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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 1,297 records · Page 72
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

On secondary and tertiary instability in electromagnetic plasma microturbulence

Zonal flows, widely accepted to be the secondary instability process leading to the nonlinear saturation of ion temperature gradient modes, are shown to grow at higher rates relative to the linear mode amplitude as the plasma pressure β is increased—thus, confirming that zonal flows become increasingly important in the turbulent dynamics at higher β. At the next level of nonlinear excitation, radial corrugations of the distribution function (zonal flow, zonal density, and zonal temperature) are demonstrated to modify linear growth rates moderately through perturbed-field, self-consistent gradients: on smaller scales, growth rates are reduced below the linear rate. In particular, excitation of kinetic ballooning modes well below their usual threshold is not to be expected under normal conditions. These findings strengthen the theory of the non-zonal transition [M. J. Pueschel et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 155005 (2013)].

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Non-singlet quark helicity $\mathrm{PDF}$s of the nucleon from pseudo-distributions

The non-singlet helicity quark parton distribution functions (PDFs) of the nucleon are determined from lattice QCD, by jointly leveraging pseudo-distributions and the distillation spatial smearing paradigm. A Lorentz decomposition of appropriately isolated space-like matrix elements reveals pseudo-distributions that contain information on the leading-twist helicity PDFs, as well as an invariant amplitude that induces an additional z 2 contamination of the leading-twist signal. An analysis of the short-distance behavior of the space-like matrix elements using matching coefficients computed to next-to-leading order (NLO) exposes the desired PDF up to this additional z 2 contamination. Due to the non-conservation of the axial current, we elect to isolate the helicity PDFs normalized by the nucleon axial charge at the same scale μ 2 . The leading-twist helicity PDFs as well as several sources of systematic error, including higher-twist effects, discretization errors, and the aforementioned z 2 contaminating amplitude are jointly determined by characterizing the computed pseudo-distribution in a basis of Jacobi polynomials. The Akaike Information Criterion is exploited to effectively average over distinct model parameterizations and cuts on the pseudo-distribution. Encouraging agreement is observed with recent global analyses of each non-singlet quark helicity PDF, notably a rather small non-singlet anti-quark helicity PDF for all quark momentum fractions.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2016

A statistical study of EMIC waves observed by Cluster: 2. Associated plasma conditions

This is the second in a pair of papers discussing a statistical study of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves detected during 10 years (2001–2010) of Cluster observations. In the first paper, an analysis of EMIC wave properties (i.e., wave power, polarization, normal angle, and wave propagation angle) is presented in both the magnetic latitude (MLAT)-distance as well as magnetic local time (MLT)-L frames. In addition, this paper focuses on the distribution of EMIC wave-associated plasma conditions as well as two EMIC wave generation proxies (the electron plasma frequency to gyrofrequency ratio proxy and the linear theory proxy) in these same frames. Based on the distributions of hot H + anisotropy, electron and hot H+ density measurements, hot H + parallel plasma beta, and the calculated wave generation proxies, three source regions of EMIC waves appear to exist: (1) the well-known overlap between cold plasmaspheric or plume populations with hot anisotropic ring current populations in the postnoon to dusk MLT region; (2) regions all along the dayside magnetosphere at high L shells related to dayside magnetospheric compression and drift shell splitting; and (3) off-equator regions possibly associated with the Shabansky orbits in the dayside magnetosphere.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2019

Multi-channel low-cost light spectrum measurement using a multilayer perceptron

Light is one of the most important elements for residential and work spaces, which affects visual performance, comfort, productivity and well-being. The measures that quantify the characteristics of a light source are derived directly from the spectral power distribution (SPD). In addition the SPD is an important factor influencing the quality of a light source. However, measuring light source spectrum with traditional spectrometers is expensive, difficult to adapt to normal spaces, and hard to integrate with other systems. To address these challenges, a low-cost spectrometer was developed using an artificial neural network, with a resolution of 5 nm in the visible spectrum. The reconstructed SPD has an error lower than 2% and allows the derivation of measurements to characterize the colour quality of light sources. Additionally, the device has wireless communication (Bluetooth and Wi-Fi) in real-time, which allows integration into lighting control applications and other Internet of things (IoT) applications.

