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At least 109 records · Page 6

Effects on the Ocular Surface from Reading on Different Smartphone Screens: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of smartphone reading on the ocular surface and to compare the various effects of different screens and light conditions on the ocular surface. One hundred nineteen volunteers were randomly divided into: light + organic light‐emitting diode (OLED), light + electronic ink (eINK), dark + OLED, and dark + eINK. Ocular surface examinations, including noninvasive break‐up time (NIBUT), noninvasive keratograph tear meniscus height (NIKTMH), ocular redness, fluorescein break‐up time (FBUT), corneal fluorescein staining, meibomian gland assessment, Schirmer I Test, and blinking frequency, were performed before and after a reading task. Symptoms were evaluated using the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and Computer Vision Syndrome Questionnaire (CVS‐Q). NIBUT and FBUT were decreased statistically significantly after participants read on an OLED screen for 2 hours compared with the baseline in light and dark environments, whereas no statistically significant decrease was observed on an eINK screen. NIKTMH was statistically significantly decreased after reading on an OLED screen in light and dark settings, and the eINK screen had a lesser effect on NIKTMH. An obvious increase in the ocular redness, OSDI and CVS‐Q scores was observed after reading on an OLED screen, whereas the eINK screen had a lesser effect on these indicators. Blink rate increased gradually in OLED subgroups during the reading task, whereas no statistically significant difference was observed in the eINK subgroups. Our research suggested that reading on an OLED screen can cause ocular surface disorder and obvious subjective discomfort, whereas reading on an eINK screen can minimize ocular surface disorder in both dark and light environments.

Yuan, Kelan↗

Groundwater and Intruder Radionuclide Screening

Solid Waste Management (SWM) operates the E-Area Low-Level Waste Facility (ELLWF) where low level on-site and off-site solid waste streams are buried. The facility has been in operation since late 1994 and is currently projected to remain in operation until 2065. This facility can accommodate a broad range of waste forms resulting from the six different types of disposal unit options (i.e., varying degrees of engineered barriers → trenches to concrete vaults). This facility is currently operating under a Performance Assessment (PA) issued back in 2008, along with several subsequent supporting Special Analyses (SA). The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) developed the prior PAs and SAs and has been tasked to update the facility’s PA. For operating the E-Area facility, a Waste Inventory Tracking System (e.g., WITS) is actively employed by waste generators where every radionuclide entering the facility (to be buried in one of its many disposal units1) must be either directly or indirectly accounted for. Since there is a large number of radionuclides in existence (>3,000), the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP-107) has provided guidance on the subset of radionuclides requiring further assessment in landfills such as the E-Area LLWF. The ICRP-107 publication provides critical radiological information on 1,252 radionuclides of 97 elements. This database is the critical starting point for developing a consistent inventory limit system. The explicit measurement and tracking of all 1,252 ICRP-107 radionuclides can be reduced when process knowledge, burial history, and radiological aspects are factored into conservative groundwater and intruder screening processes. Across the DOE complex these screening processes have been historically performed using the methodology suggested by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) as presented in their original report (NCRP 1984) and then refined in a later report (NCRP 1996). In the recommended screening models employed within this report the traditional NCRP models are updated to better handle progeny and better reflect the known characteristics of E-Area. This improved screening process is referred to as the “NCRP-like” method. Various upgrades to the traditional NCRP methodology have been used by others (e.g., NRC funded effort by Kennedy and Strenge 1992). The more detailed models by Kennedy and Strenge (1992) were considered in this effort and are compared to the results from the more traditional NCRP-like models. The groundwater and inadvertent intruder screening analyses presented in this report start with this 1,252 radionuclide list and reduces it down to more manageable lists that are applicable to the various disposal unit types contained within E-Area. In order to reduce this starting list, some level of exposure risk must be considered acceptable. Historically, a dose (or concentration level) has been compared with a screening criterion set to 1% of a performance measure (e.g., a betagamma dose not to exceed the 4 mrem/yr beta-gamma performance measure x 0.01 = 0.04 mrem/yr). Thus, if a radionuclide produced a bounding or screening-level dose (or concentrations) less than the screening criterion, it could be safely removed from further consideration. Several tiers of screening and bounding level analyses have been considered in this report.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Effect of screens in wide-angle diffusers

An experimental investigation at low airspeeds was made of the filling effect observed when a screen or similar resistance is placed across a diffuser. The filling effect is found to be real in that screens can prevent separation or restore separated flow in diffusers even of extreme divergence and to depend principally on screen location and pressure-drop coefficient of the screen. Results are given for three different diffusers of circular cross section with a variety of screen arrangements. Effects of single screens and multiple screens are shown. The mechanics of the filling effect is explained, and possible efficiencies are discussed. Results of arrangements of multiple screens in wide-angle diffusers are given to show a possible application to damping screens as used in wind tunnels to reduce turbulence. (author)

