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At least 1,315 records · Page 73

Rapid and efficient ambient temperature X-ray crystal structure determination at Turkish Light Source

High-resolution biomacromolecular structure determination is essential to better understand protein function and dynamics. Serial crystallography is an emerging structural biology technique which has fundamental limitations due to either sample volume requirements or immediate access to the competitive X-ray beamtime. Obtaining a high volume of well-diffracting, sufficient-size crystals while mitigating radiation damage remains a critical bottleneck of serial crystallography. As an alternative, we introduce the plate-reader module adapted for using a 72-well Terasaki plate for biomacromolecule structure determination at a convenience of a home X-ray source. We also present the first ambient temperature lysozyme structure determined at the Turkish light source (Turkish DeLight). The complete dataset was collected in 18.5 min with resolution extending to 2.39 Å and 100% completeness. Combined with our previous cryogenic structure (PDB ID: 7Y6A), the ambient temperature structure provides invaluable information about the structural dynamics of the lysozyme. Turkish DeLight provides robust and rapid ambient temperature biomacromolecular structure determination with limited radiation damage.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Predicting interface structure using the minima hopping method

Here, we adapt the minima hopping method (MHM) to the problem of interfacial structure prediction and apply it to study a canonical problem, the tilt grain boundaries in SrTiO 3 . Our method employs a hybrid approach by first exploring the potential energy surface (PES) of different grain boundary samplings with an empirical force field, among which the fifteen candidates with lower energies are then refined using ab initio density functional theory (DFT) calculations. During the exploratory stage, we bias the search using a local order parameter to primarily sample various reconstructions in the vicinity of the interface, while preserving the crystallinity of the bulk regions. We further enhance the search by incorporating initial structures with rigid body displacements to account for translational variations between bulk phases, enabling the MHM to effectively generate both stoichiometric and nonstoichiometric SrTiO 3 Σ⁢3(111)[110] and Σ⁢3(112)[110] grain boundaries. From an algorithmic standpoint, MHM outperforms earlier studies based on genetic algorithms (GA) by identifying more stable interfacial structures of several SrTiO 3 grain boundaries. The performance of the present implementation of the MHM approach is primarily limited by exploring an approximate description of the PES with a rather simple Buckingham potential. This limitation leads to variations in performance when compared to approaches utilizing more advanced surrogate PES models, such as direct DFT-PES sampling or GA with the embedded atom method (EAM). Despite the present limitations, the MHM approach is able to yield interfacial structures with comparable or lower interfacial energies in specific cases, such as Σ⁢3(111)[110] Γ=1, ±0.5 and Σ⁢3(112)[110] Γ= ±1, −2, underscoring the robustness of the MHM approach even with a simple approximation of the DFT PES. The MHM interfacial structure prediction method thus offers an efficient approach to understanding the grain boundaries and heterointerfaces at the atomic scale, providing an important prerequisite for effective materials design.

density functional theory↗

A Decision Theoretic Approach to Evaluate Radiation Detection Algorithms

There are a variety of sensor systems deployed at U.S. border crossings and ports of entry that scan for illicit nuclear material. In this work, we develop a framework for comparing the performance of detection algorithms that interpret the output of these scans and determine when secondary screening is needed. We optimize each algorithm to minimize its risk, or expected loss. We measure an algorithm’s risk by considering its performance over a sample, the probability distribution of threat sources, and the consequence of detection errors. While it is common to optimize algorithms by fixing one error rate and minimizing another, our framework allows one to simultaneously consider multiple types of detection errors. Our framework is flexible and easily adapted to many different assumptions regarding the probability of a vehicle containing illicit material, and the relative consequences of a false positive and false negative errors. Our methods can therefore inform decision makers of the algorithm family and parameter values which best reduce the threat from illicit nuclear material, given their understanding of the environment at any point in time. To illustrate the applicability of our methods, in this paper, we compare the risk from two families of detection algorithms and discuss the policy implications of our results.

