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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records

Co-dependent microstructural evolution pathways in metastable d-ferrite in cast austenitic stainless steels during thermal aging

Cast austenitic stainless steels (CASS) are excellent alloys because they combine high corrosion resistance with high strength and toughness. However, they are susceptible to embrittlement upon long-term thermal aging at elevated temperatures. Thus, the microstructural evolution pathways during thermal aging need to be understood to predict and potentially prevent embrittlement. Atom probe tomography was used to identify and quantify the microstructural evolution pathways of the d-ferrite in different CASS alloys aged for up to 10,000 hours at temperatures between 290 °C and 400 °C. The four steels – CF8, CF8M, CF3, and CF3M – which vary by Mo and C concentration, each experienced spinodal decomposition of the d-ferrite, and precipitation of G-phase clusters and Cu clusters attached to the G-phase. There were large differences in the extent of these features due to their Mo and C concentration. Using radial distribution function analysis, the interactions of constituent elements was found to determine the evolution of these features, with Mo and C specifically influencing the movement of Cr, Ni, Si, Mn, and Cu atoms due to their relative miscibility with these elements. The results will help inform predictive models for the use of duplex stainless steels for extended operation at high temperatures.

Duplex stainless steel, Aging, Spinodal decomposit↗

The impact of contamination and aging effects on the long-term laser-damage resistance of SiO 2 /HfO 2 /TiO 2 high-reflection coatings for 1054nm

The laser damage thresholds of optical coatings can degrade over time due to a variety of factors, including contamination and aging. Optical coatings deposited using electron beam evaporation are particularly susceptible to degradation due to their porous structure. In a previous study, the laser damage thresholds of optical coatings were reduced by roughly a factor of two from 2013 to 2017. The coatings in question were high reflectors for 1054 nm that contained SiO 2 and HfO 2 and/or TiO 2 layers, and they were stored in sealed PETG containers in a class 100 cleanroom with temperature control. At the time, it was not certain whether contamination or thin film aging effects were responsible for the reduced laser damage thresholds. Therefore, to better understand the role of contamination, the coatings were recleaned and the laser damage thresholds were measured again in 2018. Here, the results indicate that contamination played the most dominant role in reducing the laser damage thresholds of these optical coatings, even though they were stored in an environment that was presumed to be clean.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Younger facial looks are associate with a lower likelihood of several age-related morbidities in the middle-aged to elderly

Abstract Background Looking older for one’s chronological age is associated with a higher mortality rate. Yet it remains unclear how perceived facial age relates to morbidity and the degree to which facial ageing reflects systemic ageing of the human body. Objectives To investigate the association between ΔPA and age-related morbidities of different organ systems, where ΔPA represents the difference between perceived age (PA) and chronological age. Methods We performed a cross-sectional analysis on data from the Rotterdam Study, a population-based cohort study in the Netherlands. High-resolution facial photographs of 2679 men and women aged 51.5–87.8 years of European descent were used to assess PA. PA was estimated and scored in 5-year categories using these photographs by a panel of men and women who were blinded for chronological age and medical history. A linear mixed model was used to generate the mean PAs. The difference between the mean PA and chronological age was calculated (ΔPA), where a higher (positive) ΔPA means that the person looks younger for their age and a lower (negative) ΔPA that the person looks older. ΔPA was tested as a continuous variable for association with ageing-related morbidities including cardiovascular, pulmonary, ophthalmological, neurocognitive, renal, skeletal and auditory morbidities in separate regression analyses, adjusted for age and sex (model 1) and additionally for body mass index, smoking and sun exposure (model 2). Results We observed 5-year higher ΔPA (i.e. looking younger by 5 years for one’s age) to be associated with less osteoporosis [odds ratio (OR) 0.76, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.62–0.93], less chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.77–0.95), less age-related hearing loss (model 2; B = −0.76, 95% CI −1.35 to −0.17) and fewer cataracts (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.73–0.97), but with better global cognitive functioning (g-factor; model 2; B = 0.07, 95% CI 0.04–0.10). Conclusions PA is associated with multiple morbidities and better cognitive function, suggesting that systemic ageing and cognitive ageing are, to an extent, externally visible in the human face.

