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At least 361 records · Page 20

A bespoke health risk assessment methodology for the radiation protection of astronauts

An alternative approach that is particularly suitable for the radiation health risk assessment (HRA) of astronauts is presented. The quantity, Radiation Attributed Decrease of Survival (RADS), representing the cumulative decrease in the unknown survival curve at a certain attained age, due to the radiation exposure at an earlier age, forms the basis for this alternative approach. Results are provided for all solid cancer plus leukemia incidence RADS from estimated doses from theoretical radiation exposures accumulated during long-term missions to the Moon or Mars. For example, it is shown that a 1000-day Mars exploration mission with a hypothetical mission effective dose of 1.07 Sv at typical astronaut ages around 40 years old, will result in the probability of surviving free of all types of solid cancer and leukemia until retirement age (65 years) being reduced by 4.2% (95% CI 3.2; 5.3) for males and 5.8% (95% CI 4.8; 7.0) for females. RADS dose–responses are given, for the outcomes for incidence of all solid cancer, leukemia, lung and female breast cancer. Results showing how RADS varies with age at exposure, attained age and other factors are also presented. The advantages of this alternative approach, over currently applied methodologies for the long-term radiation protection of astronauts after mission exposures, are presented with example calculations applicable to European astronaut occupational HRA. Some tentative suggestions for new types of occupational risk limits for space missions are given while acknowledging that the setting of astronaut radiation-related risk limits will ultimately be decided by the Space Agencies. Suggestions are provided for further work which builds on and extends this new HRA approach, e.g., by eventually including non-cancer effects and detailed space dosimetry.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

Hotter droughts alter resource allocation to chemical defenses in piñon pine

Abstract Heat and drought affect plant chemical defenses and thereby plant susceptibility to pests and pathogens. Monoterpenes are of particular importance for conifers as they play critical roles in defense against bark beetles. To date, work seeking to understand the impacts of heat and drought on monoterpenes has primarily focused on young potted seedlings, leaving it unclear how older age classes that are more vulnerable to bark beetles might respond to stress. Furthermore, we lack a clear picture of what carbon resources might be prioritized to support monoterpene synthesis under drought stress. To address this, we measured needle and woody tissue monoterpene concentrations and physiological variables simultaneously from mature piñon pines ( Pinus edulis ) from a unique temperature and drought manipulation field experiment. While heat had no effect on total monoterpene concentrations, trees under combined heat and drought stress exhibited ~ 85% and 35% increases in needle and woody tissue, respectively, over multiple years. Plant physiological variables like maximum photosynthesis each explained less than 10% of the variation in total monoterpenes for both tissue types while starch and glucose + fructose measured 1-month prior explained ~ 45% and 60% of the variation in woody tissue total monoterpene concentrations. Although total monoterpenes increased under combined stress, some key monoterpenes with known roles in bark beetle ecology decreased. These shifts may make trees more favorable for bark beetle attack rather than well defended, which one might conclude if only considering total monoterpene concentrations. Our results point to cumulative and synergistic effects of heat and drought that may reprioritize carbon allocation of specific non-structural carbohydrates toward defense.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

The contribution of bioenergy to the decarbonization of transport: a multi-model assessment

The expected growth in the demand for passenger and freight services exacerbates the challenges of reducing transport GHG emissions, especially as commercial low-carbon alternatives to petroleum fuels are limited for shipping, air and long-distance road travel. Biofuels can offer a pathway to significantly reduce emissions from these sectors, as they can easily substitute for conventional liquid fuels in internal combustion engines. In this paper, we assess the potential of bioenergy to reduce transport GHG emissions through an analysis leveraging various integrated assessment models and scenarios, as part of the 33rd Energy Modeling Forum study (EMF-33). Furthermore, we find that bioenergy can contribute a significant, albeit not dominant, proportion of energy supply to the future transport sector: in scenarios aiming to keep the temperature increase below 2 °C by the end of the twenty-first century, models project that in 2100 bioenergy can provide on average 42 EJ/yr (ranging from 5 to 85 EJ/yr) for transport (compared to 3.7 EJ in 2018), mainly through lignocellulosic fuels. This makes up 9–62% of final transport energy use. Only a small amount of bioenergy is projected to be used in transport through electricity and hydrogen pathways, with a larger role for biofuels in road passenger transport than in freight. The association of carbon capture and storage (CCS) with bioenergy technologies (BECCS) is a key determinant in the role of biofuels in transport, because of the competition for biomass feedstock to provide other final energy carriers along with carbon removal. Among models that consider CCS in the biofuel conversion process the average market share of biofuels is 21% in 2100 (ranging from 2 to 44%), compared to 10% (0–30%) for models that do not. Cumulative direct emissions from the transport sector account for half of the emission budget (from 306 to 776 out of 1,000 GtCO 2 ). However, the carbon intensity of transport decreases as much as other energy sectors in 2100 when accounting for process emissions, including carbon removal from BECCS. Lignocellulosic fuels become more attractive for transport decarbonization if BECCS is not feasible for any energy sectors. Since global transport service demand increases and biomass supply is limited, its allocation to and within the transport sector is uncertain and sensitive to assumptions about political as well as technological and socioeconomic factors.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Reducing nitrous oxide emissions and optimizing nitrogen-use efficiency in dryland crop rotations with different nitrogen rates