Botero-Valencia, Juan Sebastián↗
DOE OSTI2016

Investigation of uncertainty in CO 2 reservoir models: A sensitivity analysis of relative permeability parameter values

Numerical reservoir models of CO 2 injection in saline formations rely on parameterization of laboratory-measured pore-scale processes. Here, we have performed a parameter sensitivity study and Monte Carlo simulations to determine the normalized change in total CO 2 injected using the finite element heat and mass-transfer code (FEHM) numerical reservoir simulator. Experimentally measured relative permeability parameter values were used to generate distribution functions for parameter sampling. The parameter sensitivity study analyzed five different levels for each of the relative permeability model parameters. All but one of the parameters changed the CO 2 injectivity by <10%, less than the geostatistical uncertainty that applies to all large subsurface systems due to natural geophysical variability and inherently small sample sizes. The exception was the end-point CO 2 relative permeability, k$0\atop{r}$ CO2 , the maximum attainable effective CO 2 permeability during CO 2 invasion, which changed CO2 injectivity by as much as 80%. Similarly, Monte Carlo simulation using 1000 realizations of relative permeability parameters showed no relationship between CO 2 injectivity and any of the parameters but k$0\atop{r}$ CO2 , which had a very strong (R 2 = 0.9685) power law relationship with total CO 2 injected. Model sensitivity to k$0\atop{r}$ CO2 points to the importance of accurate core flood and wettability measurements.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Enhancing the physical modeling capability of open-source MFIX-DEM software for handling particle size polydispersity: Implementation and validation

Multiphase flows are ubiquitous in many industrial processes. The inherent coupling of different phases poses many unique challenges in predicting and effectively controlling these processes. Hence, computational modeling and simulation offers a viable approach to overcome these challenges. Here in this study, we present recent development efforts for enhancing the physical modeling capabilities of an open-source computational modeling tool for real life industrial multiphase processes by enabling particle-size polydispersity and demonstrating with an associated validation study. The proposed implementation was performed in MFIX open-source framework due to its unique feature of tightly integrated computational fluid dynamics and discrete element method solvers for simulating coupled continuum fluid and granular flows. We have implemented the polydispersity feature in a minimally invasive way and provided means to allow easy specification of an arbitrary particle size distribution function, which also enables the user to easily handle an arbitrary number of solid phases, each possessing a distinct arbitrary particle-size distribution. To establish the credibility of improvements, we have carried out a preliminary verification and validation (V&V) study for the polydispersity feature by employing a hopper bin discharge problem, which is frequently encountered in industrial applications. Specifically, two types of micro-glass beads with distinct size distributions are used to fill the hopper in two possible packing arrangements, i.e., well-mixed and layered configurations, with varying mass (particle number) ratios. The experimentally obtained discharge dynamics (e.g., normalized discharge mass fraction for one of the phases versus the overall discharge mass fraction) for different systems is found to be in excellent agreement with the corresponding simulation results.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Mebendazole exhibits potent anti-leukemia activity on acute myeloid leukemia

Highlights: • MBZ inhibits the growth of AML cell lines while has little effect on normal PBMC. • MBZ induces mitotic arrest, mitotic catastrophe and apoptosis in AML cells. • MBZ treatment inhibits activation of Akt and Erk in AML cells. • MBZ demonstrates therapeutic efficacy in AML xenograft mouse model. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is one of the most common types of acute leukemia in adults with the lowest survival rate of all leukemia. Resistance to cytarabine and anthracycline-based chemotherapy is a major cause of treatment failure. Thus, finding new drugs with anti-leukemia activities and minimal side effect is urgently needed. Here through screening more than 1000 drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of United States, the anthelmintic drug mebendazole (MBZ) was found to inhibit the growth of AML cell lines (THP-1, U937, NB4 and K562) and bone marrow mononuclear cells (BM-MNCs) from AML patients at pharmacologically achievable concentrations. In contrast, similar concentration of MBZ had little inhibitory effect on the growth of normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) or human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). In addition, MBZ induced mitotic arrest and mitotic catastrophe in AML cells based on nuclear morphology, cell cycle distribution, mitotic marker analyses and the number of multinucleated cells and apoptotic cells. Furthermore, MBZ treatment inhibited activation of Akt and Erk in AML leukemic cells. Finally, MBZ repressed the progression of leukemic cells in vivo and prolonged survival in AML xenograft mouse model. Taken together, our results suggest that MBZ could be a potential new therapeutic agent for the treatment of AML patients.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Distinguishing Single and Linked Ruptures in the Laboratory and Nature

Earthquakes can grow either monotonically from a single, stressed patch or through linking multiple stressed regions. The distinction has implications for magnitude predictability with single ruptures requiring knowledge of the local stress state, while linked ruptures require knowing the global stress and energy distribution. Here, we use a laboratory fault that allows direct observation of slip to determine which fault conditions promote linked ruptures, and how to observationally evaluate their likelihood. Higher concentrations of normal stress due to increased normal force, applied stress asperities, or larger heterogeneity between the samples, all lead to significant increases in linked rupture likelihood. The mean radiated energy enhancement factor (REEF) of large events is an excellent proxy for linked event likelihood, and a combination of REEF and duration can identify the rupture style of some but not all events. The results imply that globally observed variations of REEF can be interpreted as variations in stress concentration.

