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At least 1,153 records · Page 64

Bifunction in Er{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+} co-doped BaTi{sub 2}O{sub 5}–Gd{sub 2}O{sub 3} glasses prepared by aerodynamic levitation method

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Novel BaTi{sub 2}O{sub 5}–Gd{sub 2}O{sub 3} based glasses have been prepared by aerodynamic levitation. • The obtained glasses show high thermal stability with T{sub g} = 763.3 °C. • Er{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+} co-doped glasses show strong upconversion based on a two-photon process. • Red emission is stronger than green emissions for EBT by high Yb{sup 3+} concentration. • Magnetic ions are paramagnetic and the distribution is homogeneous in the glasses. - Abstract: Novel Er{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+} co-doped BaTi{sub 2}O{sub 5}–Gd{sub 2}O{sub 3} spherical glasses have been fabricated by aerodynamic levitation method. The thermal stability, upconversion luminescence, and magnetic properties of the present glass have been studied. The glasses show high thermal stability with 763.3 °C of the onset temperature of the glass transition. Red and green emissions centered at 671 nm, 548 nm and 535 nm are obtained at 980 nm excitation. The upconversion is based on a two-photon process by energy transfer, excited-state absorption, and energy back transfer. Yb{sup 3+} ions are more than Er{sup 3+} ions in the glass, resulting in efficient energy back transfer from Er{sup 3+} to Yb{sup 3+}. So the red emission is stronger than the green emissions. Magnetization curves indicate that magnetic rare earth ions are paramagnetic and the distribution is homogeneous and random in the glass matrix. Aerodynamic levitation method is an efficient way to prepare glasses with homogeneous rare earth ions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Hypofractionated Versus Conventionally Fractionated Radiotherapy for Prostate Carcinoma: Final Results of Phase III Randomized Trial

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term efficacy and toxicity of a hypofractionated (55 Gy in 20 fractions within 4 weeks) vs. a conventionally fractionated (64 Gy in 32 fractions within 6.5 weeks) dose schedule for radiotherapy (RT) for localized carcinoma of the prostate. Methods and Materials: A total of 217 patients were randomized to either the hypofractionated (n = 108) or the conventional (n = 109) dose schedule. Most patients (n = 156) underwent RT planning and RT using a two-dimensional computed tomography method. Efficacy using the clinical, radiologic, and prostate-specific antigen data in each patient was evaluated before RT and at predetermined intervals after RT until death. Gastrointestinal and genitourinary toxicity using the modified Late Effect in Normal Tissue - Subjective Objective Management Analytic (LENT-SOMA) scales was also evaluated before and at intervals after RT to 60 months. Results: The whole group has now been followed for a median of 90 months (range, 3-138). Of the 217 patients, 85 developed biochemical relapse (nadir prostate-specific antigen level + 2 {mu}g/L), 36 in the hypofractionated and 49 in the conventional group. The biochemical relapse-free, but not overall, survival at 90 months was significantly better with the hypofractionated (53%) than with the conventional (34%) schedule. Gastrointestinal and genitourinary toxicity persisted 60 months after RT and did not differ between the two dose schedules. Multivariate analyses revealed that the conventional schedule was of independent prognostic significance, not only for biochemical failure, but also for an increased risk of worse genitourinary symptoms at 4 years. Conclusions: A therapeutic advantage of the hypofractionated compared with the conventional dose schedule for RT of prostate cancer was evident at 90 months in the present study.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

WE-FG-206-08: Pulmonary Functional Imaging Biomarkers of NSCLC to Guide and Optimize Functional Lung Avoidance Radiotherapy