Nobles, Mallory A.↗

Preliminary Test Design and Plan for a Canister Deposition Field Demonstration

This report provides a high-level test plan for deploying three commercial 32PTH2 spent nuclear fuel (SNF) canisters inside NUHOMS Advanced Horizontal Storage Modules (AHSM) from Orano (formerly Transnuclear Inc.). The details contained in this report represent the best designs and approaches explored for testing as of this publication. Given the rapidly developing nature of this test program, some of these plans may change to accommodate new objectives or adapt in response to conflicting requirements. The goal of the testing is to collect highly defensible and detailed surface deposition measurements from the surface of dry storage systems in a marine coastal environment to guide chloride-induced stress corrosion crack (CISCC) research. To facilitate surface sampling, the otherwise highly prototypic dry storage systems will not contain SNF but rather will be electrically heated to mimic the thermal-hydraulic environment. Instrumentation throughout the canister, storage module, and environment will provide an extensive amount of information for the use of model validation. Manual sampling over a comprehensive portion of the canister surface at regular time intervals will offer a high-fidelity quantification of the conditions experienced in a harsh yet realistic environment.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Use of flight simulation to develop terminal instrument procedures for transport category aircraft

In a collaborative effort between the FAA and NASA, a simulation was conducted to look at the issues involved with flying a large, widebody aircraft in the terminal area using MLS-RNAV procedures. A variety of approach paths, departure paths, and holding patterns were investigated during the course of the study, which included the participation of subject pilots. The simulation made use of paths designed by the FAA Office of Aviation Standards and employed Langley's Visual Motion Simulator (VMS) for their execution. Data obtained from this simulation will be used to support the joint FAA/USAF MLS flight test and demonstration project. This paper describes the flight simulation facility adapted to model terminal area maneuvers for jet transport aircraft using the Microwave Landing System (MLS). A description of the overall project will be presented first, along with a discussion of the guidance schemes used, followed by a description of the simulation hardware and software. A sample of the resulting data will also be presented.

Branstetter, J. R.↗

Adaptive control of dual-arm robots

Three strategies for adaptive control of cooperative dual-arm robots are described. In the position-position control strategy, the adaptive controllers ensure that the end-effector positions of both arms track desired trajectories in Cartesian space despite unknown time-varying interaction forces exerted through the load. In the position-hybrid control strategy, the adaptive controller of one arm controls end-effector motions in the free directions and applied forces in the constraint directions, while the adaptive controller of the other arm ensures that the end-effector tracks desired position trajectories. In the hybrid-hybrid control strategy, the adaptive controllers ensure that both end-effectors track reference position trajectories while simultaneously applying desired forces on the load. In all three control strategies, the cross-coupling effects between the arms are treated as disturbances which are rejected by the adaptive controllers while following desired commands in a common frame of reference. The adaptive controllers do not require the complex mathematical model of the arm dynamics or any knowledge of the arm dynamic parameters or the load parameters such as mass and stiffness. The controllers have simple structures and are computationally fast for on-line implementation with high sampling rates.

Seraji, H.↗

Symbolic derivation of material property matrices in finite element analysis

The principles and operation of MMAX, a symbolic-computation program which automates the process of generating property matrices for structural materials, are briefly described and illustrated with sample analyses of a rubberlike material and an elastoplastic material. MMAX is written in LISP under the symbolic finite-element generator FINGER and the general symbolic manipulator MACSYMA; it first derives the formulas required by mathematical manipulation, and then translates the formulas into FORTRAN code, adapted to the particular type of machine to be used for the numerical calculations. This approach is shown to combine efficiently the advantages of symbolic and numerical computation for engineering applications.

