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Gibberellins promote polar auxin transport to regulate stem cell fate decisions in cambium

Vascular cambium contains bifacial stem cells, which produce secondary xylem to one side and secondary phloem to the other. However, how these fate decisions are regulated is unknown. Here we show that the positioning of an auxin signalling maximum within the cambium determines the fate of stem cell daughters. The position is modulated by gibberellin-regulated, PIN1-dependent polar auxin transport. Gibberellin treatment broadens auxin maximum from the xylem side of the cambium towards the phloem. As a result, xylem-side stem cell daughter preferentially differentiates into xylem, while phloem-side daughter retains stem cell identity. Occasionally, this broadening leads to direct specification of both daughters as xylem, and consequently, adjacent phloem-identity cell reverts to being stem cell. Conversely, reduced gibberellin levels favour specification of phloem-side stem cell daughter as phloem. Together, our data provide a mechanism by which gibberellin regulates the ratio of xylem and phloem production.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Experimental and theoretical evidence for hydrogen doping in polymer solution-processed indium gallium oxide

The field-effect electron mobility of aqueous solution-processed indium gallium oxide (IGO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) is significantly enhanced by polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) addition to the precursor solution, a >70-fold increase to 7.9 cm 2 /Vs. To understand the origin of this remarkable phenomenon, microstructure, electronic structure, and charge transport of IGO:PVA film are investigated by a battery of experimental and theoretical techniques, including In K-edge and Ga K-edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS); resonant soft X-ray scattering (R-SoXS); ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS); Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy; time-of-flight secondary-ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS); composition-/processing-dependent TFT properties; high-resolution solid-state 1 H, 71 Ga, and 115 In NMR spectroscopy; and discrete Fourier transform (DFT) analysis with ab initio molecular dynamics (MD) liquid-quench simulations. The 71 Ga{ 1 H} rotational-echo double-resonance (REDOR) NMR and other data indicate that PVA achieves optimal H doping with a Ga···H distance of ~3.4 Å and conversion from six- to four-coordinate Ga, which together suppress deep trap defect localization. This reduces metal-oxide polyhedral distortion, thereby increasing the electron mobility. Finally, hydroxyl polymer doping thus offers a pathway for efficient H doping in green solvent-processed metal oxide films and the promise of high-performance, ultra-stable metal oxide semiconductor electronics with simple binary compositions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Improved single-particle phase-space distributions for viscous fluid dynamic models of relativistic heavy ion collisions

Comparison of hydrodynamic calculations with experimental data inevitably requires a model for converting the fluid to particles. For shear viscous fluids, several different conversion models have been proposed, such as the quadratic Grad corrections, the Strickland-Romatschke (SR) ansatz, self-consistent shear corrections from linearized kinetic theory, or corrections from the relaxation time approach. We show, via comparison to nonlinear 2 → 2 kinetic theory evolution, that even for low specific shear viscosities 0.03 ≲ $\textit{η/s}$ ≲ 0.2 , these four models have varying accuracy and still significant errors in reproducing particle phase space densities from hydrodynamic fields. Moreover, we demonstrate that the overall reconstruction error of additive shear viscous $f = f_{eq} + δf$ models dramatically reduces by up to one order of magnitude, if one ensures through exponentiation that $\textit{f}$ is always positive. Further, we also illustrate how even more accurate viscous $\textit{δf}$ models can be constructed by incorporating the first time derivatives of hydrodynamic fields to account for the past evolution of the system. Such time derivatives are readily available in hydrodynamic simulations, though usually not included in the output. Though our comparisons are limited to a one-component massless system undergoing a (0 + 1)-dimensional (0 + 1D) longitudinal boost-invariant expansion, we expect that the improved models will be useful in 2 + 1D and 3 + 1D hydrodynamic studies as well.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Axion lines from nuclear de-excitations in galactic stellar populations

We show that mono-energetic axions are produced in abundance through nuclear de-excitations in nearby galaxies such as M87, which is the central galaxy of the Virgo cluster, and the starburst galaxy M82. If the axion couples to both nucleons and photons and is ultralight, then monochromatic hard x-ray signatures are induced by the subsequent axion-to-photon conversion in the magnetic fields permeating these systems. We search for evidence of such signals using NuSTAR data, focusing specifically on the 57 Fe de-excitation line at 14.4 keV, and we catalog other potentially relevant nuclear lines. We find no evidence for axions from M87 or M82 and set stringent constraints on the combined axion-nucleon and axion-photon coupling at the level of |𝑔 𝑎⁢𝑛⁢𝑛 × 𝑔 𝑎⁢𝛾⁢𝛾 | ≲ 1.1 × 10 −22 GeV −1 in the limit 𝑚 𝑎 ≲ 10 −10 eV at 95% confidence.

