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At least 307 records · Page 17
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Conducting Gamma Radiation Surveys on Municipal Roadways in Support of the Port Hope Area Initiative - 16602

The Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI) is a community-based solution for the long-term management of historic low level radioactive waste (LLRW) resulting from 60 years of uranium and radium processing operations in the Town of Port Hope, Ontario. The project aims to remediate approximately 1.7 million cubic metres LLRW through the consolidation of waste within two Long-term Waste Management facilities to be constructed within the municipalities of Port Hope and Clarington. Within the Town of Port Hope, surveys are being conducted at approximately 5000 individual properties to confirm the presence of LLRW, delineate its extent and develop cost estimates for remediation. Identification of the presence of LLRW is based on multiple lines of evidence including reviews of historical information, gamma radiation surveys and sampling for four signature contaminants. Of the 5000 properties, a number are municipal rights of way, largely municipal roads, that may have been impacted through spillage of LLRW when it was historically transported through the community for disposal and/or through its use as construction backfill. This paper describes the completion of gamma radiation surveys on these municipal rights of way and the challenges that needed to be addressed working on travelled roadways in an active community. To maximize efficiency and minimize inconvenience to motorists the gamma surveys are conducted using a mobile platform that provides high resolution spectral gamma logging coupled to GPS for geo-spatial referencing. The system employs large volume, spectroscopy grade, sodium iodide detectors that permit the collection radiological spectra allowing for effective discrimination of gamma radiation signals emitted from naturally occurring background sources (e.g. potassium 40) from the gamma emissions associated with the specific contaminants of concern (e.g. Ra-226). The system can be deployed on any platform including a backpack. For the majority of the roadways surveyed a small, self-contained, road-legal trailer attached to a motorized tow vehicle (e.g. side-by-side UTV or small pick-up truck) is used as the survey platform. This accommodates the mounting of multiple detectors and allows the surveys to be conducted without the need for closing traffic lanes thus improving productivity and safety while minimizing inconvenience to motorists. Data quality objectives are readily achieved through the use of multiple passes over the same target area providing a geo-spatially rich dataset for post-processing and imaging. Topics covered in the paper include: the logistics of completing high quality gamma surveys on travelled roadways; health, safety and traffic considerations; community outreach and response; and a comparison of isotopically-speciated data vs total gamma readings evaluating the influence of background sources. The lessons learned will be applicable to anyone planning on conducting similar surveys in urban settings. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2011

Serial Input Output

Serial Input/Output (SIO) is designed to be a long term storage format of a sophistication somewhere between simple ASCII files and the techniques provided by inter alia Objectivity and Root. The former tend to be low density, information lossy (floating point numbers lose precision) and inflexible. The latter require abstract descriptions of the data with all that that implies in terms of extra complexity. The basic building blocks of SIO are streams, records and blocks. Streams provide the connections between the program and files. The user can define an arbitrary list of streams as required. A given stream must be opened for either reading or writing. SIO does not support read/write streams. If a stream is closed during the execution of a program, it can be reopened in either read or write mode to the same or a different file. Records represent a coherent grouping of data. Records consist of a collection of blocks (see next paragraph). The user can define a variety of records (headers, events, error logs, etc.) and request that any of them be written to any stream. When SIO reads a file, it first decodes the record name and if that record has been defined and unpacking has been requested for it, SIO proceeds to unpack the blocks. Blocks are user provided objects which do the real work of reading/writing the data. The user is responsible for writing the code for these blocks and for identifying these blocks to SIO at run time. To write a collection of blocks, the user must first connect them to a record. The record can then be written to a stream as described above. Note that the same block can be connected to many different records. When SIO reads a record, it scans through the blocks written and calls the corresponding block object (if it has been defined) to decode it. Undefined blocks are skipped. Each of these categories (streams, records and blocks) have some characteristics in common. Every stream, record and block has a name with the condition that each stream, record or block name must be unique in its category (i.e. all streams must have different names, but a stream can have the same name as a record). Each category is an arbitrary length list which is handled by a 'manager' and there is one manager for each category.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2021

MiR-205–5p suppresses angiogenesis in gastric cancer by downregulating the expression of VEGFA and FGF1