Tan, H. Q.↗

Prediction of space sickness in astronauts from preflight fluid, electrolyte, and cardiovascular variables and Weightless Environmental Training Facility (WETF) training

Nine preflight variables related to fluid, electrolyte, and cardiovascular status from 64 first-time Shuttle crewmembers were differentially weighted by discrimination analysis to predict the incidence and severity of each crewmember's space sickness as rated by NASA flight surgeons. The nine variables are serum uric acid, red cell count, environmental temperature at the launch site, serum phosphate, urine osmolality, serum thyroxine, sitting systolic blood pressure, calculated blood volume, and serum chloride. Using two methods of cross-validation on the original samples (jackknife and a stratefied random subsample), these variables enable the prediction of space sickness incidence (NONE or SICK) with 80 percent sickness and space severity (NONE, MILD, MODERATE, of SEVERE) with 59 percent success by one method of cross-validation and 67 percent by another method. Addition of a tenth variable, hours spent in the Weightlessness Environment Training Facility (WETF) did not improve the prediction of space sickness incidences but did improve the prediction of space sickness severity to 66 percent success by the first method of cross-validation of original samples and to 71 percent by the second method. Results to date suggest the presence of predisposing physiologic factors to space sickness that implicate fluid shift etiology. The data also suggest that prior exposure to fluid shift during WETF training may produce some circulatory pre-adaption to fluid shifts in weightlessness that results in a reduction of space sickness severity.

Simanonok, K.↗

Enabling Microscale Processing: Combined Raman and Absorbance Spectroscopy for Microfluidic On-Line Monitoring

Microfluidics have many potential applications including characterization of chemical processes on a reduced scale, spanning the study of reaction kinetics using on-chip liquid–liquid extractions, sample pretreatment to simplify off-chip analysis, and for portable spectroscopic analyses. The use of in situ characterization of process streams from laboratory-scale and microscale experiments on the same chemical system can provide comprehensive understanding and in-depth analysis of any similarities or differences between process conditions at different scales. A well-characterized extraction of Nd(NO 3 ) 3 from an aqueous phase of varying NO 3– (aq) concentration with tributyl phosphate (TBP) in dodecane was the focus of this microscale study and was compared to an earlier laboratory-scale study utilizing counter current extraction equipment. Here, we verify that this same extraction process can be followed on the microscale using spectroscopic methods adapted for microfluidic measurement. Concentration of Nd (based on UV–vis) and nitrate (based on Raman) was chemometrically measured during the flow experiment, and resulting data were used to determine the distribution ratio for Nd. Extraction distributions measured on the microscale were compared favorably with those determined on the laboratory scale in the earlier study. Both micro-Raman and micro-UV–vis spectroscopy can be used to determine fundamental parameters with significantly reduced sample size as compared to traditional laboratory-scale approaches. This leads naturally to time, cost, and waste reductions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Elementary Energy Transfer Pathways in Allochromatium vinosum Photosynthetic Membranes

Allochromatium vinosum (formerly Chromatium vinosum) purple bacteria are known to adapt their light-harvesting strategy during growth according to environmental factors such as temperature and average light intensity. Under low light illumination or low ambient temperature conditions, most of the LH2 complexes in the photosynthetic membranes form a B820 exciton with reduced spectral overlap with LH1. To elucidate the reason for this light and temperature adaptation of the LH2 electronic structure, we performed broadband femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy as a function of excitation wavelength in A. vinosum membranes. A target analysis of the acquired data yielded individual rate constants for all relevant elementary energy transfer (ET) processes. We found that the ET dynamics in high-light-grown membranes was well described by a homogeneous model, with forward and backward rate constants independent of the pump wavelength. Thus, the overall B800→B850→B890→ Reaction Center ET cascade is well described by simple triexponential kinetics. In the low-light-grown membranes, we found that the elementary backward transfer rate constant from B890 to B820 was strongly reduced compared with the corresponding constant from B890 to B850 in high-light-grown samples. The ET dynamics of low-light-grown membranes was strongly dependent on the pump wavelength, clearly showing that the excitation memory is not lost throughout the exciton lifetime. The observed pump energy dependence of the forward and backward ET rate constants suggests exciton diffusion via B850→ B850 transfer steps, making the overall ET dynamics nonexponential. Our results show that disorder plays a crucial role in our understanding of low-light adaptation in A. vinosum.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Interactions between macro‐ and micro‐climate: Effects on phenolic compound production in Nardus stricta at high elevations