Ning, Orion [University of California, Berkeley, C↗

Adaptive Reinforcement Learning (ARL) Control of a Multi-port Resonant Converter in UAV Systems

This study presents an adaptive reinforcement learning (ARL) control framework for a multi-port resonant converter used in hybrid unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) power systems. The converter integrates high-frequency half-bridge input ports connected to a rectified engine–generator set and a battery energy storage system, along with a semi-bridgeless active rectifier supplying the propulsion load. A deep RL agent is trained to dynamically regulate inter-port phase-shift commands in real time based on flight conditions and load power demand. The ARL controller autonomously identifies phase-shift combinations that maximize conversion efficiency while maintaining stable and coordinated power flow, even under rapidly varying operating scenarios. This data-driven approach eliminates the need for explicit system modeling or extensive manual tuning and enables coordinated control among multiple power ports without inter-port communication. Experimental results validate that the ARL based strategy achieves reliable power sharing and consistently high-efficiency operation across diverse UAV operating conditions.

Asa, Erdem [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000190884812)↗

DIRECT RF SAMPLING BASED LLRF CONTROL SYSTEM FOR C-BAND LINEAR ACCELERATOR

Low Level RF (LLRF) control systems of linear accel- erators (LINACs) are typically implemented with hetero- dyne based architectures, which have complex analog RF mixers for up and down conversion. The Gen 3 Radio Fre- quency System-on-Chip (RFSoC) device from AMD Xilinx integrates data converters with maximum RF frequency of 6 GHz. This enables direct RF sampling of C-band LLRF signal typically operated at 5.712 GHz without any analogue mixers, which can significantly simplify the system architec- ture. The data converters sample RF signals in higher order Nyquist zones and then up or down convert digitally by the integrated data path in RFSoC. The closed-loop feedback control firmware implemented in FPGA integrated in RF- SoC can process the base-band signal from the ADC data path and calculate the updated phase and amplitude to be up- mixed by the DAC data path. We have developed a C-band LLRF control RFSoC platform with direct RF sampling, which targets Cool Copper Collider (𝐶3) and other C or S band LINAC research and development projects. In this paper, the architecture of the platform will be described. We have optimized the configuration of the data converter and characterized performance of them with RF pulses. The test results for some of the key performance parameters for the LLRF platform with our custom solid-state amplifier, such as phase and amplitude stability, will be discussed in this paper.

Liu, C↗

Transportation Energy Data Book (Edition 40)

The Transportation Energy Data Book: Edition 40 is a statistical compendium prepared and published by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Vehicle Technologies Office. Designed for use as a desk-top reference, the Data Book represents an assembly and display of statistics and information that characterize transportation activity and presents data on other factors that influence transportation energy use. The purpose of this document is to present relevant statistical data in the form of tables and graphs. The latest edition of the Data Book is available via the Internet (tedb.ornl.gov).This edition of the Data Book has 13 chapters which focus on various aspects of the transportation industry. Chapter 1 focuses on petroleum; Chapter 2 – energy; Chapter 3 – highway vehicles; Chapter 4 – light vehicles; Chapter 5 – heavy vehicles; Chapter 6 – alternative fuel vehicles; Chapter 7 – transit and other shared mobility; Chapter 8 – fleet vehicles; Chapter 9 – household vehicles; Chapter 10 – nonhighway modes; Chapter 11 – transportation and the economy; Chapter 12 – greenhouse gas emissions; and Chapter 13 – criteria pollutant emissions. The sources used represent the latest available data. There are also two appendices which include detailed source information for some tables and measures of conversion. A glossary of terms is also included for the reader’s convenience.