Highlights: • MiR-205-5p was commonly downregulated in GC tissues from TCGA database and our hospital, and these events were associated with a worse TNM stagedistant metastasis and poor survival. • MiR-205-5p and CD31 expressions were negatively inter-related within GC tissues from TCGA database and our hospital. • GC cell lines expressed lower level of miR-205-5p significantly as compared with the normal gastric cell line. • MiR-205-5p upregulation significantly impaired proliferation and colony formation of GC cells and neovascularization induced by GC cells in vitro and in vivo. • The angiogenesis and ERK-signaling were depressed by VEGFA and FGF1 downregulation induced by miR-205-5p overexpression. The miR-205-5p inhibitor promoted malignant phenotypes by enhancing VEGFA and FGF1 expressions, as well as the activation of ERK-signaling. Anti-angiogenic therapy represents one of the most promising treatment modalities for human cancers. However, the response to antiangiogenic therapy in gastric cancer (GC) remains dismal. To help identify new strategies for antiangiogenic therapy in GC, we evaluated miR-205–5p expression in GC tissues from TCGA database and our hospital, and its functions in angiogenesis were explored in vitro and in vivo. We investigated miR-205–5p expression and microvessel densities (MVDs) in GC tissues and liver metastases from patients. The function and mechanisms of miR-205–5p were examined in human cell lines and in xenograft mouse models. Associations between miR-205–5p expression and clinical characteristics were analyzed using either Pearson's χ{sup 2} test or Fisher's exact test. Differences in overall survival (OS) distributions were evaluated using the log-rank test. Differences in measurement data were compared using Student's t-test and one-way ANOVA. We found that miR-205–5p expression was downregulated in GC tissues and was negatively correlated with CD31 expression in both TCGA and our clinical samples. GC cell lines expressed low levels of miR-205–5p, and miR-205–5p upregulation significantly impaired the proliferation and angiogenesis of GC cells. Moreover, vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) expression and activation of extracellular-related kinase (ERK) signaling were suppressed by miR-205–5p. MiR-205–5p inhibition promoted malignant phenotypes by enhancing VEGFA and FGF1 expression, as well as the activation of ERK signaling. Angiogenesis and ERK signaling were decreased in response to VEGFA and FGF1 downregulation induced by miR-205–5p overexpression. The dual-luciferase reporter assay showed that VEGFA and FGF1 were direct targets of miR-205–5p. Xenograft mouse models revealed that miR-205–5p suppressed tumor growth by inhibiting neovascularization. Altogether, these results demonstrate that miR-205–5p suppresses angiogenesis in GC by attenuating the expression of VEGFA and FGF1, indicating that upregulation of miR-205–5p may represent as an antiangiogenic therapy for GC.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Performance evaluation of the USGS velocity model for the San Francisco Bay Area

In this study, we evaluated the performance of the United States Geological Survey velocity model developed for the San Francisco Bay Area (SFBA), version 21.1. The evaluation was performed through high-resolution three-dimensional physics-based ground motion simulations of seven small-magnitude earthquakes (ranging from magnitude 3.8 to 4.4) that occurred on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay. The simulations were performed in the frequency range from 0 to 5 Hz with a minimum shear-wave velocity of 250 m/s, which allowed the capture of wave propagation effects of the near-surface soft materials that characterize local basins. Based on the direct comparison of Fourier amplitude spectra between recorded and simulated ground motions for more than 250 stations, we found that the velocity model generally performs well in the frequency range of 0.2–5 Hz. The median value of the Fourier amplitude residuals was found to be near zero for all seven earthquakes. The slight over-prediction of 0.2 log-natural units at frequencies above 3 Hz in our simulations was attributed to the potentially inaccurate representation of the source radiation pattern by a double-couple point source model, and simple representation of shallow small-scale underground structural complexity in the velocity model. Maps of spectral amplitude differences between the simulated and recorded data were used to identify areas responsible for systematic ground motion over-predictions or under-predictions. For example, while some sub-domains over soft sediments show over-prediction patterns, the block east of the Hayward fault is prone to exhibit patterns of under-prediction. These maps can be used to guide future refinements of the SFBA velocity model. Since our simulation methodology allows for the decoupling of the source and wave propagation effects, the ground motion data generated by our simulations can also be used to quantify the epistemic uncertainty due to the velocity model, in empirically based ground motion estimates for the SFBA.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Comprehensive Review of Multi-arm Caliper Data for the Big Hill SPR Site