Abstract Phenolic compounds are key to plant defence, offering protection as antioxidants, UV shields, and antimicrobials. Their production is largely shaped by environmental conditions. It is believed that plants at lower elevations increase phenolic content to counter herbivory, while those at higher elevations rely on phenolics to manage abiotic stresses, such as climate variability. Microhabitat warming also affects phenolic levels, but responses differ, depending on broader climatic contexts: plants in warmer, lower‐elevation environments show limited adaptability, whereas high‐elevation plants demonstrate greater plasticity. Despite the importance of these environmental interactions, many small‐scale abiotic studies lack sufficient spatial replication across broader gradients like elevation or latitude, while large‐scale studies frequently overlook microscale factors. This study investigated the effects of macroclimate factors and microhabitat warming on phenolic production in Nardus stricta across five semi‐natural grassland sites (1546–1875 m a.s.l.) in Portugal's Serra da Estrela. Warming was simulated using open‐top chambers over two growing seasons, after which leaf samples were analysed for phenolic compounds, and soil nutrients were measured. The N. stricta plants at the highest elevation site contained significantly higher leaf flavonoid concentrations. Microhabitat warming led to a significant decrease in flavonoid concentrations, but only at the highest elevation site. These effects occurred independently of soil nutrient levels, suggesting direct thermal effects or stress responses might be involved. Our findings highlight the complex interactions between macro‐ and microenvironmental factors in shaping plant chemistry, underscoring critical considerations for plant resilience in the face of climate change. This understanding is essential for developing strategies to support plant and ecosystem adaptation to changing climates.

Moreira, X. [Misión Biológica de Galicia (MBG‐CSIC↗

Auto-Gopher-II – A wireline rotary-hammer ultrasonic drill that operates autonomously

An important challenge of exploring the solar system is the ability to penetrate at great depths the subsurface of planetary bodies for sample collection. The requirements of the drilling system are minimal mass, volume and energy consumption. To address this challenge, a deep drill, called the Auto-Gopher II, is currently being developed as a joint effort between JPL’s NDEAA laboratory and Honeybee Robotics Corp. The Auto-Gopher II is a wireline rotaryhammer drill that combines breaking formations by hammering using a piezoelectric actuator and removing the cuttings by rotating a fluted bit. The hammering is produced by the Ultrasonic/Sonic Drill/Corer (USDC) mechanism that has been developed by the JPL team as an adaptable tool for many drilling and coring applications. The USDC uses an intermediate free-flying mass to convert high frequency vibrations of a piezoelectric transducer horn tip into sonic hammering of the drill bit. The USDC concept was used in a previous task to develop an Ultrasonic/Sonic Ice Gopher and then integrated into a rotary hammer device to develop the Auto-Gopher-I. The lessons learned from these developments are being integrated into the development of the Auto-Gopher-II, an autonomous deep wireline drill with integrated cuttings and sample management and drive electronics. In this paper the latest development will be reviewed including the piezoelectric actuator, cuttings removal and retention flutes and drive electronics.

