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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 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

NARROW-K-BAND OBSERVATIONS OF THE GJ 1214 SYSTEM

GJ 1214 is a nearby M dwarf star that hosts a transiting super-Earth-size planet, making this system an excellent target for atmospheric studies. Most studies find that the transmission spectrum of GJ 1214b is flat, which favors either a high mean molecular weight or cloudy/hazy hydrogen (H) rich atmosphere model. Photometry at short wavelengths (<0.7 μm) and in the K band can discriminate the most between these different atmosphere models for GJ 1214b, but current observations do not have sufficiently high precision. We present photometry of seven transits of GJ 1214b through a narrow K-band (2.141 μm) filter with the Wide Field Camera on the 3.8 m United Kingdom Infrared Telescope. Our photometric precision is typically 1.7 × 10{sup –3} (for a single transit), comparable with other ground-based observations of GJ 1214b. We measure a planet-star radius ratio of 0.1158 ± 0.0013, which, along with other studies, also supports a flat transmission spectrum for GJ 1214b. Since this does not exclude a scenario where GJ 1214b has an H-rich envelope with heavy elements that are sequestered below a cloud/haze layer, we compare K-band observations with models of H{sub 2} collision-induced absorption in an atmosphere for a range of temperatures. While we find no evidence for deviation from a flat spectrum (slope s = 0.0016 ± 0.0038), an H{sub 2}-dominated upper atmosphere (<60 mbar) cannot be excluded. More precise observations at <0.7 μm and in the K band, as well as a uniform analysis of all published data, would be useful for establishing more robust limits on atmosphere models for GJ 1214b.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

White dwarfs in the UKIRT infrared deep sky survey data release

We have identified 8 to 10 new cool white dwarfs from the Large Area Survey (LAS) Data Release 9 of the United Kingdom InfraRed Telescope (UKIRT) Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS). The data set was paired with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to obtain proper motions and a broad ugrizYJHK wavelength coverage. Optical spectroscopic observations were secured at Gemini Observatory and confirm the degenerate status for eight of our targets. The final sample includes two additional white dwarf candidates with no spectroscopic observations. We rely on improved one-dimensional model atmospheres and new multi-dimensional simulations with CO5BOLD to review the stellar parameters of the published LAS white dwarf sample along with our additional discoveries. Most of the new objects possess very cool atmospheres with effective temperatures below 5000 K, including two pure-hydrogen remnants with a cooling age between 8.5 and 9.0 Gyr, and tangential velocities in the range 40 km s{sup –1} ≤v {sub tan} ≤ 60 km s{sup –1}. They are likely thick disk 10-11 Gyr old objects. In addition, we find a resolved double degenerate system with v {sub tan} ∼ 155 km s{sup –1} and a cooling age between 3.0 and 5.0 Gyr. These white dwarfs could be disk remnants with a very high velocity or former halo G stars. We also compare the LAS sample with earlier studies of very cool degenerates and observe a similar deficit of helium-dominated atmospheres in the range 5000 < T {sub eff} (K) < 6000. We review the possible explanations for the spectral evolution from helium-dominated toward hydrogen-rich atmospheres at low temperatures.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Compact quiescent galaxies at intermediate redshifts {sup ,}

From several searches of the area common to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope Infrared Deep Sky Survey, we have selected 22 luminous galaxies between z ∼ 0.4 and z ∼ 0.9 that have colors and sizes similar to those of the compact quiescent galaxies at z > 2. By exploring structural parameters and stellar populations, we found that most of these galaxies actually formed most of their stars at z < 2 and are generally less compact than those found at z > 2. Several of these young objects are disk-like or possibly prolate. This lines up with several previous studies that found that massive quiescent galaxies at high redshifts often have disk-like morphologies. If these galaxies were to be confirmed to be disk-like, their formation mechanism must be able to account for both compactness and disks. On the other hand, if these galaxies were to be confirmed to be prolate, the fact that prolate galaxies do not exist in the local universe would indicate that galaxy formation mechanisms have evolved over cosmic time. We also found five galaxies forming over 80% of their stellar masses at z > 2. Three of these galaxies appear to have been modified to have spheroid-like morphologies, in agreement with the scenario of 'inside-out' buildup of massive galaxies. The remaining galaxies, SDSS J014355.21+133451.4 and SDSS J115836.93+021535.1, have truly old stellar populations and disk-like morphologies. These two objects would be good candidates for nearly unmodified compact quiescent galaxies from high redshifts that are worth future study.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