Purpose: Functional lung avoidance radiotherapy promises optimized therapy planning by minimizing dose to well-functioning lung and maximizing dose to the rest of the lung. Patients with NSCLC commonly present with co-morbid COPD and heterogeneously distributed ventilation abnormalities stemming from emphysema, airways disease, and tumour burden. We hypothesized that pulmonary functional imaging methods may be used to optimize radiotherapy plans to avoid regions of well-functioning lung and significantly improve outcomes like quality-of-life and survival. To ascertain the utility of functional lung avoidance therapy in clinical practice, we measured COPD phenotypes in NSCLC patients enrolled in a randomized-controlled-clinical-trial prior to curative intent therapy. Methods: Thirty stage IIIA/IIIB NSCLC patients provided written informed consent to a randomized-controlled-clinical-trial ( http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02002052 ) comparing outcomes in patients randomized to standard or image-guided radiotherapy. Hyperpolarized noble gas MRI ventilation-defect-percent (VDP) (Kirby et al, Acad Radiol, 2012) as well as CT-emphysema measurements were determined. Patients were stratified based on quantitative imaging evidence of ventilation-defects and emphysema into two subgroups: 1) tumour-specific ventilation defects only (TSD), and, 2) tumour-specific and other ventilation defects with and without emphysema (TSD{sub VE}). Receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curves were used to characterize the performance of clinical measures as predictors of the presence of non-tumour specific ventilation defects. Results: Twenty-one out of thirty subjects (70%) had non-tumour specific ventilation defects (TSD{sub VE}) and nine subjects had ONLY tumour-specific defects (TSD). Subjects in the TSD{sub VE} group had significantly greater smoking-history (p=.006) and airflow obstruction (FEV{sub 1}/FVC) (p=.001). ROC analysis demonstrated an 87% classification rate for smoking pack-years, 90% for FEV{sub 1}/FVC, and 56% for tumour RECIST measurements for identifying patients with non-tumour and tumour-specific ventilation abnormalities. Conclusion: 70% of NSCLC patients had ventilation abnormalities stemming from emphysema, airways disease and tumour burden. Smoking-history and airflow obstruction, but not RECIST, identified NSCLC patients with ventilation abnormalities appropriate for functional lung avoidance therapy.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Laser Confocal Microscopy Uncertainty Quantification Study

At Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), the Storage Safety and Engineering (SSE) team completes annual surveillance on a subset of in-use interim nuclear material storage containers in fulfilment of requirements outlined in DOE Manual M 441.1-1. The containers are selected through several methods, such as subject matter expert judgement, random selection, and trending items. Following these selections, the SSE team has the capacity to complete surveillance on 15-20 containers each fiscal year, composed of a combination of SAVY-4000 and Hagan storage containers. Through previous work, the stainless-steel components of the containers have been identified as life limiting components, with an emphasis on the thin-walled bodies. The team is focused on understanding the extent of general and pitting corrosion, due to observations of extensive corrosion from stored contents and bag-out-bag degradation. Quantifying corrosion effects on the thin-walled stainless steel container bodies, and understanding potential impacts to the respective design release rates and design qualification release rates is paramount to the team. To date, destructive examination (DE) has proven to be the most insightful method for developing an understanding on the extent of corrosion on used containers. To standardize this process, the SSE team developed a destructive examination guide for analyzing stainless steel components of the containers. Corroded containers of interest are identified during surveillance activities and set aside for sectioning and characterization. Following sectioning, a major step in the DE workflow is the utilization of laser confocal microscopy for scanning corroded samples of interest and extracting data on pits, such as count, depth, and equivalent diameter. Adhering to the techniques outlined in the DE guide, analysis has been completed on two Hagans and one SAVY-4000 container, with the maximum pit depth recorded as 139.1 ± 22.82 μm on a 17.5 year old Hagan. The findings from the completed destructive examinations will be utilized to support lifetime extension efforts of the SAVY-4000 as the team can better estimate corrosion rates and effects over time based on stored contents and age. Due to the implications of observing extreme pit depths that approach the nominal container body thickness of .0299 inches (0.759 mm) or minimum container thickness of 0.236” (0.6 mm), high confidence in the LCM measurements is desired. Through testing outlined in, it was concluded that the total error ascribed to the 20x objective when conducting large image mapping on the Keyence VK-X3050 laser confocal microscope (LCM) relative to a 50x objective (reference) is 16.4% (± 8.73%). For shallow features on the order of pristine SAVY surface defects (i.e. 5 μm), this uncertainty is appropriate. However, this conservative estimate of total error poses a fundamental concern for pit depths that approach the thickness of the measured samples. That is, with the measurement uncertainty currently employed on all measurements, the LCM would be unable to resolve if a pit with a depth of 515 μm is through wall. Standard step height samples were procured and used in the present study to assess the resolution and repeatability of height measurements. Understanding the resolution and repeatability of height measurements was the first focus of the team as it relates directly to pit depth, which is of primary concern. Calibration gratings were procured to evaluate the resolution and repeatability of measurements in the X and Y axes of the LCM stage. The results of the depth uncertainty study were conducted first and presented in the subsequent sections. The planar uncertainty study is appended to the depth study with conclusions from both summarized at the end of the report.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Density-matrix based determination of low-energy model Hamiltonians from ab initio wavefunctions

