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At least 1,081 records · Page 60

Quantum spin ice response to a magnetic field in the dipole-octupole pyrochlore Ce 2 Zr 2 O 7

The pyrochlore magnet Ce 2 Zr 2 O 7 has attracted much attention as a quantum spin ice candidate whose novelty derives in part from the dipolar-octupolar nature of the Ce 3+ pseudospin-1/2 degrees of freedom it possesses. We report heat capacity measurements on single crystal samples of Ce 2 Zr 2 O 7 down to T~0.1K in a magnetic field along the [$1,\bar{1},0$] direction. These measurements show that the broad hump in the zero-field heat capacity moves higher in temperature with increasing field strength and is split into two separate humps by the [$1,\bar{1},0$] magnetic field at ~2T. These separate features are due to the decomposition of the pyrochlore lattice into effectively decoupled chains for fields in this direction: One set of chains (α chains) is polarized by the field while the other (β chains) remains free. This situation is similar to that observed in the classical spin ices Ho 2 Ti 2 O 7 and Dy 2 Ti 2 O 7 , but with the twist that here the strong transverse exchange interactions produce substantial quantum effects. Our theoretical modeling suggests that the β chains are close to a critical state, with nearly-gapless excitations. We also report elastic and inelastic neutron scattering measurements on single crystal Ce 2 Zr 2 O 7 in [$1,\bar{1},0$] and [0,0,1] magnetic fields at temperatures down to T=0.03K. The elastic scattering behaves consistently with the formation of independent chains for a [$1,\bar{1},0$] field, while the [0,0,1] field produces a single field-induced elastic magnetic Bragg peak at (0,2,0) and equivalent wavevectors, indicating a polarized spin ice state for fields above ~3T. For both [$1,\bar{1},0$] and [0,0,1] magnetic fields, our inelastic neutron scattering results show an approximately dispersionless continuum of scattering that increases in both energy and intensity with increasing field strength. By modeling the complete set of experimental data using numerical linked cluster and semiclassical molecular dynamics calculations, we demonstrate the dominantly multipolar nature of the exchange interactions in Ce 2 Zr 2 O 7 and the smallness of the parameter θ, which controls the mixing between dipolar and octupolar degrees of freedom. Finally, these results support previous estimates of the microscopic exchange parameters and place strong constraints on the theoretical description of this prominent spin ice candidate.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Structural and chemical orders in N i 64.5 Z r 35.5 metallic glass by molecular dynamics simulation

The atomic structure of Ni 64.5 Zr 35.5 metallic glass has been investigated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The calculated structure factors from the MD glassy sample at room temperature agree well with the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and neutron diffraction (ND) experimental data. Using the pairwise cluster alignment and clique analysis methods, we show that there are three types dominant short-range order (SRO) motifs around Ni atoms in the glass sample of Ni 64.5 Zr 35.5 , i.e., Mixed- Icosahedron(ICO)-Cube, Twined-Cube and icosahedron-like clusters. Furthermore, chemical order and medium-range order (MRO) analysis show that the Mixed-ICOCube and Twined-Cube clusters exhibit the characteristics of the crystalline B2 phase. In conclusion, our simulation results suggest that the weak glass-forming ability (GFA) of Ni 64.5 Zr 35.5 can be attributed to the competition between the glass forming ICO SRO and the crystalline Mixed-ICO-Cube and Twined-Cube motifs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Scalable Static and Dynamic Community Detection Using Grappolo

Graph clustering, popularly known as community detection, is a fundamental kernel for several applications of relevance to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Hierarchical Identify Verify Exploit (HIVE) Pro- gram. Clusters or communities represent natural divisions within a network that are densely connected within a cluster and sparsely connected to the rest of the network. The need to compute clustering on large scale data necessitates the development of efficient algorithms that can exploit modern architectures that are fundamentally parallel in nature. How- ever, due to their irregular and inherently sequential nature, many of the current algorithms for community detection are challenging to parallelize. In response to the HIVE Graph Challenge, we present several parallelization heuristics for fast community detection using the Louvain method as the serial template. We implement all the heuristics in a software library called Grappolo. Using the inputs from the HIVE Challenge, we demonstrate superior performance and high quality solutions based on four parallelization heuristics. We use Grappolo on static graphs as the first step towards community detection on streaming graphs.

