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At least 649 records · Page 36

New concept of critical infrastructure strengthening

Strengthening of critical infrastructure is considered. Modal reservation of electronics is proposed as a new concept of the strengthening. The concept combines a widely used cold backup and a recently proposed modal filtration. It makes electronics reliable as well as protected against electromagnetic interference, especially the ultra-wide band pulses. New printed circuit board structure is suggested for implementation of the proposed concept. Results of simulation in time and frequency domains are presented for the suggested structures. Considerable attenuation of dangerous excitations shows that the new concept and structure are promising.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

One-directional thermal transport in densely aligned single-wall carbon nanotube films

Individual carbon nanotubes (CNTs) possess extremely high thermal conductivities. However, the thermal conductivities and their anisotropy of macroscopic assemblies of CNTs have so far remained small. Here, we report the results of directional thermal transport measurements on a nearly perfectly aligned CNT film fabricated via controlled vacuum filtration. We found the thermal conductivity to be 43 ± 2.2 W m -1 K -1 with a record-high thermal anisotropy of 500. From the temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity and its agreement with the atomistic phonon transport calculation, we conclude that the effect of intertube thermal resistance on heat conduction in the alignment direction is negligible because of the large contact area between CNTs. These observations thus represent ideal unidirectional thermal transport, i.e., the thermal conductivity of the film is determined solely by that of individual CNTs.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Variation in the structure of a time-dependent SRS spectrum in microfiltered water

The time-dependent stimulated Raman scattering of light in water subjected to structural transformation by track membrane microfiltration is investigated. It is shown that the probability of SRS at the frequency of the ice spectral component in the band of stretching OH vibrations of water molecules decreases as a result of water filtration. (nonlinear optical phenomena)

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Homophilic Adhesion Mechanism of Neurofascin, a Member of the L1 Family of Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules

The L1 family neural cell adhesion molecules play key roles in specifying the formation and remodeling of the neural network, but their homophilic interaction that mediates adhesion is not well understood. We report two crystal structures of a dimeric form of the headpiece of neurofascin, an L1 family member. The four N-terminal Ig-like domains of neurofascin form a horseshoe shape, akin to several other immunoglobulin superfamily cell adhesion molecules such as hemolin, axonin, and Dscam. The neurofascin dimer, captured in two crystal forms with independent packing patterns, reveals a pair of horseshoes in trans-synaptic adhesion mode. The adhesion interaction is mediated mostly by the second Ig-like domain, which features an intermolecular {beta}-sheet formed by the joining of two individual GFC {beta}-sheets and a large but loosely packed hydrophobic cluster. Mutagenesis combined with gel filtration assays suggested that the side chain hydrogen bonds at the intermolecular {beta}-sheet are essential for the homophilic interaction and that the residues at the hydrophobic cluster play supplementary roles. Our structures reveal a conserved homophilic adhesion mode for the L1 family and also shed light on how the pathological mutations of L1 affect its structure and function.

08 HYDROGEN↗

LOCAL INTERSTELLAR HYDROGEN'S DISAPPEARANCE AT 1 AU: FOUR YEARS OF IBEX IN THE RISING SOLAR CYCLE

NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission has recently opened a new window on the interstellar medium (ISM) by imaging neutral atoms. One ''bright'' feature in the sky is the interstellar wind flowing into the solar system. Composed of remnants of stellar explosions as well as primordial gas and plasma, the ISM is by no means uniform. The interaction of the local ISM with the solar wind shapes our heliospheric environment with hydrogen being the dominant component of the very local ISM. In this paper, we report on direct sampling of the neutral hydrogen of the local ISM over four years of IBEX observations. The hydrogen wind observed at 1 AU has decreased and nearly disappeared as the solar activity has increased over the last four years; the signal at 1 AU has dropped off in 2012 by a factor of {approx}8 to near background levels. The longitudinal offset has also increased with time presumably due to greater radiation pressure deflecting the interstellar wind. We present longitudinal and latitudinal arrival direction measurements of the bulk flow as measured over four years beginning at near solar minimum conditions. The H distribution we observe at 1 AU is expected to be different from that outside the heliopause due to ionization, photon pressure, gravity, and filtration by interactions with heliospheric plasma populations. These observations provide an important benchmark for modeling of the global heliospheric interaction. Based on these observations we suggest a further course of scientific action to observe neutral hydrogen over a full solar cycle with IBEX.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The Ne-to-O abundance ratio of the interstellar medium from IBEX-Lo observations