NEAR-INFRARED H{sub 2} AND CONTINUUM SURVEY OF EXTENDED GREEN OBJECTS

The Spitzer GLIMPSE survey has revealed a number of 'Extended Green Objects' (EGOs) that display extended emission at 4.5 {mu}m. These EGOs are potential candidates for high-mass protostellar outflows. We used high-resolution (<1'') H{sub 2} 1-0 S(1) line, K-, and H-band images from the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope to study 34 EGOs to investigate their nature. We found that 12 EGOs exhibit H{sub 2} outflows (two with chains of H{sub 2} knotty structures, five with extended H{sub 2} bipolar structures, three with extended H{sub 2} lobes, and two with pairs of H{sub 2} knots). Of the 12 EGOs with H{sub 2} outflows, three exhibit similar morphologies between the 4.5 {mu}m and H{sub 2} emission. However, the remaining nine EGOs show that the H{sub 2} features are more extended than the continuum features, and the H{sub 2} emission is seldom associated with continuum emission. Furthermore, the morphologies of the near-infrared continuum and 4.5 {mu}m emission are similar to each other for those EGOs with K-band emission, implying that at least part of the IRAC-band continuum emission of EGOs comes from scattered light from the embedded young stellar objects.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

NEAR-INFRARED H{sub 2} AND CONTINUUM SURVEY OF EXTENDED GREEN OBJECTS. II. COMPLETE CENSUS FOR THE NORTHERN GALACTIC PLANE

We discuss 94 Extended Green Objects (EGOs) in the northern Galactic plane cataloged by Cyganowski et al., based on near-infrared narrow H{sub 2} (2.122 μm) and continuum observations from the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope. This data set is three times larger than the one in our previous study and is unbiased by preselection. As discussed in the previous paper, the morphologies of the 4.5 μm emission generally resemble those of the near-infrared continuum, but are different from those of the H{sub 2} emission. Of our sample, only 28% of EGOs with H{sub 2} emission show similar morphologies between 4.5 μm and H{sub 2} emission. These results suggest that the 4.5 μm emission mainly comes from scattered continuum from the embedded young stellar objects, and partially from H{sub 2} emission. About half of EGOs are associated with H{sub 2} outflows, if the H{sub 2} outflow incompleteness is considered. The H{sub 2} outflow detection rate for EGOs with K-band detections (61%) is significantly higher than for those without K-band detections (36%). This difference may be due to the fact that both H{sub 2} and K-band emissions are associated with outflows, i.e., H{sub 2} emission and K-band continuum are associated with shocks and outflow cavities, respectively. We also compared the correlation between the H{sub 2} outflows and Class I 44 GHz methanol masers from the literature. The methanol masers can be located upstream or downstream of the H{sub 2} outflows and some bright H{sub 2} spots or outflows are not associated with methanol masers, suggesting that methanol masers and H{sub 2} emission trace different excitation conditions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Past, present and future—sample environments for materials research studies in scattering and spectroscopy; a UK perspective

Small Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS) and X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS) are two techniques that have been employed at synchrotron sources ever since their inception. Over the course of the development of the techniques, the introduction of sample environments for added value experiments has grown dramatically. This article reviews past successes, current developments and an exploration of future possibilities for these two X-ray techniques with an emphasis on the developments in the United Kingdom between 1980-2020.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Process-based climate change assessment for European winds using EURO-CORDEX and global models

Wind energy is an important pillar of decarbonization strategies and potentially vulnerable to climate change. Existing wind climate change assessments rely on climate models but a systematic investigation of the global-to-regional climate modeling chain is missing. In this study, I highlight key limitations, namely (a) the differing representation of land use change in global and regional climate models which compromises comparability, and (b) the consistency of large-scale features along the global-to-regional climate modeling chain. To this end, I analyze the large European Coordinated Downscaling Experiment (EURO-CORDEX) ensemble (rcp85: N = 49; rcp45: N= 18; rcp26: N = 22) along with the driving global models (rcp85: N = 7; rcp45: N = 5; rcp26: N = 7), finding evidence that climate change reduces mean wind speeds by up to -0.8 ms -1 (offshore) and -0.3 ms -1 (onshore). I provide physical explanations for these changes by identifying two key drivers. First, onshore wind speeds drop in the driving global models in regions and scenarios with strong land use change but show no drop in EURO-CORDEX where land use is held constant. Second, offshore wind reductions follow decreases in the equator-to-pole temperature gradient remarkably well with correlations reaching around 0.9 in resource-rich European countries like Ireland, the United Kingdom and Norway, implying that arctic amplification is a severe risk for European offshore wind energy. My results suggest that earlier conclusions of negligible climate change impacts on wind energy might be premature if either land use changes strongly or polar amplification is at or above the range sampled in global climate models.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Identification of 2 Novel Subtypes of Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 8 and a Potential New Genotype Successfully Treated With Direct Acting Antivirals

