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At least 361 records · Page 20

Landslide monitoring using seismic refraction tomography – The importance of incorporating topographic variations

Seismic refraction tomography provides images of the elastic properties of subsurface materials in landslide settings. Seismic velocities are sensitive to changes in moisture content, which is a triggering factor in the initiation of many landslides. However, the application of the method to long-term monitoring of landslides is rarely used, given the challenges in undertaking repeat surveys and in handling and minimizing the errors arising from processing time-lapse surveys. This work presents a simple method and workflow for producing a reliable time-series of inverted seismic velocity models. This method is tested using data acquired during a recent, novel, long-term seismic refraction monitoring campaign at an active landslide in the UK. Potential sources of error include those arising from inaccurate and inconsistent determination of first-arrival times, inaccurate receiver positioning, and selection of inappropriate inversion starting models. At our site, a comparative analysis of variations in seismic velocity to real-world variations in topography over time shows that topographic error alone can account for changes in seismic velocity of greater than ±10% in a significant proportion (23%) of the data acquired. The seismic velocity variations arising from real material property changes at the near-surface of the landslide, linked to other sources of environmental data, are demonstrated to be of a similar magnitude. Over the monitoring period we observe subtle variations in the bulk seismic velocity of the sliding layer that are demonstrably related to variations in moisture content. This highlights the need to incorporate accurate topographic information for each time-step in the monitoring time-series. The goal of the proposed workflow is to minimize the sources of potential errors, and to preserve the changes observed by real variations in the subsurface. Following the workflow produces spatially comparable, time-lapse velocity cross-sections formulated from disparate, discretely-acquired datasets. These practical steps aim to aid the use of the seismic refraction tomography method for the long-term monitoring of landslides prone to hydrological destabilization.

Whiteley, J. S.↗

Diagnosing the pedestal magnetic field and magnetohydrodynamics radial structure with pedestal–scrape of layer electron cyclotron emission radiation inversion in H-mode plasma (invited)

Forward modeling is used to interpret inversion patterns of the pedestal–Scrape of Layer (SOL) Electron Cyclotron Emission (ECE) in DIII-D H-mode experiments. The modeling not only significantly improves the ECE data interpretation quality but also leads to the potential measurements of (1) the magnetic field strength |B| at the separatrix, (2) the pedestal |B| evolution during an inter-Edge Localized Mode (ELM) period, and (3) the pedestal Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) radial structure. The ECE shine-through effect leads to three types of pedestal–SOL radiation inversions that are discussed in this paper. The first type of inversion is the non-monotonic T e,rad profile with respect to the major radius. Using the ECE frequency at the minimum T e,rad , the inversion can be applied to measure the magnetic field |B| at the separatrix and calibrate the mapping of the ECE channels with respect to the separatrix. The second type of inversion refers to the opposite phase between the radiation fluctuations δT e,rad at the pedestal and SOL. This δT e,rad phase inversion is sensitive to density and temperature fluctuations at the pedestal foot and, thus, can be used to qualitatively measure the MHD radial structure. The third type of inversion appears when the pedestal and SOL T e,rad evolve in an opposite trend, which can be used to infer the pedestal |B| field change during an inter-ELM period. Finally, the bandwidth effect on measuring δT e,rad due to pedestal MHD is also investigated in the radiation modeling.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

PyOED: An Extensible Suite for Data Assimilation and Model-Constrained Optimal Design of Experiments

This article describes PyOED, a highly extensible scientific package that enables developing and testing model-constrained optimal experimental design (OED) for inverse problems. Specifically, PyOED aims to be a comprehensive Python toolkit for model-constrained OED. The package targets scientists and researchers interested in understanding the details of OED formulations and approaches. It is also meant to enable researchers to experiment with standard and innovative OED technologies with a wide range of test problems (e.g., simulation models). OED, inverse problems (e.g., Bayesian inversion), and data assimilation (DA) are closely related research fields, and their formulations overlap significantly. Thus, PyOED is continuously being expanded with a plethora of Bayesian inversion, DA, and OED methods as well as new scientific simulation models, observation error models, and observation operators. These pieces are added such that they can be permuted to enable testing OED methods in various settings of varying complexities. The PyOED core is completely written in Python and utilizes the inherent object-oriented capabilities; however, the current version of PyOED is meant to be extensible rather than scalable. Specifically, PyOED is developed to “enable rapid development and benchmarking of OED methods with minimal coding effort and to maximize code reutilization.” This article provides a brief description of the PyOED layout and philosophy and provides a set of exemplary test cases and tutorials to demonstrate the potential of the package.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Tea consumption and risk of bladder cancer in the Bladder Cancer Epidemiology and Nutritional Determinants (BLEND) Study: Pooled analysis of 12 international cohort studies