earthquakes↗
DOE OSTI2016

Three dimensional particle-in-cell simulations of electron beams created via reflection of intense laser light from a water target

We present 3D Particle-in-Cell (PIC) modeling of an ultra-intense laser experiment by the Extreme Light group at the Air Force Research Laboratory using the Large Scale Plasma (LSP) PIC code. This is the first time PIC simulations have been performed in 3D for this experiment which involves an ultra-intense, short-pulse (30 fs) laser interacting with a water jet target at normal incidence. The laser-energy-to-ejected-electron-energy conversion efficiency observed in 2D(3v) simulations were comparable to the conversion efficiencies seen in the 3D simulations, but the angular distribution of ejected electrons in the 2D(3v) simulations displayed interesting differences with the 3D simulations' angular distribution; the observed differences between the 2D(3v) and 3D simulations were more noticeable for the simulations with higher intensity laser pulses. An analytic plane-wave model is discussed which provides some explanation for the angular distribution and energies of ejected electrons in the 2D(3v) simulations. We also performed a 3D simulation with circularly polarized light and found a significantly higher conversion efficiency and peak electron energy, which is promising for future experiments.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

An ultra-compact x-ray free-electron laser

In the field of beam physics, two frontier topics have taken center stage due to their potential to enable new approaches to discovery in a wide swath of science. These areas are: advanced, high gradient acceleration techniques, and x-ray free electron lasers (XFELs). Further, there is intense interest in the marriage of these two fields, with the goal of producing a very compact XFEL. In this context, recent advances in high gradient radio-frequency cryogenic copper structure research have opened the door to the use of surface electric fields between 250 and 500 MV m -1 . Such an approach is foreseen to enable a new generation of photoinjectors with six-dimensional beam brightness beyond the current state-of-the-art by well over an order of magnitude. This advance is an essential ingredient enabling an ultra-compact XFEL (UC-XFEL). In addition, one may accelerate these bright beams to GeV scale in less than 10 m. Such an injector, when combined with inverse free electron laser-based bunching techniques can produce multi-kA beams with unprecedented beam quality, quantified by 50 nm-rad normalized emittances. The emittance, we note, is the effective area in transverse phase space (x, p x /m e c) or (y, p y /m e c) occupied by the beam distribution, and it is relevant to achievable beam sizes as well as setting a limit on FEL wavelength. These beams, when injected into innovative, short-period (1–10 mm) undulators uniquely enable UC-XFELs having footprints consistent with university-scale laboratories. We describe the architecture and predicted performance of this novel light source, which promises photon production per pulse of a few percent of existing XFEL sources. We review implementation issues including collective beam effects, compact x-ray optics systems, and other relevant technical challenges. To illustrate the potential of such a light source to fundamentally change the current paradigm of XFELs with their limited access, we examine possible applications in biology, chemistry, materials, atomic physics, industry, and medicine—including the imaging of virus particles—which may profit from this new model of performing XFEL science.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2020

The effect of non-linear mutual friction on pulsar glitch sizes and rise times

ABSTRACT Observations of pulsar glitches have the potential to provide constraints on the dynamics of the high density interior of neutron stars. However, to do so, realistic glitch models must be constructed and compared to the data. We take a step towards this goal by testing non-linear models for the mutual friction force, which is responsible for the exchange of angular momentum between the neutron superfluid and the observable normal component in a glitch. In particular, we consider a non-linear dependence of the drag force on the relative velocity between superfluid vortices and the normal component, in which the contributions of both kelvin and phonon excitations are included. This non-linear model produces qualitatively new features, and is able to reproduce the observed bimodal distribution of glitch sizes in the pulsar population. The model also suggests that the differences in size distributions in individual pulsars may be due to the glitches being triggered in regions with different pinning strengths, as stronger pinning leads to higher vortex velocities and a qualitatively different mutual friction coupling with respect to the weak pinning case. Glitches in pulsars that appear to glitch quasi-periodically with similar sizes may thus be due to the same mechanisms as smaller events in pulsars that have no preferred glitch size, but simply originate in stronger pinning regions, possibly in the core of the star.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

SU-G-TeP3-08: Pre-Clinical Radionuclide Therapy Dosimetry in Several Pediatric Cancer Xenografts