Abstract Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has high genetic diversity and is classified into 8 genotypes and >90 subtypes, with some endemic to specific world regions. This could compromise direct-acting antiviral efficacy and global HCV elimination. Methods We characterized HCV subtypes “rare” in the United Kingdom (non-1a/1b/2b/3a/4d) by means of whole-genome sequencing via a national surveillance program. Genetic analyses to determine the genotype of samples with unresolved genotypes were undertaken by comparison with International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses HCV reference sequences. Results Two HCV variants were characterized as being closely related to the recently identified genotype (GT) 8, with >85% pairwise genetic distance similarity to GT8 sequences and within the typical intersubtype genetic distance range. The individuals infected by the variants were UK residents originally from Pakistan and India. In contrast, a third variant was only confidently identified to be more similar to GT6 compared with other genotypes across 6% of the genome and was isolated from a UK resident originally from Guyana. All 3 were cured with pangenotypic direct-acting antivirals (sofosbuvir-velpatasvir or glecaprevir-pibrentasvir) despite the presence of resistance polymorphisms in NS3 (80K/168E), NS5A (28V/30S/62L/92S/93S) and NS5B (159F). Conclusions This study expands our knowledge of HCV diversity by identifying 2 new GT8 subtypes and potentially a new genotype.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Student Chapter at Virginia Tech Resurrected [Society News]

The IEEE Power Electronics Society (PELS) Student Chapter at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, hosted Prof. Pat Wheeler from the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom, on 10 April as part of the PELS Distinguished Lecturer Program. He gave an engaging talk, “Electric Superbike Racing: The Design and Construction of a Series Winning Electric Motorbike,” to approximately 30 Virginia Tech undergraduate and graduate students in engineering (electrical, computer, mechanical, industrial, and even biomedical) as well as industrial design and computer science (Figure 1).

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2011

The National Ignition Facility and the Path to Fusion Energy

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is operational and conducting experiments at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The NIF is the world's largest and most energetic laser experimental facility with 192 beams capable of delivering 1.8 megajoules of 500-terawatt ultraviolet laser energy, over 60 times more energy than any previous laser system. The NIF can create temperatures of more than 100 million degrees and pressures more than 100 billion times Earth's atmospheric pressure. These conditions, similar to those at the center of the sun, have never been created in the laboratory and will allow scientists to probe the physics of planetary interiors, supernovae, black holes, and other phenomena. The NIF's laser beams are designed to compress fusion targets to the conditions required for thermonuclear burn, liberating more energy than is required to initiate the fusion reactions. Experiments on the NIF are focusing on demonstrating fusion ignition and burn via inertial confinement fusion (ICF). The ignition program is conducted via the National Ignition Campaign (NIC) - a partnership among LLNL, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics, and General Atomics. The NIC program has also established collaborations with the Atomic Weapons Establishment in the United Kingdom, Commissariat a Energie Atomique in France, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and many others. Ignition experiments have begun that form the basis of the overall NIF strategy for achieving ignition. Accomplishing this goal will demonstrate the feasibility of fusion as a source of limitless, clean energy for the future. This paper discusses the current status of the NIC, the experimental steps needed toward achieving ignition and the steps required to demonstrate and enable the delivery of fusion energy as a viable carbon-free energy source.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Using butterfly survey data to model habitat associations in urban developments