The Big Hill SPR site has a rich data set consisting of multi-arm caliper (MAC) logs collected from the cavern wells. This data set provides insight into the on-going casing deformation at the Big Hill site. This report summarizes the MAC surveys for each well and presents well longevity estimates where possible. Included in the report is an examination of the well twins for each cavern and a discussion on what may or may not be responsible for the different levels of deformation between some of the well twins. The report also takes a systematic view of the MAC data presenting spatial patterns of casing deformation and deformation orientation in an effort to better understand the underlying causes. The conclusions present a hypothesis suggesting the small-scale variations in casing deformation are attributable to similar scale variations in the character of the salt-caprock interface. These variations do not appear directly related to shear zones or faults.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1985

Evaluation and interpretation of Thematic Mapper ratios in equations for estimating corn growth parameters

Reflectance and agronomic Thematic Mapper (TM) data were analyzed to determine possible data transformations for evaluating several plant parameters of corn. Three transformation forms were used: the ratio of two TM bands, logarithms of two-band ratios, and normalized differences of two bands. Normalized differences and logarithms of two-band ratios responsed similarly in the equations for estimating the plant growth parameters evaluated in this study. Two-term equations were required to obtain the maximum predictability of percent ground cover, canopy moisture content, and total wet phytomass. Standard error of estimate values were 15-26 percent lower for two-term estimates of these parameters than for one-term estimates. The terms log(TM4/TM2) and (TM4/TM5) produced the maximum predictability for leaf area and dry green leaf weight, respectively. The middle infrared bands TM5 and TM7 are essential for maximizing predictability for all measured plant parameters except leaf area index. The estimating models were evaluated over bare soil to discriminate between equations which are statistically similar. Qualitative interpretations of the resulting prediction equations are consistent with general agronomic and remote sensing theory.

Dardner, B. R.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Evaluating an Automated Approach for Monitoring Forest Disturbances in the Pacific Northwest from Logging, Fire and Insect Outbreaks with Landsat Time Series Data

Forests are the largest aboveground sink for atmospheric carbon (C), and understanding how they change through time is critical to reduce our C-cycle uncertainties. We investigated a strong decline in Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from 1982 to 1991 in Pacific Northwest forests, observed with the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) series of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometers (AVHRRs). To understand the causal factors of this decline, we evaluated an automated classification method developed for Landsat time series stacks (LTSS) to map forest change. This method included: (1) multiple disturbance index thresholds; and (2) a spectral trajectory-based image analysis with multiple confidence thresholds. We produced 48 maps and verified their accuracy with air photos, monitoring trends in burn severity data and insect aerial detection survey data. Area-based accuracy estimates for change in forest cover resulted in producer's and user's accuracies of 0.21 +/- 0.06 to 0.38 +/- 0.05 for insect disturbance, 0.23 +/- 0.07 to 1 +/- 0 for burned area and 0.74 +/- 0.03 to 0.76 +/- 0.03 for logging. We believe that accuracy was low for insect disturbance because air photo reference data were temporally sparse, hence missing some outbreaks, and the annual anniversary time step is not dense enough to track defoliation and progressive stand mortality. Producer's and user's accuracy for burned area was low due to the temporally abrupt nature of fire and harvest with a similar response of spectral indices between the disturbance index and normalized burn ratio. We conclude that the spectral trajectory approach also captures multi-year stress that could be caused by climate, acid deposition, pathogens, partial harvest, thinning, etc. Our study focused on understanding the transferability of previously successful methods to new ecosystems and found that this automated method does not perform with the same accuracy in Pacific Northwest forests. Using a robust accuracy assessment, we demonstrate the difficulty of transferring change attribution methods to other ecosystems, which has implications for the development of automated detection/attribution approaches. Widespread disturbance was found within AVHRR-negative anomalies, but identifying causal factors in LTSS with adequate mapping accuracy for fire and insects proved to be elusive. Our results provide a background framework for future studies to improve methods for the accuracy assessment of automated LTSS classifications.

Landsat↗
NASA NTRS2012

Large-Scale Weibull Analysis of H-451 Nuclear- Grade Graphite Specimen Rupture Data

A Weibull analysis was performed of the strength distribution and size effects for 2000 specimens of H-451 nuclear-grade graphite. The data, generated elsewhere, measured the tensile and four-point-flexure room-temperature rupture strength of specimens excised from a single extruded graphite log. Strength variation was compared with specimen location, size, and orientation relative to the parent body. In our study, data were progressively and extensively pooled into larger data sets to discriminate overall trends from local variations and to investigate the strength distribution. The CARES/Life and WeibPar codes were used to investigate issues regarding the size effect, Weibull parameter consistency, and nonlinear stress-strain response. Overall, the Weibull distribution described the behavior of the pooled data very well. However, the issue regarding the smaller-than-expected size effect remained. This exercise illustrated that a conservative approach using a two-parameter Weibull distribution is best for designing graphite components with low probability of failure for the in-core structures in the proposed Generation IV (Gen IV) high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactors. This exercise also demonstrated the continuing need to better understand the mechanisms driving stochastic strength response. Extensive appendixes are provided with this report to show all aspects of the rupture data and analytical results.

