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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

CCN activity and organic hygroscopicity of aerosols downwind of an urban region in central Amazonia: seasonal and diel variations and impact of anthropogenic emissions

Abstract. During the Observations and Modeling of the Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon2014/5) campaign, size-resolved cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) spectra were characterized at a research site (T3) 60 km downwind of the city of Manaus, Brazil, in central Amazonia for 1 year (12 March 2014 to 3 March 2015). Particle hygroscopicity (κCCN) and mixing state were derived from the size-resolved CCN spectra, and the hygroscopicity of the organic component of the aerosol (κorg) was then calculated from κCCN and concurrent chemical composition measurements. The annual average κCCN increased from 0.13 at 75 nm to 0.17 at 171 nm, and the increase was largely due to an increase in sulfate volume fraction. During both wet and dry seasons, κCCN, κorg, and particle composition under background conditions exhibited essentially no diel variations. The constant κorg of ∼ 0. 15 is consistent with the largely uniform and high O : C value (∼ 0. 8), indicating that the aerosols under background conditions are dominated by the aged regional aerosol particles consisting of highly oxygenated organic compounds. For air masses strongly influenced by urban pollution and/or local biomass burning, lower values of κorg and organic O : C atomic ratio were observed during night, due to accumulation of freshly emitted particles, dominated by primary organic aerosol (POA) with low hygroscopicity, within a shallow nocturnal boundary layer. The O : C, κorg, and κCCN increased from the early morning hours and peaked around noon, driven by the formation and aging of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and dilution of POA emissions into a deeper boundary layer, while the development of the boundary layer, which leads to mixing with aged particles from the residual layer aloft, likely also contributed to the increases. The hygroscopicities associated with individual organic factors, derived from PMF (positive matrix factorization) analysis of AMS (aerosol mass spectrometry) spectra, were estimated through multivariable linear regression. For the SOA factors, the variation of the κ value with O : C agrees well with the linear relationship reported from earlier laboratory studies of SOA hygroscopicity. On the other hand, the variation in O : C of ambient aerosol organics is largely driven by the variation in the volume fractions of POA and SOA factors, which have very different O : C values. As POA factors have hygroscopicity values well below the linear relationship between SOA hygroscopicity and O : C, mixtures with different POA and SOA fractions exhibit a steeper slope for the increase in κorg with O : C, as observed during this and earlier field studies. This finding helps better understand and reconcile the differences in the relationships between κorg and O : C observed in laboratory and field studies, therefore providing a basis for improved parameterization in global models, especially in a tropical context.

Thalman, Ryan↗
DOE OSTI2018

Seasonal differences in trace element concentrations and distribution in Spartina alterniflora root tissue

This study uses nanometer-scale synchrotron X-ray nanofluorescence to investigate season differences in concentrations and distributions of major (Ca, K, S and P) and trace elements (As, Cr, Cu, Fe and Zn) in the root system of Spartina alterniflora collected from Jamaica Bay, New York, in April and September 2015. The root samples were cross-sectioned at a thickness of 10 μm. Selected areas in the root epidermis and endodermis were mapped with a sampling resolution of 100 and 200 nm, varying with the mapping areas. The results indicate that trace element concentrations in the epidermis and endodermis vary among the elements measured, possibly because of their different chemical properties or their ability to act as micronutrients for the plants. Elemental concentrations (As, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, P, S and Zn) within each individual root sample and between the root samples collected during two different seasons are both significantly different (p < 0.01). Furthermore, this study indicates that the nonessential elements (As and Cr) are significantly correlated (p < 0.01) with Fe, with high concentrations in the root epidermis, while others are not, implying that Fe may be a barrier to nonessential element transport in the root system. Hierarchy cluster analysis shows two distinct groups, one including As, Cr and Fe and the other the rest of the elements measured. Factor analysis also indicates that the processes and mechanisms controlling element transport in the root system can be different between the nutrient and nonessential elements.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Performance Testing of an Integrated Magnetic Power Take-Off

