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At least 703 records · Page 39
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

Nuclear Data Sheets for A = 215

The evaluated spectroscopic data are presented for 12 known nuclides of mass 215 (Hg, Tl, Pb, Bi, Po, At, Rn, Fr, Ra, Ac, Th, Pa). For {sup 215}Hg, {sup 215}Tl, {sup 215}Pb, and {sup 215}Pa nuclei, no excited states are known. The decay characteristics of {sup 215}Hg and {sup 215}Tl are unknown. The decay scheme of {sup 215}Pb is considered as incomplete. Ordering of γ cascades in the decay of 36.9–s isomer of {sup 215}Bi and for high–spin states above 2251 keV in {sup 215}Fr are not established. High–spin excitations, including several isomeric states, are well known in {sup 215}Bi, {sup 215}Po, {sup 215}Rn, {sup 215}Fr, {sup 215}Ra, and {sup 215}Ac. No particle–transfer reaction data are available for any of the A=215 nuclei. The rms charge radii for {sup 215}Pb, {sup 215}Bi, {sup 215}Po, {sup 215}Rn, {sup 215}Fr and {sup 215}Ra have been evaluated by Daniel Abriola, from extrapolation or interpolation of available evaluated data in 2013An02 for radii of respective Z chains using formula 9 in 2004An14. This evaluation was carried out as part of ENSDD–workshop at VECC, Kolkata for Nuclear Structure and Decay Data, organized and hosted by VECC and Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences (BRNS) in Kolkata, India, November 26–29, 2012. This work supersedes the previous A = 215 evaluation (2001Br31) published by E. Browne which covered literature prior to May 2001.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

The experimental nuclear reaction data (EXFOR): Extended computer database and Web retrieval system

The EXchange FORmat (EXFOR) experimental nuclear reaction database and the associated Web interface provide access to the wealth of low- and intermediate-energy nuclear reaction physics data. This resource is based on numerical data sets and bibliographical information of ~22,000 experiments since the beginning of nuclear science. The principles of the computer database organization, its extended contents and Web applications development are described. New capabilities for the data sets uploads, renormalization, covariance matrix, and inverse reaction calculations are presented in this paper. The EXFOR database, updated monthly, provides an essential support for nuclear data evaluation, application development, and research activities. Finally, it is publicly available at the websites of the International Atomic Energy Agency Nuclear Data Section, http://www-nds.iaea.org/exfor, the U.S. National Nuclear Data Center, http://www.nndc.bnl.gov/exfor, and the mirror sites in China, India and Russian Federation.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

A summary of sodium-cooled fast reactor development

Much of the basic technology for the Sodium-cooled fast Reactor (SFR) has been established through long term development experience with former fast reactor programs, and is being confirmed by the Phénix end-of-life tests in France, the restart of Monju in Japan, the lifetime extension of BN-600 in Russia, and the startup of the China Experimental Fast Reactor in China. Planned startup in 2014 for new SFRs: BN-800 in Russia and PFBR in India, will further enhance the confirmation of the SFR basic technology. Nowadays, the SFR development has advanced to aiming at establishment of the Generation-IV system which is dedicated to sustainable energy generation and actinide management, and several advanced SFR concepts are under development such as PRISM, JSFR, ASTRID, PGSFR, BN-1200, and CFR-600. Generation-IV International Forum is an international collaboration framework where various R&D activities are progressing on design of system and component, safety and operation, advanced fuel, and actinide cycle for the Generation-IV SFR development, and will play a beneficial role of promoting them thorough providing an opportunity to share the past experience and the latest data of design and R&D among countries developing SFR.