Nemeth, Noel N.↗
DOE OSTI2021

A Type–Curve Approach for Evaluating Aquifer Properties by Interpreting Shallow Strain Measured During Well Tests

Strains occur at shallow depths in response to pressure changes during well tests in an underlying aquifer, and recent developments in instrumentation have made it feasible to measure essentially the full strain tensor. Simulations using poroelastic analyses indicate that shallow normal strains are approximately proportional to the logarithm of time when a well is injecting into or pumping from a deep aquifer or reservoir. The drawdown is also a linear function of log time, as shown by the classic Cooper-Jacob type-curve analysis. The time when the semilog straight line intercepts the zero-strain axis is similar to the time determined from the Cooper-Jacob pressure analysis, and it can be used to estimate hydraulic diffusivity, suggesting that horizontal strain data can be used directly to estimate aquifer properties. This approach was validated using measurements from shallow (30-m deep) borehole strainmeters during an injection test at a 530-m-deep sandstone aquifer/reservoir in Oklahoma. The results show intercept times for the shallow normal strain data are essentially the same as for deep pressure data from an equivalent radial distance. The slopes of the semilog plots of the pressure and the strain increase at the same time, suggesting that they both respond to a lateral aquifer boundary. Significantly, though, strain was measured at shallow depths while the pressure data were measured at 530-m depth. This suggests that strain data from shallow depths could be an effective way to improve the characterization of an underlying aquifer.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

MassIVE MSV000095714

Proteomic analysis reveals translation-related proteins are significantly altered in response to stabilized G4s. Identification of the importance of translation factors in overcoming G4s led to the question of how E. coli cells generally respond to chemicals that stabilize such structures. As a first step in addressing this question, a proteomic analysis was carried out to measure the quantitative effects of NMM on the levels of individual proteins in E. coli. Protein levels from early log-phase cultures of delta-tolC and delta-tolC tufA::kan strains grown in the presence or absence of NMM were measured to assess how reduced EF- Tu levels and NMM impacted expression.

Bottom-up proteomics↗
NASA NTRS1983

A pilot study of human response to general aviation aircraft noise

A pilot study, conducted to evaluate procedures for measuring the noise impact and community response to general aviation aircraft around Torrance Municipal Airport, a typical large GA airport, employed Torrance Airport's computer-based aircraft noise monitoring system, which includes nine permanent monitor stations surrounding the airport. Some 18 residences near these monitor stations were equipped with digital noise level recorders to measure indoor noise levels. Residents were instructed to fill out annoyance diaries for periods of 5-6 days, logging the time of each annoying aircraft overflight noise event and judging its degree of annoyance on a seven-point scale. Among the noise metrics studied, the differential between outdoor maximum A-weighted noise level of the aircraft and the outdoor background level showed the best correlation with annoyance; this correlation was clearly seen at only high noise levels, And was only slightly better than that using outdoor aircraft noise level alone. The results indicate that, on a national basis, a telephone survey coupled with outdoor noise measurements would provide an efficient and practical means of assessing the noise impact of general aviation aircraft.

Stearns, J.↗
NASA NTRS1987

AIS-2 radiometry and a comparison of methods for the recovery of ground reflectance

A field experiment and its results involving Airborne Imaging Spectrometer-2 data are described. The radiometry and spectral calibration of the instrument are critically examined in light of laboratory and field measurements. Three methods of compensating for the atmosphere in the search for ground reflectance are compared. It was found that laboratory determined responsitivities are 30 to 50 percent less than expected for conditions of the flight for both short and long wavelength observations. The combined system atmosphere surface signal to noise ratio, as indexed by the mean response divided by the standard deviation for selected areas, lies between 40 and 110, depending upon how scene averages are taken, and is 30 percent less for flight conditions than for laboratory. Atmospheric and surface variations may contribute to this difference. It is not possible to isolate instrument performance from the present data. As for methods of data reduction, the so-called scene average or log-residual method fails to recover any feature present in the surface reflectance, probably because of the extreme homogeneity of the scene.