Tea has been shown to be associated with reduced risk of several diseases including cardiovascular diseases, stroke, metabolic syndrome, and obesity. However, the results on the relationship between tea consumption and bladder cancer are conflicting. This research aimed to assess the association between tea consumption and risk of bladder cancer using a pooled analysis of prospective cohort data. Individual data from 532,949 participants in 12 cohort studies, were pooled for analyses. Cox regression models stratified by study centre was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and corresponding 95% CIs. Fractional polynomial regression models were used to examine the dose–response relationship. A higher level of tea consumption was associated with lower risk of bladder cancer incidence (compared with no tea consumption: HR = 0.87, 95% C.I. = 0.77–0.98 for low consumption; HR = 0.86, 95% C.I. = 0.77–0.96 for moderate consumption; HR = 0.84, 95% C.I. = 0.75–0.95 for high consumption). When stratified by sex and smoking status, this reduced risk was statistically significant among men and current and former smokers. In addition, dose–response analyses showed a lower bladder cancer risk with increment of 100 ml of tea consumption per day (HR-increment = 0.97; 95% CI = 0.96–0.98). A similar inverse association was found among males, current and former smokers while never smokers and females showed non-significant results, suggesting potential sex-dependent effect. Higher consumption of tea is associated with reduced risk of bladder cancer with potential interaction with sex and smoking status. Further studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms for a protective effect of tea (e.g. inhibition of the survival and proliferation of cancer cells and anti-inflammatory mechanisms) and its interaction with smoking and sex.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Cytogenetic follow-up studies on humans with internal and external exposure to ionizing radiation

Cells exposed to ionizing radiation have a wide spectrum of DNA lesions that include DNA single-strand breaks, DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), oxidative base damage and DNA-protein crosslinks. Among them, DSB is the most critical lesion, which when mis-repaired leads to unstable and stable chromosome aberrations. Currently, chromosome aberration analysis is the preferred method for biological monitoring of radiation-exposed humans. Here, stable chromosome aberrations, such as inversions and balanced translocations, persist in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of radiation-exposed humans for several years and, therefore, are potentially useful tools to prognosticate the health risks of radiation exposure, particularly in the hematopoietic system. In this review, we summarize the cytogenetic follow-up studies performed by REAC/TS (Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training site, Oak Ridge, USA) on humans exposed to internal and external radiation. In the light of our observations as well as the data existing in the literature, this review attempts to highlight the importance of follow-up studies for predicting the extent of genomic instability and its impact on delayed health risks in radiation-exposed victims.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

Reliability of double probe measurements in nanodusty plasmas

Abstract Nonthermal plasmas are attractive sources for nanoparticles synthesis, however, their plasma properties are notoriously difficult to assess due to the chemically reactive environment and high nanoparticle concentrations. Here, we are using a floating double probe to measure the plasma properties of a nanoparticle-forming argon:silane plasma. We demonstrate good stability of current–voltage characteristics over several minutes of operation. However, unexpectedly larger electron temperatures are measured with increasing the silane mole fraction. To test the validity of these results, we developed a zero-dimensional global model to investigate the effect of the presence of nanoparticles on the plasma properties. Using this model, we show that increasing particle concentration leads to an increasing electronegativity of the plasma, causing an increase of the reduced electric field. However, this causes only a moderate increase in mean electron energy, in contrast to the much larger increase measured by the double probe. We argue that these large electron temperatures are based on the fact that a double probe measures an ‘apparent’ electron temperature, which is defined by the negative inverse slope of the logarithm of the electron energy probability function (EEPF) at an energy corresponding to the probe’s floating potential. As the silane mole fraction is increased, the plasma becomes more electronegative and the probe’s floating potential moves closer to the plasma potential. Combined with the strong non-Maxwellian EEPF, this leads to the large apparent electron temperatures obtained by the probe. Thus, the apparent electron temperatures measured with the double probe do not follow the trends in mean electron energy.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

SPiRaL: a multiresolution global tomography model of seismic wave speeds and radial anisotropy variations in the crust and mantle