Recent interests in improving agricultural production while minimizing environmental footprints emphasized the need for research on management strategies that reduce nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions and increase nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) of cropping systems. This study aimed to evaluate N 2 O emissions, annualized crop grain yield, emission factor, and yield-scaled- and NUE-scaled N 2 O emissions under continuous spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (CW) and spring wheat-pea (Pisum sativum L.) (WP) rotations with four N fertilization rates (0, 50, 100, and 150 kg N ha(-1)). The N 2 O fluxes peaked immediately after N fertilization, intense precipitation, and snowmelt, which accounted for 75-85% of the total annual flux. Cumulative N 2 O flux usually increased with increased N fertilization rate in all crop rotations and years. Annualized crop yield and NUE were greater in WP than CW for 0 kg N ha(-1) in all years, but the trend reversed with 100 kg N ha(-1) in 2013 and 2015. Crop yield maximized at 100 kg N ha(-1), but NUE declined linearly with increased N fertilization rate in all crop rotations and years. As N fertilization rate increased, N fertilizer-scaled N2O flux decreased, but NUE-scaled N 2 O flux increased non-linearly in all years, regardless of crop rotations. The yield-scaled N 2 O flux decreased from 0 to 50 kg N ha -1 and then increased with increased N fertilization rate. Because of non-significant difference of N 2 O fluxes between 50 and 100 kg N ha(-1), but increased crop yield, N 2 O emissions can be minimized while dryland crop yields and NUE can be optimized with 100 kg N ha -1 , regardless of crop rotations.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Chemomechanical weakening of muscovite quantified with in situ liquid nanoindentation

Abstract Chemomechanical weakening of layered phyllosilicate muscovite mica was studied as a function of chemical environment via in situ liquid-nanoindentation under four conditions (dry, deionized water, and two NaCl solutions of different pH). While traditional indentation analyses of layered materials with extreme mechanical anisotropy have been limited due to displacement bursts (pop-ins), here the bursts were used as proxies for delamination, fracture, and spalling events. Since displacement bursts during an indent represent a stochastic process, 120 indents were conducted for each condition to generate statistically significant amounts of data. In total, over 9000 bursts were assessed using a load–displacement threshold criterion, classifying this as a high-throughput nanoscale fracture technique. For each burst, initiation load, initiation displacement, plastic zone volume at initiation, and energy dissipation were analyzed. A power-law relationship between the burst load and burst energy was noted which separated the bursts into two continuous distributions: (1) bursts due only to the mechanics of the indent and (2) bursts due to both the mechanics of the indent and the environment. By using a cumulative probability distribution, it was found that the NaCl solutions decreased the minimum plastic zone volume necessary to initiate a displacement burst by an order of magnitude relative to the dry condition. Finally, the underlying mechanisms explaining the trends in initiation volume as a function of environment were discussed, with a focus on the chemomechanical degradation processes via chemical attack and cation exchange.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Optimized Viewing Techniques to Minimize Radiation Damage From X-ray Imaging Systems