Schubauer, G B↗

NASA Flexible Screen Propellant Management Device (PMD) Demonstration With Cryogenic Liquid

While evaluating various options for liquid methane and liquid oxygen propellant management for lunar missions, Innovative Engineering Solutions (IES) conceived the flexible screen device as a potential simple alternative to conventional propellant management devices (PMD). An apparatus was designed and fabricated to test flexible screen devices in liquid nitrogen. After resolution of a number of issues (discussed in detail in the paper), a fine mesh screen (325 by 2300 wires per inch) spring return assembly was successfully tested. No significant degradation in the screen bubble point was observed either due to the screen stretching process or due to cyclic fatigue during testing. An estimated 30 to 50 deflection cycles, and approximately 3 to 5 thermal cycles, were performed on the final screen specimen, prior to and between formally recorded testing. These cycles included some "abusive" pressure cycling, where gas or liquid was driven through the screen at rates that produced differential pressures across the screen of several times the bubble point pressure. No obvious performance degradation or other changes were observed over the duration of testing. In summary, it is felt by the author that these simple tests validated the feasibility of the flexible screen PMD concept for use with cryogenic propellants.

Wollen, Mark↗

Light output and neutron detection efficiency of boron-based neutron scintillator screens for neutron imaging

Recent research has explored the development of boron-based neutron scintillator screens, which potentially offer improved spatial resolution and neutron capture efficiency compared to traditional lithium-based screens. This work builds upon previous efforts to improve boron-based neutron scintillators by assessing a newer generation of boron-based scintillator screens fabricated using different compositions and fabrication approaches compared to previous generations of screens. Some of the test screens exhibit higher light output than previous efforts and higher neutron capture efficiency than lithium-based screens. This paper describes the current state of screen development, measurement results for the most recent generation of screens, and future activities.

46 - INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AN↗

Pooled PPIseq: Screening the SARS-CoV-2 and human interface with a scalable multiplexed protein-protein interaction assay platform

Protein-Protein Interactions (PPIs) are a key interface between virus and host, and these interactions are important to both viral reprogramming of the host and to host restriction of viral infection. In particular, viral-host PPI networks can be used to further our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of tissue specificity, host range, and virulence. At higher scales, viral-host PPI screening could also be used to screen for small-molecule antivirals that interfere with essential viral-host interactions, or to explore how the PPI networks between interacting viral and host genomes co-evolve. Current high-throughput PPI assays have screened entire viral-host PPI networks. However, these studies are time consuming, often require specialized equipment, and are difficult to further scale. Here, we develop methods that make larger-scale viral-host PPI screening more accessible. This approach combines the mDHFR split-tag reporter with the iSeq2 interaction-barcoding system to permit massively-multiplexed PPI quantification by simple pooled engineering of barcoded constructs, integration of these constructs into budding yeast, and fitness measurements by pooled cell competitions and barcode-sequencing. We applied this method to screen for PPIs between SARS-CoV-2 proteins and human proteins, screening in triplicate >180,000 ORF-ORF combinations represented by >1,000,000 barcoded lineages. Our results complement previous screens by identifying 74 putative PPIs, including interactions between ORF7A with the taste receptors TAS2R41 and TAS2R7, and between NSP4 with the transmembrane KDELR2 and KDELR3. We show that this PPI screening method is highly scalable, enabling larger studies aimed at generating a broad understanding of how viral effector proteins converge on cellular targets to effect replication.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Measuring Thickness-Dependent Relative Light Yield and Detection Efficiency of Scintillator Screens

Digital camera-based neutron imaging systems consisting of a neutron scintillator screen optically coupled to a digital camera are the most common digital neutron imaging system used in the neutron imaging community and are available at any state-of-the-art imaging facility world-wide. Neutron scintillator screens are the integral component of these imaging system that directly interacts with the neutron beam and dictates the neutron capture efficiency and image quality limitations of the imaging system. This work describes a novel approach for testing neutron scintillators that provides a simple and efficient way to measure relative light yield and detection efficiency over a range of scintillator thicknesses using a single scintillator screen and only a few radiographs. Additionally, two methods for correlating the screen thickness to the measured data were implemented and compared. An example 6LiF:ZnS scintillator screen with nominal thicknesses ranging from 0–300 μm was used to demonstrate this approach. The multi-thickness screen and image and data processing methods are not exclusive to neutron scintillator screens but could be applied to X-ray imaging as well. This approach has the potential to benefit the entire radiographic imaging community by offering an efficient path forward for manufacturers to develop higher-performance scintillators and for imaging facilities and service providers to determine the optimal screen parameters for their particular beam and imaging system.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Polarization consistent dielectric screening in polarizable continuum model calculations of solvation energies

