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At least 559 records · Page 31

Viewing Welds By Computer Tomography

Computer tomography system used to inspect welds for root penetration. Source illuminates rotating welded part with fan-shaped beam of x rays or gamma rays. Detectors in circular array on opposite side of part intercept beam and convert it into electrical signals. Computer processes signals into image of cross section of weld. Image displayed on video monitor. System offers only nondestructive way to check penetration from outside when inner surfaces inaccessible.

Pascua, Antonio G.↗

Quantative Measurements of Trace Elements and Three-Dimensional Atomic Scale Characterisation of Presolar O-rich Oxides and Silicates: An Atom Probe Tomography Approach

Presolar grains are recordsof a single moment in stellar evolution which have survived nebula and parent body processingwithin our Solar System. These grains condensed within a range of stellar envi-ronments including asymptotic giant branch stars, red giant branch stars, nova, supernova (SN) and hydrogen burning electron capture supernova(ECSN)[1,2]. Iso-topic and chemical compositions can be used to unravel details about environmental conditions at the time of their condensation and physical and chemical processes occurring at the time. For example,nucleosynthesis, stellar evolution, physical properties of stellar atmos-pheres, mixing from inner core to outer envelope, galac-tic chemical evolution, interstellar medium and parent body processing.NanoSIMS enables detailed characterisation of iso-topic compositions and rapid in situidentification of O-rich presolar oxides and silicates using their character-istic 17O/16O and 18O/16O isotopic ratios.Spectroscopic techniques e.g., auger spectroscopyand transmission electron microscopy, have provided additional details on major and minor chemical signatures. However, due tospatial resolution limitations,interaction volumes and interferencesfrom surrounding grains for in situtech-niques, attaining quantative characterisation of trace el-ements,hasproved challenging[1,3]. As the most sensitive geochemical tracers of envi-ronmental changes, trace elements are essential to un-ravelling the geochemical record of their parent stellar environments and evolutionary pathways[4].We car-ried out correlated in situisotopic and chemical analyses of 13 presolar grains to better understand stellar evolu-tion. In this work, we achieved this using a custom ap-proach, coordinating NanoSIMS, Scanning Electron Microscopy Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDX)and Atom Probe Tomography(APT).Our objective was to develop an approach which could ena-ble precise targeting of presolar grains for atom probe tomography and successfully execute atomic scale anal-yses of presolar oxides and silicates, to achieve quantative analysis of their trace elements for the first time.We also aimed to test the capability for Atom Probe tomography to measure isotopic compositions and stoichiometries of presolar oxide and silicate grains.

N D Nevill↗

The NASA Open Science Data Repository: Biomedical Fair Data, Analysis Tools, User Communities, Publications, and Discoveries for Deep Space Missions