X-ray inspection of ball grid arrays (BGAs) is typically performed at one or more viewing angles to examine adhesion sites for errors such as voids, joint cracking, or head-in-pillow. During this inspection process, the cir cuit board assembly is subject to ionizing radiation exposure, which can cause trapped charge within oxide layers of semiconductor devices. Some x-ray machines allow for programmable inspection routines, which could be used to optimize radiation exposure to semiconductor components. Using Monte Carlo methods, x-ray inspection of a BGA was simulated to determine a range of acceptable viewing angles. Dose rates to circuit board components were estimated at each inspection angle to determine the view resulting in optimized radiation exposure. Results showed that for each BGA, the maximum unobstructed viewing times without exceeding a 5 Gy dose limit to a single part ranged from 82 to 94 minutes. Using a radiation cost function method, optimized viewing across all components was found. Here, it was observed that for a consistent dose limit applied to silicon-based components, performing inspection with BGAs facing the x-ray source was optimal. A third method was applied, assigning individual dose limits based on empirical data from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center radiation database. This method showed that optimized viewing maximizes the distance between the radiation source and highly sensitive components. It was also observed that cumulative effects from viewing two BGAs will influence viewing angles, causing the optimal view of one BGA to exist nearly 180° from the other.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Effect of Pressure and Thermal Cycling on Long-Term Oxidation in CO 2 and Supercritical CO 2

Concentrating solar power plant designers are interested in supercritical CO 2 (sCO 2 ) for the power block to achieve > 50% electrical efficiency at > 700 °C. The goal of this project was to develop a long-term (> 100 kh) lifetime model for sCO 2 compatibility using 10–15 kh laboratory exposures. Three Ni-based alloys (625, 282 and 740H) and an advanced austenitic stainless steel were evaluated here in long-term exposures at 700–800 °C using 500-h cycles in laboratory air, 0.1 MPa industrial grade (IG) CO 2 and 30 MPa supercritical IG CO 2 and using 10-h cycles in 0.1 MPa IG CO 2 and O 2 . Mass change data and quantification of the oxide scale thickness and depth of internal attack after 1000–10,000 h exposures at 750 °C indicate that these materials are compatible with the sCO 2 environments with modeling used to predict long-term behavior. Comparison of the 0.1 and 30 MPa 500-h cycle results did not show a significant effect of pressure on the reaction, and no significant internal carburization was observed under these conditions, even for the stainless steel, suggesting that chromia scales may be better C diffusion barriers than expected. For the Ni-based alloys, thermal cycling to simulate the solar duty cycle did not result in scale spallation after 15 kh in 10-h cycles or 4 kh in 1-h cycles at 750 °C. However, the stainless steel specimens formed an Fe-rich oxide after ~ 1500-h cumulative exposure time in both 1- and 10-h cycles.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

chatHPC: Empowering HPC users with large language models

The ever-growing number of pre-trained large language models (LLMs) across scientific domains presents a challenge for application developers. While these models offer vast potential, fine-tuning them with custom data, aligning them for specific tasks, and evaluating their performance remain crucial steps for effective utilization. However, applying these techniques to models with tens of billions of parameters can take days or even weeks on modern workstations, making the cumulative cost of model comparison and evaluation a significant barrier to LLM-based application development. To address this challenge, we introduce an end-to-end pipeline specifically designed for building conversational and programmable AI agents on high performance computing (HPC) platforms. Our comprehensive pipeline encompasses: model pre-training, fine-tuning, web and API service deployment, along with crucial evaluations for lexical coherence, semantic accuracy, hallucination detection, and privacy considerations. Here, we demonstrate our pipeline through the development of chatHPC, a chatbot for HPC question answering and script generation. Leveraging our scalable pipeline, we achieve end-to-end LLM alignment in under an hour on the Frontier supercomputer. We propose a novel self-improved, self-instruction method for instruction set generation, investigate scaling and fine-tuning strategies, and conduct a systematic evaluation of model performance. The established practices within chatHPC will serve as a valuable guidance for future LLM-based application development on HPC platforms.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

An Experimental Method to Measure Gaseous Diffusivity in Tight and Partially Saturated Porous Media via Continuously Monitored Mass Spectrometry

Detection of radioxenon and radioargon produced by underground nuclear explosions is one of the primary methods by which the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test–Ban Treaty (CTBT) monitors for nuclear activities. However, transport of these noble gases to the surface via barometric pumping is a complex process relying on advective and diffusive processes in a fractured porous medium to bring detectable levels to the surface. To better understand this process, experimental measurements of noble gas and chemical surrogate diffusivity in relevant lithologies are necessary. However, measurement of noble gas diffusivity in tight or partially saturated porous media is challenging due to the transparent nature of noble gases, the lengthy diffusion times, and difficulty maintaining consistent water saturation. Here, the quasi-steady-state Ney–Armistead method is modified to accommodate continuous gas sampling via effusive flow to a mass spectrometer. An analytical solution accounting for the cumulative sampling losses and induced advective flow is then derived. Experimental results appear in good agreement with the proposed theory, suggesting the presence of retained groundwater reduces the effective diffusivity of the gas tracers by 10–1000 times. Finally, by using a mass spectrometer, the method described herein is applicable to a broad range of gas species and porous media.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Self-organized criticality in multi-pulse gamma-ray bursts