A polarization consistent framework, where dielectric screening is affected consistently in polarizable continuum model (PCM) calculations, is employed for the study of solvation energies. The computational framework combines a screened range-separated-hybrid functional (SRSH) with PCM calculations, SRSH-PCM, where dielectric screening is imposed in both PCM self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) iterations and the electronic structure Hamiltonian. We begin by demonstrating the impact of modifying the Hamiltonian to include such dielectric screening in SCRF iterations by considering the solutions of electrostatically embedded Hartree–Fock (HF) exact exchange equations. Long-range screened HF-PCM calculations are shown to capture properly the linear dependence of gap energy of frontier orbitals on the inverse of the dielectric constant, whereas unscreened HF-PCM orbital energies are fallaciously semi-constant with respect to the dielectric constant and, therefore, inconsistent with the ionization energy gaps. Similar trends affect density functional theory (DFT) calculations that aim to achieve predictive quality. Importantly, the dielectric screened calculations are shown to significantly affect DFT- and HF PCM-based solvation energies, where screened solvation energies are smaller compared to the unscreened values. Importantly, SRSH-PCM, therefore, appears to reduce the tendency of DFT-PCM to overestimate solvation energies, where we find the effect to increase with the dielectric constant and the polarity of the molecular solute, trends that enhance the quality of DFT-PCM calculations of solvation energy. Understanding the relationship of dielectric screening in the Hamiltonian and DFT-PCM calculations can ultimately benefit on-going efforts for the design of predictive and parameter free descriptions of solvation energies.

Chemistry↗

Effect of transient liquid flow on retention characteristics of screen acquisition systems

A design analysis, is developed based on experimental data, to predict the effects of transient flow and pressure surges (caused either by valve or pump operation, or by boiling of liquids in warm lines) on the retention performance of screen acquisition systems. A survey of screen liquid acquisition system applications was performed to determine appropriate system environment and classification. A screen model was developed which assumed that the screen device was a uniformly distributed composite orthotropic structure, and which accounted for liquid inflow/outflow, gas ingestion quality, screen stress, and liquid spill. A series of 177 tests using 13 specimens (5 screen meshes, 4 screen device construction/backup methods, and 2 orientations) with three test fluids (isopropyl alcohol, Freon 114, and LH2) provided data which verified important features of the screen model and resulted in a design tool which could accurately predict the transient startup performance acquisition devices.

Cady, E. C.↗

Effect of Vibration on Retention Characteristics of Screen Acquisition Systems

An analytical and experimental investigation of the effect of vibration on the retention characteristics of screen acquisition systems was performed. The functioning of surface tension devices using fine-mesh screens requires that the pressure differential acting on the screen be less than its pressure retention capability. When exceeded, screen breakdown will occur and gas-free expulsion of propellant will no longer be possible. An analytical approach to predicting the effect of vibration was developed. This approach considers the transmission of the vibration to the screens of the device and the coupling of the liquid and the screen in establishing the screen response. A method of evaluating the transient response of the gas/liquid interface within the screen was also developed.

Tegart, J. R.↗

The screen hole plasma sheath of an ion accelerator system

Results of the first probing of the screen hole sheath of an ion accelerator system are presented. The screen hole sheath, represented as a set of equipotential contours, extends over a large distance within the discharge plasma. Under no conditions examined does the sheath enter the screen hole. Edge hole defocusing of multiaperture accelerator systems is due primarily to local plasma density variations rather than adjacent screen hole sheath interactions. The sheath boundary is independent of screen-to-accelerator grid spacing when the grid set is operated at the minimum ion beam divergence condition. Significant ion focusing effects occur in the sheath adjacent to the screen grid webbing leading to increased ion source beam current efficiency with decreasing screen-to-accelerator grid separation and/or screen grid thickness.