SUMMARY SPiRaL is a joint global-scale model of wave speeds (P and S) and anisotropy (vertical transverse isotropy, VTI) variations in the crust and mantle. The model is comprised of >2.1 million nodes with five parameters at each node that capture velocity variations for P- and S-waves travelling at arbitrary directions in transversely isotropic media with a vertical symmetry axis (VTI). The crust (including ice, water, sediments and crystalline layers) is directly incorporated into the model. The default node spacing is approximately 2° in the lower mantle and 1° in the crust and upper mantle. The grid is refined with ∼0.25° minimum node spacing in highly sampled regions of the crust and upper mantle throughout North America and Eurasia. The data considered in the construction of SPiRaL includes millions of body wave traveltimes (crustal, regional and teleseismic phases with multiples) and surface wave (Rayleigh and Love) dispersion. A multiresolution inversion approach is employed to capture long-wavelength heterogeneities commonly depicted in global-scale tomography images as well as more localized details that are typically resolved in more focused regional-scale studies. Our previous work has demonstrated that such global-scale models with regional-scale detail can accurately predict both teleseismic and regional body wave traveltimes, which is necessary for more accurate location of small seismic events that may have limited signal at teleseismic distances. SPiRaL was constructed to predict traveltimes for event location and long-period waveform dispersion for seismic source inversion applications in regions without sufficiently tuned models. SPiRaL may also serve as a starting model for full-waveform inversion (FWI) with the goal of fitting waves with periods 10–50 s over multiple broad regions (thousands of kilometres) and potentially the globe. To gain insight to this possibility, we simulated waveforms for a small set of events using SPiRaL and independent waveform-based models for comparison. For the events tested, the performance of the traveltime-based SPiRaL model is shown to be generally on par with regional 3-D waveform-based models in three regions (western United States, Middle East, Korean Peninsula) suggesting SPiRaL may serve as a starting model for FWI over broad regions.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

First-principles theory for Schottky barrier physics

We develop a first-principles theory for Schottky barrier physics. The Poisson equation is solved selfconsistently with the electrostatic charge density over the entire barrier using the density functional theory (DFT) electronic structure converged locally, allowing computation of a Schottky barrier entirely from DFT involving thousands of atomic layers in the semiconductor (SC). Here, the induced charge in the bulk consists of conduction and valence band charges from doping and band bending, as well as charge from the evanescent states in the gap of the SC. The Schottky barrier height (SBH) is determined when the induced charge density and the induced electrostatic potential reach self-consistency. Tests on the GaAs-graphene and Si/Al heterostructures yield SBH, width, along with depletion and inversion layers obtained self-consistently as functions of temperature and bulk doping.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Anderson Localization of Composite Particles

In this work, we investigate the effect of coupling between translational and internal degrees of freedom of composite quantum particles on their localization in a random potential. We show that entanglement between the two degrees of freedom weakens localization due to the upper bound imposed on the inverse participation ratio by purity of a quantum state. We perform numerical calculations for a two-particle system bound by a harmonic force in a 1D disordered lattice and a rigid rotor in a 2D disordered lattice. We illustrate that the coupling has a dramatic effect on localization properties, even with a small number of internal states participating in quantum dynamics.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Structure and electronic tunability of acene alkylamine based layered hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites from first principles

Twelve layered hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites combining oligoacene derivatives [phenylmethylammonium (PMA), naphthylmethylammonium (NMA), anthrylmethylammonium (AMA), and tetrylmethylammonium (TMA)] and lead halides (Cl - , Br - , and I - anions) are investigated by first-principles density functional theory (DFT), showing broad, rational tunability of band gap, quantum well type, and spin-dependent energy band properties. Six compounds are known from previous syntheses and are used to devise a computational search space for likely low-energy structures. Among the six known compounds, a refined structure is identified for (NMA) 2 ⁢ PbCl 4 and a new, lower-energy structure is suggested for (AMA) 2 ⁢PbCl 4 . The DFT based search methodology is next applied to predict the likely structures for the six unknown compounds. Computationally predicted energy levels for all 12 compounds from spin-orbit coupled hybrid DFT reveal tunable type I quantum well alignments, with frontier orbitals located on the inorganic component, on the organic component, or on both, as controlled by cation and anion selection. In conclusion, several structures spontaneously break local and global inversion symmetry, causing strong spin splitting of the conduction bands [up to 0.12 eV for (PMA) 2 ⁢PbCl 4 ] and showing potential for spin-dependent transport properties and future spintronic and tunable chiroptical applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Multiplexed CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis of rice PSBS1 noncoding sequences for transgene-free overexpression

