. The maximum stress reached in the θ phase for the cast 9Cu alloy was found to be ~280 MPa, which was lower than the AM 9Cu alloy which registered a maximum stress of ~1.4 GPa. These measurements indicate that delayed fracture of the finer intermetallic phases simultaneously improves the ductility and strength of AM 9Cu alloy relative to the cast 9Cu alloy, which exhibits early fracture of the larger intermetallic particles.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Phase separation and state oscillation of active inertial particles

Active matter systems are of great interest for their novel out-of-equilibrium collective behavior. Active Brownian particles (ABPs) are known to exhibit clustering and motility-induced phase separation, and there have been many studies revealing this rich behavior in the overdamped limit of Brownian motion, where inertial effects are insignificant. In this work, we simulate an Active Inertial Particle (AIP) model where we focus on the underdamped, rather than overdamped limit, to study the interplay between particle inertia and collective behavior, such as phase separation. We show that inertia reduces particle motility due to collisions and a longer time delay for particles to regain speed, thereby suppressing phase separation relative to that observed in the overdamped limit. Additionally, we observe interesting oscillatory behavior between a phase separated steady-state and a homogeneous fluid state that results from inertia-induced collective motion within active clusters due to momentum transfer. Such oscillatory behavior has been reported for ABP systems with particle shape anisotropy, where collective motion is mediated by particle shape anisotropy. Furthermore, we confirm that there is no single characteristic frequency for the oscillatory behavior. The power spectral density is a power law in the high frequency domain, with an exponent close to -2.5.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Predicting zeolites’ stability during the corrosion of nuclear waste immobilization glasses: Comparison with glass corrosion experiments

During the long-term corrosion of nuclear waste glasses under nuclear waste disposal conditions, the precipitation of zeolitic phases has been linked to a delayed acceleration in glass corrosion (known as “Stage III”). Hence, predicting the thermodynamic propensity for zeolites to form upon the dissolution of nuclear waste glasses is key to ensure their long-term performance. Here, we compile a unified, internally-consistent thermodynamic database “clay20” to estimate the stability of clay and feldspar phases relevant to nuclear waste immobilization glasses, including beidellite(Mg, Ca, Na, K), kaolinite, montmorillonite(Mg, Ca, Na, K), nontronite(Mg, Ca, Na, K), saponite(Ca, Na, K), and albite. Based on this, we report a geochemical modeling method allowing us to predict the stability of secondary phases (including zeolites, calcium–silicate–hydrate gels, and clays) upon the dissolution of nuclear waste immobilization glasses. We show that this approach offers a realistic description of the stability of the secondary phases forming during the dissolution of two archetypical model nuclear glasses (namely, the International Simple Glass, ISG, and WVUTh-203) under conditions relevant to nuclear waste disposal (T = 90°C, p = 1 bar) as a function of pH. We find that the formation of silica and clay secondary phases is thermodynamically favored at low pH (pH < 10), whereas, in contrast, zeolite (analcime) and calcium–silicate–hydrate phases are favored at high pH (pH > 10.5). This suggests that thermodynamics (i.e., not solely kinetics) plays a key role in determining the range of solution pH wherein stage III corrosion may occur, i.e., when zeolite formation is favored.

Zhen-Wu, Bi Yun↗

The Influence of Cloud Types on Cloud–Radiative Forcing During DYNAMO/AMIE

Cloud-radiative feedback is known to be an important process for the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) and its accurate representation in general circulation models. The MJO is known to have a stronger cloud-radiative feedback compared to higher frequency convectively coupled equatorial waves (CCEW), for reasons that remain unclear. The objective of this study is to use data from the Dynamics of the MJO/Atmospheric Radiation Measurement MJO Investigation Experiment field campaign to investigate how cloud type evolution and their associated cloud-radiative forcing (CRF) differ between the MJO and CCEWs and their application to MJO dynamics under moisture mode theory. This study finds that the amplitude of CRF is the largest within the MJO compared to the higher frequency CCEWs, and CRF maximizes after the maximum precipitation (enhanced phase) of the MJO. We suggest this delay in the timing of maximum CRF occurs because most cloud types (congestus, deep, anvil, and cirrus) simultaneously maximize in frequency after the enhanced phase of the MJO, which is not seen for the higher frequency CCEWs. These specific cloud types help maintain the MJO through their radiatively-driven moistening which acts to prolong the enhanced phase of the MJO. The decomposition of radiatively-driven moistening by cloud types shows that simultaneous moistening by deep, anvil, and congestus clouds are particularly responsible for the maintenance of the MJO under moisture mode theory. Further, this analysis suggests the importance of capturing the correct evolution of different cloud types and their associated radiative effects to better understand the thermodynamics of the MJO.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Advanced Intra-Cycle Detection of Pre-Ignition Events through Phase-Space Transforms of Cylinder Pressure Data