Aoto, Kazumi↗
DOE OSTI2019

A pathway of global food supply adaptation in a world with increasingly constrained groundwater

Many of the world’s major freshwater aquifers are being exploited unsustainably, with some projected to approach environmentally unsafe drawdown limits within the 21st century. Given that aquifer depletion tends to occur in important crop producing regions, the prospect of running dry poses a significant threat to global food security. Here we use the Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM) to explore the response of land use and agriculture sectors to severe constraints on global water resources. We simulate a scenario in which a number of important groundwater aquifers become depleted beyond environmental or economically viable drawdown limits within the 21st century. Results are then benchmarked against scenario that neglects constraints on water extractions. We find that groundwater depletion and associated water price increases drive two distinct responses in the agriculture sector: an expansion of rain fed agriculture, and a shift in irrigated crop production toward regions with cheaper water resources. Losses in crop production are most pronounced in water stressed regions where groundwater is being depleted unsustainably to meet irrigation demands—namely northwest India, Pakistan, the Middle East, western United States, Mexico, and Central Asia. While these results highlight substantial risks for the affected regional agricultural economies, we show that modest changes in irrigation and location of crop growth could ensure global food demands are met despite severe water constraints.

Turner, Sean WD↗
DOE OSTI2013

Exposure to As, Cd and Pb-mixture impairs myelin and axon development in rat brain, optic nerve and retina

Arsenic (As), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) are the major metal contaminants of ground water in India. We have reported the toxic effect of their mixture (metal mixture, MM), at human relevant doses, on developing rat astrocytes. Astrocyte damage has been shown to be associated with myelin disintegration in CNS. We, therefore, hypothesized that the MM would perturb myelinating white matter in cerebral cortex, optic nerve (O.N.) and retina. We observed modulation in the levels of myelin and axon proteins, such as myelin basic protein (MBP), proteolipid protein, 2′-, 3′-cyclic-nucleotide-3′-phosphodiesterase, myelin-associated glycoprotein and neurofilament (NF) in the brain of developing rats. Dose and time-dependent synergistic toxic effect was noted. The MBP- and NF-immunolabeling, as well as luxol-fast blue (LFB) staining demonstrated a reduction in the area of intact myelin-fiber, and an increase in vacuolated axons, especially in the corpus-callosum. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of O.N. revealed a reduction in myelin thickness and axon-density. The immunolabeling with MBP, NF, and LFB staining in O.N. supported the TEM data. The hematoxylin and eosin staining of retina displayed a decrease in the thickness of nerve-fiber, plexiform-layer, and retinal ganglion cell (RGC) count. Investigating the mechanism revealed a loss in glutamine synthetase activity in the cerebral cortex and O.N., and a fall in the brain derived neurotrophic factor in retina. An enhanced apoptosis in MBP, NF and Brn3b-containing cells justified the diminution in myelinating axons in CNS. Our findings for the first time indicate white matter damage by MM, which may have significance in neurodevelopmental-pediatrics, neurotoxicology and retinal-cell biology. - Highlights: • As, Cd and Pb-mixture, at human relevant dose, demyelinate developing rat CNS. • The attenuation in myelin and axon is synergistic. • The optic nerve and brain demonstrate reduced glutamine synthetase. • The retina exhibits diminished neurotrophin levels and cellular differentiation. • The toxic effect is apoptotic.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

LONG-TERM GLOBAL WATER USE PROJECTIONS USING SIX SOCIOECONOMIC SCENARIOS IN AN INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT MODELING FRAMEWORK

In this paper, we assess future water demands for the agricultural (irrigation and livestock), energy (electricity generation, primary energy production and processing), industrial (manufacturing and mining), and municipal sectors, by incorporating water demands into a technologically-detailed global integrated assessment model of energy, agriculture, and climate change – the Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM). Base-year water demands—both gross withdrawals and net consumptive use—are assigned to specific modeled activities in a way that maximizes consistency between bottom-up estimates of water demand intensities of specific technologies and practices, and top-down regional and sectoral estimates of water use. The energy, industrial, and municipal sectors are represented in fourteen geopolitical regions, with the agricultural sector further disaggregated into as many as eighteen agro-ecological zones (AEZs) within each region. We assess future water demands representing six socioeconomic scenarios, with no constraints imposed by future water supplies. The scenarios observe increases in global water withdrawals from 3,578 km3 year-1 in 2005 to 5,987 – 8,374 km3 year-1 in 2050, and to 4,719 – 12,290 km3 year-1 in 2095. Comparing the projected total regional water withdrawals to the historical supply of renewable freshwater, the Middle East exhibits the highest levels of water scarcity throughout the century, followed by India; water scarcity increases over time in both of these regions. In contrast, water scarcity improves in some regions with large base-year electric sector withdrawals, such as the USA and Canada, due to capital stock turnover and the almost complete phase-out of once-through flow cooling systems. The scenarios indicate that: 1) water is likely a limiting factor in climate change mitigation policies, 2) many regions can be expected to increase reliance on non-renewable groundwater, water reuse, and desalinated water, but they also highlight an important role for development and deployment of water conservation technologies and practices.