We propose a way of obtaining effective low energy Hubbard-like model Hamiltonians from ab initio quantum Monte Carlo calculations for molecular and extended systems. The Hamiltonian parameters are fit to best match the ab initio two-body density matrices and energies of the ground and excited states, and thus we refer to the method as ab initio density matrix based downfolding. For benzene (a finite system), we find good agreement with experimentally available energy gaps without using any experimental inputs. For graphene, a two dimensional solid (extended system) with periodic boundary conditions, we find the effective on-site Hubbard U{sup ∗}/t to be 1.3 ± 0.2, comparable to a recent estimate based on the constrained random phase approximation. For molecules, such parameterizations enable calculation of excited states that are usually not accessible within ground state approaches. For solids, the effective Hamiltonian enables large-scale calculations using techniques designed for lattice models.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Machine learning based job status prediction in scientific clusters

Large high-performance computing systems are built with increasing number of components with more CPU cores, more memory, and more storage space. At the same time, scientific applications have been growing in complexity. Together, they are leading to more frequent unsuccessful job statuses on HPC systems. From measured job statuses, 23.4% of CPU time was spent to the unsuccessful jobs. Here, we set out to study whether these unsuccessful job statuses could be anticipated from known job characteristics. To explore this possibility, we have developed a job status prediction method for the execution of jobs on scientific clusters. The Random Forests algorithm was applied to extract and characterize the patterns of unsuccessful job statuses. Experimental results show that our method can predict the unsuccessful job statuses from the monitored ongoing job executions in 99.8% the cases with 83.6% recall and 94.8% precision. Lastly, this prediction accuracy can be sufficiently high that it can be used to mitigation procedures of predicted failures.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Optimal Energy Management for Microgrid with Stationary and Mobile Storage

This paper studies energy management in a Microgrid (MG) with solar generation, Battery Energy Management System (BESS) and gridable (V2G) EVs. A two-stage stochastic optimization method is proposed to capture the intermittent solar generation and random EV user behaviors. It is subsequently formulated as a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) problem. To evalutate the proposed method, real solar generation, loads, BESS and EV data is used in Sample Average Approximation (SAA). Computational results show the correctness of the proposed method as well as steady and tightly bounded optimality gap. Comparisons demonstrate that the proposed stochastic method outperforms its deterministic counterpart at the expense of higher computational cost. It is also observed that moderate number of EVs helps to reduce the overall operational cost of the MG, which sheds light on future EV integration to the smart grid.

Battery Energy Management System (BESS)↗

Projective Hedging Algorithms for Multistage Stochastic Programming, Supporting Distributed and Asynchronous Implementation

Here we propose a decomposition algorithm for multistage stochastic programming that resembles the progressive hedging method of Rockafellar and Wets but is provably capable of several forms of asynchronous operation. We derive the method from a class of projective operator splitting methods fairly recently proposed by Combettes and Eckstein, significantly expanding the known applications of those methods. Our derivation assures convergence for convex problems whose feasible set is compact, subject to some standard regularity conditions and a mild “fairness” condition on subproblem selection. The method’s convergence guarantees are deterministic and do not require randomization, in contrast to other proposed asynchronous variations of progressive hedging. Computational experiments described in an online appendix show the method to outperform progressive hedging on large-scale problems in a highly parallel computing environment.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Predicting the Effect of Single and Multiple Mutations on Protein Structural Stability

Predicting how a point mutation alters a protein’s stability can guide pharmaceutical drug design initiatives which aim to counter the effects of serious diseases. Conducting mutagenesis studies in physical proteins can give insights about the effects of amino acid substitutions, but such wet-lab work is prohibitive due to the time as well as financial resources needed to assess the effect of even a single amino acid substitution. Computational methods for predicting the effects of a mutation on a protein structure can complement wet-lab work, and varying approaches are available with promising accuracy rates. In this work we compare and assess the utility of several machine learning methods and their ability to predict the effects of single and double mutations. We in silico generate mutant protein structures, and compute several rigidity metrics for each of them. We use these as features for our Support Vector Regression (SVR), Random Forest (RF), and Deep Neural Network (DNN) methods. We validate the predictions of our in silico mutations against experimental ΔΔG stability data, and attain Pearson Correlation values upwards of 0.71 for single mutations, and 0.81 for double mutations. We perform ablation studies to assess which features contribute most to a model’s success, and also introduce a voting scheme to synthesize a single prediction from the individual predictions of the three models.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Stochastic Modeling in a Multimaterial Continuum Mixture Shock Physics Code

