Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Whole-Body Field Mice Collected Upgradient and Downgradient of a Sediment Retention Structure in Los Alamos Canyon, Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, USA

Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) congeners were measured in (unwashed) whole-body field (deer) mice (Peromyscus maniculaltus) collected directly upgradient from a sediment retention structure (weir) within Los Alamos Canyon (LAC), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), New Mexico, USA, from 2007 through 2013. Samples were also collected approximately 8 km downgradient of the retention structure in 2009 and 2013. LAC, a major drainage that crosses LANL lands, contains legacy waste, including PCBs, and occasionally discharges storm water and snowmelt flows to the Rio Grande approximately 8.8 km away from the weir. The Rio Grande is the major waterway that flows southward across the state. The weir was constructed across the channel on the northeastern boundary of LANL in late 2000 to help contain sediments mobilized by floodwaters as a result of a large wildfire in early 2000 that burned forest lands west and adjacent to LANL. Total PCBs in field mice directly upgradient of the sediment retention structure from 2007 through 2012 were significantly greater (p 0.05) than in field mice collected from background locations but decreased in concentration over time;by 2013 the levels were statistically similar (p > 0.05) to background. The highest mean total PCB concentration in field mice was below the levels that may negatively impact field mice population attributes. Total PCBs in field mice collected 8 km below the sediment retention structure in 2009 were lower than field mice collected from behind the weir and decreased over time;also by 2013, the amount of PCBs in field mice 8 km below the sediment retention structure were not significantly different (p > 0.05) from background. The rank order of concentrations of ICES 7 PCB congeners in upgradient and downgradient field mice were: No. 153 > 180 > 138 > 118 > 28 > 101 > 52 and No. 153 > 180 > 138 > 52 > 101 > 118 > 28, respectively. Based on the PCB homolog distribution, the major formulation detected in field mice was Aroclor-1260. Overall, the reduction of PCBs in whole-body field mice from both sites over time was attributed, in part, to sediment control practices.

Avian Community Composition in Response to High Explosive Testing Operations at Los Alamos National Laboratory in Northern New Mexico

Breeding bird abundance, species richness, evenness, diversity, composition, productivity, and survivorship were determined near a high-explosive detonation site at Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, USA, during pre-operation (1997-1999) and operation (2000-2014) periods. The operation periods consisted of detonations ( 0.05) in mean avian abundance and species evenness in any of the operation periods as compared with the pre-operation period. Species richness and diversity were significantly higher (p < 0.05) during the vessel containment period (2007-2014) than the pre-operation period. The time period of this study coincided with a wildfire (2000), a bark beetle infestation (2002), and two periods of drought (Nov 1999-Mar 2004 and Dec 2005-Dec 2014) that affected the study area. Analysis of aerial photos determined that the average percent canopy cover of mature ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa) within 100 feet of mist net sites declined from 12% to 3% between 1991 and 2014 and the percent cover of shrubs slightly increased. The percent similarity in presence/abundance between the pre-operation avian community and avian community during the open air, foam containment, and vessel containment periods were 59%, 63% and 68% respectively. Two bird species associated with large trees became less common over the study period (capture rate dropped below 2.0 adults per 600 net-hours relative to the pre-operations period), and four bird species associated with edge and scrub habitats became more common over the study period (capture rate increased to more than 2.0 adults per 600 net-hours relative to the pre-operations period). Bird demographics (productivity and survival) were not negatively affected by the initiation of firing site operations. The increase in diversity and the change in bird species composition over time were probably related to the change in vegetation from a woodland to a more open woodland/shrub environment.

Bioassessment of the Rio Grande Upstream and Downstream of Los Alamos National Laboratory,New Mexico, USA

Benthic macroinvertebrates (aquatic insects) were collected from the Rio Grande upstream and downstream of Los Alamos Canyon (LAC), a major drainage that crosses Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) lands in northern New Mexico, USA. LAC contains legacy waste, including radionuclides and polychlorinated biphenyls, and occasionally discharges storm water and snowmelt flows to the Rio Grande. The Rio Grande is the major waterway that flows southward across the state. In 2009, rock baskets were placed in waters 61- to 76-cm-deep within each reach (five per reach), and, after approximately 6 weeks of colonization, the rock baskets were retrieved. All samples were sorted completely and organisms were identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level. Both reaches in 2009 were dominated by the collector filtering net-spinning caddisfly, Hydropsyche occidentalis. In 2011, benthic macroinvertebrates were collected using D kick nets from shallow riffle locations (15- to 31-cm depth) from each reach (six per reach). These samples were collected after post- (Las Conchas) fire flooding events moved sediment and ash through the two study areas—the downstream reach, however, was affected by higher flows and greater number of flooding events than those affecting the upstream reach. Each kick net sample consisted of ten 1-m (kick) samples. The 10 subsamples were composited and organisms were picked from randomly selected cells in a sorting pan until 500 organisms had been identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level. Both reaches in 2011 were dominated by the collector-gathering mayfly, Baetis tricaudatus. A bioassessment of the downstream reach compared with the upstream (reference) reach was conducted by scoring 10 metrics related to the structure and function of the benthic macroinvertebrate community. While 2009 ranked at the highest level (nonimpaired), 2011 ranked a level lower (slightly impaired). The slightly lower bioassessment score of the downstream reach in 2011 may be a result of flooding impacts following the Las Conchas fire rather than of LANL operations. Overall, based on the similarity of benthic macroinvertebrate metrics between reaches and the composition of benthic macroinvertebrates favoring pollution intolerant taxa, LANL influences, if any, via the LAC system to the Rio Grande are not significantly impacting water quality of the Rio Grande.