In this paper we report on a two-year study to estimate the Ne/O abundance ratio in the gas phase of the local interstellar cloud (LIC). Based on the first two years of observations with the Interstellar Boundary Explorer, we determined the fluxes of interstellar neutral (ISN) O and Ne atoms at the Earth's orbit in spring 2009 and 2010. A temporal variation of the Ne/O abundance ratio at the Earth's orbit could be expected due to solar cycle-related effects such as changes of ionization. However, this study shows that there is no significant change in the Ne/O ratio at the Earths orbit from 2009 to 2010. We used time-dependent survival probabilities of the ISNs to calculate the Ne/O abundance ratio at the termination shock. Then we estimated the Ne/O abundance ratio in the gas phase of the LIC with the use of filtration factors and the ionization fractions. From our analysis, the Ne/O abundance ratio in the LIC is 0.33 ± 0.07, which is in agreement with the abundance ratio inferred from pickup-ion measurements.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Conversion of scFv peptide-binding specificity for crystal chaperone development

In spite of advances in protein expression and purification over the last decade, many proteins remain recalcitrant to structure determination by X-ray crystallography. One emerging tactic to obtain high-quality protein crystals for structure determination, particularly in the case of membrane proteins, involves co-crystallization with a protein-specific antibody fragment. Here, we report the development of new recombinant single-chain antibody fragments (scFv) capable of binding a specific epitope that can be introduced into internal loops of client proteins. The previously crystallized hexa-histidine-specific 3D5 scFv antibody was modified in the complementary determining region and by random mutagenesis, in conjunction with phage display, to yield scFvs with new biochemical characteristics and binding specificity. Selected variants include those specific for the hexa-histidine peptide with increased expression, solubility (up to 16.6 mg/ml) and sub-micromolar affinity, and those with new specificity for the EE hexa-peptide (EYMPME) and nanomolar affinity. Complexes of one such chaperone with model proteins harboring either an internal or a terminal EE tag were isolated by gel filtration. The 3.1 {angstrom} resolution structure of this chaperone reveals a binding surface complementary to the EE peptide and a {approx}52 {angstrom} channel in the crystal lattice. Notably, in spite of 85% sequence identity, and nearly identical crystallization conditions, the engineered scFv crystallizes in a different space group than the parent 3D5 scFv, and utilizes two new crystal contacts. These engineered scFvs represent a new class of chaperones that may eliminate the need for de novo identification of candidate chaperones from large antibody libraries.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Control of airborne infectious disease in buildings: Evidence and research priorities

The evolution of SARS-CoV-2 virus has resulted in variants likely to be more readily transmitted through respiratory aerosols, underscoring the increased potential for indoor environmental controls to mitigate risk. Use of tight-fitting face masks to trap infectious aerosol in exhaled breath and reduce inhalation exposure to contaminated air is of critical importance for disease control. Administrative controls including the regulation of occupancy and interpersonal spacing are also important, while presenting social and economic challenges. Indoor engineering controls including ventilation, exhaust, air flow control, filtration, and disinfection by germicidal ultraviolet irradiation can reduce reliance on stringent occupancy restrictions. However, the effects of controls-individually and in combination-on reducing infectious aerosol transfer indoors remain to be clearly characterized to the extent needed to support widespread implementation by building operators. We review aerobiologic and epidemiologic evidence of indoor environmental controls against transmission and present a quantitative aerosol transfer scenario illustrating relative differences in exposure at close-interactive, room, and building scales. We identify an overarching need for investment to implement building controls and evaluate their effectiveness on infection in well-characterized and real-world settings, supported by specific, methodological advances. Finally, improved understanding of engineering control effectiveness guides implementation at scale while considering occupant comfort, operational challenges, and energy costs.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Kilovoltage energy imaging with a radiotherapy linac with a continuously variable energy range