Stochastic modelling approaches are presented to capture random effects at multiple time and length scales. Random processes that occur at the microscale produce nondeterministic effects at the macroscale. Here we present three stochastic modeling approaches that describe random processes at microscopic length scales and map these processes to the macroscopic length scale. The first stochastic modeling approach is based upon a particle based numerical technique to solve a Stochastic Differential Equation (SDE) using an arbitrary diffusion process to capture random processes at the microstructural level. The second approach prescribes a Probability Density Function (PDF) for the drift and diffusion of the random variable derived using the forward and backward Kolmogorov equations. This method requires mean and drift evolution PDF transport equations. The third approach is the coupling of multiple random variables which are dependent on each other. The relationship of the PDFs and a coupling function, known as a copula, produces a Joint Probability Density Function (JPDF). These stochastic modeling approaches are implemented into a Multiple Component (MC) shock physics computational code and used to model statistical fracture and reactive flow applications.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

FAST AND OPTIMAL COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND LENSING USING STATISTICAL INTERPOLATION ON THE SPHERE

We describe an accurate and fast pixel-based statistical method to interpolate fields of arbitrary spin on the sphere. We call this method Fast and Lean Interpolation on the Sphere (FLINTS). The method predicts the optimal interpolated values based on the theory of isotropic Gaussian random fields and provides an accurate error estimate at no additional cost. We use this method to compute lensed cosmic microwave background (CMB) maps precisely and quickly, achieving a relative precision of 0.02% at a HEALPIX resolution of N {sub side} = 4096, for a bandlimit of l{sub max}= 4096 in the same time it takes to simulate the original, unlensed CMB map. The method is suitable for efficient, distributed memory parallelization. The power spectra of our lensed maps are accurate to better than 0.5% at l= 3000 for the temperature, the E and B modes of the polarization. As expected theoretically, we demonstrate that, on realistic cases, this method is between two and three orders of magnitude more precise than other known interpolation methods for the same computational cost.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

SLS Integrated Modal Test Uncertainty Quantification using the Hybrid Parametric Variation Method

Uncertainty in structural loading during launch is a significant concern in the development of spacecraft and launch vehicles. Small variations in launch vehicle and payload mode shapes and their interaction can result in significant variation in system loads. In many cases involving large aerospace systems it is difficult, not economical, or impossible to perform a system modal test. However, it is still vital to obtain test results that can be compared with analytical predictions to validate models. Instead, the “Building Block Approach” is used in which system components are tested individually. Component models are correlated and updated to agree as best they can with test results. The Space Launch System consists of a number of components that are assembled into a launch vehicle. Finite element models of the components are developed, reduced to Hurty/Craig-Bampton models and assembled to represent different phases of flight. The only opportunity to obtain modal test data from an assembled Space Launch System will be during the Integrated Modal Test. There is always uncertainty in every model, which flows into uncertainty in predicted system results. Uncertainty Quantification is used to determine statistical bounds on prediction accuracy based on model uncertainty. For the Space Launch System, model uncertainty is at the Hurty/Craig-Bampton component level. Uncertainty in the Hurty/Craig-Bampton components is quantified using the hybrid parametric variation approach that combines parametric and nonparametric uncertainty. Uncertainty in model form is one of the biggest contributors to uncertainty in complex built-up structures. This type of uncertainty cannot be represented by variations infinite element model input parameters and thus cannot be included in a parametric approach. However, model-form uncertainty can be modeled using a nonparametric approach based on random matrix theory. The hybrid parametric variation method requires the selection of dispersion values for the Hurty/Craig-Bampton fixed-interface eigenvalues, and the Hurty/Craig-Bampton stiffness matrices. Component test/analysis frequency error is used to identify the fixed-interface eigenvalue dispersions, while test/analysis cross-orthogonality is used to identify stiffness dispersion values. The hybrid parametric variation uncertainty quantification approach is applied to the Space Launch System Integrated Modal Test configuration. Monte Carlo analysis is performed, and statistics are determined for modal correlation metrics, frequency response from Integrated Modal Test shakers to selected accelerometers, as well as other metrics for determining how well target modes are excited and identified. If the predicted uncertainty envelopes future Integrated Modal Test results, then there will be increased confidence in the utility of the component-based hybrid parametric variation uncertainty quantification approach.