agriculture↗
DOE OSTI2021

Congenital toxoplasmosis in humans: an update of worldwide rate of congenital infections

Abstract The morbidity due to congenital toxoplasmosis in humans is very high. Most of these infected children are likely to develop symptoms of clinical toxoplasmosis. Sequelae in fetus resulting from Toxoplasma gondii infections in women who become infected with this parasite during pregnancy can be devastating and enormous efforts are directed in some countries to prevent these consequences. Here, an update on congenital toxoplasmosis in humans, especially the rate of congenital infections in humans worldwide, is provided. Although several countries have surveillance programmes, most information on the rate of congenital transmission is from France and Brazil. Because of compulsory national screening programme in France to detect and treat women with recently acquired T. gondii infection with anti-toxoplasma therapy, the rate of congenital transmission and the severity of disease in children are declining. Infections by this parasite are widely prevalent in Brazil. The severity of clinical toxoplasmosis in Brazilian children is very high and may be associated with the genetic characteristics of T. gondii isolates prevailing in animals and humans in Brazil. Virtually little or no information is available on this topic from China, India and other countries in Asia.

Parasitology↗
DOE OSTI2016

Global and Regional Evaluation of Energy for Water

Despite significant effort to quantify the inter-dependence of the water and energy sectors, global requirements of energy for water (E4W) are still poorly understood, which may result in biases in projections and consequently in water and energy management and policy. This study estimates water-related energy consumption by water source, sector, and process, for 14 global regions from 1973 to 2012. Globally, E4W amounted to 10.2 ± 5 EJ of primary energy consumption in 2010, accounting for 1.2–3% of total global primary energy consumption, of which 58% pertains to surface water, 30% to groundwater, and 12% to non-fresh water, assuming median energy intensity levels. The sectoral E4W allocation includes municipal (45%), industrial (30%), and agricultural (25%), and main process-level contributions are from source/conveyance (39%), water purification (27%), water distribution (12%) and wastewater treatment (18%). While the USA was the largest E4W consumer from the 1970’s until the 2000’s, the largest consumers at present are the Middle East, India, and China, driven by rapid growth in desalination, groundwater-based irrigation, and industrial and municipal water use, respectively. The improved understanding of global E4W will enable enhanced consistency of both water and energy representations in integrated assessment models.

Liu, Yaling↗
DOE OSTI2018

Effective Remediation of Groundwater Fluoride with Inexpensively Processed Indian Bauxite

India represents one-third of the world’s fluorosis burden and is the fifth global producer of bauxite ore, which has previously been identified as a potential resource for remediating fluoride-contaminated groundwater in impoverished communities. In this work, we use thermal activation and/or groundwater acidification to enhance fluoride adsorption by Indian bauxite obtained from Visakhapatnam, an area proximate to endemic fluorosis regions. We compare combinatorial water treatment and bauxite-processing scenarios through batch adsorption experiments, material characterization, and detailed cost analyses. Heating Indian bauxite above 300 °C increases available surface area by > 15× (to ~170 m 2 /g) through gibbsite dehydroxylation and reduces the bauxite dose for remediating 10 ppm F – to 1.5 ppm F – by ~93% (to 21 g/L). Additionally, lowering groundwater pH to 6.0 with HCl or CO 2 further reduces the average required bauxite doses by 43–73% for ores heated at 300 °C (~12 g/L) and 100 °C (~77 g/L). Product water in most examined treatment scenarios complies with EPA standards for drinking water (e.g., As, Cd, Pb, etc.) but potential leaching of Al, Mn, and Cr is of concern in some scenarios. Among the defluoridation options explored here, bauxite heated at 300 °C in acidified groundwater has the lowest direct costs ($6.86 per person per year) and material-intensity.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Delineating Variabilities of Groundwater Level Prediction Across the Agriculturally Intensive Transboundary Aquifers of South Asia