The variability in multi-pulse gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) may help to reveal the mechanism of underlying processes from the central engine. To investigate whether the self-organized criticality (SOC) phenomena exist in the prompt phase of GRBs, we statistically study the properties of GRBs with more than 3 pulses in each burst by fitting the distributions of several observed physical variables with a Markov Chain Monte Carlo approach, including the isotropic energy E iso , the duration time T, and the peak count rate P of each pulse. Our sample consists of 454 pulses in 93 GRBs observed by the CGRO/BATSE satellite. The best-fitting values and uncertainties for these power-law indices of the differential frequency distributions are: α$^{d}_{E}$ = 1.54±0.09, α$^{d}_{T}$ = 1.82±$^{+0.14}_{0.15}$ and α$^{d}_{P}$ = 2.09$^{+0.18}_{–0.19}$, while the power-law indices in the cumulative frequency distributions are: α$^{c}_{E}$ = 1.44$^{+0.08}_{–0.10}$, α$^{c}_{T}$ = 1.75$^{+0.141}_{–0.13}$ and α$^{c}_{P}$ = 1.99$^{+0.16}_{–0.19}$. We find that these distributions are roughly consistent with the physical framework of a Fractal-Diffusive, Self-Organized Criticality (FD-SOC) system with the spatial dimension S = 3 and the classical diffusion β=1. The results of this study support that the jet responsible for the GRBs should be magnetically dominated and magnetic instabilities (e.g., kink model, or tearing-model instability) lead the GRB emission region into the SOC state.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Accumulative Roll Bonding of Alloy 2205 Duplex Steel and the Accompanying Impacts on Microstructure, Texture, and Mechanical Properties

The mechanical and microstructural evolution of Alloy 2205 during severe plastic deformation is examined in this study. A combination of accumulative roll bonding (ARB) and cold rolling results in the successful formation of a nanograined dual-phase microstructure of austenite and ferrite with some transformed martensite. Severe deformation to cumulative reductions of 80.5, 92.5, 95, and 97 pct were performed. Microscopy indicates that grain dimensions in the sheet normal direction is less than 100 nm for reductions ≥ 92.5 pct. Shear banding is observed at reductions ≥ 95 pct while twinning is only observed at reductions < 92.5 pct. Neutron diffraction measurements indicated the presence of martensite for reductions ≥ 95 pct at ~ 8 pct volume fraction. Taken in conjunction, it appears that during initial ARB processing, both slip and twinning are active plastic mechanisms. As twinning becomes exhausted, martensitic transformation, slip, and intermittent shear banding account for the active plasticity mechanisms. Material hardness saturates at 92.5 pct reduction, with a maximum hardness of 45 HRC. Sub-sized tensile testing confirms this approximate hardness with measurements indicating a UTS of ~ 1440 MPa. Texture analysis of crystal orientation distributions in the plate normal direction suggest an approximate Kurdjumov–Sachs orientation relationship at all reductions above 80 pct indicating stability of the orientation relationship at high strains. The intragranular structure develops a fine scale sub-grain content with increasing deformation, resulting in a continual evolution of texture up to and including 97 pct reduction. The final structure presents strong components of Goss and rotated cube texture in both the austenite and ferrite. In this body of work we aim to compare ARB of an industrially relevant FCC/BCC system (Alloy 2205) to historical model FCC/BCC systems such as Cu/Nb.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Radiation Damage and Mitigation by Minority Carrier Injection in InAsSb/AlAsSb Heterojunction Barrier Mid-Wave Infrared Detector

Here, the effects of gamma and proton irradiation, and of forward bias minority carrier injection, on photo-response were investigated for InAsSb/AlAsSb pBn mid-wave infrared (MWIR) detectors with an engineered majority-carrier barrier. Room-temperature gamma irradiation had an insignificant effect on 77 K photo-response. Gamma irradiation at 77 K detector temperature, however, decreased in situ photo-response by 19% after a cumulative dose of ~ 500 krad(Si). Subsequent forward bias minority carrier injection had no effect on photo-response. The 77 K detectors irradiated with 30 MeV protons up to 2 Mrad(Si) had photo-response degraded by up to 70%, but here forward bias minority carrier (hole) injection caused up to 12% recovery that persisted more than 30 min. These results suggest a mitigation strategy for maintaining the photo-response of similar detectors in radiation environments that cause displacement damage defects.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Creep-Resistant Ferritic-Martensitic Steels for Power Plant Applications