Community Detection↗

Distributed-Memory Parallel Symmetric Nonnegative Matrix Factorization

We develop the first distributed-memory parallel implementation of Symmetric Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (SymNMF), a key data analytics kernel for clustering and dimensionality reduction. Our implementation includes two different algorithms for SymNMF, which give comparable results in terms of time and accuracy. The first algorithm is a parallelization of an existing sequential approach that uses solvers for non symmetric NMF. The second algorithm is a novel approach based on the Gauss-Newton method. It exploits second-order information without incurring large computational and memory costs. We evaluate the scalability of our algorithms on the Summit system at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, scaling up to 128 nodes (4,096 cores) with 70% efficiency. Additionally, we demonstrate our software on an image segmentation task.

Eswar, Srinivas↗

Enabling Low-Overhead HT-HPC Workflows at Extreme Scale using GNU Parallel

GNU Parallel is a versatile and powerful tool for process parallelization widely used in scientific computing. This paper demonstrates its effective application in high-performance computing (HPC) environments, particularly focusing on its scalability and efficiency in executing large-scale high-throughput high-performance computing (HT-HPC) workflows. Through real-world examples, we highlight GNU Parallel’s performance across various HPC workloads, including GPU computing, container-based workloads, and node-local NVMe storage. Our results on two leading supercomputers, OLCF’s Frontier and NERSC’s Perlmutter, showcase GNU Parallel’s rapid process dispatching ability and its capacity to maintain low overhead even at extreme scales. We explore GNU Parallel’s application in massive parallel file transfers using a scheduled Data Transfer Node (DTN) cluster, emphasizing its broad utility in diverse scientific workflows. Beyond its direct application as a viable workflow manager, GNU Parallel can be employed in conjunction with other workflow systems as a "last-mile" parallelizing driver and as a quick prototyping tool to design and extract parallel profiles from application executions. We then argue that the potential for GNU Parallel to transform workflow management at extreme scales is substantial, paving the way for more efficient and effective scientific discoveries.

Maheshwari, Ketan↗

Using leaf and stomatal traits to predict biomass production and water use efficiency in Populus

Climate change is reshaping ecosystems, driving plants to adapt through leaf-trait plasticity that reflects strategies for growth and water use. Predicting biomass production and intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE) remains challenging because of genetic, taxonomic, and environmental variability. Here, we used eastern cottonwood and Populus hybrids as a model system to test whether easily measurable leaf traits can serve as reliable predictors of performance, and whether adding stomatal and biochemical traits improves predictive power. Across two field sites in Mississippi, leaf mass per area (LMA), biomass production, iWUE, leaf area, and foliar nitrogen ( N %) differed significantly among taxa and sites, while other traits were conserved. Factorial analysis of mixed data (FAMD) revealed distinct clustering of taxa and sites, indicating coordinated variation among leaf and stomatal traits. Pairwise correlations highlighted fundamental trade-offs, with biomass positively related to LMA and petiole length but negatively associated with iWUE, N %, and carbon isotopic ratios (δ 13 C). Leaf temperature and leaf angle varied among taxa and were significantly correlated with LMA and petiole length, suggesting mechanisms of heat dissipation and leaf movability that link simple traits to gas exchange and productivity. Weighted multiple linear regression models explained 80%–91% of variation in biomass production and iWUE. Models using only LMA, petiole length, and stomatal metrics performed nearly as well as those incorporating N %, and δ 13 C, with complex traits adding approximately 10% explanatory power. These results demonstrate that simple morphological traits capture integrated functional trade-offs, while complex traits refine predictions. This tiered approach provides an efficient framework for selecting high-yielding, water-efficient genotypes of Populus and other hardwood species, offering practical pathways to enhance carbon uptake and iWUE under climate change.

biomass production↗

Nitrogen starvation causes lipid remodeling in Rhodotorula toruloides

Abstract Background The oleaginous yeast Rhodotorula toruloides is a promising chassis organism for the biomanufacturing of value-added bioproducts. It can accumulate lipids at a high fraction of biomass. However, metabolic engineering efforts in this organism have progressed at a slower pace than those in more extensively studied yeasts. Few studies have investigated the lipid accumulation phenotype exhibited by R. toruloides under nitrogen limitation conditions. Consequently, there have been only a few studies exploiting the lipid metabolism for higher product titers. Results We performed a multi-omic investigation of the lipid accumulation phenotype under nitrogen limitation. Specifically, we performed comparative transcriptomic and lipidomic analysis of the oleaginous yeast under nitrogen-sufficient and nitrogen deficient conditions. Clustering analysis of transcriptomic data was used to identify the growth phase where nitrogen-deficient cultures diverged from the baseline conditions. Independently, lipidomic data was used to identify that lipid fractions shifted from mostly phospholipids to mostly storage lipids under the nitrogen-deficient phenotype. Through an integrative lens of transcriptomic and lipidomic analysis, we discovered that R. toruloides undergoes lipid remodeling during nitrogen limitation, wherein the pool of phospholipids gets remodeled to mostly storage lipids. We identify specific mRNAs and pathways that are strongly correlated with an increase in lipid levels, thus identifying putative targets for engineering greater lipid accumulation in R. toruloides . One surprising pathway identified was related to inositol phosphate metabolism, suggesting further inquiry into its role in lipid accumulation. Conclusions Integrative analysis identified the specific biosynthetic pathways that are differentially regulated during lipid remodeling. This insight into the mechanisms of lipid accumulation can lead to the success of future metabolic engineering strategies for overproduction of oleochemicals.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Microseismic Focal Mechanisms and Implications for Changes in Stress during the 2014 Newberry EGS Stimulation