Abstract One approach for measuring the potential biodiversity in new urban construction projects is through ecological models that predict how wildlife will respond. For the United Kingdom, such models have only been developed for birds, but to maximise the extent to which models represent overall biodiversity, species from different indicator groups must be considered. Here, we assess this possibility for butterflies by combining citizen science survey data with high‐resolution digital maps. We derive detailed characteristics of urban landscapes around survey sites using previously established methods and quantify their relationship to counts of adults of 18 butterfly species in urban and peri‐urban settings. Higher butterfly counts were found when traversing urban sites with larger areas of semi‐natural grassland, other managed greenspaces and adjacent arable land. Most of the butterfly community were found to have negative relationships with highly built‐up or fragmented landscapes. We found high species‐specificity for different details of urban form, particularly in habitat elements such as gardens, vegetation around railways and grass verges. Policy implications . Improving biodiversity is now part of legislation governing new construction projects from England and Wales. However, predicting quantitative changes from hypothetical land‐use modifications remains challenging. Our models provide the foundation through which butterfly abundance could be integrated into an urban biodiversity assessment tool, providing species‐ and community‐level statistics to non‐specialists from the urban planning and design sector. This would allow them to hone configurations for built surfaces, private gardens, greenspaces and wildlife areas and assess their capacity to provide residents with the intended access to nature.

Cooper, Joseph E. J.↗
DOE OSTI2016

Consumption-Based Conservation Targeting: Linking Biodiversity Loss to Upstream Demand through a Global Wildlife Footprint: Global wildlife footprint

Although most conservation efforts address the direct, local causes of biodiversity loss, effective long-term conservation will require complementary efforts to reduce the upstream economic pressures, such as demands for food and forest products, which ultimately drive these downstream losses. Here, we present a wildlife footprint analysis that links global losses of wild birds to consumer purchases across 57 economic sectors in 129 regions. The United States, India, China, and Brazil have the largest regional wildlife footprints, while per-person footprints are highest in Mongolia, Australia, Botswana, and the United Arab Emirates. A US$100 purchase of bovine meat or rice products occupies approximately 0.1 km 2 of wild bird ranges, displacing 1–2 individual birds, for 1 year. Globally significant importer regions, including Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and France, have large footprints that drive wildlife losses elsewhere in the world and represent important targets for consumption-focused conservation attention.

Biodiversity & Conservation↗
DOE OSTI2023

Tigers at a crossroads: Shedding light on the role of Bangladesh in the illegal trade of this iconic big cat

Abstract Unsustainable wildlife trade is a major threat to many species, but quantifying trade remains challenging, as seizure data provides an incomplete understanding. For this reason, integrating multiple types of information, including interviews with actors involved in trade, is crucial if we are to understand the problem better. Hence, in this study, we digitized Bangladesh Forest Department tiger seizure records to identify trade routes and interviewed 163 individuals involved in trafficking tigers through Bangladesh's air, sea and land ports, including poachers, smugglers, and traders. We identified six ports used to import tigers, 14 ports used for tiger export and three ports showing bi‐directional trade. Elite Bangladeshis were the most important consumer group, and tigers were sourced from populations in NE India, Myanmar and Bangladesh Sundarbans to supply domestic demand. Tiger products were exported to 14 countries, including seven G20 nations, with Bangladeshi expatriates as the consumer group in three countries (United Kingdom, Germany and Qatar). Rising economic development in Bangladesh over the last decade, combined with deep‐rooted cultural ties to tiger consumption, has led to a rise in domestic demand. Additionally, rapid growth in international transport links has increased smuggling and connected local traders with global markets, increasing the complexity of global trade. These findings suggest Bangladesh is poised to play a pivotal role in tiger conservation over the next decade, requiring strong national strategies to reduce trade opportunities, disrupt networks and weaken demand.

Uddin, Nasir↗
DOE OSTI2018

Declining population trends of European mountain birds

Abstract Mountain areas often hold special species communities, and they are high on the list of conservation concern. Global warming and changes in human land use, such as grazing pressure and afforestation, have been suggested to be major threats for biodiversity in the mountain areas, affecting species abundance and causing distribution shifts towards mountaintops. Population shifts towards poles and mountaintops have been documented in several areas, indicating that climate change is one of the key drivers of species’ distribution changes. Despite the high conservation concern, relatively little is known about the population trends of species in mountain areas due to low accessibility and difficult working conditions. Thanks to the recent improvement of bird monitoring schemes around Europe, we can here report a first account of population trends of 44 bird species from four major European mountain regions: Fennoscandia, UK upland, south‐western (Iberia) and south‐central mountains (Alps), covering 12 countries. Overall, the mountain bird species declined significantly (−7%) during 2002–2014, which is similar to the declining rate in common birds in Europe during the same period. Mountain specialists showed a significant −10% decline in population numbers. The slope for mountain generalists was also negative, but not significantly so. The slopes of specialists and generalists did not differ from each other. Fennoscandian and Iberian populations were on average declining, while in United Kingdom and Alps, trends were nonsignificant. Temperature change or migratory behaviour was not significantly associated with regional population trends of species. Alpine habitats are highly vulnerable to climate change, and this is certainly one of the main drivers of mountain bird population trends. However, observed declines can also be partly linked with local land use practices. More efforts should be undertaken to identify the causes of decline and to increase conservation efforts for these populations.