A wave energy converter (WEC) and the power take-off (PTO) generator system can be represented by using a mass-spring-dampener model. By incorporating a negative stiffness spring within the PTO, the overall stiffness of the PTO can be lowered allowing the impedance of the PTO to be more closely matched with the WEC. By designing for impedance matching the WEC can greatly enhance its power generation capability. This project has involved the design, fabrication and testing of a new type of linear-stroke length and rotary stroke length adjustable negative stiffness magnetic springs for use within a wave energy converter (WEC). The magnetic springs were studied by using 3-D finite element analysis with the objective of creating high energy density and a long linear stroke length. After the construction and testing of both a proof-of-principle adjustable linear and rotary magnetic spring prototype the rotary (torsional) magnetic spring was selected for scaling up analysis. The selected scaled-up proof-of-principle magnetic spring had a peak torque of 850 Nm with a ±45 degree stroke length. By translating the inner rotor relative to the outer rotor, the stiffness could be adjusted to be either negative or positive stiffness. During this project a magnetic lead screw was also studied, and it was shown that by combining the magnetic lead screw with a linearly translating magnetic spring a very long rotary stroke length could be attained. However, as the magnetic lead screw increased complexity and reduced overall energy density relative to a rotary (torsional) spring, this design approach was not further pursed. Dynamometer testing of the variable stiffness magnetic springs was first completed by Portland State University and following this the magnetic spring performance was independently verified by Sandia National Laboratory (Sandia). A WEC analysis when using a variable stiffness magnetic spring was completed by using the WecOptTool. WecOptTool is an open-source WEC optimization software developed by Sandia that supports efficient power take-off (PTO) and control optimization. Wave condition data from the Oregon PacWave test-site was used in this study. The analysis showed that a WEC with a tunable stiffness value could consistently achieve about 80% of its maximum theoretical power production. The use of a tunable stiffness WEC, rather than zero-stiffness or a constant stiffness WEC was also shown to lead to a smaller maximum PTO force requirement. The variable stiffness magnetic spring was integrated into an experimental WEC developed by Sandia, called a Wave-Bot. Sandia successfully completed water-tank testing of the Wave-Bot at the Navy’s Carderock, Maryland, wave-basin test site. The wave-basin testing helped to experimentally demonstrate the operating capabilities and increased power generation capability of a WEC containing an integrated variable stiffness magnetic spring. A WEC capacity factor analysis was also completed. The capacity factor was defined as the ratio of annual average WEC generator power to the maximum (RMS) generated power. This capacity factor provided a means of identifying the ratio of potential revenue to cost. It was calculated that if a tunable variable stiffness magnetic spring has RMS constraints it could operate with a capacity factor above 30%. This is comparable to a wind turbine’s capacity factor.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2026

Quantitative SANS and multi-model analysis of spacer-dependent micellization of urea-based gemini surfactants

The micellization behavior of urea-based cationic gemini surfactants was investigated using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) with multi-model form factor analysis. A homologous series of surfactants with urea group included in the hydrophobic tail and polymethylene spacers consisting of two to ten methylene units was analyzed using three form factor models: a core–shell ellipsoid and two variants of homogeneous ellipsoids. The results from all models show a consistent trend of the micelle structures, confirming that the spacer length critically influences micellar geometry, aggregation number, and hydration. The surfactant with four CH 2 groups in the spacer formed the largest micelles with the highest aggregation number, while longer spacers led to progressively smaller, more compact aggregates. The shell hydration—quantified as the volume fraction of heavy water within the hydrophilic region—decreased systematically with increasing spacer length due to enhanced hydrophobicity of the headgroup-spacer region. Intermicellar interactions, modeled as screened Coulomb interaction using the rescaled mean spherical approximation (RMSA), revealed the strongest electrostatic repulsion for the case of four methylene groups in the spacer, corresponding to the highest micellar charge and largest interparticle spacing. The observed spacer-dependent trends were robust across all modeling approaches, demonstrating that the spacer length serves as a key structural determinant of self-assembly in this type of urea-based gemini systems. These findings provide insight into the design of gemini surfactants with tailored aggregation behavior for applications in drug delivery, nanostructure templating, and solubilization technologies.

Core–shell ellipsoid model↗
DOE OSTI2021

Aerosol characteristics at the Southern Great Plains site during the HI-SCALE campaign