Purpose: The focus of this work is to perform Monte Carlo-based dosimetry for several pediatric cancer xenografts in mice treated with a novel radiopharmaceutical {sup 131}I-CLR1404. Methods: Four mice for each tumor cell line were injected with 8–13 µCi/g of the {sup 124}124I-CLR1404. PET/CT images of each individual mouse were acquired at 5–6 time points over the span of 96–170 hours post-injection. Following acquisition, the images were co-registered, resampled, rescaled, corrected for partial volume effects (PVE), and masked. For this work the pre-treatment PET images of {sup 124}I-CLR1404 were used to predict therapeutic doses from {sup 131}I-CLR1404 at each time point by assuming the same injection activity and accounting for the difference in physical decay rates. Tumors and normal tissues were manually contoured using anatomical and functional images. The CT and the PET images were used in the Geant4 (v9.6) Monte Carlo simulation to define the geometry and source distribution, respectively. The total cumulated absorbed dose was calculated by numerically integrating the dose-rate at each time point over all time on a voxel-by-voxel basis. Results: Spatial distributions of the absorbed dose rates and dose volume histograms as well as mean, minimum, maximum, and total dose values for each ROI were generated for each time point. Conclusion: This work demonstrates how mouse-specific MC-based dosimetry could potentially provide more accurate characterization of efficacy of novel radiopharmaceuticals in radionuclide therapy. This work is partially funded by NIH grant CA198392.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

Kelvin probe force microscopy of metallic surfaces used in Casimir force measurements

Kelvin probe force microscopy at normal pressure was performed by two different groups on the same Au-coated planar sample used to measure the Casimir interaction in a sphere-plane geometry. The obtained voltage distribution was used to calculate the separation dependence of the electro static interaction Pres(D) in the configuration of the Casimir experiments. In the calculation it was assumed that the potential distribution in the sphere has the same statistical properties as the measured one, and that there are no correlation effects on the potential distributions due to the presence of the other surface. Furthermore it was assumed that the potential distribution would remain the same at low pressure. Within this framework, the calculated P res (D) does not explain the magnitude or the separation dependence of the difference ΔP(D) between the measured Casimir interaction and the one calculated using a Drude model for the electromagnetic response of Au. It is shown that P res (D) is more than one order of magnitude smaller and has a stronger separation dependence than ΔP(D).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Modeling and simulation of hydrogen behavior in Zircaloy-4 fuel cladding

As a result of corrosion during normal operation in nuclear reactors, hydrogen can enter the zirconium-alloy fuel cladding and precipitate as brittle hydride platelets, which can severely degrade the cladding ductility. Under a heterogeneous temperature distribution, hydrides tend to accumulate in the colder areas, creating local spots of degraded cladding that can favor crack initiation. Therefore, an estimation of the local hydride distribution is necessary to help predict the risk of cladding failure. The hydride distribution is governed by three competing phenomena. Hydrogen in solid solution diffuses under a concentration gradient due to Fick’s law and under a temperature gradient due to the Soret effect. Precipitation of the hydride platelets occurs once the hydrogen solubility limit is reached. A model of these phenomena was implemented in the 3D fuel performance code BISON in order to calculate the hydrogen distribution for arbitrary geometries, such as a nuclear fuel rod, and is now available for BISON users. Simulations have been performed on simple geometries to validate the model and its implementation. The simulations predict that before precipitation occurs, hydrogen tends to accumulate in the colder spots due to the Soret effect. Once the solubility limit is reached, hydrogen precipitates and forms a rim close to the outer edge of the cladding. The simulations also predict that the reactor shut down has little effect on already precipitated hydrides but causes the remaining hydrogen to precipitate homogeneously into hydrides.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Nuclear gluons at RHIC in a multiobservable approach

We explore the possibility of measuring nuclear gluon distributions at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC) with $\sqrt{s}$ = 200 GeV proton-nucleus collisions. In addition to measurements at central rapidity, we consider also observables at forward rapidity, consistent with proposed upgrades to the experimental capabilities of STAR and sPHENIX. The processes we consider consist of Drell-Yan dilepton, dijet, and direct photon-jet production. The Drell-Yan process is found to be an efficient probe of gluons at small momentum fractions. In order to fully utilize the potential of Drell-Yan measurements we demonstrate how the overall normalization uncertainty present in the experimental data can be fixed using other experimental observables. An asset of the RHIC collider is its flexibility to run with different ion beams, and we outline how this ability could be taken advantage of to measure the A dependence of gluon distributions for which the current constraints are scarce.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Sci—Thur AM: YIS - 07: Design and production of 3D printed bolus for electron radiation therapy