Mekić, Selma↗

Brain‐age prediction: Systematic evaluation of site effects, and sample age range and size

Abstract Structural neuroimaging data have been used to compute an estimate of the biological age of the brain (brain‐age) which has been associated with other biologically and behaviorally meaningful measures of brain development and aging. The ongoing research interest in brain‐age has highlighted the need for robust and publicly available brain‐age models pre‐trained on data from large samples of healthy individuals. To address this need we have previously released a developmental brain‐age model. Here we expand this work to develop, empirically validate, and disseminate a pre‐trained brain‐age model to cover most of the human lifespan. To achieve this, we selected the best‐performing model after systematically examining the impact of seven site harmonization strategies, age range, and sample size on brain‐age prediction in a discovery sample of brain morphometric measures from 35,683 healthy individuals (age range: 5–90 years; 53.59% female). The pre‐trained models were tested for cross‐dataset generalizability in an independent sample comprising 2101 healthy individuals (age range: 8–80 years; 55.35% female) and for longitudinal consistency in a further sample comprising 377 healthy individuals (age range: 9–25 years; 49.87% female). This empirical examination yielded the following findings: (1) the accuracy of age prediction from morphometry data was higher when no site harmonization was applied; (2) dividing the discovery sample into two age‐bins (5–40 and 40–90 years) provided a better balance between model accuracy and explained age variance than other alternatives; (3) model accuracy for brain‐age prediction plateaued at a sample size exceeding 1600 participants. These findings have been incorporated into CentileBrain ( https://centilebrain.org/#/brainAGE2 ), an open‐science, web‐based platform for individualized neuroimaging metrics.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Cognitive Aging as a Human Factor: Effects of Age on Human Performance

Nuclear power plant (NPP) control room operators must make ongoing computations and decisions that maximize production and ensure safety, which places a high cognitive burden on the operators. How cognitions such as attention, visuospatial ability, and working memory interact with socio-technical systems to achieve optimal operations is well studied. However, there is an absence of research that examines how cognitive functioning within the NPP control room environment is moderated by developmental aging processes. This is of critical importance because different types of cognitive actions are known to develop and peak at different times across the adult life span, and it is becoming increasingly clear that there is no age at which all cognitive faculties operate at maximum capacity. Thus, given that NPPs are experiencing an aging workforce, it is vital to identify how mission critical cognitions change with age. This paper reviews implications of aging on reactor operators in the current and new fleet. We highlight lessons that can be learned from state-of-the-art human factors research that considers aging, lessons from the large cognitive aging literature, and lessons from aging workers in other industries that use sophisticated socio-technical systems, such as aviation. We also consider the important subject of aging effects versus expertise and present preliminary data that support the premise that age of operator is linked to effective and efficient operations but that this relationship may be moderated by level of operations expertise. In conclusion, we apply these lessons to future considerations for aging research in current nuclear operations and with the advent of advanced modernized control rooms.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Accuracy and Precision of Age Estimates Obtained from Three Calcified Structures for Known-Age Kokanee

Abstract Kokanee Oncorhynchus nerka growth is often density dependent; thus, proper management of kokanee populations necessitates an understanding of population dynamics using age structure data. To date, no calcified structures have been validated for kokanee. We compared the accuracy (i.e., the percentage of reconciled age estimates that matched the known ages of fish) and precision (i.e., the percentage of fish for which complete agreement was achieved on age estimates among all readers) of aging estimates for scales, sectioned otoliths, and sectioned pectoral fin rays from 455 known-age kokanee (ages 0–4) collected from five lentic waters in Idaho. Across all waters combined, mean weighted accuracy and precision were similar for scales (86% and 70%, respectively), fin rays (83% and 65%), and otoliths (82% and 65%), with no significant differences between structures. However, among water bodies, accuracy and precision of each calcified structure varied considerably. For example, scales were the most accurate and precise structure and otoliths were the least accurate and precise structure at one water body, while otoliths were the most accurate and precise structure and scales were the least accurate structure at two water bodies. Fin rays were the least precise structure at four of the five study waters, but were the least accurate structure for only one water body. Individual reader accuracy was most affected by fish age and water body, and older fish (age 3 and older) were consistently assigned incorrect ages regardless of the water body or the calcified structure. Taken collectively, all three structures produced satisfactory aging accuracy and precision for kokanee, but no structure was unequivocally best; at any individual water body, annual growth and local environmental conditions appeared to influence the readability of calcified structures.