02 PETROLEUM↗

Parameter estimation for incidence angle modifier models for photovoltaic modules

We present methods to estimate parameters for models for the incidence angle modifier for simulating irradiance on a photovoltaic array. The incidence angle modifier quantifies the fraction of direct irradiance that is reflected away at the array’s face, as a function of the direct irradiance’s angle of incidence. Parameters can be estimated from data and the fitting method can be used to convert between models. We show that the model conversion procedure results in models that produce similar annual insolation on a fixed plane.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Woody Feedstock 2022 State of Technology Report

The U.S. Department of Energy promotes production of advanced liquid transportation fuels from lignocellulosic biomass by funding fundamental and applied research that advances the state of technology (SOT). As part of its involvement in this mission, Idaho National Laboratory completes an annual SOT report for n th -plant and 1 st -plant woody biomass feedstock logistics. The purpose of the SOT is to provide the status of feedstock supply system technology development for woody biomass to biofuels relative to technical targets and cost goals from specific design cases, based on data and experimental results. Conventional feedstock supply systems need to be modified to meet the demands of conversion pathways, specifically to have the ability to adjust the quality of the raw biomass materials. Advanced systems incorporate innovative methods of material handling, preprocessing and supply chain configuration. In advanced designs, variability of the raw biomass can be reduced to produce feedstocks of a uniform format, moving toward biomass commoditization. Against this backdrop, the 2022 Woody SOT for low-ash woody feedstocks utilizes feedstock fractionation by incorporating technologies that can separate the biomass into its anatomical fractions (wood, bark, needle, and extrinsic ash) to reduce impurities and attempt to maximize the retention of usable fractions that satisfy downstream quality considerations. By using a series of air classification steps, this strategy can reduce the extrinsic ash in forest residues, separate out a majority of the incoming needles (which can be supplied to alternate markets), and maximize the retention of whitewood in the usable fraction. The fractionated forest residues are then mixed with clean-pine chips in a 50-50 blend to prepare the feedstock for the desired conversion pathway. The n th -plant analysis estimated the delivered cost for the feedstock at $\$$69.23/dry ton (2016$\$$) which represents a $\$$6.64/dry ton decrease compared to the cost estimate of the 2021 Woody SOT supply system for low-ash woody feedstocks. The quality requirements in the 2022 Woody SOT were identical to those of the 2021 Woody SOT at = 1.00 wt % ash and = 50.51 wt% carbon. The cost savings derive primarily from reductions in dry matter losses during air classification. The GHG emissions for the n th -plant analysis were estimated at 178.39 kg CO2e/dry ton compared to 178.71 kg CO 2 e/dry ton in the 2021 Woody SOT, a decrease of 0.32 kg CO2e/dry ton. The small change stems from an increase in emissions attributed to preprocessing and slightly larger savings in emissions from transportation. In the 1 st -plant analysis of the 2022 Woody SOT system, the average throughput was estimated to be approximately 2,128 dry tons/day or 96.51% of the name plate capacity. During the simulation the daily throughput ranged from 1,090 dry tons/day to 2,200 dry tons/day, or 49.43% to 99.75% of the daily nameplate capacity. After the year of operation 722,403 tons of processed feedstock were produced in total without regard to quality considerations (99.64% of the annual nameplate capacity). The variability in throughput was primarily caused by equipment failures in the system. Regular failures, downtime caused by routine maintenance per manufacturer guidelines, contributed to a majority 62.50% of failures and 62.60% of downtime. Failures due to wear were the other cause of disruption within the system, impacting the rotary shear and orbital screen and accounting for 37.50% of the failures and 37.40% of the total downtime. Ultimately the system was on stream for 87.84% during the simulation period, which is only 2.16 percentage points below the nth-plant assumption for on-stream time. The production cost of the system averaged $\$$71.66/dry ton. The costs ranged from a minimum of $\$$71.23/dry ton to a maximum of $\$$2,115.30/dry ton. When dry matter losses (disposed low-quality fractions as well as other losses such as in grinders) were considered the costs increased to an average of $\$$75.11/dry ton with a minimum of $\$$74.69/dry ton and a maximum of $\$$2,136.86/dry ton...