Conel, James E.↗
DOE OSTI2020

INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT TO ESTABLISH A ROBUST SECURITY APPROACH TO MOBILE RADIOACTIVE SOURCES

The mobile radiological sources used in the well-logging and radiography industries are of sufficient curie quantities to be categorized as desirable material for malicious actors. Beyond the security risk posed by these sources, there is also an understanding of the potential damage, both reputational and monetary, that a lost source would have on the licensee and the industry overall. Identifying and communicating the risk these sources pose with impacted stakeholders is a critical first step in developing a security approach. Common day-to-day operations within both industries drive the unique security challenge of mobile sources. From storage facilities, transportation vehicles, temporary storage locations, and use in the field, each phase creates challenges regarding source control and accountability. All aspects of the operational use of these sources needs to be fully understood in order to address security equipment enhancements, policies, procedures, and training. This paper will leverage more than ten years of experience that ORS has gained working closely with industry partners and mobile radiological source users across the well-logging and radiography industries. It will identify the risk posed by mobile radiological sources, clearly define the operational phases of each industry, identify security best practices of mobile sources, and discuss what long-term, sustainable security looks like within these industries. In addition, it will explore areas of a robust security approach that are not commonly given priority in these industries, such as alarm adjudication and response.

Office of Radiological Security↗
DOE OSTI2021

The solubility of thorium in carbonate-bearing solutions at hydrothermal conditions

Thorium mineralization is frequently hosted in carbonate-bearing rocks, and thorium commonly substitutes into the structures of carbonate-bearing minerals that have precipitated from or been modified by hydrothermal fluids. Given this common association, it is reasonable to consider the hypothesis that the presence of carbonate ligands in hydrothermal solutions promotes the transport of Th through the formation of stable aqueous complexes. Our ability to evaluate this hypothesis, however, is hindered by the lack of experimental data for Th-carbonate species at conditions beyond ambient. The low-temperature data indicate that carbonate is a strong complexing agent for Th. In this contribution, we investigate the solubility of Th in carbonate-bearing fluids relevant to natural systems (0.05–0.5 m NaHCO 3 /Na 2 CO 3 ; pH T ~ 7.8–9.8) at elevated temperature (175–250 °C). We demonstrate that, in contrast to the behavior of Th at low temperature, the stability of Th-carbonate complexes is not sufficient for them to predominate at these conditions. Instead, the solubility of Th is governed by hydrolysis reactions. Under the experimental conditions investigated, the predominant hydroxyl complexes are Th(OH) 4 0 and Th(OH) 5 -. Furthermore, thermodynamic formation constants were derived for these species at the temperatures considered in our experiments (log β 4 = 43.34 and 44.31 at 175 and 200 °C, respectively, and log β 5 = 46.15 and 47.9 at 225 and 250 °C, respectively) to permit forward modeling of Th mobility in natural systems. Our study indicates that carbonate ions are unlikely to play a role in transporting Th in hydrothermal fluids. Summarizing the results of this study and our previous studies of the solubility of Th in hydrothermal fluids, we conclude that SO 4 2- is the primary ligand responsible for the hydrothermal transport of Th.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Wellbore injectivity response to step-rate CO 2 injection: Coupled thermo-poro-elastic analysis in a vertically heterogeneous formation

Safe and permanent carbon geological storages require an elaborate analysis of geomechanical stability. Subsurface injection of CO 2 changes the local temperature and pore pressure and, further, alters the stress due to thermo-poro-elastic responses. A permanent CO 2 storage testing was conducted in the water leg of Cranfield reservoir in Mississippi, USA, where hosted CO 2 enhanced-oil recovery activities. During CO 2 injection, the injection rate was ramped up twice but the bottom-hole pressure did not increase with the imposed injection rates as expected. This unexpected field observation suggests the possibility of an open-mode fracture development at the injector. However, the injector response and potential fracture development have not been rigorously interpreted with detailed near-wellbore temperature and pore pressure change upon the CO 2 injection. In this study, we performed history matching of CO 2 injection using coupled thermo-poro-elastic reservoir simulation to examine the possibility of fracturing. We built a reservoir model including vertical heterogeneity in both petrophysical and geomechanical properties estimated from well-logging analysis and laboratory experiments. The simulation results show that CO 2 injection changes stresses and support the hypothesis of development of an open-mode fracture at the injector during the Cranfield test. The near-injector region exhibits a large temperature reduction up to 55 °C with ensuing effective horizontal stress reduction up to 9.1 MPa. However, a caprock integrity issue is unlikely because of the horizontal stress contrast within layers and low hydraulic communication with the injection zone. This work indicates that the injectant temperature should be considered in the design of high-rate CO 2 injector.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1986