Branigan, Philip R. (ORCID:0000000337990573)↗

Mechanical property degradation and microstructural evolution of cast austenitic stainless steels under short-term thermal aging

Mechanical testing and microstructural characterization were performed on short-term thermally aged cast austenitic stainless steels (CASS) to understand the severity and mechanisms of thermal-aging degradation experienced during extended operation of light water reactor (LWR) coolant systems. Four CASS materials – CF3, CF3M, CF8, and CF8M – were thermally aged for 1500 hours at 290 °C, 330 °C, 360 °C, and 400 °C. All four alloys experienced insignificant change in strength and ductility properties but a significant reduction in absorbed impact energy. The primary microstructural and compositional changes during thermal aging were spinodal decomposition of the δ-ferrite into α/ α`, precipitation of G-phase in the δ-ferrite, segregation of solute to the austenite/ ferrite interphase boundary, and growth of M23C6 carbides on the austenite/ferrite interphase boundary. These changes were shown to be highly dependent on chemical composition, particularly the concentration of C and Mo, and aging temperature. A comprehensive model is being developed to correlate the microstructural evolution with mechanical behavior and simulation for predictive evaluations of LWR coolant system components.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Improving mitochondrial function with SS-31 reverses age-related redox stress and improves exercise tolerance in aged mice

Sarcopenia and exercise intolerance are major contributors to reduced quality of life in the elderly for which there are few effective treatments. We tested whether enhancing mitochondrial function and reducing mitochondrial oxidant production with SS-31 (elamipretide) could restore redox balance and improve skeletal muscle function in aged mice. Young (5 mo) and aged (26 mo) female C57BL/6Nia mice were treated for 8-weeks with 3 mg/kg/day SS-31. Mitochondrial function was assessed in vivo using 31P and optical spectroscopy. SS-31 reversed age-related decline in maximum mitochondrial ATP production (ATPmax) and coupling of oxidative phosphorylation (P/O). Despite the increased in vivo mitochondrial capacity, mitochondrial protein expression was either unchanged or reduced in the treated aged mice and respiration in permeabilized gastrocnemius (GAS) fibers was not different between the aged and aged+SS-31 mice. Treatment with SS-31 also restored redox homeostasis in the aged skeletal muscle. The glutathione redox status was more reduced and thiol redox proteomics indicated a robust reversal of cysteine S- glutathionylation post-translational modifications across the skeletal muscle proteome. The gastrocnemius in the age +SS-31 mice was more fatigue resistant with significantly greater mass compared to aged controls. This contributed to a significant increase in treadmill endurance compared to both pretreatment and untreated control values. These results demonstrate that the shift of redox homeostasis due to mitochondrial oxidant production in aged muscle is a key factor in energetic defects and exercise intolerance. Treatment with SS-31 restores redox homeostasis, improves mitochondrial quality, and increases exercise tolerance without an increase in mitochondrial content. Since elamipretide is currently in clinical trials these results indicate it may have direct translational value for improving exercise tolerance and quality of life in the elderly.

aging, fatigue, mitochondria, oxidative stress, sk↗

Probing Active-Site Relocation in Cu/SSZ-13 SCR Catalysts during Hydrothermal Aging by in situ EPR Spectroscopy, Kinetic Studies, and DFT Calculations