Increased biomedical risks and challenges associated with deep space missions require new knowledge discovery, new health countermeasures, and development of novel ecosystems, life support, crop production, and biomedical support capabilities. To meet NASA’s Moon to Mars strategic program goals for Human and Biological Sciences, findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable (FAIR), and maximally open-access data is going to be required to enable humanity to thrive in deep space. Indeed, this cornerstone perspective on FAIR and maximally open access data was also recommended in the recent 2023-2032 Decadal Survey from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The NASA Open Science Data Repository (OSDR) is a maximally open access and FAIR database, and meets various scientific, technical, and operational spaceflight needs. It offers public users and submitters the ability to upload, download, search, share, analyze, and visualize data across ‘omics, physiological, phenotypic, behavioral, bioimaging, video, and environmental monitoring telemetry datasets. OSDR includes NASA GeneLab, NASA Ames Life Sciences Data Archive, and the NASA Biological Institutional Scientific Collection. OSDR has >455 studies with datasets from model organisms and non-NASA human astronauts. There are ~12 datasets from the Inspiration 4 (I4) mission, spanning metagenomics, comprehensive metabolic panels, clonal hematopoiesis, spatial transcriptomics, proteomics, and cytokine panels. In the interest of data privacy, two I4 datasets have raw FASTQ and FASTA files relating to the epitranscriptome, and a new request feature is live in OSDR (with a backend review process established) which was developed based on industry norms. OSDR also recently began a collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) to scientifically curate and make available >200 terabytes of human and model organism space-relevant data. The OSDR submission portal is designed to ingest and curate ~25 ‘omics assay data types, and ~50 physiological-phenotypic-imaging assay data types, spanning ultrasonography, micro-computed tomography, histology, morphometric photography, rebound tonometry, gait analysis, optical coherence tomography, novel object recognition, flow cytometry, and immunohistochemistry. A suite of analysis tools are available for OSDR users including: 1) an Environmental Data Application to compare radiation, CO2, relative humidity, temperature, and other telemetry across missions and subjects, 2) the RadLab database, a collaboration between NASA, ESA, the German and Italian Space Agencies, and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, which compiles radiation measurements relevant to human spaceflight and provides tools for accessing and manipulating the data, and 3) a Multi-study visualization tool which enables users to look across and combine GeneLab’s omics datasets across different experiments and missions. There are ~600 volunteer OSDR Analysis Working Group (AWG) members who: 1) provide feedback on scientific standards for reuse (subject and assay metadata; processing pipelines; dataset formats and uniformed structures for machine-readability), and 2) collaborate to mine-reuse OSDR data conducting scientific analysis. OSDR has enabled 60 publications as of September 2023, many directly from AWG collaborations most notably the Cell Press package in 2020. Lastly, there are at least 15 articles which mine OSDR data part of a package of ~50 articles across Nature Portfolio with research stemming from I4, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, NASA Space Biology, and the NASA Human Research Program.

space biology↗

NASA Open Science Data Repository: Biomedical FAIR Data, Analysis Tools, User Communities, and Discoveries for Deep Space Missions

Increased biomedical risks and challenges associated with deep space missions require new knowledge discovery, new health countermeasures, and development of novel ecosystems, life support, crop production, and biomedical support capabilities. To meet NASA’s Moon to Mars strategic program goals for Human and Biological Sciences, findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable (FAIR), and maximally open-access data is going to be required to enable humanity to thrive in deep space. Indeed, this cornerstone perspective on FAIR and maximally open access data was also recommended in the recent 2023-2032 Decadal Survey from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The NASA Open Science Data Repository (OSDR) is a maximally open access and FAIR database, and meets various scientific, technical, and operational spaceflight needs. It offers public users and submitters the ability to upload, download, search, share, analyze, and visualize data across ‘omics, physiological, phenotypic, behavioral, bioimaging, video, and environmental monitoring telemetry datasets. OSDR includes NASA GeneLab, NASA Ames Life Sciences Data Archive, and the NASA Biological Institutional Scientific Collection. OSDR has >455 studies with datasets from model organisms and non-NASA human astronauts. There are ~12 datasets from the Inspiration 4 (I4) mission, spanning metagenomics, comprehensive metabolic panels, clonal hematopoiesis, spatial transcriptomics, proteomics, and cytokine panels. In the interest of data privacy, two I4 datasets have raw FASTQ and FASTA files relating to the epitranscriptome, and a new request feature is live in OSDR (with a backend review process established) which was developed based on industry norms. OSDR also recently began a collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) to scientifically curate and make available >200 terabytes of human and model organism space-relevant data. The OSDR submission portal is designed to ingest and curate ~25 ‘omics assay data types, and ~50 physiological-phenotypic-imaging assay data types, spanning ultrasonography, micro-computed tomography, histology, morphometric photography, rebound tonometry, gait analysis, optical coherence tomography, novel object recognition, flow cytometry, and immunohistochemistry. A suite of analysis tools are available for OSDR users including: 1) an Environmental Data Application to compare radiation, CO2, relative humidity, temperature, and other telemetry across missions and subjects, 2) the RadLab database, a collaboration between NASA, ESA, the German and Italian Space Agencies, and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, which compiles radiation measurements relevant to human spaceflight and provides tools for accessing and manipulating the data, and 3) a Multi-study visualization tool which enables users to look across and combine GeneLab’s omics datasets across different experiments and missions. There are ~600 volunteer OSDR Analysis Working Group (AWG) members who: 1) provide feedback on scientific standards for reuse (subject and assay metadata; processing pipelines; dataset formats and uniformed structures for machine-readability), and 2) collaborate to mine-reuse OSDR data conducting scientific analysis. OSDR has enabled 60 publications as of September 2023, many directly from AWG collaborations most notably the Cell Press package in 2020. Lastly, there are at least 15 articles which mine OSDR data part of a package of ~50 articles across Nature Portfolio with research stemming from I4, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, NASA Space Biology, and the NASA Human Research Program.