Uncertainty Quantification↗

A Probabilistic Method of Assessing Carbon Accumulation Rate at Imnavait Creek Peatland, Arctic Long Term Ecological Research Station, Alaska

Arctic peatlands are an important part of the global carbon cycle, accumulating atmospheric carbon as organic matter since the Late glacial. Current methods for understanding the changing efficiency of the peatland carbon sink rely on peatlands with an undisturbed stratigraphy. Here we present a method of estimating primary carbon accumulation rate from a site where permafrost processes have either vertically or horizontally translocated nearby carbon-rich sediment out of stratigraphic order. Briefly, our new algorithm estimates the probability of the age of deposition of a random increment of sediment in the core. The method assumes that if sediment age is measured at even depth increments, dates are more likely to occur during intervals of higher accumulation rate and vice versa. Multiplying estimated sedimentation rate by measured carbon density yields carbon accumulation rate. We perform this analysis at the Imnavait Creek Peatland, near the Arctic Long Term Ecological Research network site at Toolik Lake, Alaska. Using classical radiocarbon age modeling, we find unreasonably high rates of carbon accumulation at various Holocene intervals. With our new method, we find accumulation rate changes that are in improved agreement within the context of other sites throughout Alaska and the rest of the Circum-Arctic region.

carbon accumulation;Imnavait;peatlands;permafrost;↗

Rigorous Data Fusion for Computationally Expensive Simulations

This manuscript comprises the final report for the 1-year, FY19 LDRD project "Rigorous Data Fusion for Computationally Expensive Simulations," wherein an alternative approach to Bayesian calibration was developed based a new sampling technique called VoroSpokes. Vorospokes is a novel quadrature and sampling framework defined with respect to Voronoi tessellations of bounded domains in $R^d$ developed within this project. In this work, we first establish local quadrature and sampling results on convex polytopes using randomly directed rays, or spokes, to approximate the quantities of interest for a specified target function. A theoretical justification for both procedures is provided along with empirical results demonstrating the unbiased convergence in the resulting estimates/samples. The local quadrature and sampling procedures are then extended to global procedures defined on more general domains by applying the local results to the cells of a Voronoi tessellation covering the domain in consideration. We then demonstrate how the proposed global sampling procedure can be used to define a natural framework for adaptively constructing Voronoi Piecewise Surrogate (VPS) approximations based on local error estimates. Finally, we show that the adaptive VPS procedure can be used to form a surrogate model approximation to a specified, potentially unnormalized, density function, and that the global sampling procedure can be used to efficiently draw independent samples from the surrogate density in parallel. The performance of the resulting VoroSpokes sampling framework is assessed on a collection of Bayesian inference problems and is shown to provide highly accurate posterior predictions which align with the results obtained using traditional methods such as Gibbs sampling and random-walk Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). Importantly, the proposed framework provides a foundation for performing Bayesian inference tasks which is entirely independent from the theory of Markov chains.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

van der Waals Correction to the Physisorption of Graphene on Metal Surfaces

Adsorption is a scientifically and technologically important interfacial phenomenon, which however presents challenges to conventional density functional theory (DFT) due to the long-range van der Waals (vdW) interactions. We have developed a model of long-range vdW correction for physisorption of graphene (G) on metals with the Lifshitz–Zaremba–Kohn second-order perturbation theory, by incorporating dipole- and quadrupole-surface interactions and screening effects. The physisorption energies calculated by the model between graphene and eight metal surfaces (Al, Ni, Co, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, and Au), and the adsorption energies for the same G/metal structures from self-consistent DFT PBE (Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof) calculations, are obtained in a range of distances between G and the metal surfaces. The sum of these two parts is the total adsorption energy as a function of the distance, from which the equilibrium distance and the binding energy are determined simultaneously. The results show high accuracy, with the mean absolute error (MAE) of binding energy of 7 meV and the MAE of equilibrium distance of 0.2 Å, significantly improving upon other vdW methods. Here, the PBE + vdW binding energy curves give better fits to the random phase approximation curves around the equilibrium distances than do the curves of other methods considered here. The higher-order quadrupole-surface correction is important and accounts for about 30% of the total vdW correction.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

A four‐alternative forced choice (4AFC) methodology for evaluating microcalcification detection in clinical full‐field digital mammography (FFDM) and digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) systems using an inkjet‐printed anthropomorphic phantom