This is a proof-of-concept study demonstrating the capacity for modulated electron radiation therapy (MERT) using 3D printed bolus. Previous reports have involved bolus design using an electron pencil beam model and fabrication using a milling machine. In this study, an in-house algorithm is presented that optimizes the dose distribution with regard to dose coverage, conformity and homogeneity within planning target volume (PTV). The algorithm uses calculated result of a commercial electron Monte Carlo dose calculation as input. Distances along ray lines from distal side of 90% isodose to distal surface of PTV are used to estimate the bolus thickness. Inhomogeneities within the calculation volume are accounted for using coefficient of equivalent thickness method. Several regional modulation operators are applied to improve dose coverage and uniformity. The process is iterated (usually twice) until an acceptable MERT plan is realized, and the final bolus is printed using solid polylactic acid. The method is evaluated with regular geometric phantoms, anthropomorphic phantoms and a clinical rhabdomyosarcoma pediatric case. In all cases the dose conformity is improved compared to that with uniform bolus. The printed boluses conform well to the surface of complex anthropomorphic phantoms. For the rhabdomyosarcoma patient, the MERT plan yields a reduction of mean dose by 38.2% in left kidney relative to uniform bolus. MERT using 3D printed bolus appears to be a practical, low cost approach to generating optimized bolus for electron therapy. The method is effective in improving conformity of prescription isodose surface and in sparing immediately adjacent normal tissues.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Iron Heterogeneity in Early Active Multiple Sclerosis Lesions

Objective: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a heterogeneous inflammatory demyelinating disease. Iron distribution is altered in MS patients' brains, suggesting iron liberation within active lesions amplifies demyelination and neurodegeneration. Whether the amount and distribution of iron are similar or different among different MS immunopatterns is currently unknown. Methods: We used synchrotron X-ray fluorescence imaging, histology, and immunohistochemistry to compare the iron quantity and distribution between immunopattern II and III early active MS lesions. We analyzed archival autopsy and biopsy tissue from 21 MS patients. Results: Immunopattern II early active lesions contain 64% more iron (95% confidence interval [CI] = 17-127, p = 0.004) than immunopattern III lesions, and 30% more iron than the surrounding periplaque white matter (95% CI = 3–64%, p = 0.03). Iron in immunopattern III lesions is 28% lower than in the periplaque white matter (95% CI = -40 to -14%, p < 0.001). When normalizing the iron content of early active lesions to that of surrounding periplaque white matter, the ratio is significantly higher in immunopattern II (p < 0.001). Microfocused X-ray fluorescence imaging shows that iron in immunopattern II lesions localizes to macrophages, whereas macrophages in immunopattern III lesions contain little iron. Interpretation: Iron distribution and content are heterogeneous in early active MS lesions. Iron accumulates in macrophages in immunopattern II, but not immunopattern III lesions. This heterogeneity in the two most common MS immunopatterns may be explained by different macrophage polarization, origin, or different demyelination mechanisms, and paves the way for developing new or using existing iron-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging techniques to differentiate among immunopatterns in the general nonbiopsied MS patient population.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Final Scientific Technical Report for "Microgrid RD&D and Testing of PIDC and PWD Systems"

Alstom Grid Inc’s (ALSTOM Grid) Research Design and Development (RD&D) project, “Microgrid RD&D and Testing for PIDC and PWD” was conducted in partnership with Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) in its role as owner’s representative and manager of a vibrant commercial and industrial community, involving critical loads in one of the nation’s largest unregulated, non-military electric distribution systems. PIDC needed to develop solutions to address the planned considerable growth in Distributed Energy Resources (DER) Combined Heat Plan (CHP), Renewables, Distributed Generation (DG), Demand Response (DR) and Storage. In supporting the corporate objective, PIDC needed a new class of control systems for achieving enhanced energy resilience of their critical infrastructure operation during adverse conditions together with carbon emission reduction and optimization of the overall system operation economics through system energy efficiency during normal and emergency operating conditions. Additionally, PIDC anticipated the need to support a new class of commercial agreements with tenants, such as those for Urban Outfitters, for guaranteed one hundred percent (100%) grid resilience and electric power supply in case of utility outage conditions. The project was designed to address the challenges for the commercial & industrial (C&I) communities. But more importantly, the project included development of scalable and replicable solutions intended to target a multitude of the nation’s electric distribution communities. The project researched and developed a fully comprehensive prototype consisting of microgrid operation and control functions including islanding, synchronization and reconnection, protection, voltage, frequency, and power quality management, dispatch, and system resiliency. The project provided the foundation required to significantly enhance the overall national objectives set by the DOE for energy resilience, emission reduction and system energy efficiency improvement, including protection of critical infrastructure and public resources.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