Multiplicity with gamma-rays: combining energy and timing information
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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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The emerging novel energy infrastructures, such as energy communities, smart building-based microgrids, electric vehicles enabled mobile energy storage units raise the requirements for a more interconnective and interoperable energy system. It leads to a transition from simple and isolated microgrids to relatively large-scale and complex interconnected microgrid systems named multi-microgrid clusters. In order to efficiently, optimally, and flexibly control multi-microgrid clusters, cross-disciplinary technologies such as power electronics, control theory, optimization algorithms, information and communication technologies, cyber-physical, and big-data analysis are needed. This paper introduces an overview of the relevant aspects for multi-microgrids, including the outstanding features, architectures, typical applications, existing control mechanisms, as well as the challenges.
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Here we provide the complete set of circular elements produced by SCAPP from metagenomic data that may represent mobile genetic elements (MGEs). For the publication, these sequences were de-replicated within the high [U] and low [U] sample sets. Additionally, 98 of the circular elements were removed for downstream analysis due to high suspicion of being (1) chloroplast or mitochondrial sequences or (2) erroneously circularized long repeat regions. The complete list of circular elements used for the analysis along with metadata can be found in Tables S5 and S6.
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Public sequencing databases are invaluable resources to biological researchers, but assessing data veracity as well as the curation and maintenance of such large collections of data can be challenging. Genomes of eukaryotic organelles, such as chloroplasts and other plastids, are particularly susceptible to assembly errors and misrepresentations in these databases due to their close evolutionary relationships with bacteria, which may co-occur within the same environment, as can be the case when sequencing plants. Here, based on sequence similarities with bacterial genomes, we identified several suspicious chloroplast assemblies present in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Reference Sequence (RefSeq) collection. Investigations into these chloroplast assemblies reveal examples of erroneous integration of bacterial sequences into chloroplast ribosomal RNA (rRNA) loci, often within the rRNA genes, presumably due to the high similarity between plastid and bacterial rRNAs. The bacterial lineages identified within the examined chloroplasts as the most likely source of contamination are either known associates of plants, or co-occur in the same environmental niches as the examined plants. Modifications to the methods used to process untargeted ‘raw’ shotgun sequencing data from whole genome sequencing efforts, such as the identification and removal of bacterial reads prior to plastome assembly, could eliminate similar errors in the future.
Introduction: Vaccine platforms used in successful, licensed vaccines have varied among pathogens. However, antibody level is still the main clinical correlate of protection in most approved vaccines. Decisions as to the best vaccine platform to pursue for a given pathogen may be informed through improved understanding of the process of antibody generation and its temporal dynamics, as well as the relationship between these processes and the type of vaccine. Methods: We have analyzed the dynamics of antibody generation for different vaccine platforms against diverse pathogens, and developed a consensus mathematical model that captures antibody dynamics across these diverse systems. Initially, the model was fitted to a rich dataset of antibody and immune cell concentrations in a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine experiment. We then used concepts from machine learning, such as transfer learning, to apply the same model to a variety of systems, involving different pathogens, vaccine platforms, and booster dose use/timing, fixing most parameter values relating to the dynamics of the immune system. Results: The model includes B cell proliferation and differentiation, as well as the generation of plasma cells, which secrete large amounts of antibody, and memory B cells. Overall, the model describes antibody generation in all systems tested well and shows that the main differences across platforms are related to the dynamics of antigen presentation. Discussion: This model can be used to predict antibody generation in pairs of vaccine platform/pathogen, allowing for the use of in silico results to narrow down experimental burden in vaccine development.
The seed protein α-gliadin is a major component of wheat flour and causes gluten-related diseases. However, due to the complexity of this multigene family with a genome structure composed of dozens of copies derived from tandem and genome duplications, little was known about the variation between accessions, and thus little effort has been made to explicitly target α-gliadin for bread wheat breeding. Here, we analyzed genomic variation in α-gliadins across 11 recently published chromosome-scale assemblies of hexaploid wheat, with validation using long-read data. We unexpectedly found that the Gli-B2 locus is not a single contiguous locus but is composed of two subloci, suggesting the possibility of recombination between the two during breeding. We confirmed that the number of immunogenic epitopes among 11 accessions varied. The D subgenome of a European spelt line also contained epitopes, in agreement with its hybridization history. Evolutionary analysis identified amino acid sites under diversifying selection, suggesting their functional importance. The analysis opens the way for improved grain quality and safety through wheat breeding.
Effective weed management tools are crucial for maintaining the profitable production of snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Preemergence herbicides help the crop to gain a size advantage over the weeds, but the few preemergence herbicides registered in snap bean have poor waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) control, a major pest in snap bean production. Waterhemp and other difficult-to-control weeds can be managed by flumioxazin, an herbicide that inhibits protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO). However, there is limited knowledge about crop tolerance to this herbicide. We aimed to quantify the degree of snap bean tolerance to flumioxazin and explore the underlying mechanisms. We investigated the genetic basis of herbicide tolerance using genome-wide association mapping approach utilizing field-collected data from a snap bean diversity panel, combined with gene expression data of cultivars with contrasting response. The response to a preemergence application of flumioxazin was measured by assessing plant population density and shoot biomass variables. Snap bean tolerance to flumioxazin is associated with a single genomic location in chromosome 02. Tolerance is influenced by several factors, including those that are indirectly affected by seed size/weight and those that directly impact the herbicide's metabolism and protect the cell from reactive oxygen species-induced damage. Transcriptional profiling and co-expression network analysis identified biological pathways likely involved in flumioxazin tolerance, including oxidoreductase processes and programmed cell death. Transcriptional regulation of genes involved in those processes is possibly orchestrated by a transcription factor located in the region identified in the GWAS analysis. Several entries belonging to the Romano class, including Bush Romano 350, Roma II, and Romano Purpiat presented high levels of tolerance in this study. The alleles identified in the diversity panel that condition snap bean tolerance to flumioxazin shed light on a novel mechanism of herbicide tolerance and can be used in crop improvement.