Aston, G.↗

Measurement of Screen-Size Effects on Intensity, Scale, and Spectrum of Turbulence in a Free Subsonic Jet

The results are reported of hot-wire anemometer measurements of the fluctuating longitudinal component of the turbulent velocities in the mean flow downstream of screens in an air jet. These measurements have been analyzed by well-established techniques to give the influence of tile screen mesh size on the turbulent intensity, scale, and the power-spectral-density. The results show a linear dependence of the intensity upon the screen mesh size for locations within the central core of the air jet. The spectral-density curves show that the screens redistribute the turbulent energy from the low frequencies (<1000 cps) to the high frequencies (>1000 cps). The effects of the screens are overwhelmed in the mixing region of the jet flow by the turbulence levels existing there. The large pressure drops occurring across the screens reduce the velocity of the jet as compared to the jet without screens by approximately one-third for the velocity and range of mesh sizes investigated and reported in this report. The turbulence scale is a linear function of distance from the nozzle exit and is somewhat greater than comparable jets without screens.

Howard, Charles D.↗

An Automated Algorithm to Screen Massive Training Samples for a Global Impervious Surface Classification

An algorithm is developed to automatically screen the outliers from massive training samples for Global Land Survey - Imperviousness Mapping Project (GLS-IMP). GLS-IMP is to produce a global 30 m spatial resolution impervious cover data set for years 2000 and 2010 based on the Landsat Global Land Survey (GLS) data set. This unprecedented high resolution impervious cover data set is not only significant to the urbanization studies but also desired by the global carbon, hydrology, and energy balance researches. A supervised classification method, regression tree, is applied in this project. A set of accurate training samples is the key to the supervised classifications. Here we developed the global scale training samples from 1 m or so resolution fine resolution satellite data (Quickbird and Worldview2), and then aggregate the fine resolution impervious cover map to 30 m resolution. In order to improve the classification accuracy, the training samples should be screened before used to train the regression tree. It is impossible to manually screen 30 m resolution training samples collected globally. For example, in Europe only, there are 174 training sites. The size of the sites ranges from 4.5 km by 4.5 km to 8.1 km by 3.6 km. The amount training samples are over six millions. Therefore, we develop this automated statistic based algorithm to screen the training samples in two levels: site and scene level. At the site level, all the training samples are divided to 10 groups according to the percentage of the impervious surface within a sample pixel. The samples following in each 10% forms one group. For each group, both univariate and multivariate outliers are detected and removed. Then the screen process escalates to the scene level. A similar screen process but with a looser threshold is applied on the scene level considering the possible variance due to the site difference. We do not perform the screen process across the scenes because the scenes might vary due to the phenology, solar-view geometry, and atmospheric condition etc. factors but not actual landcover difference. Finally, we will compare the classification results from screened and unscreened training samples to assess the improvement achieved by cleaning up the training samples. Keywords:

Tan, Bin↗

Impact of the Screen Configurations on the Estimated Terra MODIS SD Degradation

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments on-board the Aqua and Terra spacecraft have collected valuable Earth data for the last 19 and 21 years, respectively. MODIS is equipped with various on-orbit calibrators, including a solar diffuser (SD) and solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM), that are used to monitor changes in the instrument’s gain over time. Nominally, SD calibrations alternate between two configurations: screen open and screen closed. Terra MODIS, however, experienced an anomaly in 2003, which has left the SD door and screen in a permanent open-closed configuration. This resulted in accelerated degradation of the SD on Terra MODIS due to the direct solar radiation exposure every orbit. It also led to an unexpected divergence between the calibration coefficients, m1, or the inverse of the gain, generated using SD data and those generated using lunar observations at the time of the 2003 anomaly. This paper examines the effect of the screen configuration on the Terra SD degradation by analyzing Terra SDSM data and comparing to Aqua. We generate “pseudo-open” Terra SDSM data by modeling the ratio of Aqua screen open and screen closed SDSM data and calculate the Terra SD degradation using this new screen open data. We then examine the effects on our m1 values calculated using this new pseudo-open SD degradation for Terra. Implementing this new degradation results in a smaller discrepancy between the lunar and SD m1 values after the door anomaly, indicating that there may be a systematic error in the SD degradation calculated with screen closed data.

MODIS↗

acCRISPR: an activity-correction method for improving the accuracy of CRISPR screens

Abstract High throughput CRISPR screens are revolutionizing the way scientists unravel the genetic underpinnings of engineered and evolved phenotypes. One of the critical challenges in accurately assessing screening outcomes is accounting for the variability in sgRNA cutting efficiency. Poorly active guides targeting genes essential to screening conditions obscure the growth defects that are expected from disrupting them. Here, we develop acCRISPR, an end-to-end pipeline that identifies essential genes in pooled CRISPR screens using sgRNA read counts obtained from next-generation sequencing. acCRISPR uses experimentally determined cutting efficiencies for each guide in the library to provide an activity correction to the screening outcomes via calculation of an optimization metric, thus determining the fitness effect of disrupted genes. CRISPR-Cas9 and -Cas12a screens were carried out in the non-conventional oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica and acCRISPR was used to determine a high-confidence set of essential genes for growth under glucose, a common carbon source used for the industrial production of oleochemicals. acCRISPR was also used in screens quantifying relative cellular fitness under high salt conditions to identify genes that were related to salt tolerance. Collectively, this work presents an experimental-computational framework for CRISPR-based functional genomics studies that may be expanded to other non-conventional organisms of interest.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Assessment of Screen-Covered Grooved Sodium Heat Pipes for Microreactor Applications

