Article describes how continuum solvation models are becoming increasingly relevant in condensed matter simulations, allowing to characterize materials interfaces in the presence of wet electrified environments at a reduced computational cost with respect to all atomistic simulations. However, some challenges with the implementation of these models in plane-wave simulation packages still persists, and to address these challenges, the authors present the implementation of a double-cell formalism, in which the simulation cell used for the continuum environment is uncoupled from the one used for the electronic-structure simulation of the quantum-mechanical system.

This article determines the equilibrium solubility of benzoic acid in water and ethanol, as well as in nine {ethanol (1) + water (2)} mixtures from T = (293.15 to 323.15) K. The thermodynamic results presented could be useful in optimizing different physical and chemical processes involving benzoic acid in mixed aqueous-ethanol media.

This article is a commentary exploring the disciplines of Western medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine's philosophical methods to fight COVID-19 to understand their philosophical theories that could achieve the maximum benefits for treatment of COVID-19 and other diseases.

This article explores how the photographs of a basketmaker, as well as photographs of other refugee artisans published in the August 1956 issue of Interior magazine, served the American State Department agenda by characterizing its subject in terms of pathos and need.

This paper proposes a novel code-based threshold ring signature scheme with a leader-participant model.

This article conducts a direct comparison between the oxidation behavior of Ti-6Al-4V and Ti-6Al-4V + 1B to elucidate whether the addition of boron to Ti-^Al-4V impacts the oxidation behavior.

This column reviews the book "A Boy Asked the Wind" by Barbara Nickel for inclusion in school libraries. This review includes recommendations for teachers, content subjects, and a recommended grade level.

This column reviews the book "Stories from Bug Garden" by Lisa Moser for inclusion in school libraries. This review includes recommendations for teachers, content subjects, and a recommended grade level.

This column reviews the book "The Whale" by Vita Murrow for inclusion in school libraries. This review includes recommendations for teachers, content subjects, and a recommended grade level.

Article on Abraham model correlations for solute transfer into 2-ethoxyethanol from water and from the gas phase.

This article presents a kinematical analysis of the [OIII]λ5007 emission line observed in six high-luminosity quasars at z ~ 2.4.

This article proposes a plasma enclosed by an Artificially Structured Boundary (ASB) as an alternative to existing ion source assemblies. In accelerator applications, many ion sources can have a limited lifetime or frequent service intervals due to sputtering and eventual degradation of the ion source assembly. Ions are accelerated towards the exit canal of positive ion sources, whereas, due to the biasing scheme, electrons or negative ions are accelerated towards the back of the ion source assembly.

This article presents a configuration of magnetic fields using properties of cylindrically symmetric permanent magnets as a candidate to produce a high purity charged particle source or trap. Cylindrically symmetric hollow permanent magnets produce magnetic field point cusps on the axis of symmetry. A magnetic field point cusp reflects all particles that lie outside a narrow region of phase space, a region dependent on particle kinetic energies and on the magnetic field intensity.

This paper significantly advances the hybrid measure-correlate-predict (MCP) methodology, enabling it to account for variations of both wind speed and direction. The advanced hybrid MCP method uses the recorded data of multiple reference stations to estimate the long-term wind condition at a target wind plant site. The results show that the accuracy of the hybrid MCP method is highly sensitive to the combination of the individual MCP algorithms and reference stations. It was also found that the best combination of MCP algorithms varies based on the length of the correlation period.

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The System Advisor Model (SAM) is free software developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for predicting the performance of renewable energy systems and analyzing the financial feasibility of residential, commercial, and utility-scale grid-connected projects. SAM offers several options for predicting the performance of photovoltaic (PV) systems. The model requires that the analyst choose from three PV system models, and depending on that choice, possibly choose from three module and two inverter component models. To obtain meaningful results from SAM, the analyst must be aware of the differences between the model options and their applicability to different modeling scenarios. This paper presents an overview the different PV model options and presents a comparison of results for a 200-kW system using different model options.