Paulsen, Gale L.↗

Conditional Tree Reduction in the ADAPT Framework

Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) uses fault tree/event tree analysis to evaluate the environmental impacts of nuclear power plants due to internal or external initiating events. In a fault tree, basic failure events are assembled using primarily And/Or logic to determine the combinations of failures that lead to failure of the system as a whole. An event tree is forward-facing, and begins with a single initiating event. From there the analysis considers what event may occur next, and branches out among the possible configurations of occurrence and non-occurrence of that event. This branching continues until end states are reached. End states may include a safe and stable configuration of the plant, or any number of differing failure states. Both fault and event trees require basic event probabilities as inputs to provide insight on the likelihood of different outcomes. PRA has been applied to nuclear power plants as an analysis tool since the 1975 Reactor Safety Study. In a traditional PRA, the order of events is prescribed by the analyst and each event is typically a binary aleatory uncertainty: occurrence or non-occurrence. Discrete dynamic event tree (DDET) analysis eliminates this subjectivity in ordering of events by using the output of a dynamic system model (simulator) to inform the branching. Branching conditions are triggered by the existence of a relevant plant state in the code, and therefore only occur as physically appropriate. The DDET approach also allows consideration of both epistemic and aleatory uncertainties on a phenomenologically and stochastically consistent platform. A DDET may be orders of magnitude larger than a traditional event tree for the same initiating event, as more of the uncertainty space is likely to be explored and the tree does not require manual assembly. Because of the size, manual inspection of the entire DDET is often infeasible. This problem may be approached from the front by reducing the number of sampled branching values or by online pruning of the tree, thus reducing the total number of branches. Utilizing post-processing techniques to draw actionable insights via clustering has also been proposed. One post-processing tool to reduce the DDET according to user-defined rules has been recently implemented in the Analysis of Dynamic Accident Progression Trees (ADAPT) DDET driver code. The tool creates a 'slice' of the DDET comprised of the set of branches that meet a set of user-input rules, for immediate visualization or for further calculations conditional on the rules being met. This extension is expected to ease analysis of the results of large and complex DDETs, leading to greater applicability of DDETs in PRA. It should be emphasized that this tool is a visualization aide and does not impact the theoretical basis of the DDET approach. (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Adaptive Data Screening for Multi-Angle Polarimetric Aerosol and Ocean Color Remote Sensing Accelerated by Automatic Differentiation

Remote sensing measurements from multi-angle polarimeters (MAPs) contain rich aerosol microphysical property information, and these sensors have been used to perform retrievals in optically complex atmosphere and ocean systems. Previous studies have concluded that, generally, five moderately separated viewing angles in each spectral band provide sufficient accuracy for aerosol property retrievals, with performance gradually saturating as angles are added above that threshold. The Hyper-Angular Rainbow Polarimeter (HARP) instruments provide high angular sampling with a total of 90-120 unique angles across four bands, a capability developed mainly for liquid cloud retrievals. In practice, not all view angles are optimal for aerosol retrievals due to impacts of clouds, sun glint, and other impediments. The many viewing angles of HARP can provide resilience to these effects, if the impacted views are screened from the dataset, as the remaining views may be sufficient for successful analysis. In this study, we discuss how the number of available viewing angles impacts aerosol and ocean color retrieval uncertainties, as applied to two versions of the HARP instrument. AirHARP is an airborne prototype that was deployed in the ACEPOL field campaign, while HARP2 is an instrument in development for the upcoming NASA Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission. Based on synthetic data, we find that a total of 20-30 angles across all bands (i.e. five to eight viewing angles per band) are sufficient to achieve good retrieval performance. Following from this result, we develop an adaptive multi-angle polarimetric data screening (MAPDS) approach to evaluate data quality by comparing measurements with their best-fitted forward model. The FastMAPOL retrieval algorithm is used to retrieve scene geophysical values, by matching an efficient, deep learning-based, radiative transfer emulator to observations. The data screening method effectively identifies and removes viewing angles affected by thin cirrus clouds and other anomalies, improving retrieval performance. This was tested with AirHARP data, and we found agreement with the High Spectral Resolution Lidar-2 (HSRL-2) aerosol data. The data screening approach can be applied to modern satellite remote sensing missions, such as PACE, where a large amount of multi-angle, hyperspectral, polarimetric measurements will be collected.

multi-angle polarimeter↗

Analysis of dislocation configurations in SiC crystals through X-ray topography aided by ray tracing simulations

Silicon carbide as a wide bandgap semiconductor is of great research interest for its widespread deployment in a range of electronic and optoelectronic devices, particularly in power electronics. However, defects in silicon carbide crystals are still major concerns that is hampering the development of high-performance devices. X-ray topography, particularly using the synchrotron beam has been instrumental in characterizing and analyzing defect configurations in silicon carbide crystals to optimize crystal growth as well as understand the effect of defects on device performance. Here, in recent years, the use of ray-tracing simulation technique based on the orientation contrast mechanism to simulate contrast of defects observed on actual X-ray topographs has proven to be an effective approach to investigate the nature of crystallographic defects in various semiconductors. This review discusses the principle of ray-tracing simulation and its application and modifications to incorporate the effects of surface relaxation and photoelectric absorption to better simulate different dislocations observed in 4H–SiC as well as 6H–SiC crystals of various orientations. The adaptation to weak beam topography and plane wave topography is also discussed. The application of ray-tracing simulation in dislocation characterization of silicon carbide of different polytypes is systematically reviewed including different types of dislocations observed in both off-axis wafers and axial-sliced samples through synchrotron X-ray topography under various beam conditions, recording geometries and reflections. The result of ray-tracing simulation is further utilized in other studies including the investigation of effective penetration depth of all types of dislocations lying on the basal plane on grazing-incidence X-ray topography.