New nuclear reactor designs that incorporate heat pipes are being investigated for possible near-term deployment in terrestrial applications. Here, this study explores the use of screen-covered axially grooved sodium heat pipes and their applicability for providing heat removal for microreactors. A sodium working fluid is appropriate for microreactors operating in the 5 to 20 MW(thermal) range at approximately 650°C. HTPIPE, a legacy software code, was validated for the case of screen-covered grooves and used to perform steady-state analyses to determine the performance limits of a proposed heat pipe design. The performance limits of a sodium heat pipe with a screen-covered square grooved wick structure is compared to that of an equivalent heat pipe with an annular wick. In a horizontal orientation at an operating temperature of 650°C,the performance limits for the heat pipe with an annular wick configuration are 15% higher than for the screen-covered grooved wick. At operating temperatures below 777°C, the annular wick outperforms the screen-covered grooved wick, and at temperatures above 777°C, the screen-covered grooved wick outperforms the annular wick. However, the marginal performance gain at higher temperatures may not justify the use of heat pipes with a screen-covered grooved wick structure due to increased manufacturing costs.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Impurity screening behavior of the high-field side scrape-off layer in near-double-null configurations: prospect for mitigating plasma–material interactions on RF actuators and first-wall components

The impurity screening response of the high-field side (HFS) scrape-off layer (SOL) to localized nitrogen injection is investigated on Alcator C-Mod for magnetic equilibria spanning lower-single-null, double-null and upper-single-null configurations under otherwise identical plasma conditions. L-mode, EDA H-mode and I-mode discharges are investigated. HFS impurity screening is found to depend on magnetic flux balance and the direction of B × $\nabla$B relative to the most active divertor. Impurity 'plume' emission patterns indicate that both parallel and perpendicular (E × B) flows in the SOL contribute to the 'flushing' of impurities towards the active divertor, thereby affecting the overall impurity screening behavior. Despite the fact that the HFS SOL is extremely narrow in near-double-null configurations, this SOL is able to screen locally injected nitrogen at least as effectively as the low-field side (LFS) SOL—up to a factor of 10 more effective, depending on specific plasma conditions and whether the magnetic geometry produces parallel flows that work with or against E × B flows. For situations in which the E × B drift of the impurity ions opposes parallel flow toward the primary divertor, HFS impurity screening is found to be least effective. When E × B drifts assist parallel flow toward the primary divertor, HFS impurity screening is found to be very effective. These data support the idea of placing RF actuators and close-fitting wall components on the HFS of the tokamak. Finally, with this configuration, near-double-null magnetic topologies may be used for active control of plasma parameters at the antenna/plasma interface for optimal RF coupling, mitigate the generation of local impurities from plasma–material interactions and, taking advantage of favorable plasma flows and good screening properties of the HFS SOL, further minimize the impact of wall-born impurity sources on the plasma core.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Investigation of the Effect of Gate Oxide Screening with Adjustment Pulse on Commercial SiC Power MOSFETs

This paper presents a method to recover the negative threshold voltage shift during high field gate oxide screening of 1.2 kV 4H-SiC MOSFETs with an additional adjustment gate voltage pulse. To reduce field failure rates of the MOSFETs in operation, manufacturers perform a screening treatment to remove devices with extrinsic defects in the oxide. Current gate oxide screening procedures are limited to oxide fields at or below ~9 MV/cm for short durations (<1 s), which is not enough to remove all the devices with extrinsic defects. The results show that by implementing a lower field gate pulse, the threshold voltage shift can be partially recovered, and therefore the maximum screening field and time can be increased. However, both the initial screening pulse and the adjustment pulse require careful calibration to prevent significant degradation of the device threshold voltage, on-resistance, interface state density, or intrinsic lifetime. With a well calibrated set of pulses, higher screening fields can be utilized without significantly damaging the devices. This leads to an improvement in the overall screening efficiency of the process, reducing the number of devices with extrinsic oxide defects entering the field, and improving the reliability of the SiC MOSFETs in operation.

42 ENGINEERING↗