Abstract. Large uncertainties exist in global climate model predictions of radiative forcing due to insufficient understanding and simplified numerical representation of cloud formation and cloud–aerosol interactions. The Holistic Interactions of Shallow Clouds, Aerosols and Land Ecosystems (HI-SCALE) campaign was conducted near the DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) site in north-central Oklahoma to provide a better understanding of land–atmosphere interactions, aerosol and cloud properties, and the influence of aerosol and land–atmosphere interactions on cloud formation. The HI-SCALE campaign consisted of two intensive observational periods (IOPs) (April–May and August–September, 2016), during which coincident measurements were conducted both on the G-1 aircraft platform and at the SGP ground site. In this study we focus on the observations at the SGP ground site. An Aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) and an Ionicon proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometer (PTR-MS) were deployed, characterizing chemistry of non-refractory aerosol and trace gases, respectively. Contributions from various aerosol sources, including biogenic and biomass burning emissions, were retrieved using factor analysis of the AMS data. In general, the organic aerosols at the SGP site was highly oxidized, with oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA) identified as the dominant factor for both the spring and summer IOP though more aged in spring. Cases of isoprene-epoxydiol-derived secondary organic aerosol (IEPOX SOA) and biomass burning events were further investigated to understand additional sources of organic aerosol. Unlike other regions largely impacted by IEPOX chemistry, the IEPOX SOA at SGP was more highly oxygenated, likely due to the relatively weak local emissions of isoprene. Biogenic emissions appear to largely control the formation of organic aerosol (OA) during the HI-SCALE campaign. Potential HOM (highly oxygenated molecule) chemistry likely contributes to the highly oxygenated feature of aerosols at the SGP site, with impacts on new particle formation and global climate.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Appalachian Basin Play Fairway Analysis Thermal Risk Factor and Quality Analyses

*This submission revises the analysis and products for Thermal Quality Analysis for the northern half of the Appalachian Basin (https://gdr.openei.org/submissions/638)* This submission is one of five major parts of a Low Temperature Geothermal Play Fairway Analysis. Phase 1 of the project identified potential Geothermal Play Fairways within the Appalachian basin of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and New York. This submission includes a subset of the necessary shapefiles, rasters, datasets, code, and references to code repositories that were used to create the thermal resource and risk factor maps as part of the project. This subset is those contents that were improved upon during calendar year 2016. Figures are provided as examples of some shapefiles and rasters. See also: Final Report: Low Temperature Geothermal Play Fairway Analysis for the Appalachian Basin (https://gdr.openei.org/submissions/899). The 2015 data submission should be visited to obtain: 1) the regional standardized 1 square km grid used in the project as points (cell centers), polygons, and as a raster, 2) the raw well data for the state well temperature databases, 3) the COSUNA section shapefile and formation thermal conductivities by state as *.xlsx files, 4) the sediment thickness map and 30 m Digital Elevation Model for the Appalachian Basin as GeoTIFF raster files, 5) the BHT correction sections shapefile and drilling fluid databases as *.csv files, 6) the unbuffered interpolation regions as shapefiles, 7) several 50 km buffered interpolation regions as shapefiles, 8) several gridded interpolation regions as raster files, 9) an R script for organizing the thermal data and running the local spatial outlier analysis, 10) shapefiles and rasters for the prediction, uncertainty, and cross validation of the temperature at 1.5 km, 2.5 km, and 3.5 km depth, 11) shapefiles and rasters for the prediction, uncertainty, and cross validation depth to 100 degrees C, 12) an ArcGIS toolbox for thermal risk factor models, 13) an ArcGIS model for extracting results specific to each county of interest, 14) thermal resource cross section plots, 15) the geothermal Play Fairways.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Characterizing Signatures of Geothermal Exploration Data with Machine Learning Techniques: An Application to the Nevada Play Fairway Analysis

We are introducing machine learning methods to the play fairway analysis to generate geothermal potential maps to support the evaluation of geothermal resource potential and the exploration for undiscovered blind geothermal systems in the Nevada Great Basin region. Our project aims to identify new ways to combine the play fairway data and empirically organize relationships between feature weights and labels in an improved workflow. As a means of doing this, we introduce machine learning methods to evaluate the influence of certain geological and geophysical features/feature sets in predicting geothermal favorability. This report highlights promising approaches based on supervised and unsupervised learning methods. First, we demonstrate a filter method applied to supervised classification modeling. The supervised filter method is based on permutation analysis to evaluate every possible feature combination/drop out scenario and rank feature influence based on the performance variance of supervised classification models. Additionally, we present an unsupervised factor analysis based on principal component analysis coupled with a semi-supervised kmeans clustering algorithm. This analysis allows us to identify the optimal number of groups/clusters for training sites and structural settings to identify feature patterns including correlation, variance, and latent and dominant feature relationships. The results from these methods offer a promising avenue for identifying favorable sources of predictive information to identify the locations of blind geothermal systems and furthering our understanding of complex geothermal feature and label relationships in the Great Basin region and beyond.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Factors that Determine Academic Versus Private Practice Career Interest in Radiation Oncology Residents in the United States: Results of a Nationwide Survey