An intermediate-sensitivity survey at high Galactic latitude with HEAO A-1

A 314 square degree region of sky at high galactic latitude was mapped in 0.5-20 keV X-rays using summed data from the HEAO A-1 experiment. 21 sources are detected above a 5 sigma threshold corresponding to a limiting flux of about 0.2 UFU. This limit is at a decade intermediate to those achieved in the full-sky surveys, Uhuru, Ariel 5, and the HEAO A-2 experiment, and to those achieved in the Einstein partial-sky surveys. The HEAO A-1 detectors also complement these other instruments in terms of spectral response characteristics. A table of source intensities and positional error boxes for the 21 source detections is presented. A graphical representation of the positional error boxes is also presented. Identifications for 14 sources are proposed. A number-flux curve representing all high galactic latitude X-ray sources detected with HEAO A-1 has been constructed. The number-flux curve appears to be consistent with d log N/d log S = -1.5.

Shrader, C. R.↗
DOE OSTI2012

ULTRAVIOLET SPECTROSCOPY OF RAPIDLY ROTATING SOLAR-MASS STARS: EMISSION-LINE REDSHIFTS AS A TEST OF THE SOLAR-STELLAR CONNECTION

We compare high-resolution ultraviolet spectra of the Sun and thirteen solar-mass main-sequence stars with different rotational periods that serve as proxies for their different ages and magnetic field structures. In this, the second paper in the series, we study the dependence of ultraviolet emission-line centroid velocities on stellar rotation period, as rotation rates decrease from that of the Pleiades star HII314 (P{sub rot} = 1.47 days) to {alpha} Cen A (P{sub rot} = 28 days). Our stellar sample of F9 V to G5 V stars consists of six stars observed with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and eight stars observed with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on HST. We find a systematic trend of increasing redshift with more rapid rotation (decreasing rotation period) that is similar to the increase in line redshift between quiet and plage regions on the Sun. The fastest-rotating solar-mass star in our study, HII314, shows significantly enhanced redshifts at all temperatures above log T = 4.6, including the corona, which is very different from the redshift pattern observed in the more slowly rotating stars. This difference in the redshift pattern suggests that a qualitative change in the magnetic-heating process occurs near P{sub rot} = 2 days. We propose that HII314 is an example of a solar-mass star with a magnetic heating rate too large for the physical processes responsible for the redshift pattern to operate in the same way as for the more slowly rotating stars. HII314 may therefore lie above the high activity end of the set of solar-like phenomena that is often called the 'solar-stellar connection'.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

A longitudinal study of ventilation rates in California office buildings and self-reported occupant outcomes including respiratory illness absence

Limited evidence has associated lower ventilation rates (VRs) in offices with higher illness-related absence rates. We studied spaces in office buildings, selected without knowledge of their VRs, in three California climate zones. In each study space, real-time logging sensors measured carbon dioxide and thermal parameters for one year. Web-based surveys every three months collected data on occupants’ health outcomes. Using multivariate models, relationships were assessed between CO 2 concentrations, or VRs estimated from CO 2 , and adverse occupant outcomes including respiratory infections and illness absences. For all outcomes, positive associations were hypothesized with higher CO 2 levels (and negative associations with higher VRs). Low survey response limited sample size and study power. In the 16 study spaces, CO 2 concentrations were uniformly low over the year, and most estimated VRs ranged from twice to nine times the California office minimum VR standard (7 L/s or 15 cfm per person). Primary CO 2 and VR metrics had no statistically significant relationships with occupant outcomes. Within the observed range of uniformly low CO 2 and high VRs (mostly 16–42 L/s per person), little variation in contaminant concentrations would be expected, which would explain lack of relationships with occupant outcomes. These high VRs resulted partly from frequently used energy-saving “economizer” cycles in moderate California climates, but VRs at other times also substantially exceeded required VRs. These findings suggest, consistent with theory, that within a higher VR range, increased VRs do not reduce respiratory illness. Further studies are needed to better characterize such relationships.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