Creep-resistant ferritic-martensitic steels are essential materials used in power plants for electricity generation. The efficiency and emissions of the plant are closely related to the operating temperature. Materials used in the hottest sections are one of the main limiting factor for plant operation at 650 °C. This review describes the recent development of creep-resistant ferritic-martensitic steels from a large dataset of in-house research. The findings are tied to available literature for discussion. A first steel, CPJ-7, was developed with an operating temperature approaching 650 °C, and a refined design, JMP, showed the potential to operate at 650 °C. Approximately fifty different ingots, each weighing ~ 7 kg, were vacuum induction melted and processed. Overall, wrought and cast versions of CPJ-7 present superior creep properties when compared to wrought and cast versions of COST alloys for steam turbine and P91/92 for boiler applications. The prolonged creep life was attributed to slowing down the process of the destabilization of the MX and M 23 C 6 precipitates at 650 °C. The cast version of CPJ-7 also revealed superior mechanical performance, above commercially available cast 9% Cr martensitic steel or derivatives. Following the work on CPJ-7, the JMP steels were designed with higher Co for increased solid solution strengthening, Si for oxidation resistance and increased W for matrix strength and stability. The JMP steels showed increases in creep life compared to CPJ-7 between 118 and 150% at 650 °C for testing at various stresses between 138 and 207 MPa. On a Larson–Miller plot, the performance of the JMP steels surpasses that of state-of-the-art MARBN steel. The influence of various elements within the composition of the alloys on the microstructure and mechanical properties is discussed. This review presents approximately 420,000 h of in-house creep testing, the equivalent of almost 50 years of cumulative creep tests.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Seasonal variation of the surface cross-shelf exchange in the northern South China Sea: a Lagrangian perspective

Previous studies on cross-shelf exchange, predominantly adopted an Eulerian perspective, struggled to identify water sources and pathways. Using a high-resolution regional ocean modeling system (ROMS) and Lagrangian particle tracking, this study systematically investigates the seasonal variation and dynamics of surface cross-shelf exchange in the northern South China Sea (NSCS) from a Lagrangian perspective. Based on daily released 30-day drifter trajectories we identify the key pathways, source regions for surface cross-shelf exchange, revealing pronounced seasonal variability. Results show the surface cross-shelf exchange generally following monsoon-driven Ekman transport. However, local dynamics, especially topographic modulation, can outweigh the expected Ekman-driven transport, producing surface exchange patterns opposite to that predicted from the prevailing winds. Topographic effects vary across different scales. In the coastal waters of western Guangdong during winter, despite downwelling-favorable winds, the modulation of alongshore currents by island topography induces an eastward pressure gradient. This gradient, through geostrophic balance, drives offshore flows opposite to wind-driven Ekman onshore transport. Furthermore, the eastern widened shelf exhibits a distinct seasonal variation of cross-shelf exchange, with strong offshore transport (opposite to the direction of Ekman transport) in winter and exceedingly weak exchange in summer. Analysis of the underlying mechanisms reveals that this winter offshore transport is primarily attributed to geostrophic flows driven by surface pressure gradient that is jointly modulated by the Kuroshio intrusion and local widened shelf topography, and enhanced by cumulative submesoscale processes. In summer, a persistent and strong along-isobath jet acts as a dynamic barrier, effectively suppressing the exchange. These findings highlight the important role of topography in regulating surface material transport, and have important implications for predicting the advection and dispersion of plankton or oil spills over the continental shelf influenced by monsoon.