Purpose: To determine what factors US radiation oncology residents consider when choosing academic or nonacademic careers. Methods and Materials: A 20-question online survey was developed and sent to all US radiation oncology residents to assess factors that influence their career interest. Residents were asked to rate their interest in academics (A) versus private practice (PP) on a 0 (strong interest in A) to 100 (strong interest in PP) scale. Responses were classified as A (0-30), undecided (40-60), and PP (70-100). Residents were also asked to rank 10 factors that most strongly influenced their career interest. Results: Three hundred thirty-one responses were collected, of which 264 were complete and form the basis for this analysis. Factors that correlated with interest in A included having a PhD (P=.018), postgraduate year level (P=.0006), research elective time (P=.0003), obtaining grant funding during residency (P=.012), and number of publications before residency (P=.0001), but not number of abstracts accepted in the past year (P=.65) or publications during residency (P=.67). The 3 most influential factors for residents interested in A were: (1) baseline interest before residency; (2) academic role models; and (3) research opportunities during residency. The 3 most influential factors for residents interested in PP were: (1) baseline interest before residency; (2) academic role models; and (3) academic pressure and obligations. Conclusions: Interest in A correlated with postgraduate year level, degree, and research time during residency. Publications before but not during residency correlated with academic interest, and baseline interest was the most influential factor. These data can be used by residency program directors to better understand what influences residents' career interest.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Increasing Radiation Therapy Dose Is Associated With Improved Survival in Patients Undergoing Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Stage I Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Purpose: To determine the comparative effectiveness of different stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) dosing regimens for early-stage non–small-cell lung cancer, using a large national database, focusing on the relative impact of dose as a function of tumor stage. Methods and Materials: The study included patients in the National Cancer Database from 2003 to 2006 with T1-T2N0M0 inoperable lung cancer (n=498). The biologically effective dose (BED) was calculated according to the linear quadratic formula using an α/β ratio of 10. High versus lower-dose (HD vs LD) SBRT was defined as a calculated BED above or below 150 Gy. Overall survival was estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox proportional hazard regression. Results: The 5 most common dose fractionation schemes (percentage of cohort) used were 20 Gy × 3 (34%), 12 Gy × 4 (16%), 18 Gy × 3 (10%), 15 Gy × 3 (10%), and 16 Gy × 3 (4%). The median calculated BED was 150 Gy (interquartile range 106-166 Gy). The 3-year overall survival (OS) for patients who received HD versus LD was 55% versus 46% (log–rank P=.03). On subset analysis of the T1 cohort there was no association between calculated BED and 3-year OS (61% vs 60% with HD vs LD, P=.9). Among the T2 cohort, patients receiving HD experienced superior 3-year OS (37% vs 24%, P=.01). On multivariable analysis, factors independently prognostic for mortality were female gender (hazard ratio [HR] 0.76, P=.01), T2 tumor (HR 1.99, P=.0001), and HD (HR 0.68, P=.001). Conclusions: This comparative effectiveness analysis of SBRT dose for patients with stage I non–small-cell lung cancer suggests that higher doses (>150 Gy BED) are associated with a significant survival benefit in patients with T2 tumors.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Analysis of the Factors Contributing to Vertebral Compression Fractures After Spine Stereotactic Radiosurgery

Purpose: To determine our institutional vertebral compression fracture (VCF) rate after spine stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and determine contributory factors. Methods and Materials: Retrospective analysis from 2001 to 2013 at a single institution was performed. With institutional review board approval, electronic medical records of 1905 vertebral bodies from 791 patients who were treated with SRS for the management of primary or metastatic spinal lesions were reviewed. A total of 448 patients (1070 vertebral bodies) with adequate follow-up imaging studies available were analyzed. Doses ranging from 10 Gy in 1 fraction to 60 Gy in 5 fractions were delivered. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging were used to evaluate the primary endpoints of this study: development of a new VCF, progression of an existing VCF, and requirement of stabilization surgery after SRS. Results: A total of 127 VCFs (11.9%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 9.5%-14.2%) in 97 patients were potentially SRS induced: 46 (36%) were de novo, 44 (35%) VCFs progressed, and 37 (29%) required stabilization surgery after SRS. Our rate for radiologic VCF development/progression (excluding patients who underwent surgery) was 8.4%. Upon further exclusion of patients with hematologic malignancies the VCF rate was 7.6%. In the univariate analyses, females (hazard ratio [HR] 1.54, 95% CI 1.01-2.33, P=.04), prior VCF (HR 1.99, 95% CI 1.30-3.06, P=.001), primary hematologic malignancies (HR 2.68, 95% CI 1.68-4.28, P<.001), thoracic spine lesions (HR 1.46, 95% CI 1.02-2.10, P=.02), and lytic lesions had a significantly increased risk for VCF after SRS. On multivariate analyses, prior VCF and lesion type remained contributory. Conclusions: Single-fraction SRS doses of 16 to 18 Gy to the spine seem to be associated with a low rate of VCFs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest reported experience analyzing SRS-induced VCFs, with one of the lowest event rates reported.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Trends and drivers of marine fish landings in Portugal since its entrance in the European Union