Purpose: In this paper, the effect on image quality of significantly reducing the primary electron energy of a radiotherapy accelerator is investigated using a novel waveguide test piece. The waveguide contains a novel variable coupling device (rotovane), allowing for a wide continuously variable energy range of between 1.4 and 9 MeV suitable for both imaging and therapy.Method: Imaging at linac accelerating potentials close to 1 MV was investigated experimentally and via Monte Carlo simulations. An imaging beam line was designed, and planar and cone beam computed tomography images were obtained to enable qualitative and quantitative comparisons with kilovoltage and megavoltage imaging systems. The imaging beam had an electron energy of 1.4 MeV, which was incident on a water cooled electron window consisting of stainless steel, a 5 mm carbon electron absorber and 2.5 mm aluminium filtration. Images were acquired with an amorphous silicon detector sensitive to diagnostic x-ray energies. Results: The x-ray beam had an average energy of 220 keV and half value layer of 5.9 mm of copper. Cone beam CT images with the same contrast to noise ratio as a gantry mounted kilovoltage imaging system were obtained with doses as low as 2 cGy. This dose is equivalent to a single 6 MV portal image. While 12 times higher than a 100 kVp CBCT system (Elekta XVI), this dose is 140 times lower than a 6 MV cone beam imaging system and 6 times lower than previously published LowZ imaging beams operating at higher (4-5 MeV) energies. Conclusions: The novel coupling device provides for a wide range of electron energies that are suitable for kilovoltage quality imaging and therapy. The imaging system provides high contrast images from the therapy portal at low dose, approaching that of gantry mounted kilovoltage x-ray systems. Additionally, the system provides low dose imaging directly from the therapy portal, potentially allowing for target tracking during radiotherapy treatment. There is the scope with such a tuneable system for further energy reduction and subsequent improvement in image quality.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Temporal and spectral imaging with micro-CT

Purpose: Micro-CT is widely used for small animal imaging in preclinical studies of cardiopulmonary disease, but further development is needed to improve spatial resolution, temporal resolution, and material contrast. We present a technique for visualizing the changing distribution of iodine in the cardiac cycle with dual source micro-CT. Methods: The approach entails a retrospectively gated dual energy scan with optimized filters and voltages, and a series of computational operations to reconstruct the data. Projection interpolation and five-dimensional bilateral filtration (three spatial dimensions + time + energy) are used to reduce noise and artifacts associated with retrospective gating. We reconstruct separate volumes corresponding to different cardiac phases and apply a linear transformation to decompose these volumes into components representing concentrations of water and iodine. Since the resulting material images are still compromised by noise, we improve their quality in an iterative process that minimizes the discrepancy between the original acquired projections and the projections predicted by the reconstructed volumes. The values in the voxels of each of the reconstructed volumes represent the coefficients of linear combinations of basis functions over time and energy. We have implemented the reconstruction algorithm on a graphics processing unit (GPU) with CUDA. We tested the utility of the technique in simulations and applied the technique in an in vivo scan of a C57BL/6 mouse injected with blood pool contrast agent at a dose of 0.01 ml/g body weight. Postreconstruction, at each cardiac phase in the iodine images, we segmented the left ventricle and computed its volume. Using the maximum and minimum volumes in the left ventricle, we calculated the stroke volume, the ejection fraction, and the cardiac output. Results: Our proposed method produces five-dimensional volumetric images that distinguish different materials at different points in time, and can be used to segment regions containing iodinated blood and compute measures of cardiac function. Conclusions: We believe this combined spectral and temporal imaging technique will be useful for future studies of cardiopulmonary disease in small animals.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