The widespread adoption of boosted, downsized SI engines has brought pre-ignition phenomena into greater focus, as the knock events resulting from pre-ignitions can cause significant hardware damage. Much attention has been given to understanding the causes of pre-ignition and identify lubricant or fuel properties and engine design and calibration considerations that impact its frequency. This helps to shift the pre-ignition limit to higher specific loads and allow further downsizing but does not fundamentally eliminate the problem. Real-time detection and mitigation of pre-ignition would thus be desirable to allow safe engine operation in pre-ignition-prone conditions. This study focuses on advancing the time of detection of pre-ignition in an engine cycle where it occurs. Furthermore, phase space transforms through time-delay embedding of cylinder pressure and principal component analysis were applied to same-cycle detection of pre-ignition and shown to enable detection on the order of a crank degree earlier than deviation in cylinder pressure can be identified through direct statistical observation of the pressure data. Additionally, it appears that the deviation of the trajectory in phase space may offer the opportunity to extend this method to further extend the detection window and allow more time for mitigation actions to occur.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Probing the fatigue enhancement in a thermally aged cast duplex stainless steel by in situ neutron diffraction

After long-term thermal aging at 400 °C for 3000 h and 10,000 h, a cast duplex stainless steel exhibits promoted fatigue performance, including enhanced three-stage cyclic hardening and prolonged fatigue life. Utilizing in situ neutron diffraction, the phase-specific stresses are resolved, and their evolutions over entire fatigue cycling reveal the underlying mechanisms of the fatigue enhancement. It is found that the ferrite phase bears a much higher stress than the austenite matrix under both as-received and aged conditions. The enhanced cyclic hardening in Stage I is attributed to the strengthening of both phases due to thermal aging, while the enhancement in Stage III results from the martensitic transformation induced strengthening. The fatigue life is prolonged thanks to the cyclic hardening and the delay of martensitic transformation in the austenite phase after thermal aging.

Yu, Dunji↗

Multimorphic Materials: Spatially Tailoring Mechanical Properties via Selective Initiation of Interpenetrating Polymer Networks

Access to multimaterial polymers with spatially localized properties and robust interfaces is anticipated to enable new capabilities in soft robotics, such as smooth actuation for advanced medical and manufacturing technologies. Here, orthogonal initiation is used to create interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) with spatial control over morphology and mechanical properties. Base catalyzes the formation of a stiff and strong polyurethane, while blue LEDs initiate the formation of a soft and elastic polyacrylate. IPN morphology is controlled by when the LED is turned “on”, with large phase separation occurring for short time delays (≈1–2 min) and a mixed morphology for longer time delays (>5 min), which is supported by dynamic mechanical analysis, small angle X-ray scattering, and atomic force microscopy. Through tailoring morphology, tensile moduli and fracture toughness can be tuned across ≈1–2 orders of magnitude. Furthermore, a simple spring model is used to explain the observed mechanical behavior. Photopatterning produces “multimorphic” materials, where morphology is spatially localized with fine precision (<100 µm), while maintaining a uniform chemical composition throughout to mitigate interfacial failure. As a final demonstration, the fabrication of hinges represents a possible use case for multimorphic materials in soft robotics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Characteristics of grassy ELMs and their impact on the divertor heat flux width

We report BOUT++ turbulence simulations are conducted for a 60 s steady-state long pulse high β p EAST grassy ELM discharge. BOUT++ linear simulations show that the unstable mode spectrum covers a range of toroidal mode numbers from low-n (n = 10–15) peeling–ballooning modes (P–B) to high-n (n = 40–80) drift-Alfvén instabilities. Nonlinear simulations show that the ELM crash is triggered by low-n peeling modes and fluctuation is generated at the peak pressure gradient position and radially spread outward into the scrape-off-layer, even though the drift-Alfvén instabilities dominate the linear growth phase. However, drift-Alfvén turbulence delays the onset of the grassy ELM and enhances the energy loss with the fluctuation extending to pedestal top region. Simulations further show that if the peeling drive is removed, the fluctuation amplitude drops by an order of magnitude and the ELM crashes disappear. The divertor heat flux width is ~2 times larger than the estimates based on the HD model and the Eich's ITPA multi-tokamak scaling (or empirical Eich scaling) due to the strong radial turbulence transport.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Spectrograph stabilization using a single-delay interferometer on the Hale Telescope