Abstract Marine landings in Portugal have decreased at a higher rate than fishing effort in the last 20 years. Identifying the variables driving the quantity and composition of landings is pivotal to understand the dynamics of the fisheries sector, which entails complex social and environmental aspects. In this study, we investigate the main drivers of marine fish landings in continental Portugal between 1989 and 2014. To identify common trends in time series, and quantify the importance of environmental factors, we applied a dynamic factor analysis considering four regions and three types of gear (trawling, purse-seine, and a multi-gear fishery). Our results show the importance of fishing effort as the most relevant factor driving marine landings in Portugal, both at the long and short terms. In addition, the effect of environmental factors such as the winter river discharge and the spring East Atlantic Teleconnection index should not be neglected, probably through mechanisms affecting coastal productivity. We provide a comprehensive amount of information that permits to improve our understanding of the trends of the most important commercial species in Portugal during the period of study.

Bueno-Pardo, Juan↗
DOE OSTI2017

An Analysis of Terrestrial and Aquatic Environmental Controls of Riverine Dissolved Organic Carbon in the Conterminous United States

Riverine carbon cycling is an important, but insufficiently investigated component of the global carbon cycle. Analyses of environmental controls on riverine carbon cycling are critical for improved understanding of mechanisms regulating carbon processing and storage along the terrestrial-aquatic continuum. Here, we compile and analyze riverine dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration data from 1402 United States Geological Survey (USGS) gauge stations to examine the spatial variability and environmental controls of DOC concentrations in the United States (U.S.) surface waters. DOC concentrations exhibit high spatial variability, with an average of 6.42 ± 6.47 mg C/ L (Mean ± Standard Deviation). In general, high DOC concentrations occur in the Upper Mississippi River basin and the Southeastern U.S., while low concentrations are mainly distributed in the Western U.S. Single-factor analysis indicates that slope of drainage areas, wetlands, forests, percentage of first-order streams, and instream nutrients (such as nitrogen and phosphorus) pronouncedly influence DOC concentrations, but the explanatory power of each bivariate model is lower than 35%. Analyses based on the general multi-linear regression models suggest DOC concentrations are jointly impacted by multiple factors. Soil properties mainly show positive correlations with DOC concentrations; forest and shrub lands have positive correlations with DOC concentrations, but urban area and croplands demonstrate negative impacts; total instream phosphorus and dam density correlate positively with DOC concentrations. Notably, the relative importance of these environmental controls varies substantially across major U.S. water resource regions. In addition, DOC concentrations and environmental controls also show significant variability from small streams to large rivers, which may be caused by changing carbon sources and removal rates by river orders. In sum, our results reveal that general multi-linear regression analysis of twenty one terrestrial and aquatic environmental factors can partially explain (56%) the DOC concentration variation. In conclusion, this study highlights the complexity of the interactions among these environmental factors in determining DOC concentrations, thus calls for processes-based, non-linear methodologies to constrain uncertainties in riverine DOC cycling.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Numerical Validation of an Algorithm for Combined Soiling and Degradation Analysis of Photovoltaic Systems

We describe and demonstrate an open-source algorithm for simultaneously quantifying degradation and soiling of photovoltaic (PV) systems from energy-production time series data. The new analysis is based on year-on-year degradation rate analysis combined with stochastic rate and recovery soiling analysis. The algorithm is designed to fit into the workflow provided by RdTools, a Python module maintained by NREL and collaboratively developed with the community, which provides a framework and functions for degradation and loss-factor analysis of PV field data. We demonstrate the method on numerically simulated PV data sets and show that it reduces the root-mean-square error of the P50 degradation rate estimate when soiling is present.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Manuscript Workflows from and Processed Organic Matter Composition of Experimentally Burned Open Air and Muffle Furnace Vegetation Chars across Differing Burn Severity and Feedstock Types from Pacific Northwest, USA (v3)