Understanding CRISPR-Cas9’s capacity to produce native overexpression (OX) alleles would accelerate agronomic gains achievable by gene editing. To generate OX alleles with increased RNA and protein abundance, we leveraged multiplexed CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis of noncoding sequences upstream of the rice PSBS1 gene. We isolated 120 gene-edited alleles with varying non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) capacity in vivo—from knockout to overexpression—using a high-throughput screening pipeline. Overexpression increased OsPsbS1 protein abundance two- to threefold, matching fold changes obtained by transgenesis. Increased PsbS protein abundance enhanced NPQ capacity and water-use efficiency. Across our resolved genetic variation, we identify the role of 5'UTR indels and inversions in driving knockout/knockdown and overexpression phenotypes, respectively. Complex structural variants, such as the 252-kb duplication/inversion generated here, evidence the potential of CRISPR-Cas9 to facilitate significant genomic changes with negligible off-target transcriptomic perturbations. Our results may inform future gene-editing strategies for hypermorphic alleles and have advanced the pursuit of gene-edited, non-transgenic rice plants with accelerated relaxation of photoprotection.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Turbulence measurements using tethered balloon instrumentation during FIRE 1987

As part of the surface-based observations conducted on San Nicolas Island, the U.K. Meteorological Office operated a set of turbulence probes attached to a balloon tether cable. Typically six probes were used, each capable of measuring momentum, heat, and humidity fluxes. Two probes were fitted with net radiometers, one positioned above cloud and the other below; a third probe carried a Lyman-alpha hygrometer fitted with a pre-heater for the measurement of total water content. Some preliminary results are presented from the 14th July describing the variation in structure of the cloudy boundary layer during the daytime. This day was characterized by a complete cloud cover, an inversion height of approximately 600 m. and north-westerly winds of approximately 6 m.s(-1). As an illustration the equivalent potential temperature derived from a profile ascent made between approximately 0830 and 0930 (PDT) is shown. The data has been smoothed to a height resolution of about 4 metres. At this time the cloud base was approximately 200 m. and very light drizzle was reaching the surface. The vertical velocity variance and potential temperature flux for two periods are shown; the first (shown by full lines) immediately follows the profile and the second (shown by dashed lines) is central around 1400 (PDT). The data have been normalized by their maximum values in the first period. Cloud base has now risen to approximately 300 m. There is a marked variation during the morning, particularly in sigma w. The net radiative flux above cloud top has by now reached its maximum value.

Hignett, Phillip↗

Global fields of soil moisture and land surface evapotranspiration derived from observed precipitation and surface air temperature

The global fields of normal monthly soil moisture and land surface evapotranspiration are derived with a simple water budget model that has precipitation and potential evapotranspiration as inputs. The precipitation is observed and the potential evapotranspiration is derived from the observed surface air temperature with the empirical regression equation of Thornthwaite (1954). It is shown that at locations where the net surface radiation flux has been measured, the potential evapotranspiration given by the Thornthwaite equation is in good agreement with those obtained with the radiation-based formulations of Priestley and Taylor (1972), Penman (1948), and Budyko (1956-1974), and this provides the justification for the use of the Thornthwaite equation. After deriving the global fields of soil moisture and evapotranspiration, the assumption is made that the potential evapotranspiration given by the Thornthwaite equation and by the Priestley-Taylor equation will everywhere be about the same; the inverse of the Priestley-Taylor equation is used to obtain the normal monthly global fields of net surface radiation flux minus ground heat storage. This and the derived evapotranspiration are then used in the equation for energy conservation at the surface of the earth to obtain the global fields of normal monthly sensible heat flux from the land surface to the atmosphere.

Mintz, Y.↗

Exponential Formulae and Effective Operations

One of standard methods to predict the phenomena of squeezing consists in splitting the unitary evolution operator into the product of simpler operations. The technique, while mathematically general, is not so simple in applications and leaves some pragmatic problems open. We report an extended class of exponential formulae, which yield a quicker insight into the laboratory details for a class of squeezing operations, and moreover, can be alternatively used to programme different type of operations, as: (1) the free evolution inversion; and (2) the soft simulations of the sharp kicks (so that all abstract results involving the kicks of the oscillator potential, become realistic laboratory prescriptions).