open access↗

Automated segmentation of porous thermal spray material CT scans with predictive uncertainty estimation

Abstract Thermal sprayed metal coatings are used in many industrial applications, and characterizing the structure and performance of these materials is vital to understanding their behavior in the field. X-ray computed tomography (CT) enables volumetric, nondestructive imaging of these materials, but precise segmentation of this grayscale image data into discrete material phases is necessary to calculate quantities of interest related to material structure. In this work, we present a methodology to automate the CT segmentation process as well as quantify uncertainty in segmentations via deep learning. Neural networks (NNs) have been shown to excel at segmentation tasks; however, memory constraints, class imbalance, and lack of sufficient training data often prohibit their deployment in high resolution volumetric domains. Our 3D convolutional NN implementation mitigates these challenges and accurately segments full resolution CT scans of thermal sprayed materials with maps of uncertainty that conservatively bound the predicted geometry. These bounds are propagated through calculations of material properties such as porosity that may provide an understanding of anticipated behavior in the field.

Martinez, Carianne↗

Multimodal 3D quantification of particle stimulated nucleation in industrially manufactured aluminium AA5182 sheet

Particle stimulated nucleation is a dominant recrystallisation mechanism observed in many industrially relevant aluminium alloys during thermomechanical processing. Here, in this work, we quantify particle stimulated nucleation in 3D in an aluminium AA5182 alloy sheet cold-rolled to 75% thickness reduction. Second phase particles and nuclei are mapped in the same sample volume by conventional laboratory absorption X-ray tomography and synchrotron X-ray Laue micro-diffraction. The large second phase particles are classified as Fe- and Mg-rich phases. It is found that 84% of the nuclei are particle stimulated and 40% of the particles stimulate nucleation. The critical particle diameter is found to be 4 μm. Deviatoric elastic strains are derived from micro-diffraction data and it is found that elastic strains are present in the recrystallised nuclei. The effects of the different particle types, particle clustering, particle size and aspect ratio as well as strain inheritance are discussed. This work provides a full 3D quantification of particle stimulated nucleation behaviour in AA5182 alloy sheet deformed to high strain.

Deviatoric strain↗

Assessing an aqueous flow cell designed for in situ crystal growth under X-ray nanotomography and effects of radiolysis products

Nucleation and growth of minerals has broad implications in the geological, environmental and materials sciences. Recent developments in fast X-ray nanotomography have enabled imaging of crystal growth in solutions in situ with a resolution of tens of nanometres, far surpassing optical microscopy. Here, a low-cost, custom-designed aqueous flow cell dedicated to the study of heterogeneous nucleation and growth of minerals in aqueous environments is shown. To gauge the effects of radiation damage from the imaging process on growth reactions, radiation-induced morphological changes of barite crystals (hundreds of nanometres to ∼1 µm) that were pre-deposited on the wall of the flow cell were investigated. Under flowing solution, minor to major crystal dissolution was observed when the tomography scan frequency was increased from every 30 min to every 5 min (with a 1 min scan duration). The production of reactive radicals from X-ray induced water radiolysis and decrease of pH close to the surface of barite are likely responsible for the observed dissolution. The flow cell shown here can possibly be adopted to study a wide range of other chemical reactions in solutions beyond crystal nucleation and growth where the combination of fast flow and fast scan can be used to mitigate the radiation effects.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Multi-frequency Tomography Radar Observations of Snow Stratigraphy at Fraser during SnowEx