This dataset includes processed organic matter chemistry data from an experimental study designed to compare how the chemical composition of organic matter changes across different burn conditions and vegetation materials representative of major land cover types of the Pacific Northwest, USA. Chars were created in a closed muffle furnace or on an open burn table from four different feedstock species representing vegetation commonly impacted by fire regimes across the Pacific Northwest, USA. Source data and associated metadata (including methods and geospatial information) can be found at https://data.ess-dive.lbl.gov/datasets/doi:10.15485/1894135 (Grieger et al. 2022). This dataset provides processing scripts and processed data for both solid and dissolved phase organic matter characterization data from experimentally generated chars. These processed data can be used to compare how different burn conditions may influence resultant organic matter chemistry and help further our understanding of potential biogeochemical impacts on river corridors post-fire. The processed data were subsequently analyzed; and the results and ecological implications of the findings were published in peer-reviewed manuscripts. The scripts and workflows used to develop the manuscripts are also included in this data package.This data package was originally published June 2024. It was updated September 2024 (new and modified files) and in January 2025 (modified files). See the change history section in the readme for more details.This dataset is comprised of one data package readme, one data dictionary (dd), one file level metadata (flmd), and folders containing (A) processed data; (B) general processing scripts; and (C) additional folders with specific manuscript analysis scripts and processed data. Step-by-step instructions to assist the user in recreating the workflow used to generate the results in the manuscripts is also provided. The processed data folder includes (1) a folder of processed Parallel Factor Analysis (PARAFAC) and spectra indices outputs from excitation emissions matrix (EEM) fluorescence and absorbance data; (2) a folder of processed solid state carbon-13 (13-C NMR) integrals; (3) folder of high resolution characterization of organic matter via 21 Tesla Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS) generated through the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL; https://www.pnnl.gov/environmental-molecular-sciences-laboratory) processed data outputs from Formultitude (https://github.com/PNNL-Comp-Mass-Spec/Formultitude), blank corrections and data aggregation, and calculated molecular indices. All files are .pdf, .csv, .html, .Rmd, .R, or .RData.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Effect of initial orientation on dynamic recrystallization of a zirconium alloy during hot deformation

Highlights: • The dynamic recrystallization process is enhanced by the operation of slip. • Continuous dynamic recrystallization is promoted by the rotation of grains. • Texture induced hardening hides the softening induced by dynamic recrystallization. - Abstract: The present study investigated the influence of the initial orientation on the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) behavior of a Zr-1Sn-0.3Nb alloy. A hot-rolled and annealed Zr sheet was compressed along two directions: along the normal direction so that the grains' -axis was nearly parallel to the loading direction (0° sample) and along the transverse direction so that the grains' -axis was nearly perpendicular to the loading direction (90° sample). The samples were compressed at 700 °C at a strain rate of 1 s{sup −1}. The microstructures at different strains were characterized by the electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technique, and conventional dislocation analysis using transmission electron microscope (TEM) was performed. A threshold value of grain orientation spread (GOS) equaled to 5° was used to distinguish the dynamically recrystallized grains from the deformed matrix. The results revealed that the DRX behavior strongly depended on the initial orientation. The Schmid factor analysis and TEM observation confirmed that pyramidal slip operated from the first stage of deformation in the 0° sample but not in the 90° sample. For the 0° sample, in the early and medium stages of deformation, due to the high stored energy caused by the operation of pyramidal slip, DDRX was mainly contributed to the formation of new fine grains. However, in the later stage of deformation, the DRX mechanism changed from DDRX to CDRX. In the 90° sample, although DDRX featured by grain boundary bulging occurred, the main DRX mechanism was CDRX in the whole deformation processing. Moreover, texture induced hardening in the early stage of deformation hides the softening induced by DDRX.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Lung Shunt Fraction prior to Yttrium-90 Radioembolization Predicts Survival in Patients with Neuroendocrine Liver Metastases: Single-Center Prospective Analysis