We report the groundwater depletion in South Asia’s Himalayan, transboundary Indus-Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (IGBM) rivers basin is among the highest globally. Given the high irrigation demand and population, groundwater sustainability requires an improved understanding of groundwater systems for the accurate prediction of groundwater levels (GWLs). However, the prediction of groundwater system behaviors is a significant challenge since it is dominated by spatiotemporal and subsurface depth-dependent drivers. Earlier studies that address the challenges are mainly based on the short spatial and temporal extent and/or do not separate the renewable (i.e., shallow) vs nonrenewable (i.e., deeper) groundwater signals. Here, we first identified the variable importance of spatial and depth-dependent drivers on GWL in the IGBM basin. Our results indicate a greater influence of anthropogenic factors (i.e., widespread pumping and increased population) in most parts of the IGBM basin, except in the precipitation-dominated basin of the Brahmaputra. Our next purpose was to delineate a multifactorial approach for GWL prediction using the two most used machine learning models (i.e., support vector machine and feed-forward neural network) in the literature. In general, the machine learning model outputs show a good match in comparison to the GWL from the observation wells (n = 2303 distributed across India and Bangladesh) with some limitations in areas with increased groundwater irrigation. We separately compared the results from shallow (<35 m) and deep (>35 m) observation wells, emphasizing the significance of deep groundwater pumping. Our approach highlights the importance of spatiotemporal to multidepth factors in GWL prediction and can be adopted in other parts of the globe to predict GWLs.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Contesting with the Ganges Water Machine in South Asia: Theory versus Reality

Recently, there has been much interest in how to manage the water resources of the Ganges River Basin (GRB), the cradle of Asian civilization, currently supporting >500 million people. This also includes cleaning up the Ganges river, regarded as one of the most polluted mega-rivers of the world. Historically, the transboundary Ganges river and its tributaries, flowing through India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, have become extensively polluted and disrupted, mostly because of river engineering and increased discharge of industrial and urban waste. Compounding the problem, in the past few decades, intense groundwater abstraction from the GRB aquifers has led to unprecedented groundwater level depletion in some locations. At present, the GRB groundwater levels are strongly influenced by depth-dependent abstraction, which is predicted to intensify in the future, given the increasing water demand. Therefore, with impending climate change, designing the coupled river water–groundwater management necessary to meet the goal for sustainable access to clean water for a huge population, has become an arduous challenge.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2018

The Ionospheric Impact of an ICME-Driven Sheath Region Over Indian and American Sectors in the Absence of a Typical Geomagnetic Storm

On 13 April 2013, the ACE spacecraft detected arrival of an interplanetary shock at 2250 UT, which is followed by the passage of the sheath region of an interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) for a prolonged (18-hr) period. The polarity of interplanetary magnetic field Bz was northward inside the magnetic cloud region of the ICME. The ring current (SYM-H) index did not go below -7 nT during this event suggesting the absence of a typical geomagnetic storm. In this paper, the responses of the global ionospheric electric field associated with the passage of the ICME sheath region have been investigated using incoherent scatter radar measurements of Jicamarca and Arecibo (postmidnight sector) along with the variations of equatorial electrojet strength over India (day sector). It is found that westward and eastward prompt penetration (PP) electric fields affected ionosphere over Jicamarca/Arecibo and Indian sectors, respectively, during 0545–0800 UT. The polarities of the PP electric field perturbations over the day/night sectors are consistent with model predictions. In fact, DP2-type electric field perturbations with ~40-min periodicity are found to affect the ionosphere over both the sectors for about 2.25 hr during the passage of the ICME sheath region. Finally, this result shows that SYM-H index may not capture the full geoeffectivenss of the ICME sheath-driven storms and suggests that the PP electric field perturbations should be evaluated for geoeffectiveness of ICME when the polarity of interplanetary magnetic field Bz is northward inside the magnetic cloud region of the ICME.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Reply to Comment by Robock et al. on “Climate Impact of a Regional Nuclear Weapon Exchange: An Improved Assessment Based on Detailed Source Calculations”