Engineering↗

Using low-coverage whole genome sequencing (genome skimming) to delineate three introgressed species of buffalofish ( Ictiobus )

Consumption of buffalofish has been sporadically associated with Haff disease-like illnesses involving sudden onset muscle pain and weakness due to skeletal muscle rhabdomyolysis, but determination of precisely which species are associated with these illnesses has been impeded by a lack of species-specific DNA-based markers. Here, three closely related species of buffalofish native to the Mississippi River Basin (Ictiobus bubalus, Ictiobus cyprinellus and Ictiobus niger) that have previously proven genetically indistinguishable using both mitochondrial and nuclear single-locus sequencing were reliably discriminated using low-coverage whole genome sequencing (‘genome skimming’). Using 44 specimens representing the three species collected from the mid/upper (Missouri) and lower (Louisiana) regions of the species’ native ranges, the SISRS (Site Identification from Short Read Sequences) bioinformatics pipeline was adapted to (1) identify over 620Mbp of putatively homologous nuclear sequence data and (2) isolate over 140,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that supported accurate species delimitation, all without the use of a reference genome or annotation data. These sites were used to classify Ictiobus spp. samples with genome-skim data, along with a larger set (n = 67) where ultraconserved elements (UCEs) were sequenced. Analyses of whole mitochondrial data revealed more limited signal. Nearly all samples matched their purported species based on morphologic identification, but two Missouri samples morphologically identified as I. niger grouped with samples of I. bubalus, albeit with significant enrichment of I. niger SNPs. To our knowledge this is the first report of a DNA-based tool to reliably discriminate these three morphologically distinct species.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Conformal Hierarchical Simulation-Based Inference with Local Validity

Trustworthy and interpretable uncertainty quantification is a long-standing challenge in artificial intelligence. Simulation-based inference (SBI) comprises a broad swath of approaches for estimating latent parameters with uncertainties. Although flexible neural density estimators in SBI can be remark- ably expressive capturing highly structured, high-dimensional posteriors their credible regions can be badly mis-calibrated and are often only accompanied by heuristic coverage checks. We present the first SBI framework that delivers finite-sample local valid coverage guarantees that hold in the neighborhood of each observation. Our framework can couple any off-the-shelf hierarchical SBI engine with a confor- mal Bayesian post-processing step that operates on the posterior predictive density. A kernel-weighted conformity score adapts the conformal quantile to the local geometry of the data, yielding prediction sets that are simultaneously (i) marginally calibrated, (ii) locally valid, and (iii) hierarchical, handling global and observation-specific parameters in a single pass. Through experiments on synthetic data and benchmarks from neuroscience and physics, we show that our approach attains 1 − α coverage, where prior SBI methods under- or over-cover. Our approach also maintains a competitive, credible set size with minimal computational overhead. Finally, our approach can be used to make predictions on real data and give valid credible regions modulo weight-initialization-based model mis-specification.

Trivedi, Shubhendu [Fermilab]↗

Adaptive/learning control of large space structures - System identification techniques

Techniques developed for the control of aircraft under changing operating conditions are used to develop a learning control system structure for a multi-configuration, flexible space vehicle. A configuration identification subsystem that is to be used with a learning algorithm and a memory and control process subsystem is developed. Adaptive gain adjustments can be achieved by this learning approach without prestoring of large blocks of parameter data and without dither signal inputs which will be suppressed during operations for which they are not compatible. The Space Shuttle Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) experiment is used as a sample problem for the testing of adaptive/learning control system algorithms.

Thau, F. E.↗