In additive manufacturing (AM), the surface roughness of the deposited parts remains significantly higher than the admissible range for most applications. Additionally, the surface topography of AM parts exhibits waviness profiles between tracks and layers. Therefore, post-processing is indispensable to improve surface quality. Laser-aided machining and polishing can be effective surface improvement processes that can be used due to their availability as the primary energy sources in many metal AM processes. While the initial roughness and waviness of the surface of most AM parts are very high, to achieve dimensional accuracy and minimize roughness, a high input energy density is required during machining and polishing processes although such high energy density may induce process defects and escalate the phenomenon of wavelength asperities. In this paper, we propose a systematic approach to eliminate waviness and reduce surface roughness with the combination of laser-aided machining, macro-polishing, and micro-polishing processes. While machining reduces the initial waviness, low energy density during polishing can minimize this further. The average roughness (Ra=1.11μm) achieved in this study with optimized process parameters for both machining and polishing demonstrates a greater than 97% reduction in roughness when compared to the as-built part.
Drought and high-severity, stand-replacing wildfires can have substantial impacts on the composition of avian communities, including stop-over communities during migration. An inextricable link exists between drought and wildfire, each operating and impacting across different timescales. Many studies have found nonlinear avian abundance trends in breeding community time series data that include pre- and post-fire observations, describing an initial decrease in abundance followed by rapid increases that can attenuate over time. Here, we use a fall bird-banding dataset to evaluate shifts in a drought-impacted avian community following wildfire from taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic perspectives. We looked at the community as a whole and also categorized birds as residents, migrants, and breeders to assess potential varying responses at the study site. We observed post-fire shifts in functional and phylogenetic diversity that corresponded to changes in vegetation. An influx of migratory insectivores post-fire drove much of the variation between pre- and post-fire avian communities and toward a more related, less phylogenetically dispersed community. A concurrent monsoon season drought was also associated with functional and phylogenetic diversity, highlighting the intertwined pulse press effects on avian communities. Overall, our results suggest that, although bird communities are immediately impacted by fire-driven resource changes, they can rebound over time, it is unclear how long-term drought may continue to shape the composition of these avian communities.
We present methods to create devices that utilize the high-temperature superconductor La 2-x Sr x CuO 4 grown by atomic layer-by-layer molecular beam epitaxy (ALL-MBE). The ALL-MBE synthesis technique provides atomically precise interfaces necessary for the tunnel junctions, Josephson junctions, and dyon detection devices that will be considered. A series of microfabrication processing steps using established techniques are given for each device, and their details are discussed. These procedures are easily extended to generate more complex designs and could be suitable for a wider variety of materials.
Solids with dimpled potential-energy surfaces are ubiquitous in nature and, typically, exhibit structural (elastic or phonon) instabilities. Dimpled potentials are not harmonic; thus, the conventional quasiharmonic approximation at finite temperatures fails to describe anharmonic vibrations in such solids. At sufficiently high temperatures, their crystal structure is stabilized by entropy; in this phase, a diffraction pattern of a periodic crystal is combined with vibrational properties of a phonon glass. As temperature is lowered, the solid undergoes a symmetry-breaking transition and transforms into a lower-symmetry phase with lower lattice entropy. Here, we identify specific features in the potential-energy surface that lead to such polymorphic behavior; we establish reliable estimates for the relative energies and temperatures associated with the anharmonic vibrations and the solid–solid symmetry-breaking phase transitions. We show that computational phonon methods can be applied to address anharmonic vibrations in a polymorphic solid at fixed temperature. To illustrate the ubiquity of this class of materials, we present a range of examples (elemental metals, a shape-memory alloy, and a layered charge-density-wave system); we show that our theoretical predictions compare well with known experimental data.
Nanoindentation can be leveraged to aid in the high fidelity modeling of dislocation mediated plasticity in pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), an anisotropic energetic molecular crystal. Moreover, nanoindentation tip parameters such as tip geometry, size, and degree of acuity can be utilized to target anisotropic behavior. In this work, nanoindentation was conducted across a range of orientations on the (110) face of PETN to characterize resultant yield behavior, mechanical property measurements, and resultant slip behavior and fracture initiation. Three different indentation tips were utilized: a 3-sided pyramidal Berkovich tip, a 4-sided high aspect ratio Knoop tip, and a 90° conical tip. Ultimately, indenter tip radius was documented to impact yield behavior, whereas tip geometry affected larger scale processes such as slip, and tip acuity was the dominating factor that led to fracture. The axisymmetric conical tip, serving as a baseline, showed the least amount of variation in mechanical property measurements but also the largest distribution of maximum shear stress at which initial yielding occurred. Its high degree of acuity, however, was more prone to induce fracture at higher loads. The Knoop tip was shown to be suitable for average measurements, but also for elucidation of certain anisotropic features. A distinctly higher perceived hardness at 45° was measured with the Knoop tip, indicating less dislocation motion in that direction also observed in this work via scanning probe microscopy. Lastly, the commonly used Berkovich tip was a good compromise whereby it provided a representative volume element describing the average behavior of the material. These results can be utilized to target desired anisotropic behavior in a wider range of molecular crystals, as well as to inform theoretical considerations for dislocation mediated plasticity in PETN.