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Axion lines from nuclear de-excitations in galactic stellar populations

We show that mono-energetic axions are produced in abundance through nuclear de-excitations in nearby galaxies such as M87, which is the central galaxy of the Virgo cluster, and the starburst galaxy M82. If the axion couples to both nucleons and photons and is ultralight, then monochromatic hard X-ray signatures are induced by the subsequent axion-to-photon conversion in the magnetic fields permeating these systems. We search for evidence of such signals using NuSTAR data, focusing specifically on the $^{57}$Fe de-excitation line at 14.4 keV, and we catalog other potentially relevant nuclear lines. We find no evidence for axions from M87 or M82 and set leading constraints on the combined axion-nucleon and axion-photon coupling at the level of $|g_{ann} \times g_{aγγ}| \lesssim 1.1 \times 10^{-22}$ GeV$^{-1}$ in the limit $m_a \lesssim 10^{-10}$ eV, at 95% confidence.

Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA)↗

Comments on Reynolds number effects and the role of NTF in the development of air vehicles

The National Transonic Facility (NTF) capability to match the full scale Reynolds numbers of all but the largest airplanes is discussed. Conversion factors to enable calculation of Sl-unit equivalents for all U.S. units are listed. Using data from several facilities, analytic methods, and flight test data, a competetive aircraft in the relatively low Reynolds number was developed. The NTF offers the capability to obtain data at full scale Reynolds numbers in the cruise condition for most of the products, and will be much closer than previous tunnels to full scale Reynolds number for the operating envelopes. It is primarily on the operating envelope that Reynolds number effects are most important and least predictable.

Nagel, A. L.↗

Analysis of defect structure in silicon. Characterization of samples from UCP ingot 5848-13C

Statistically significant quantitative structural imperfection measurements were made on samples from ubiquitous crystalline process (UCP) Ingot 5848 - 13 C. Important trends were noticed between the measured data, cell efficiency, and diffusion length. Grain boundary substructure appears to have an important effect on the conversion efficiency of solar cells from Semix material. Quantitative microscopy measurements give statistically significant information compared to other microanalytical techniques. A surface preparation technique to obtain proper contrast of structural defects suitable for QTM analysis was perfected.

Natesh, R.↗

Thermo-oxidatively stable condensation polyimides containing 1,1,1-triaryl-2,2,2-trifluoroethane dianhydride and diamine monomers

Nine new condensation polyimides containing the trifluorophenylethylidene linkage were synthesized by the amic-acid route. Several other polyimides, including some with the hexafluoroisopropylidene linkage, were also prepared as controls. Amic-acid solutions were characterized by determining their inherent viscosities prior to thermal conversion into polyimide films. Glass transition temperatures (T sug g), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and isothermal weight loss data were obtained for the films. The films were pulverized into molding powders which, in turn, were thermally processed under pressure into neat resin discs. The discs were also characterized by T sub gs and 316 C and 371 C isothermal weight losses. The film study identified two new polyimides with T sub gs greater that 371 C and two new polyimides with low rates of weight loss. The resin discs exhibited the same overall trends in T sub g and weight loss as the respective films, however the weight loss per unit surface area was always greater, presumably due to voids or to mechanical degradation induced during preparation of the molding powders.

Alston, William B.↗

The 3F condensation polyimides: Review and update

Nine new condensation polyimides containing the phenyltrifluoroethylidene (3F) linkage were synthesized by the amic-acid route. Several other polyimides, including some with hexafluoroisopropylidene (6F) linkage, were also prepared as controls. Amic-acid solutions were characterized by determining their inherent viscosities prior to thermal conversion into polyimide films. Glass transition temperatures (T sub g), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and isothermal weight loss data (at 316, 371, and 371 C under 0.5 MPa air pressure) were obtained for the films. The films were pulverized into molding powders which, in turn, were thermally processed under pressure into neat resin disks. The disks were also characterized by T sub g's and 316 and 371 C isothermal weight losses. The film study identified two new polyimides with T sub g's greater than 371 C and two new polyimides with low rates of weight loss. The resin disks exhibited the same overall trends in T sub g and weight loss as the respective films, however the weight loss per unit surface area was always greater, presumably due to molecular degradation induced during preparation of the molding powders. The overall results indicate that polyimides containing the 3F linkage have T sub g's and thermo-oxidative stability comparable to polyimides containing the 6F group. Alternate technology was also shown by the synthesis of two new polyalkyl substituted 3F diamines and five more new 3F polymers. Their potential as photoresists was demonstrated by T sub g advancement after ultraviolet exposure. Last, four U.S. patents on 3F monomers and polymers were issued and up to eight more are pending.