Cu/SSZ-13 selective catalytic reduction catalysts display activity loss after mild hydrothermal aging without support degradation or loss of isolated Cu ion content. By applying electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy to compare hydrated, dehydrated and NH3-saturated catalysts before and after hydrothermal aging, as well as density functional theory calculations, it is found that hydrothermal aging induces Cu relocation, leading to stronger Cu-support interactions. This is particularly evidenced by ZCuOH conversion to Z2Cu, which leads to the generation of a unique structure with two Cu(II) ions positioned in a double 6-membered ring prism. The Cu(II) ions that do not undergo such dramatic changes also appear to stay closer to framework windows as evidenced by the overall increased anisotropy during EPR measurements. In situ EPR measurements under SCR conditions demonstrate that, in comparison to the fresh catalyst, higher percentages of Cu species stay as Cu(II) in the aged catalyst. This suggests that the reduction half-cycle of the SCR redox, i.e., Cu(II) ? Cu(I), becomes slower for the hydrothermally aged catalyst.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Uranium particle age dating, aggregation, and model age best estimators

We present important aspects of uranium particle age dating by Large-Geometry Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (LG-SIMS) that can introduce bias and increase model age uncertainties, especially for small, young, and/or low-enriched particles. This metrology is important for applications related to International Nuclear Safeguards. We explore influential factors related to model age estimation, including the effects of evolving surface chemistry on inter-element measurements of particles (e.g., Th and U), detector background, and aggregation methods using simulated and actual particle samples. We introduce a new model age estimator, called “mid68”, that supplements 95% confidence intervals, providing a “best estimate” and uncertainty about the most likely age. The mid68 estimator can be calculated using the Feldman and Cousins method or Bayesian methods and provides a value with a symmetric uncertainty that can be used for calculations and approximate aggregation of processed model age values when the raw data and correction factors are not available. For particles yielding low 230 Th counts amidst nonzero detector background, their underlying model age probability distributions are asymmetric, so the mid68 estimator provides additional robust information regarding the underlying model age likelihood. This study provides a comprehensive and timely examination of critical aspects of uranium particle age dating as more laboratories establish particle chronometry capabilities.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DNA methylation–based age prediction and sex-specific epigenetic aging in a lizard with female-biased longevity

Sex differences in life span are widespread across animal taxa, but their causes remain unresolved. Alterations to the epigenome are hypothesized to contribute to vertebrate aging, and DNA methylation–based aging clocks allow for quantitative estimation of biological aging trajectories. Here, we investigate the influence of age, sex, and their interaction on genome-wide DNA methylation patterns in the brown anole (Anolis sagrei), a lizard with pronounced female-biased survival and longevity. We develop a series of age predictor models and find that, contrary to our predictions, rates of epigenetic aging were not slower in female lizards. However, methylation states at loci acquiring age-associated changes appear to be more “youthful” in young females, suggesting that female DNA methylomes are preemptively fortified in early life in opposition to the direction of age-related drift. Collectively, our findings provide insights into epigenetic aging in reptiles and suggest that early-life epigenetic profiles may be more informative than rates of change for predicting sex biases in longevity.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Reversion of aging-related DHEAS decline in mouse plasma alleviates aging-related glucose tolerance impairment by potentiation of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion of acute phase

Highlights: • Aging-related DHEAS decline in mouse plasma contribute to aging-related impairment of glucose tolerance. • Reversion of aging-related DHEAS deficiency in aging mice could alleviate aging-related glucose tolerance impairment. • In vitro, physical concentration of DHEAS potentiated GSIS of acute phase in aging mice pancreatic islets and MIN6 cells. The latest research proposes mild age-related diabetes (MARD) as a subgroup of type 2 diabetes. While in human circulating dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) decline with age is related to MARD, the role of circulating DHEAS in insulin secretion remains little known.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

NH3-SCR on Cu, Fe and Cu+Fe exchanged Beta and SSZ-13 catalysts: hydrothermal aging and propylene poisoning effects