SnowEx is a multi-year airborne snow campaign led by NASA. The purpose of SnowEx is to figure out how much water is stored in Earth’s terrestrial snow-covered regions. As part of the 2017 NASA SnowEx campaign, we deployed a portable triple-frequency (9.6GHz, 13.5GHz and 17.2GHz) and fully polarimetric frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar at Fraser, Colorado. The radar was installed on a 60cmx60cm frame to enable a full reconstruction of the three-dimensional variability per each radar channel. The tomography technique uses the radar echo from the multiple viewing positions and provides a unique access to the vertical structure of the snow layer. With current setup, the range resolution is 30cm. In this paper, we will review the radar design and signal-processing algorithm – time domain back projection. The generated vertical images show the snow stratigraphy, which is consistent with ground snow pit measurement. The continuous operation demonstrates diurnal thawing and refreezing process. The snow density is retrieved by comparing to the snow free image.

Esteban-Fernandez, Daniel↗

Automatic Seismic Phase Picking Using Deep Learning for the EGS Collab project

Microseismic monitoring plays an important role in many energy-related and environmental industries.The microseismic event catalog and seismic structure of the subsurface are two of the primary outputsof the microseismic monitoring system. Though rough locations of microseismic events can be estimated automatically, obtaining high-resolution microseismic event locations requires a significant amount of human laborespecially on seismic phase picking. Unlike traditional automatic pickers that are usually less precise than human analysts, a fewrecently proposed algorithms based on deepneural networks(DNN)were able to match or surpass human performance for earthquake signals. Due to differences in the spatial scale of the study area, sensor sampling rate, and geometry of the monitoring system, it is not clear whether these deepneural networkmodels can be used to speed up microseismic data processing. In this paper, we adapted the DNN based technique for automatic phase picking of microseismic signals. We usedmicroseismic data recorded at the experiment 1 site of the enhancedgeothermal system (EGS) Collab project anddesigneda workflowthat we call transfer-learning aided double-difference tomography (TADT),thatcombines transfer learning and seismic tomography. We re-train an existing DNN with our data to obtain a newmodel using around 3500 seismogramsand associated manual phase picks. Thistransfer learnedmodel is able to reach human performance but muchfaster than human analysts. The transfer-learning-derived phase pickswereused to improve microseismic event locations and imagethesubsurface. The results are similar to or slightly better than those obtained with manual phase picks.

Chai, Chengping↗

Processing aluminum alloy with hybrid wire arc additive manufacturing and ultrasonic nanocrystalline surface modification to improve porosity, surface finish, and hardness

Here, in this paper, a novel hybrid wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) and ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM) on porosity manipulation and surface properties of aluminum 5356 alloys was studied. The goal is to improve the quality of the WAAM-built part by eliminating bigger pores and reducing its size, reducing surface roughness, and increasing surface hardness. The as-built WAAM and WAAM-UNSM-treated samples were quantitatively studied for porosity using an X-ray micro-computed tomography (μ-CT). The surface roughness was measured on the surface profile of the same samples before and after UNSM treatment. Followed by the Vickers micro-hardness tests to evaluate the hardness modified by the influence of the UNSM treatment. It was found that the bigger pores in the as-built WAAM samples were eliminated and the medium-sized pores were shrunk to almost half the size after the UNSM treatment. Further, the UNSM treatment showed a significant improvement in both surface roughness and hardness on the WAAM Al5356 samples. This experimental work demonstrates the critical advantages of hybrid WAAM-UNSM in improving the qualities of the WAAM processed parts.