We adapt the relative polarity method from Shelly et al. (2016) to compute focal mechanisms for microearthquakes associated with the 2014 hydroshearing stimulation at the Newberry volcano geothermal site. We focus the analysis on events relocated by Aguiar and Myers (2018), who report that six event clusters predominantly comprise the 2014 sequence. Data quality allows focal mechanism analysis for four of the six event clusters. We use Hardebeck and Shearer (2002, 2003; hereafter HASH) to compute focal mechanisms based on first–motion polarities and S/P amplitude ratios. We manually determine P– and S–wave polarities for a well–recorded reference event in each cluster, then use waveform cross correlation to determine whether recordings of other events in the cluster are the same or reversed polarity at each network station. Here, most waveform polarities are consistent with the affiliated reference event, indicating similar focal mechanisms within each cluster. The deeper clusters are east–west–striking normal faults, whereas the shallower clusters, close to the top of the open–hole section of the borehole, are strike slip with east–west motion. Regional studies and prestimulation borehole breakouts find the maximum stress direction is vertical and maximum horizontal stress is approximately north–south. Fault geometry and focal mechanisms of microseismicity during the stimulation suggest that increased pressure from fluid injection predominantly caused changes in horizontal stress, consistent with predictions from numerical studies of stress change caused by fluid injection. At shallow depths, where previous studies suggest the difference between vertical and horizontal stress is lowest, injection appears to have rotated the direction of maximum stress from vertical to horizontal, resulting in strike–slip motion. At greater depth, vertical stress continued to be the dominant direction during the stimulation, but fault orientation indicates either reactivation of pre–existing fractures or rotation of the direction of maximum horizontal stress from approximately north–south to east–west.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Chemical composition of ultrafine aerosol particles in central Amazonia during the wet season

Central Amazonia serves as an ideal location to study atmospheric particle formation, since it often represents nearly natural, pre-industrial conditions but can also experience periods of anthropogenic influence due to the presence of emissions from large metropolitan areas like Manaus, Brazil. Ultrafine (sub-100 nm diameter) particles are often observed in this region, although new particle formation events seldom occur near the ground despite being readily observed in other forested regions with similar emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This study focuses on identifying the chemical composition of ultrafine particles as a means of determining the chemical species and mechanisms that may be responsible for new particle formation and growth in the region. These measurements were performed during the wet season as part of the Observations and Modeling of the Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon2014/5) field campaign at a site located 70 km southwest of Manaus. A thermal desorption chemicalionization mass spectrometer (TDCIMS) characterized the most abundant compounds detected in ultrafine particles. Two time periods representing distinct influences on aerosol composition, which we label as “anthropogenic” and “background” periods, were studied as part of a larger 10 d period of analysis. Higher particle number concentrations were measured during the anthropogenic period, and modeled back-trajectory frequencies indicate transport of emissions from the Manaus metropolitan area. During the background period there were much lower number concentrations, and back-trajectory frequencies showed that air masses arrived at the site predominantly from the forested regions to the north and northeast. TDCIMS-measured constituents also show distinct differences between the two observational periods. Although bisulfate was detected in particles throughout the 10 d period, the anthropogenic period had higher levels of particulate bisulfate overall. Ammonium and trimethyl ammonium were positively correlated with bisulfate. The background period had distinct diurnal patterns of particulate cyanate and acetate, while oxalate remained relatively constant during the 10 d period. 3-Methylfuran, a thermal decomposition product of a particulate-phase isoprene epoxy diol(IEPOX), was the dominant species measured in the positive-ion mode. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on the TDCIMS-measured ion abundance and aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) mass concentration data. Two different hierarchical clusters representing unique influences arise: one comprising ultrafine particulate acetate, hydrogen oxalate, cyanate, trimethyl ammonium and 3-methylfuran and another made up of ultra fine particulate bisulfate, chloride, ammonium and potassium. A third cluster separated AMS-measured species from the two TDCIMS-derived clusters, indicating different sources or processes in ultrafine aerosol particle formation compared to larger submicron-sized particles.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