Cu, Fe and Cu+Fe ion exchanged Beta and SSZ-13 catalysts were prepared by solution ion exchange using commercial NH4/Beta, and NH4/SSZ-13 that was prepared in-house. To study hydrothermal aging effects, Beta supported catalysts were aged hydrothermally at 700 C and SSZ-13 supported catalysts were aged at 750 C. In order to reveal the effects of Fe addition in the co-exchanged catalysts, these catalysts were characterized by means of powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption-desorption, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), 27Al-nuclear magnetic resonance (27Al-NMR) and propylene coking followed with temperature programmed reaction (TPR), and further tested with standard NH3-SCR with and without the presence of propylene. Collectively, the catalyst characterizations and reaction testing indicated minor beneficial effects of Fe addition in Cu,Fe/Beta, where NH3-SCR activity, N2 selectivity and hydrothermal stability were all slightly improved. In contrast, Fe addition did not show apparent beneficial effects in low-temperature SCR for the Cu,Fe/SSZ-13 case. At elevated reaction temperatures, however, the presence of Fe indeed considerably improved NO conversion and N2 selectivity for the hydrothermally aged Cu,Fe/SSZ-13 catalyst in the presence of propylene. The authors from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) gratefully acknowledge the US Department of Energy (DOE), Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Vehicle Technologies Office for the support of this work. The research described in this paper was performed in the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), a national scientific user facility sponsored by the DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research and located at PNNL. PNNL is operated for the US DOE by Battelle. The authors from East China University of Science and Technology acknowledge support from National Basic Research Program of China (2013CB933200), National Natural Science Foundation of China (21577035, 21577034), Commission of Science and Technology of Shanghai Municipality (15DZ1205305) and 111 Project (B08021). Aiyong Wang also gratefully acknowledges the China Scholarship Council for a Joint-Training Scholarship Program with PNNL.

Wang, Aiyong↗

Capture of Iodine from Nuclear-Fuel-Reprocessing Off-Gas: Influence of Aging on a Reduced Silver Mordenite Adsorbent after Exposure to NO/NO 2

Iodine radioisotopes released during nuclear fuel reprocessing must be removed from the off-gas stream before discharge. One promising material for iodine capture is reduced silver mordenite (Ag 0 Z). Nevertheless, the adsorbent’s capacity will degrade, or age, over time when the material is exposed to other off-gas constituents. Though the overall impact of aging is known, the underlying physical and chemical processes are not. To examine these processes, Ag 0 Z samples were prepared and aged in 2% NO 2 in dry air and in 1% NO in N 2 gas streams at 150 °C for up to six months. Aged samples were then characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. These techniques show that aging involves two overarching processes: (i) oxidation of the silver nanoparticles present in Ag 0 Z and (ii) migration of oxidized silver into the mordenite’s inner network. Silver on the nanoparticle’s surface is oxidized through adsorption of O 2 , NO, and NO 2 . Additionally, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy indicate that nitrates are the primary products of this adsorption. Most of these nitrates migrate into the interior of the mordenite and exchange at framework binding sites, returning silver to its unreduced state (AgZ). The remaining nitrates exist at a persistent concentration without aggregating into bulk-phase AgNO 3 . X-ray absorption spectroscopy results further indicate that iodine adsorption occurs on not just Ag 0 Z but also on AgZ and a portion of the nitrates in the system. AgZ adsorbs a sizable quantity of iodine early in the aging process, but its capacity drops rapidly over time. For well-aged samples, nitrates are responsible for up to 95% of mordenite’s iodine capacity. Overall, these results have enhanced our understanding of the aging process in silver mordenite and are expected to guide the development of superior adsorbents for the capture of radioactive iodine from reprocessing off-gas.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Frequency Domain Reflectometry NDE for Aging Cables in Nuclear Power Plants