Alston, William B.↗

A 58 x 62 pixel Si:Ga array camera for 5 - 14 micron astronomical imaging

A new infrared array camera system has been successfully applied to high background 5 - 14 micron astronomical imaging photometry observations, using a hybrid 58 x 62 pixel Si:Ga array detector. The off-axis reflective optical design incorporating a parabolic camera mirror, circular variable filter wheel, and cold aperture stop produces diffraction-limited images with negligible spatial distortion and minimum thermal background loading. The camera electronic system architecture is divided into three subsystems: (1) high-speed analog front end, including 2-channel preamp module, array address timing generator, bias power suppies, (2) two 16 bit, 3 microsec per conversion A/D converters interfaced to an arithmetic array processor, and (3) an LSI 11/73 camera control and data analysis computer. The background-limited observational noise performance of the camera at the NASA/IRTF telescope is NEFD (1 sigma) = 0.05 Jy/pixel min exp 1/2.

Gezari, D. Y.↗

Measurements of stratospheric odd nitrogen at Arrival Heights, Antarctica, in 1991

An FTIR spectrometer was installed at Arrival Heights, Antarctica (78 deg S, 167 deg E) in February 1991 to measure the evolution of stratospheric HNO3 during the year. In particular, it was the intention to make the first observations of HNO3 trends during autumn, concurrently with ongoing measurements of column NO2 made with a grating spectrometer. The time-series of NO2 in the Antarctic shows a rapid decline in the column amount during autumn, and a slow recovery in spring, as the photochemical conditions move the species to and from higher storage reservoirs. The new nitric acid data show for the first time that during autumn the vertical column increases from approximately 1.9 x 10(exp 16) molecule cm(exp -2) at day 30 to approximately 3.1 x 10(exp 16) molecule cm(exp -2) by day 100. When the sun returns in spring, it is found that the column amount has fallen to about half the value at the end of autumn. Spring amounts are variable, but as found in the data from previous years remain low inside the vortex. The autumn increase is attributed to the heterogeneous conversion of N2O5 to gas-phase HNO3 on background aerosols. Low nitric acid column amounts at the start of spring suggest that the HNO3 has moved from the gas to the condensed phase on polar stratospheric clouds with the advent of low temperatures during the polar night.

Keys, J. Gordon↗

Heavy Gas Conversion of the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel

The heavy gas test medium has recently been changed in the Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) at the NASA Langley Research Center. A NASA Construction of Facilities project has converted the TDT heavy gas from dichlorodifluoromethane (R12) to 1,1,1,2 tetrafluoroethane (R134a). The facility s heavy gas processing system was extensively modified to implement the conversion to R134a. Additional system modifications have improved operator interfaces, hardware reliability, and quality of the research data. The facility modifications included improvements to the heavy gas compressor and piping, the cryogenic heavy gas reclamation system, and the heavy gas control room. A series of wind tunnel characterization and calibration tests are underway. Results of the flow characterization tests show the TDT operating envelope in R134a to be very similar to the previous operating envelope in R12.

Corliss, James M.↗

X-wing fly-by-wire vehicle management system

A complete, computer based, vehicle management system (VMS) for X-Wing aircraft using digital fly-by-wire technology controlling many subsystems and providing functions beyond the classical aircraft flight control system. The vehicle management system receives input signals from a multiplicity of sensors and provides commands to a large number of actuators controlling many subsystems. The VMS includes--segregating flight critical and mission critical factors and providing a greater level of back-up or redundancy for the former; centralizing the computation of functions utilized by several subsystems (e.g. air data, rotor speed, etc.); integrating the control of the flight control functions, the compressor control, the rotor conversion control, vibration alleviation by higher harmonic control, engine power anticipation and self-test, all in the same flight control computer (FCC) hardware units. The VMS uses equivalent redundancy techniques to attain quadruple equivalency levels; includes alternate modes of operation and recovery means to back-up any functions which fail; and uses back-up control software for software redundancy.

Fischer, Jr., William C.↗