ObjectiveTo investigate survival outcomes following radioembolization with Yttrium-90 (Y90) for neuroendocrine tumor liver metastases (NETLMs). This study was designed to assess the efficacy of Y90 radioembolization and to evaluate lung shunt fraction (LSF) as a predictor for survival.MethodsA single-center, prospective study of 44 consecutive patients (median age: 58.5 years, 29.5 % male) diagnosed with pancreatic (52.3 %) or carcinoid (47.7 %) NETLMs from 2006 to 2012 who underwent Y90 radioembolization was performed. Patients’ baseline characteristics, including LSF and median overall survival (OS) from first Y90 radioembolization, were recorded and compared between patients with high (≥10 %) and low (<10 %) LSF. Baseline comparisons were performed using Fisher’s exact tests for categorical and Mann–Whitney U test for continuous variables. Survival was calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Univariate (Wilcoxon rank-sum test) and multivariate analyses (Cox Proportional Hazard Model) for risk factor analysis were performed.ResultsThere was no statistically significant difference in age, gender, race, tumor properties, or previous treatments between patients with high (n = 15) and low (n = 29) LSF. The median OS was 27.4 months (95 %CI 12.73–55.23), with 4.77 months (95 %CI 2.87–26.73) for high and 42.77 months (95 %CI 18.47–59.73) for low LSF (p = 0.003). Multivariate analysis identified high LSF (p = 0.001), total serum bilirubin >1.2 mg (p = 0.016), and lack of pretreatment with octreotide (p = 0.01) as independent prognostic factors for poorer survival. Tumor type and total radiation dose did not predict survival.ConclusionsLSF ≥10 %, elevated bilirubin levels, and lack of pretreatment with octreotide were found to be independent prognostic factors for poorer survival in patients with NETLMs.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Modeling and control of cascaded bridgeless multilevel rectifier under unbalanced load conditions

The goal of this project is to model and control a novel unidirectional cascaded multilevel bridgeless rectifier as an active front end in medium and high voltage applications. This topology has many advantages over a conventional cascaded H-bridge rectifier, such as lower implementation cost, higher reliability, and greater flexibility with similar power quality. The complete design process of the proposed converter is developed step by step in order to meet all the desired objectives. The steady-state mathematical model is used to develop a method for the voltage balancing of dc cells. Power factor analysis is discussed to mathematically derive requirements for the number of partially controlled and fully controlled H-bridges in the proposed H-bridge converter. Power loss, efficiency, and cost comparison studies between the traditional cascaded H-Bridge converter and the proposed bridgeless converter demonstrate the advantages. After exploring various well-established control methods, a novel control strategy is proposed to achieve dc voltage balancing, fast and robust grid synchronization, power factor correction, and elimination of zero crossing current distortion under both balanced and unbalanced load conditions. The converter can also be used for reactive power compensation in a grid tied power system if a sufficient number of fully controlled H-bridge modules are included. Processor-In-the-Loop (PIL) simulation has been the utilized to validate the performance of discrete control structure. Simulation and experimental results validate the models and control method.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2017

Effect of nanoparticles size and polyelectrolyte on nanoparticles aggregation in a cellulose fibrous matrix

Controlling nanoparticles (NPs) aggregation in cellulose/NPs composites allows to optimise NPs driven properties and their applications. Polyelectrolytes are used to control NPs aggregation and their retention within the fibrous matrix. Here in this study, we aim at evaluating how a polyelectrolyte (Cationic Polyacrylamide; CPAM, molecular weight: 13 MDa, charge: 50%, Radius of gyration: 30–36 nm) adsorbs and re-conforms onto the surface of silica(SiO 2 ) NPs differing in diameter (8, 22 and 74 nm) and to investigate the respective NPs aggregation in cellulose matrices. SEM shows the local area distribution of NPs in composites. Ultra-SAXS (USAXS) allows to evaluate the average NPs size distribution and the inter-particle interactions at length scale ranging from 1 to 1000 nm. USAXS data analysis reveals that CPAM covers multiple NPs of the smaller diameter (8 nm), presumably with a single chain to form large size NPs aggregates. As the NPs diameter is increased to 22 nm, CPAM re-conforms over NP surface forming a large shell of thickness 5.5 nm. For the composites with NPs of diameter 74 nm, the CPAM chain re-conforms further onto NP surface and the surrounding shell thickness decreases to 2.2 nm. Lastly, structure factor analysis reveals higher structural ordering for NPs as increases their diameter, which is caused by different conformations adopted by CPAM onto NPs surface.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