SU-E-I-18: CT Scanner QA Using Normalized CTDI Ratio

Purpose: To create a ratio of weighted computed tomography dose index (CTDIw) data normalized to in-air measurements (CTDIair) as a function of beam quality to create a look-up table for frequent, rapid quality assurance (QA) checks of CTDI. Methods: The CTDIw values were measured according to TG-63 protocol using a pencil ionization chamber (Unfors Xi CT detector) and head and body Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) phantoms (16 and 32 cm diameter, respectively). Single scan dose profiles were measured at each clinically available energy (80,100,120,140 kVp) on three different CT scanners (two Siemens SOMATOM Definition Flash and one GE Optima), using a tube current of 400 mA, a one second rotation time, and the widest available beam width (32 × 0.6 mm and 16 × 1.25 mm, respectively). These values were normalized to CTDIair measurements using the same conditions as CTDIw. The ratios (expressed in cGy/R) were assessed for each scanner as a function of each energy's half value layer (HVL) paired with the phantom's appropriate bow tie filter measured in mmAl. Results: Normalized CTDI values vary linearly with HVL for both the head and body phantoms. The ratios for the two Siemens machines are very similar at each energy. Compared to the GE scanner, these values vary between 10–20% for each kVp setting. Differences in CTDIair contribute most to the deviation of the ratios across machines. Ratios are independent of both mAs and collimation. Conclusion: Look-up tables constructed of normalized CTDI values as a function of HVL can be used to derive CTDIw data from only three in-air measurements (one for CTDIair and two with added filtration for HVL) to allow for simple, frequent QA checks without CT phantom setup. Future investigations will involve comparing results with Monte Carlo simulations for validation.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

FINAL SCIENTIFIC/TECHNICAL REPORT

Dynalene Inc has developed and patented a fuel cell coolant with the help of DOE SBIR Phase I and Phase II funding (Project DE-FG02-04ER83884). However, this coolant could only be produced in lab scale (500 ml to 2 L) due to problems in the optimization and scale-up of a nanoparticle ingredient. This project optimized the nanoparticle production process in 10 L and 100 L reactors (which translates to about 5000 gallons of coolant), optimized the filtration process for the nanoparticles, and develop a high throughput production as well as quality control method for the final coolant formulation. Scale-up of nanoparticle synthesis (using emulsion polymerization) is an extremely challenging task. Dynalene researchers, in collaboration with a university partner, identified all the parameters affecting the size, charge density and coagulation characteristics of the nanoparticles and then optimized these parameters to achieve the goals and the objectives of this project. Nanoparticle synthesis was demonstrated to be reproducible in the 10 L and 100 L scales.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Literature review on impact of glycolate on the 2H evaporator and the effluent treatment facility