Lehikoinen, Aleksi↗
DOE OSTI2013

'Strategy is a commodity, implementation is an art' - 2 years of implementation of the UK national LLW strategy

The Low Level Waste Repository (LLWR) is the primary facility for disposal of Low Level Waste (LLW) in the United Kingdom (UK), serving the UK nuclear industry and a diverse range of other sectors. Management of LLW in the UK historically was dominated by disposal to the LLWR. The value of the LLWR as a national asset was recognised by the 2007 UK Governmental Policy on management of solid LLW. At this time, analysis of the projected future demand for disposal at LLWR against facility capacity was undertaken identifying a credible risk that the capacity of LLWR would be insufficient to meet future demand if existing waste management practices were perpetuated. To mitigate this risk a National Strategy for the management of LLW in the UK was developed by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), partnered with LLW Repository Ltd. (the organisation established in 2008 to manage the LLWR on behalf of NDA). This strategy was published in 2010 and identified three mechanisms for protection of the capacity of LLWR - application of the Waste Hierarchy by waste producers; optimised use of existing assets for LLW management; and opening of new waste treatment and disposal routes to enable diversion of waste away from the LLWR. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2012

Technical Note: Suppression of artifacts arising from simultaneous cone-beam imaging and RF transponder tracking in prostate radiotherapy

Purpose: Artifacts in treatment-room cone-beam reconstructions have been observed at the authors' center when cone-beam acquisition is simultaneous with radio frequency (RF) transponder tracking using the Calypso 4D system (Calypso Medical, Seattle, WA). These artifacts manifest as CT-number modulations and increased CT-noise. The authors present a method for the suppression of the artifacts. Methods: The authors propose a three-stage postprocessing technique that can be applied to image volumes previously reconstructed by a cone-beam system. The stages are (1) segmentation of voxels into air, soft-tissue, and bone; (2) application of a 2D spatial-filter in the axial plane to the soft-tissue voxels; and (3) normalization to remove streaking along the axial-direction. The algorithm was tested on patient data acquired with Synergy XVI cone-beam CT systems (Elekta, Crawley, United Kingdom). Results: The computational demands of the suggested correction are small, taking less than 15 s per cone-beam reconstruction on a desktop PC. For a moderate loss of spatial-resolution, the artifacts are strongly suppressed and low-contrast visibility is improved. Conclusions: The correction technique proposed is fast and effective in removing the artifacts caused by simultaneous cone-beam imaging and RF-transponder tracking.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2014

MO-E-18C-01: Open Access Web-Based Peer-To-Peer Training and Education in Radiotherapy

Purpose: Current training and education delivery models have limitations which result in gaps in clinical proficiency with equipment, procedures, and techniques. Educational and training opportunities offered by vendors and professional societies are by their nature not available at point of need or for the life of clinical systems. The objective of this work is to leverage modern communications technology to provide peer-to-peer training and education for radiotherapy professionals, in the clinic and on demand, as they undertake their clinical duties. Methods: We have developed a free of charge web site ( https://i.treatsafely.org ) using the Google App Engine and datastore (NDB, GQL), Python with AJAX-RPC, and Javascript. The site is a radiotherapy-specific hosting service to which user-created videos illustrating clinical or physics processes and other relevant educational material can be uploaded. Efficient navigation to the material of interest is provided through several RT specific search tools and videos can be scored by users, thus providing comprehensive peer review of the site content. The site also supports multilingual narration\translation of videos, a quiz function for competence assessment and a library function allowing groups or institutions to define their standard operating procedures based on the video content. Results: The website went live in August 2013 and currently has over 680 registered users from 55 countries; 27.2% from the United States, 9.8% from India, 8.3% from the United Kingdom, 7.3% from Brazil, and 47.5% from other countries. The users include physicists (57.4%), Oncologists (12.5%), therapists (8.2%) and dosimetrists (4.8%). There are 75 videos to date including English, Portuguese, Mandarin, and Thai. Conclusion: Based on the initial acceptance of the site, we conclude that this open access web-based peer-to-peer tool is fulfilling an important need in radiotherapy training and education. Site functionality should expand in the future to include document sharing and continuing education credits.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