We describe a technique for spectrograph stabilization useful when conventional mitigation techniques of vacuum tanks, thermal insulation, and laser frequency comb may be impractical, expensive, heavy, or bulky. This includes spectrographs on airborne platforms or mounted on telescopes where they suffer a changing gravity vector or other drifts. Placing a fixed-delay interferometer in series with a spectrograph forms an externally dispersed interferometer (EDI). This produces a uniform sinusoidal comb multiplying input spectrum, creating (through heterodyning) beats (moiré patterns). In Fourier space for low frequencies up to the comb frequency, the moiré generated signal counter-rotates to ordinary spectra under an unknown disperser wavenumber drift Δx. This generates a large negative feedback signal useful in a conceptual control loop, to converge rapidly to a stable spectrum and yield Δx. A modified EDI data analysis algorithm (“crossfading”) combines frequency-weighted moiré with conventional spectrum to cancel net output spectrum reaction to Δx. Needing only a single-delay, this is a practical improvement over prior crossfading analyses requiring multiple delays. We test crossfading on ThAr data near 4850 cm−1 taken on Hale telescope in an earlier project. In a single pass, we reduce drift 20 times. Using seven iterations, we reduce 0.5 cm−1 (31 km/s Doppler equivalent) drift to 4×10−7 cm−1 (2.5 cm/s). The interferometer delay can wander, because linearity of phase versus wavenumber interpolates science features between bracketing calibrating spectral references. Second, mathematically reversing the heterodyning effect doubles effective spectral resolution without changing disperser slit.

Erskine, David J [Lawrence Livermore National Labo↗

Apex Study: Compensating Transient Beam Loading in the RHIC 28 MHZ

With the EIC on the way, it is important that developments and strategies are in place to deal with the very high beam currents that the machine will feature. Specifically, the EIC will collide beams of up to 2.5 A, three times the beam current in RHIC. This higher beam current will cause significant voltage transients in the cavity fields which can lead to longitudinal instabilities and beam loss. In anticipation of these negative effects, studies were carried out on the RHIC 28 MHz cavities using newly developed firmware and software to diagnose and combat beam loading. Diagnostic tools such as the bunch-by-bunch (BbyB) ADC firmware and digital network analyzer (DNA) were used to characterize the closed loop system and transient on the cavity voltage magnitude and phase. Then, a one-turn delay feedback (OTFB) and adaptive feed-forward (aFFWD) were used to minimize the transient beam loading. The studies were carried out with beam during 2 accelerator physics experiements (APEXs) using one of the 28 MHz accelerating cavities here at RHIC.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Deinococcus radiodurans UWO298 Dependence on Background Radiation for Optimal Growth

Ionizing radiation is a major environmental variable for cells on Earth, and so organisms have adapted to either prevent or to repair damages caused by it, primarily from the appearance and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study, we measured the differential gene expression in Deinococcus radiodurans UWO298 cultures deprived of background ionizing radiation (IR) while growing 605 m underground at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), reducing the dose rate from 72.1 to 0.9 nGy h –1 from control to treatment, respectively. This reduction in IR dose rate delayed the entry into the exponential phase of the IR-shielded cultures, resulting in a lower biomass accumulation for the duration of the experiment. The RNASeq-based transcriptome analysis showed the differential expression of 0.2 and 2.7% of the D. radiodurans genome after 24 and 34 h of growth in liquid culture, respectively. Gene expression regulation after 34 h was characterized by the downregulation of genes involved in folding newly synthesized and denatured/misfolded proteins, in the assimilation of nitrogen for amino acid synthesis and in the control of copper transport and homeostasis to prevent oxidative stress. We also observed the upregulation of genes coding for proteins with transport and cell wall assembly roles. These results show that D. radiodurans is sensitive to the absence of background levels of ionizing radiation and suggest that its transcriptional response is insufficient to maintain optimal growth.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