Glycolic acid (GA) is being studied as an alternate reductant in the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) feed preparation process. It will either be a total or partial replacement for the formic acid that is currently used. A literature review has been conducted on the impact of glycolate on two post-DWPF downstream systems - the 2H Evaporator system and the Effluent Treatment Facility (ETF). The DWPF recycle stream serves as a portion of the feed to the 2H Evaporator. Glycolate enters the evaporator system from the glycolate in the recycle stream. The overhead (i.e., condensed phase) from the 2H Evaporator serves as a portion of the feed to the ETF. The literature search revealed that virtually no impact is anticipated for the 2H Evaporator. Glycolate may help reduce scale formation in the evaporator due to its high complexing ability. The drawback of the solubilizing ability is the potential impact on the criticality analysis of the 2H Evaporator system. It is recommended that at least a theoretical evaluation to confirm the finding that no self-propagating violent reactions with nitrate/nitrites will occur should be performed. Similarly, identification of sources of ignition relevant to glycolate and/or update of the composite flammability analysis to reflect the effects from the glycolate additions for the 2H Evaporator system are in order. An evaluation of the 2H Evaporator criticality analysis is also needed. A determination of the amount or fraction of the glycolate in the evaporator overhead is critical to more accurately assess its impact on the ETF. Hence, use of predictive models like OLI Environmental Simulation Package Software (OLI/ESP) and/or testing are recommended for the determination of the glycolate concentration in the overhead. The impact on the ETF depends on the concentration of glycolate in the ETF feed. The impact is classified as minor for feed glycolate concentrations {le} 33 mg/L or 0.44 mM. The ETF unit operations that will have minor/major impacts are chlorination, pH adjustment, 1st mercury removal, organics removal, 2nd mercury removal, and ion exchange. For minor impacts, the general approach is to use historical process operations data/modeling software like OLI/ESP and/or monitoring/compiled process operations data to resolve any uncertainties with testing as a last resort. For major impacts (i.e., glycolate concentrations > 33 mg/L or 0.44 mM), testing is recommended. No impact is envisaged for the following ETF unit operations regardless of the glycolate concentration - filtration, reverse osmosis, ion exchange resin regeneration, and evaporation.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Evaluation of Alternative Filter Media for the Rotary Microfilter, Phase 2

Testing was conducted at the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) to investigate filter membrane performance in an effort to increase rotary microfilter (RMF) throughput. Membranes were tested in the SpinTek Filtration, Inc. Static Test Cell (STC), which permitted quick and easy testing of several different membranes. Testing consisted of 100 hours tests with two different slurry feeds, based on recommendations from the phase 1 testing. One feed contained Monosodium Titanate (MST) solids in a simulated salt solution. The other feed contained simulated sludge batch 6 (SB6) solids in a simulated salt solution. Five membranes were tested, one each from filter manufactures Pall and Porvair and three from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The membrane from Pall is the current membrane used on the latest generation RMF. The Porvair membrane performed well in previous STC tests as well as one of the ORNL membranes. The other two membranes from ORNL were recently developed and not available for the previous STC test. The results indicate that the Porvair filter performed best with the MST slurry and the ORNL SVB6-1B filter performed best with the SB6 slurry. Difficulty was encountered with the ORNL filters due to their dimensional thickness, which was greater than the recommended filter thickness for the STC. The STC equipment was modified to complete the testing of the ORNL filters.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Effect of Ventilation Strategies on Residential Ozone Levels

Elevated outdoor ozone levels are associated with adverse health effects. Because people spend the vast majority of their time indoors, reduction in indoor levels of ozone of outdoor origin would lower population exposures and might also lead to a reduction in ozone-associated adverse health effects. In most buildings, indoor ozone levels are diminished with respect to outdoor levels to an extent that depends on surface reactions and on the degree to which ozone penetrates the building envelope. Ozone enters buildings from outdoors together with the airflows that are driven by natural and mechanical means, including deliberate ventilation used to reduce concentrations of indoor-generated pollutants. When assessing the effect of deliberate ventilation on occupant health one should consider not only the positive effects on removing pollutants of indoor origin but also the possibility that enhanced ventilation might increase indoor levels of pollutants originating outdoors. This study considers how changes in residential ventilation that are designed to comply with ASHRAE Standard 62.2 might influence indoor levels of ozone. Simulation results show that the building envelope can contribute significantly to filtration of ozone. Consequently, the use of exhaust ventilation systems is predicted to produce lower indoor ozone concentrations than would occur with balanced ventilation systems operating at the same air-­exchange rate. We also investigated a strategy for reducing exposure to ozone that would deliberately reduce ventilation rates during times of high outdoor ozone concentration while still meeting daily average ventilation requirements.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Cesium Isotherm Testing with Spherical Resorcinol-Formaldehyde Resin at High Sodium Concentrations

Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) is developing a Low-Activity Waste Pretreatment System (LAWPS) to provide low-activity waste (LAW) directly to the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) Low-Activity Waste Facility for immobilization. The pretreatment that will be conducted on tank waste supernate at the LAWPS facility entails filtration to remove entrained solids and cesium (Cs) ion exchange to remove Cs from the product sent to the WTP. Currently, spherical resorcinol-formaldehyde (sRF) resin (Microbeads AS, Skedsmokorset, Norway) is the Cs ion exchange resin of choice. Most work on Cs ion exchange efficacy in Hanford tank waste has been conducted at nominally 5 M sodium (Na). WRPS is examining the possibility of processing supernatant at high Na concentrations—up to 8 M Na—to maximize processing efficiency through the LAWPS. Minimal Cs ion exchange work has been conducted at 6 M and 8 M Na concentrations..

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Reinventing wastewater treatment plants: energy neutral treatment and enhanced fertilizer production through a novel resource recovery center

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are typically energy intensive, mainly due to the secondary treatment processes such as activated sludge (AS) for treatment of organics as well as nutrients like nitrogen. Nitrogen removal presents a big problem for WWTPs. The main form of nitrogen in wastewater is ammonium, and an AS process uses oxygen to convert ammonium into nitrite and nitrate which is then converted to nitrogen through denitrification process. During anaerobic digestion (AD), organic nitrogen gets degraded, resulting in an effluent stream (centrate) with a high nitrogen content, mostly in the form of ammonium. This contributes 15-30% of total nitrogen to the wastewater influent which further increases energy consumption for aeration. The project aims to transform this conventional municipal WWTPs into energy-neutral, resource-recovering facilities by integrating three core technologies: • Cloth Media Filtration (CMF) to replace conventional primary sedimentation (CPS) and increase the diversion of organics from the energy intensive secondary treatment to AD. This results in reduced energy demand for aeration in the secondary process while simultaneously increasing the biogas production in the anaerobic digesters. • Anerobic Digester to increase biogas and ammonia production. • Membrane Evaporation (ME) to recover ammonia from AD centrate and produce marketable fertilizer. The benefits of proposed WWTP process modifications were evaluated using techno economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA). For CMF portion of the research a statistical analysis was employed to develop data-driven tools that could be used to enhance and optimize its performance in terms of energy savings and effluent quality. The main objective of this project is to reduce the energy demand for secondary treatment at municipal WWTPs by at least 50%, increase anaerobic digester (AD) biogas and ammonia production by 100% and 120%, respectively, and recover 90% of ammonia from the AD. Integrated CMF, AD, and ME was shown to work synergistically toward achieving these decarbonization targets through energy-positive treatment and fertilizer recovery techniques.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Leachate Treatment for Radioactive Waste Containment Mound: Pilot Test and Design - 19098

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories plans to construct an engineered containment mound (ECM) at its Chalk River Laboratories site in Ontario for safe management of radioactive and mixed waste at the facility. The ECM is designed for containment of 1,000,000 cubic meters of waste, and will be operated over a period of 50 years. Contact storm water, leachate, and other wastewater will be generated during operation of the ECM, and must be treated prior to discharge to the environment. The wastewater is projected to contain low concentrations of radionuclides and metals, as well as other cations and anions, and low concentrations of organic chemicals. Through comparison with surface water discharge criteria, radionuclides cesium-137 and strontium-90, and metals including aluminum, barium, copper, iron, lead, and manganese were projected to be present in the wastewater at concentrations that may exceed surface water discharge criteria, and were therefore targeted for treatment. Several technologies, including chemical precipitation, membrane filtration, ion exchange, and reverse osmosis were reviewed and tested on a laboratory scale using simulated wastewater prepared to replicate the concentrations of both target and non-target constituents. Based upon the results of the laboratory-scale tests, a six-week pilot test was conducted to simulate the performance of the technologies under continuous-flow conditions and determine full-scale design criteria. This paper describes the methodology and results of the six-week pilot test, and how the test results were used to inform the full-scale wastewater treatment system design. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