Hardness↗

Atom Probe Tomography Investigation of Clustering in Model P 2 O 5 -Doped Borosilicate Glasses for Nuclear Waste Vitrification

Atom probe tomography (APT) has been utilized to investigate the microstructure of two model borosilicate glasses designed to understand the solubility limits of phosphorous pentoxide (P 2 O 5 ). This component is found in certain high-level radioactive defence wastes destined for vitrification, where phase separation can potentially lead to a number of issues relating to the processing of the glass and its long-term chemical and structural stability. The development of suitable focused ion beam (FIB)-preparation routes and APT analysis conditions were initially determined for the model glasses, before examining their detailed microstructures. In a 3.0 mol% P 2 O 5 -doped glass, both visual inspection and sensitive statistical analysis of the APT data show homogeneous microstructures, while raising the content to 4.0 mol% initiates the formation of phosphorus-enriched nanoscale precipitates. This study confirms the expected inhomogeneities and phase separation of these glasses and offers routes to characterizing these at near-atomic scale resolution using APT.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Red Wine Fermentation Alters Grape Seed Morphology and Internal Porosity

During wine fermentation, grape berry components, including seeds, undergo extensive physical and chemical changes that result in the release of flavonoids, such as tannins, from seeds into wine. Understanding changes in seed morphology during fermentation is crucial for aiding the development of accurate prediction models for flavonoid extraction during winemaking, which enhances fermentation management and ensures consistency in wines from year to year. High-resolution x-ray microcomputed tomography (x-ray μCT) was used to investigate the effect of red wine fermentation on changes in grape seed morphology. Using a PyTorch-based implementation of a fully convolutional network with a Resnet-101 backbone for semantic segmentation of x-ray μCT images, we quantified extensive alteration to grape seed structure during fermentation. Image analyses revealed the development of a pore network breaking apart the seed endosperm by the end of fermentation, leading to an increase in surface area. Fermentation significantly altered grape seed morphology. Such alterations could enable transport of seed flavonoids from inside the endosperm and integument to outside the seed. Further research on the physical processes occurring in seeds during wine fermentation is necessary to build better physiochemical models.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Persistent compositions of non-stoichiometric compounds with low bulk diffusivity: A theory and application to Nb3Sn superconductors

Non-stoichiometric compounds may develop a composition gradient when they are formed by reactive diffusional processes. This paper reports an interesting phenomenon that in compounds with low bulk diffusivities, which rely mainly on grain boundary diffusion for their growth, the final bulk compositions may be far from equilibrium, with a very low bulk diffusivity leading to fixed (persistent) compositions – one such example is Nb 3 Sn, a superconductor. We investigated the microchemistry at the reactive interface using atom probe tomography to clarify the diffusion reaction mechanism for this low-bulk-diffusivity case and thus propose a theory for what determines the compound composition, using Nb 3 Sn as an example for concreteness. Using certain approximations, we derive an explicit analytical equation that illustrates what factors determine its composition profile. We compare our model with the known facts of Nb 3 Sn and see good agreement. In particular, this model predicts that internal oxidation may lead to higher Sn contents than conventional, non-oxidized Nb 3 Sn. Our measurements show that this is indeed true, and that the internally-oxidized Nb 3 Sn also has higher upper critical fields, achieving up to 28.2 T at 4.2 K. We discuss the general applicability of this model to non-stoichiometric compounds with low bulk diffusivity, and propose it as a tool to help in the design and processing of such materials for compositional control.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Global ion heating/transport during merging spherical tokamak formation

Here we report global ion heating/transport characteristics of magnetic reconnection during merging spherical tokamak formation experiment on TS-6 (TS-3U). Using the 96CH/320CH ultra high resolution ion Doppler tomography diagnostics, the full- 2 D imaging measurement clearly revealed that magnetic reconnection initially forms localized hot spots in the downstream region of outflow jet with inboard/outboard asymmetry (more deposition in the high field side) but the continuous accumulation of the heating coupled with transport process expands the high temperature region globally and forms characteristic poloidally ring-like structure aligned with field lines. The dynamic ion heating/transport process is also affected by the polarity of toroidal field and poloidally tilted/rotating global structure has experimentally been found both during and after merging. The characteristic poloidal asymmetry gets flipped when toroidal field direction is reversed and it was found that higher temperature appears in the positive potential side, which is opposite to the conventional understanding/prediction of guide field reconnection. Through the parallel acceleration process coupled with global heat transport, poloidally asymmetric non-classical feature has experimentally been found for the first time.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Optical versus radiographic imaging and tomography: introduction to the ROADS feature issue