Cable insulation polymers are among the more susceptible materials to age-related degradation within a nuclear power plant. This is recognized by both regulators and utilities, so all plants have developed cable aging management programs to detect damage before critical component failure in compliance with regulatory guidelines. Although a wide range of tools are available to evaluate cables and cable systems, cable aging management programs vary in how condition monitoring and nondestructive examinations are conducted as utilities search for the most reliable and cost-effective ways to assess cable system condition. Frequency domain reflectometry (FDR) is emerging as one valuable tool to locate and assess damaged portions of a cable system with minimal cost and only requires access in most cases to one of the cable terminal ends. Since laboratory studies to evaluate the use of FDR for inspection of aged cables can be expensive and data interpretation may be confounded by multiple factors which influence results, a model-based approach is desired to parametrically investigate the effect of insulation material damage in a controlled manner. This work describes development of a physics-based FDR model which uses finite element simulations of cable segments in conjunction with cascaded circuit element simulations to efficiently study a cable system. One or more segments of the cable system model have altered physical or electrical properties which represent the degree of damage and the location of the damage in the system. This circuit model is then subjected to a simulated FDR examination. The modeling approach is verified using several experimental cases and by comparing it to a commercial simulator suitable for simulation of some cable configurations. The model is used to examine a broad range of parameters including defect length, defect profile, degree of degradation, number and location of defects, FDR bandwidth, and addition of impedance-matched extensions to minimize the end-shadow effect.

Cable Inspection, Frequency Domain Reflectometry↗

On the Impact of Income, Age, and Travel Distance on the Value of Time

The value of time (VOT) is a fundamental component used in transportation modeling, policy analysis, and economic appraisal. Decades of research and practice have empirically estimated the VOT across many factors (e.g., mode, purpose, time, comfort, etc.), yet little is known about its underlying form. Although it is well established that VOT can vary, it is still unclear whether patterns exist in this variation. The objective of this paper is not to merely estimate the VOT, but to model the VOT across multiple continuous and interacting variables. The purpose is to reveal its functional form with respect to mode, age, gender, purpose, income, and time of day to provide a generalizable understanding for future research and practice. Such an understanding can help develop simpler models and reduce the need for bespoke estimations for every conceivable variable perturbation. This research utilized a household travel survey containing 14,159 reported trips with imputed travel time and costs for the alternative mode choices. The average overall estimated VOT is 40.32 $/h, with results showing VOT varying log-linearly with income and trip distance, but following a Gaussian function (normal curve) with age. Overall, the results show that travel distance dominates VOT variation, which increases exponentially at a rate that is 3.61 times higher per mile of distance than per $10,000 of income, and that VOT by age peaks at age 54. This basic understanding of how the VOT varies sets the foundation for answering the subsequent question for why it might vary.

Engineering↗

2021 Report - SRNL Aging and Lifetimes program tritium aging studies on structural alloys

This report documents work performed in fiscal year 2021 at SRNL in support of the Aging and Lifetimes program. This work is part of an on-going collaboration between SRNL and SNL to understand tritium embrittlement of structural metals used in Gas Transfer System reservoirs, thereby informing lifetime assessments and predictions. In this effort, test coupons are pre-charged with tritium and allowed to age in a freezer to minimize tritium diffusion and off-gassing while allowing for born-in helium levels to systematically increase. Coupons are then removed periodically and tested to develop an understanding of how mechanical properties degrade as helium levels increase. This report summarizes test results from coupons which are in various stages of aging as they were tritium pre-charged in previous years. Tests were performed on 304L that was previously tritium pre-charged and allowed to age to nominally 300 appm helium. Specimens from this study were previously tested at 100 appm nominal helium content, and this new test point expands that study. Tensile testing of these heat treated 304L tubes (and welded tubes) aged to 100 appm helium were completed which provided a unique study of a diverse set of microstructures and yield strengths ranging from 200-800 MPa. Additionally, 304L notched and smooth tensile specimens aged to 300 appm helium were tensile tested to predetermined strains to provide for a systematic microscopy investigation of aging effects on microstructural damage in partnership with SNL. Testing was performed on 304L electron beam (EB) weld coupons as well as 21-6-9 annealed coupons that were thermally pre-charged in 2020. Tests on the EB welds were completed at 100 appm helium contents, and tests on the annealed 21-6-9 material were completed at 100, 200, and 300 appm helium. Table 0-1 provides the status of the ongoing tritium coupon aging studies. The table includes the year tritium pre-charging took place, the material, and the targeted helium concentrations (appm) for testing.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