Hao, Dongliang↗

Design for Recycling Principles Applicable to Selected Clean Energy Technologies: Crystalline-Silicon Photovoltaic Modules, Electric Vehicle Batteries, and Wind Turbine Blades

Abstract The global growth of clean energy technology deployment will be followed by parallel growth in end-of-life (EOL) products, bringing both challenges and opportunities. Cumulatively, by 2050, estimates project 78 million tonnes of raw materials embodied in the mass of EOL photovoltaic (PV) modules, 12 billion tonnes of wind turbine blades, and by 2030, 11 million tonnes of lithium-ion batteries. Owing partly to concern that the projected growth of these technologies could become constrained by raw material availability, processes for recycling them at EOL continue to be developed. However, none of these technologies are typically designed with recycling in mind, and all of them present challenges to efficient recycling. This article synthesizes and extends design for recycling (DfR) principles based on a review of published industrial and academic best practices as well as consultation with experts in the field. Specific principles developed herein apply to crystalline-silicon PV modules, batteries like those used in electric vehicles, and wind turbine blades, while a set of broader principles applies to all three of these technologies and potentially others. These principles are meant to be useful for stakeholders—such as research and development managers, analysts, and policymakers—in informing and promoting decisions that facilitate DfR and, ultimately, increase recycling rates as a way to enhance the circularity of the clean energy economy. The article also discusses some commercial implications of DfR. Graphical Abstract

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NREL’s Wind Turbine Drivetrain Condition Monitoring and Wind Plant Operation and Maintenance Research During the 2010s: A US Land-Based Perspective

The wind industry has seen tremendous growth during the past two decades, with the global cumulative installation capacity reaching more than 650 gigawatts by the end of 2019. Despite performance and reliability improvements of utility-scale wind turbines over the years, the industry still experiences premature component failures, leading to increased operation and maintenance (O&M) costs. Among various turbine components, gearboxes—and, more broadly, drivetrains—have shown to be costly to maintain throughout the design life of a wind turbine. The problem of premature component failure is industry wide. As early as 2007, the US Department of Energy (DOE) started to address this challenge through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL’s) reliability initiative that first focused on gearboxes and more recently expanded to entire drivetrains. The wind turbine drivetrain condition monitoring and wind plant O&M research that is the subject of this paper is part of the NREL initiative and includes a few research and development (R&D) activities conducted during the 2010s. These activities included technology evaluation during the first few years; novel monitoring technique investigation (specifically, compact filter analysis) during the middle years; and data and physics domain modeling for fault detection and prediction in recent years. A high-level summary of these activities is provided in this paper along with some key observations from each activity. Most of the work discussed has been published and can be referred to for more information. They reflect the expected evolution of wind turbine condition monitoring and O&M in the US market—primarily, a land-based perspective. In addition, we have identified several R&D opportunities that can be picked up by the research community to help industry advance in related areas, making wind power more cost competitive in the future.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Reducing systematic bias in machine learning applications to J/ψ signal extraction in high-energy nuclear physics

Machine learning techniques are increasingly used in high-energy nuclear physics because they can exploit multivariate correlations more efficiently than conventional cut-based analyses. A central challenge is the construction of training samples that faithfully reproduce the detector response observed in data. Signal samples are usually derived from detector simulations; therefore, mismatches between simulation and data can degrade classifier performance and introduce systematic biases. This work presents two practical correction procedures, namely cumulative distribution function (CDF) mapping and a shift-and-scale transformation, to align simulated signal features with those measured in data. Their performance is demonstrated with $J$/$\psi$ yield measurements in $\sqrt{s_{nn}}$ = 200 GeV Ru+Ru and Zr+Zr collisions recorded by STAR. A set of self-consistency tests shows that these procedures substantially suppress the systematic bias associated with data-simulation discrepancies in machine-learning-based signal extraction.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Slip localization behavior at triple junctions in nickel-base superalloys

Incipient slip localization in the vicinity of hundreds of grain boundary triple junctions (TJs) in a lightly deformed nickel-base superalloy IN718 is studied using a combination of three-dimensional (3D) crystal plasticity finite element (CPFE) modeling, high resolution digital image correlation (HR-DIC) and 3D electron back-scatter diffraction tomography (3D EBSD). A 3D reconstruction method enables identification of thousands of TJs and correspondence of any observed slip bands with their originating TJ lines below the specimen surface. Here, we present a large-scale CPFE model of the experimental 3D microstructure composed of high-fidelity representation of the TJ lines and the boundaries and interiors of the parent grains and use it to calculate the local micromechanical response and slip activity of all TJs at the onset of macroscopic yielding. Statistical analysis of the calculated quantities reveal TJs develop larger stress concentration and grain-average re-orientation than grain interiors and grain boundaries, however no substantial differences in cumulative slip were found among these microstructural regions. We find that TJs with observed slip bands generate lower grain-average re-orientation, fewer active slip systems, and more localized slip on a single system than those without. The distinctions in the reorientation and slip activity are stronger in TJs that experience more intense slip.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