Robock et al. contend that the reasons for Reisner et al. simulations not producing enough black carbon (BC) in the upper atmosphere are as follows: (1) low fuel loads, (2) high surface winds, (3) omission of latent heat release by cloud formation, and (4) short simulation. We resolve (1) with additional simulations over a range of fuel loads, clarify (2) by noting that our surface winds of 2.4 m/s are below the firestorm threshold, agree that addressing (3) requires more research, and (4) short simulations are appropriate since this is when most of the BC emissions that can reach the upper atmosphere occur. While we agree with their assessment that a firestorm was not produced, we demonstrate here why a firestorm is unlikely in dense population centers found in India and Pakistan where concrete structures dominate. Our conversion of all fuel to BC is an upper bound and was the basis of the assertion on maximum global impacts. Furthermore, our study is the first to treat BC generation and lofting with physics–based models underscoring the need to initialize BC in global simulations properly. Reisner et al. and the responses identify critical gaps that must be filled to make any meaningful assessment of the probability of global nuclear winter.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Seasonally Modulated Stratospheric Aerosol Geoengineering Alters the Climate Outcomes

Abstract By reflecting some incoming solar radiation, stratospheric aerosol intervention using SO 2 would reduce global mean temperature. Previous research has shown that multiple injection latitudes can be used to maintain not only global mean temperature, but also interhemispheric and equator‐to‐pole temperature gradients. However, the regional climate response depends not only on where the SO 2 is injected, but also on when. We show here that even with these same objectives and same choices of latitudes, injecting in only one season instead of continuously throughout the year results in significant differences in regional climate, for instance in the magnitude of precipitation changes over India. The differential outcomes highlight the potential for underlying trade‐offs, with different choices regarding deployment leading to a different distribution of benefits or harms. This aspect of climate engineering should be considered in developing governance and emphasizes the need for a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying the regional responses.

Visioni, Daniele↗
DOE OSTI2020

Assessing Historical Variability of South Asian Monsoon Lows and Depressions With an Optimized Tracking Algorithm

Abstract Cyclonic low‐pressure systems (LPS) produce abundant rainfall in South Asia, where they are traditionally categorized as monsoon lows, monsoon depressions, and more intense cyclonic storms. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has tracked monsoon depressions for over a century, finding a large decline in their number in recent decades, but their methods have changed over time and do not include monsoon lows. This study presents a fast, objective algorithm for identifying monsoon LPS and uses it to assess interannual variability and trends in reanalyses. Variables and thresholds used in the algorithm are selected to best match a subjectively analyzed LPS data set while minimizing disagreement between four reanalyses in a training period. The stream function of 850 hPa horizontal wind is found to be optimal in this sense; it is less noisy than vorticity and represents the complete nondivergent wind, even when flow is not geostrophic. Using this algorithm, LPS statistics are computed for five reanalyses, and none show a detectable trend in monsoon depression counts since 1979. Both the Japanese 55‐year Reanalysis (JRA‐55) and the IMD data set show a step‐like reduction in depression counts when they began using geostationary satellite data, in 1979 and 1982, respectively; the 1958–2018 linear trend in JRA‐55, however, is smaller than in the IMD data set, and its error bar includes 0. There are more LPS in seasons with above‐average monsoon rainfall and in La Niña years, but few other large‐scale modes of interannual variability are found to modulate LPS counts, lifetimes, or track length consistently across reanalyses.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