SGP Precipitation 2017-2019 Best Estimate

The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement user facility (ARM) Southern Great Plains observatory (SGP) houses over 50 precipitation instruments, using approximately 10 different methods for measurement. Nine different types of sensors are deployed at the SGP Central Facility with duplicates of the video disdrometer, impact disdrometer, and laser disdrometer. These instruments are deployed relatively close to one another in the “Central Cluster” of the SGP Central Facility. This effort employed simple clustering techniques on these data to calculate a precipitation best estimate, which in turn was used to develop a weighting scheme for each instrument type across rain rates that can be reused in the future for different configurations of instrument deployments. Product should be considered as an evaluation data set.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Satellite Relay Telemetry of Seismic Data in Earthquake Prediction and Control

The Satellite Telemetry Earthquake Monitoring Program was started to evaluate the applicability of satellite relay telemetry in the collection of seismic data from a large number of dense seismograph clusters laid out along the major fault systems of western North America. Prototype clusters utilizing phone-line telemetry were then being installed by the National Center for Earthquake Research in 3 regions along the San Andreas fault in central California; and the experience of installing and operating the clusters and in reducing and analyzing the seismic data from them was to provide the raw materials for evaluation in the satellite relay telemetry project. The principal advantages of the satellite relay system over commercial telephone or microwave systems were: (1) it could be made less prone to massive failure during a major earthquake; (2) it could be extended readily into undeveloped regions; and (3) it could provide flexible, uniform communications over large sections of major global tectonic zones. Fundamental characteristics of a communications system to cope with the large volume of raw data collected by a short-period seismograph network are discussed.

Jackson, W. H.↗

HEAO 2 X-ray observations of clusters of galaxies

A summary of results of Einstein satellite observations of clusters of galaxies is provided, and X-ray luminosities or upper limits for 27 clusters are reported. Newly reported clusters with interesting morphologies are presented, and a brief discussion of the data in relation to theories of cluster formation and evolution is given.

Ulmer, M. P.↗

Multifrequency passive microwave observations of first-year sea ice grown in a tank

Microwave brightness temperatures of new, young, and optically opaque sea ice grown in a large tank were obtained in the course of a joint microwave experiment at CRREL in Hanover, NH, during the winters of 1983-1984 and 1984-1985. Dual-polarized observations were taken at frequencies of 10, 18, 37, and 90 GHz over a range of incidence angles, and the concurrent temperature and ice thickness were obtained. Emissivity and degree of polarization were observed in detail during the early stages of ice growth and variations were found indicating that the ice became optically opaque at 10 GHz for ice thickness between 30 and 50 mm. Cluster plots of the data show six distinguishable surface types: optically opaque bare ice, thin ice (less than 15 mm), roughened ice, ridged ice, rotting wet ice, and open water.

Grenfell, T. C.↗

Rocket- and aircraft-borne trace gas measurements in the winter polar stratosphere

In January and February 1987 stratospheric rocket- and aircraft-borne trace gas measurements were done in the North Polar region using ACIMS (Active Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry) and PACIMS (PAssive Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry) instruments. The rocket was launched at ESRANGE (European Sounding Rocket Launching Range) (68 N, 21 E, Northern Sweden) and the twin-jet research aircraft operated by the DFVLR (Deutsche Forschungs- und Versuchs-anstalt fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt), and equipped with a mass spectrometer laboratory was stationed at Kiruna airport. Various stratospheric trace gases were measured including nitric acid, sulfuric acid, non-methane hydrocarbons (acetone, hydrogen cyanide, acetonitrile, methanol etc.), and ambient cluster ions. The experimental data is presented and possible implications for polar stratospheric ozone discussed.

Arnold, F.↗

The cosmological constant

The cosmological constant problem is examined in the context of both astronomy and physics. Effects of a nonzero cosmological constant are discussed with reference to expansion dynamics, the age of the universe, distance measures, comoving density of objects, growth of linear perturbations, and gravitational lens probabilities. The observational status of the cosmological constant is reviewed, with attention given to the existence of high-redshift objects, age derivation from globular clusters and cosmic nuclear data, dynamical tests of Omega sub Lambda, quasar absorption line statistics, gravitational lensing, and astrophysics of distant objects. Finally, possible solutions to the physicist's cosmological constant problem are examined.

Carroll, Sean M.↗