Mielnik, Bogdan↗

Contamination and Surface Preparation Effects on Composite Bonding

Results presented here demonstrate the effect of several prebond surface contaminants (hydrocarbon, machining fluid, latex, silicone, peel ply residue, release film) on bond quality, as measured by fracture toughness and failure modes of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy substrates bonded in secondary and co-bond configurations with paste and film adhesives. Additionally, the capability of various prebond surface property measurement tools to detect contaminants and potentially predict subsequent bond performance of three different adhesives is also shown. Surface measurement methods included water contact angle, Dyne solution wettability, optically stimulated electron emission spectroscopy, surface free energy, inverse gas chromatography, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with chemometrics analysis. Information will also be provided on the effectiveness of mechanical and energetic surface treatments to recover a bondable surface after contamination. The benefits and drawbacks of the various surface analysis tools to detect contaminants and evaluate prebond surfaces after surface treatment were assessed as well as their ability to correlate to bond performance. Surface analysis tools were also evaluated for their potential use as in-line quality control of adhesive bonding parameters in the manufacturing environment.

Kutscha, Eileen O.↗

S-Wave Dispersion Relations: Exact Left Hand E-Plane Discontinuity from the Born Series

We show, for a superposition of Yukawa potentials, that the left hand cut discontinuity in the complex E plane of the (S-wave) scattering amplitude is given exactly, in an interval depending on n, by the discontinuity of the Born series stopped at order n. This also establishes an inverse and unexpected correspondence of the Born series at positive high energies and negative low energies. We can thus construct a viable dispersion relation (DR) for the partial (S-) wave amplitude. The high numerical precision achievable by the DR is demonstrated for the exponential potential at zero scattering energy. We also briefly discuss the extension of our results to Field Theory.

Bessis, D.↗

Toward more-robust, AI-enabled subsurface seismic imaging for geotechnical applications

Non-invasive seismic imaging has the potential to cost-effectively evaluate large volumes of subsurface material to inform geotechnical site investigation. However, seismic imaging using full waveform inversion (FWI) requires significant computational time and is dependent on an initial starting model. As a result, FWI has not yet been widely adopted into geotechnical practice. Previous efforts, on relatively simple two-layered models, indicate that data-driven artificial intelligence (AI) models may be as effective as FWI at predicting 2D images of shear wave velocity (V s ). Furthermore, the AI model predictions can be made almost instantaneously after data acquisition and do not require an initial starting model. We examine the generality of these findings by developing a new AI model for subsurface seismic imaging, whereby we make several notable contributions. First, we architect a multimodal AI model that combines time- and frequency-domain representations of the seismic wavefield to predict a 50 m by 20 m subsurface image of V s . Second, we developed a new diverse dataset of 100,000 images with their corresponding seismic wavefields to train the AI model. Third, we propose four physics-informed data augmentations for data-driven seismic imaging. Fourth, we develop two prediction consistency tests to evaluate the model’s performance when the true subsurface is unknown. Our final model, which has been made publicly available, is capable of predicting a subsurface V s image from a single seismic wavefield with an average, mean absolute percent error (MAPE) of 24 %. The predictive model is applied to a field dataset and shown to be consistent with local geology and shear-wave refraction measurements from the same location.

Artificial intelligence↗

Cumulative fidelity of large-momentum-transfer clock atom interferometers in the presence of laser noise

Clock atom interferometry is an emerging technique in precision measurements that is particularly well suited for sensitivity enhancement through large momentum transfer (LMT). While current systems have demonstrated momentum separations of several hundreds of photon momenta, next-generation quantum sensors are targeting an LMT enhancement factor beyond 10 4 . However, the viability of LMT clock interferometers has recently come into question due to the potential impact of laser frequency noise. Here, in this work, we resolve this concern by analyzing the cumulative fidelity of sequential state inversions in an LMT atom interferometer. We show that the population error from 𝑛 pulses applied from alternating directions scales linearly with 𝑛. This is a significant advantage over the 𝑛 2 scaling that occurs when probing a two-level system 𝑛 times from the same direction. We further show that contributions to the interferometer signal from parasitic paths generated by imperfect pulses are negligible, for any loss mechanism. These results establish that laser frequency noise is not a practical limitation for the development of high-fidelity LMT clock atom interferometers.

Mach-Zehnder atom interferometry↗