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At least 577 records · Page 32

COVIDScholar: An automated COVID-19 research aggregation and analysis platform

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic produced far-reaching effects throughout society, and science is no exception. The scale, speed, and breadth of the scientific community’s COVID-19 response lead to the emergence of new research at the remarkable rate of more than 250 papers published per day. This posed a challenge for the scientific community as traditional methods of engagement with the literature were strained by the volume of new research being produced. Meanwhile, the urgency of response lead to an increasingly prominent role for preprint servers and a diffusion of relevant research through many channels simultaneously. These factors created a need for new tools to change the way scientific literature is organized and found by researchers. With this challenge in mind, we present an overview of COVIDScholar https://covidscholar.org/, an automated knowledge portal which utilizes natural language processing (NLP) that was built to meet these urgent needs. The search interface for this corpus of more than 260,000 research articles, patents, and clinical trials served more than 33,000 users at an average of 2,000 monthly active users and a peak of more than 8,600 weekly active users in the summer of 2020. Additionally, we include an analysis of trends in COVID-19 research over the course of the pandemic with a particular focus on the first 10 months, which represents a unique period of rapid worldwide shift in scientific attention.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Relationships between summertime surface albedo and melt pond fraction in the central Arctic Ocean: The aggregate scale of albedo obtained on the MOSAiC floe

As part of the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC), the HELiX uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) was deployed over the sea ice in the central Arctic Ocean during summer 2020. Albedo measurements were obtained with stabilized pyranometers, and melt pond fraction was calculated from orthomosaic imagery from a surface-imaging multispectral camera. This study analyzed HELiX flight data to provide insights on the temporal and spatial evolution of albedo and melt pond fraction of the MOSAiC floe during the melt season as it drifted south through Fram Strait. The surface albedo distributions showed peak values changing from high albedo (0.55–0.6) to lower values (0.3) as the season advanced. Inspired by methods developed for satellite data, an algorithm was established to retrieve melt pond fraction from the orthomosaic images. We demonstrate that the near-surface observations of melt pond fraction were highly dependent on sample area, offering insight into the influence of subgrid scale features and spatial heterogeneity in satellite observations. Vertical observations conducted with the HELiX were used to quantify the influence of melt pond scales on observed surface albedo as a function of sensor footprint. These scaling results were used to link surface-based measurements collected during MOSAiC to broader-scale satellite data to investigate the influence of surface features on observed albedo. Albedo values blend underlying features within the sensor footprint, as determined by the melt pond size and concentration. This study framed the downscaling (upscaling) problem related to the airborne (surface) observations of surface albedo across a variety of spatial scales.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

AGGREGATE: dAta-driven modelinG preservinG contRollable dEr for outaGe mAnagemenT and rEsiliency (Report for Task 9: Viability of Data-Driven Approach for Outage Management (Deliverable D6))

This technical report is provided to US Department of Energy for progress made on the AGGERGATE project led by the Washington State University. This report is specifically related to the deliverable: ’D6: Technical report discussing the viability of the developed data-driven models and co-simulation architecture for models for operation in a real-world operational setting and the results of Tasks 1 to 8, summarizing the project findings and accomplishments to date’.

42 ENGINEERING↗

AGGREGATE: dAta-driven modelinG preservinG contRollable dEr for outaGe mAnagemenT and rEsiliency (Report for Task 10: Controllability and Observability Analysis (Deliverable D7))

It is common to have less than full observability for distribution systems, as the number of available measurements are not sufficient. Considering increasing penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs), it is imperative to understand and control distribution systems better. Developed for the transmission system, the original numerical observability analysis methods were based on the canonical DC Power Flow (DC-PF) model. However, the DC-PF model is ill-suited for the distribution system in which line resistance to reactance (R/X) ratios can be near unity. In this report, we apply the non-iterative Observability Test (OT) and Observable Island Identification Procedure (OIIP) in to the gain matrix from the distribution system state estimator. Because sensors are few in distribution systems, pseudo-measurements based on historical load profiles and zero-injection virtual measurements are often employed to ensure observability. However, both the observability and the accuracy of the state estimates are uncertain when historical data is limited/unavailable.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Stochastic Approaches for Calculating and Aggregating Detection Probabilities for Nuclear Material Diversion

The authors built and tested a stochastic simulation to estimate achieved detection probabilities (DPs) on a stratum basis, over a tailorable range of diverted amounts from 0 to 2 significant quantities (SQ), using typical International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspection data: i.e., SQ in stratum, number of items, number of gross/partial/bias defect measurements conducted, and realistic relative standard deviation (RSD) values for typical IAEA verification measurements. For bulk strata, the model calculates achieved DP at 0.01 SQ diversion increments; for item strata, the model calculates DP using the smallest realistic diversion increment (e.g., a plate, pin, or coupon). After successfully benchmarking against IAEA deterministic models, the simulation was used to test the sensitivity of DP to certain standard assumptions and selected input parameters. First, the equal defect assumption was tested; the results suggest significant complexity in the effectiveness of partial defect measurements. Next, the authors explored the sensitivity of DP to the assumed RSD of attribute tests. Then, the authors compared non-normal models for instrument performance (e.g., logistic, step, or arbitrary functions) to the typical results from a normal distribution (characterized by RSD). This last comparison was supplemented with experimentally derived performance data for an HM-5 gamma spectrometer. The HM-5 was used to make enrichment measurements on both LEU and HEU MTR fuel elements as plates were removed, and the results fit with logistic and step curves and applied in the simulation. These stochastic DP results were compared to DP estimates from a deterministic model assuming a normal curve and typical RSD, yielding insights that could improve effectiveness in the field. These early results illustrate the potential of stochastic models to better understand achieved DP and to improve safeguards effectiveness.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗

Nucleation, Growth, and Aggregation of Todorokite Nanoparticles from Both Geochemical and Materials Science Perspectives (Final Technical Report)

A vast amount of manganese (Mn) nodules exists in ocean sediments, covering about 30% of the ocean floor. Tunneled and layered Mn(IV) oxides, hereafter called TMOs and LMOs, are the primary mineral phases hosting Mn. Owing to their unique structure and properties, these Mn oxides are highly enriched in transition metals, platinum group metals, and rare earth elements, up to several percentages in weight. Thus, many metals are stored in these nodules and the nodules have thus been increasingly considered for their potential as a source of strategic metals for national security applications and the energy industry. The nodules also play an important role in trace metal biogeochemical cycling in the ocean because they control the partition and distribution of trace metals in oceanic sediments. Layered and tunneled structures differ in their mineralogical and chemical properties. For example, TMOs contain fewer metals compared to LMOs in ocean nodules. Therefore, the relative proportion of the two types of minerals in ocean nodules determines the metal sequestration capacities of the nodules, hence the amount of metals stored in the nodules and metal cycling in oceans. The overall objective of this study is to investigate the mechanisms of layered to tunneled structural transform driven by redox reactions. Specifically, we focus on the redox reactions between Mn(IV) and Mn(II) because they often coexist during Mn redox cycling.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