Nuclear fuel operates in an extreme environment th

In this work, an array of three surface Electrography (sEMG) sensors are used to acquired muscle extension and contraction signals for 18 healthy test subjects. The skeletal muscle force is estimated using the acquired sEMG signals and a Non-linear Wiener Hammerstein model, relating the two signals in a dynamic fashion. The model is obtained from using System Identification (SI) algorithm. The obtained force models for each sensor are fused using a proposed fuzzy logic concept with the intent to improve the force estimation accuracy and resilience to sensor failure or misalignment. For the fuzzy logic inference system, the sEMG entropy, the relative error, and the correlation of the force signals are considered for defining the membership functions. The proposed fusion algorithm yields an average of 92.49% correlation between the actual force and the overall estimated force output. In addition, the proposed fusionbased approach is implemented on a test platform. Experiments indicate an improvement in finger/hand force estimation.

Currently, thousands of model 9975 transportation packages are in use by the US Department of Energy (DOE); the design of which has been certified by DOE for shipment of Type B radioactive and fissile materials in accordance with Part 71, Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), or 10 CFR 71, Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Material. These transportation packages are also approved for the storage of DOE-STD-3013 containers at the Savannah River Site (SRS). As such, the 9975 has been continuously exposed to the service environment for a period of time greater than the approved transportation service life. In order to ensure the material integrity as specified in the safety basis, an extensive surveillance program is in place in K-Area Complex (KAC) to monitor the structural and thermal properties of the fiberboard of the 9975 shipping packages. The surveillance approach uses a combination of Non-Destructive Examination (NDE) field surveillance and Destructive Examination (DE) lab testing to validate the 9975 performance assumptions. The fiberboard in the 9975 is credited with thermal insulation, criticality control and resistance to crushing. During surveillance monitoring in KAC, an increased axial gap of the fiberboard was discovered on selected items packaged at Rocky Flats Environmental …

The unique combination of thermo-mechanical and physiochemical properties of silicon carbide (SiC) provides interest and opportunity for its use in nuclear applications. One of the applications of SiC is as a very thin layer in the TRi-ISOtropic (TRISO) coated fuel particles for high temperature gas reactors (HTGRs). This SiC layer, produced by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), is designed to withstand the pressures of fission and transmutation product gases in a high temperature, radiation environment. Various researchers have demonstrated that macroscopic properties can be affected by changes in the distribution of grain boundary plane orientations and misorientations [1 - 3]. Additionally, various researchers have attributed the release behavior of Ag through the SiC layer as a grain boundary diffusion phenomenon [4 - 6]; further highlighting the importance of understanding the actual grain characteristics of the SiC layer. Both historic HTGR fission product release studies and recent experiments at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) [7] have shown that the release of Ag-110m is strongly temperature dependent. Although the maximum normal operating fuel temperature of a HTGR design is in the range of 1000-1250°C, the temperature may reach 1600°C under postulated accident conditions. The aim of this specific study is therefore to determine the …

With the elimination of Yucca Mountain as the long-term storage facility for spent nuclear fuel in the United States, a number of other storage options are being explored. Currently, used fuel is stored in dry-storage cask systems constructed of steel and concrete. It is likely that used fuel will continue to be stored at existing open-air storage sites for up to 100 years. This raises the possibility that the storage casks will be exposed to a salt-containing environment for the duration of their time in interim storage. Austenitic stainless steels, which are used to construct the canisters, are susceptible to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in chloride-containing environments if a continuous aqueous film can be maintained on the surface and the material is under stress. Because steel sensitization in the canister welds is typically avoided by avoiding post-weld heat treatments, high residual stresses are present in the welds. While the environment history will play a key role in establishing the chemical conditions for cracking, weld residual stresses will have a strong influence on both crack initiation and propagation. It is often assumed for modeling purposes that weld residual stresses are tensile, high and constant through the weld. However, due to the …

In this study, the effects of laser shock peening (LSP) on stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behavior of Alloy 600 in tetrathionate solution were investigated. The degree of sensitization was quantified using double loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation (DLEPR) tests. The sensitized Alloy 600 was demonstrated to be susceptible to intergranular SCC in tetrathionate solution. Following LSP, residual stresses and the amount of plastic strain introduced in Alloy 600 were characterized. The effects of LSP on SCC susceptibility of Alloy 600 in tetrathionate solution were evaluated by slow strain rate tests and constant load tests. Results indicate a significant increase in resistance to crack initiation and decreased susceptibility to SCC after LSP.