Optical imaging is an ancient branch of imaging dating back to thousands of years. Radiographic imaging and tomography (RadIT), including the first use of X-rays by Wilhelm Röntgen, and then, $γ$ -rays, energetic charged particles, neutrons, etc. are about 130 years young. The synergies between optical and radiographic imaging can be cast in the framework of these building blocks: Physics, Sources, Detectors, Methods, and Data Science, as described in Appl. Opt. 61, RDS1 (2022). Optical imaging has expanded to include three-dimensional (3D) tomography (including holography), due in to part the invention of optical (including infrared) lasers. RadIT are intrinsically 3D because of the penetrating power of ionizing radiation. Both optical imaging and tomography (OIT) and RadIT are evolving into even higher dimensional regimes, such as time-resolved tomography (4D) and temporarily and spectroscopically resolved tomography (4D + ). Further advances in OIT and RadIT will continue to be driven by desires for higher information yield, higher resolutions, and higher probability models with reduced uncertainties. Synergies in quantum physics, laser-driven sources, low-cost detectors, data-driven methods, automated processing of data, and artificially intelligent data acquisition protocols will be beneficial to both branches of imaging in many applications. These topics, along with an overview of the Radiography, Applied Optics, and Data Science virtual feature issue, are discussed here.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Automated Segmentation of Porous Thermal Spray Material CT Scans with Geometric Uncertainty Estimation

Thermal sprayed metal coatings are used in many industrial applications, and characterizing the structure and performance of these materials is vital to understanding their behavior in the field. X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) machines enable volumetric, nondestructive imaging of these materials, but precise segmentation of this grayscale image data into discrete material phases is necessary to calculate quantities of interest related to material structure. In this work, we present a methodology to automate the CT segmentation process as well as quantify uncertainty in segmentations via deep learning. Neural networks (NNs) are shown to accurately segment full resolution CT scans of thermal sprayed materials and provide maps of uncertainty that conservatively bound the predicted geometry. These bounds are propagated through calculations of material properties such as porosity that may provide an understanding of anticipated behavior in the field.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Technology Enabling Zero-EPZ Micro Modular Reactors: Fabrication of Zirconium Hydride with Controlled Hydrogen Loading

This report completes Milestone M2.2.2 - ZrH pellet fabricated with controlled hydride loading: ZrH1.5±0.1 single phase pellets fabricated with controlled and thermally stable hydride loading. Hydrogen content to be quantified and single-phase confirmed by X-ray diffraction. In this milestone, we report the successful fabrication of delta-phase zirconium hydride pellets using the ORNL bulk metal hydriding system. The successful deployment of zirconium hydride moderator in advanced reactors requires development of a consistent and affordable production pathway along with implementation of a hydrogen retention solution throughout the reactor life. Fabrication of delta-phase zirconium hydride is challenging since the absorption of a large amount of hydrogen into alpha-zirconium induces significant volume expansion and the present hydrogen concentration gradient results in cracking. A fully programmable hydriding system with continuous hydrogen partial pressure and flow control to facilitate processing of massive metal hydride has been developed at ORNL. In this report, the working principle of the hydriding system will be introduced. Characterization of the produced zirconium hydride includes X-ray powder diffraction to identify the present phases and X-ray Computed Tomography to visualize the internal microstructure (including cracks). The results indicate that single delta-phase zirconium hydride pellets with various sizes have been successfully produced.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Does the thermal wind exist near the Earth's core boundary?

Temperature distribution in the Earth core determines many important processes such as the following: convective motion, magnetic field generation, matter exchange between the core and the mantle, and the thermal flux. This distribution depends on conditions in the core-mantle boundary and on the distribution of the thermal conductivity in the mantle. Seismic tomography shows that large horizontal temperature and compositional gradients exists at the core-mantle boundary. The simple assumption that these inhomogeneities are extended into the top of the core contradicts the common opinion that the horizontal temperature gradient (the thermal wind) wipes them out in a short time. However, this conclusion has been obtained without taking into account that the core volume is closed and the motion, if it is started, can lead to a small redistribution of composition that stops this motion.

Dolginov, A. Z.↗