Purpose The advent of three‐dimensional breast imaging systems such as digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) has great promise for improving the detection and diagnosis of breast cancer. With these new technologies comes an essential need for testing methods to assess the resultant image quality. Although randomized clinical trials are the gold standard for assessing image quality, phantom‐based studies can provide a simpler and less burdensome approach. In this work, a complete framework is presented for task‐based evaluation of microcalcification (MCs) detection performance for DBT imaging systems. Methods The framework consists of three parts. The first part is a realistic anthropomorphic physical breast phantom created through inkjet printing, with parchment paper and iodine‐doped ink. The second is a method for inserting realistic MCs fabricated from calcium hydroxyapatite. The reproducibility and stability of the phantom materials were investigated through multiple samples of parchment and ink over 6 months. The final part is an analysis using a four‐alternative forced choice (4AFC) reader study. To demonstrate the framework, a task‐based 4AFC study was conducted using a clinical system to compare performance from DBT, synthetic mammography (SM), and full‐field digital mammography (FFDM). Nine human observers read images containing MC clusters imaged with all three modalities and tried to correctly locate the MCs. The proportion correct (PC) was measured as the number of correctly detected clusters out of all trials. Results Overall, readers scored the highest with FFDM, (PC = 0.95 ± 0.03) then DBT (0.85 ± 0.04), and finally SM (0.44 ± 0.06). For the parchment and ink samples, the linear attenuation properties were very stable over 6 months. In addition, little difference was found between the various parchment and ink samples, indicating good reproducibility. Conclusions This framework presents a promising methodology for evaluating diagnostic task performance of clinical breast DBT systems.

Ikejimba, Lynda C.↗

A comprehensive study of non-adaptive and residual-based adaptive sampling for physics-informed neural networks

Physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) have shown to be effective tools for solving both forward and inverse problems of partial differential equations (PDEs). PINNs embed the PDEs into the loss of the neural network using automatic differentiation, and this PDE loss is evaluated at a set of scattered spatio-temporal points (called residual points). The location and distribution of these residual points are highly important to the performance of PINNs. However, in the existing studies on PINNs, only a few simple residual point sampling methods have mainly been used. Here, we present a comprehensive study of two categories of sampling for PINNs: non-adaptive uniform sampling and adaptive nonuniform sampling. We consider six uniform sampling methods, including (1) equispaced uniform grid, (2) uniformly random sampling, (3) Latin hypercube sampling, (4) Halton sequence, (5) Hammersley sequence, and (6) Sobol sequence. We also consider a resampling strategy for uniform sampling. To improve the sampling efficiency and the accuracy of PINNs, we propose two new residual-based adaptive sampling methods: residual-based adaptive distribution (RAD) and residual-based adaptive refinement with distribution (RAR-D), which dynamically improve the distribution of residual points based on the PDE residuals during training. Hence, we have considered a total of 10 different sampling methods, including six non-adaptive uniform sampling, uniform sampling with resampling, two proposed adaptive sampling, and an existing adaptive sampling. We extensively tested the performance of these sampling methods for four forward problems and two inverse problems in many setups. Our numerical results presented in this study are summarized from more than 6000 simulations of PINNs. Here, we show that the proposed adaptive sampling methods of RAD and RAR-D significantly improve the accuracy of PINNs with fewer residual points for both forward and inverse problems. Furthermore, the results obtained in this study can also be used as a practical guideline in choosing sampling methods.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Random Alloyed versus Intermetallic Nanoparticles: A Comparison of Electrocatalytic Performance

As synthetic methods advance for metal nanoparticles, more rigorous studies of structure–function relationships can be made. Many electrocatalytic processes depend on the size, shape, and composition of the nanocatalysts. Here, the properties and electrocatalytic behavior of random alloyed and intermetallic nanoparticles are compared. Beginning with an introduction of metallic nanoparticles for catalysis and the unique features of bimetallic compositions, the discussion transitions to case studies of nanoscale electrocatalysts where direct comparisons of alloy and intermetallic compositions are undertaken for methanol electrooxidation, formic acid electrooxidation, the oxygen reduction reaction, and the electroreduction of carbon dioxide (CO2). Design and synthesis strategies for random alloyed and intermetallic nanoparticles are discussed, with an emphasis on Pt–M and Cu–M compositions as model systems. The differences in catalytic performance between alloys and intermetallic nanoparticles are highlighted in order to provide an outlook for future electrocatalyst design.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