Inorganic Elements in Eggs of Two Cavity-Nesting Passerine Species at and around Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) was established in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project to build nuclear weapons, and currently operates as a national research laboratory. As part of an ongoing assessment of site-related ecological risk at LANL, western bluebird (Sialia mexicana) and ash-throated flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens) eggs were collected from 1997 to 2012 and analyzed for 18 inorganic elements. Concentrations of many inorganic elements in eggs were below reporting limits. Between species comparisons revealed that western bluebird eggs had higher levels of barium while ash-throated flycatcher eggs had higher levels of mercury. No statistically significant differences were observed in concentrations of inorganic elements in western bluebird eggs collected from the study area (which consists of areas within the current and historic LANL boundary) and from a non-industrial reference site;nor were any statistically significant differences observed between two canyons of interest, known to have received effluents and storm water runoff from LANL facilities, and the non-industrial reference site. Inorganic element levels detected in western bluebirds were typically within the range measured in eggs of other passerine in the published literature. These data suggest that concentrations of inorganic elements in passerine eggs collected from the study area appear to be at levels causing negligible risks to local bird populations.

Hydromechanical characterization of gas transport amidst uncertainty for underground nuclear explosion detection

Given the challenge of definitively discriminating between chemical and nuclear explosions using seismic methods alone,surface detection of signature noble gas radioisotopes is considered a positive identification of underground nuclear explosions(UNEs).However,the migration of signature radionuclide gases between the nuclear cavity and surface is not well understood because complex processes are involved,including the generation of complex fracture networks,reactivation of natural fractures and faults,and thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical(THMC)coupling of radionuclide gas transport in the subsurface.In this study,we provide an experimental investigation of hydro-mechanical(HM)coupling among gas flow,stress states,rock deformation,and rock damage using a unique multi-physics triaxial direct shear rock testing system.The testing system also features redundant gas pressure and flow rate measurements,well suited for parameter uncertainty quantification.Using porous tuff and tight granite samples that are relevant to historic UNE tests,we measured the Biot effective stress coefficient,rock matrix gas permeability,and fracture gas permeability at a range of pore pressure and stress conditions.The Biot effective stress coefficient varies from 0.69 to 1 for the tuff,whose porosity averages 35.3%±0.7%,while this coefficient varies from 0.51 to 0.78 for the tight granite(porosity<1%,perhaps an underestimate).Matrix gas permeability is strongly correlated to effective stress for the granite,but not for the porous tuff.Our experiments reveal the following key engineering implications on transport of radionuclide gases post a UNE event:(1)The porous tuff shows apparent fracture dilation or compression upon stress changes,which does not necessarily change the gas permeability;(2)The granite fracture permeability shows strong stress sensitivity and is positively related to shear displacement;and(3)Hydromechanical coupling among stress states,rock damage,and gas flow appears to be stronger in tight granite than in porous tuff.

Acoustic emission characterization of microcracking in laboratory-scale hydraulic fracturing tests

Understanding microcracking near coalesced fracture generation is critically important for hydrocarbon and geothermal reservoir characterization as well as damage evaluation in civil engineering structures. Dense and sometimes random microcracking near coalesced fracture formation alters the mechanical properties of the nearby virgin material. Individual microcrack characterization is also significant in quantifying the material changes near the fracture faces （i.e. damage）. Acoustic emission （AE） monitoring and analysis provide unique information regarding the microcracking process temporally, and infor- mation concerning the source characterization of individual microcracks can be extracted. In this context, laboratory hydraulic fracture tests were carried out while monitoring the AEs from several piezoelectric transducers. In-depth post-processing of the AE event data was performed for the purpose of under- standing the individual source mechanisms. Several source characterization techniques including moment tensor inversion, event parametric analysis, and volumetric deformation analysis were adopted. Post-test fracture characterization through coring, slicing and micro-computed tomographic imaging was performed to determine the coalesced fracture location and structure. Distinct differences in fracture characteristics were found spatially in relation to the openhole injection interval. Individual microcrack AE analysis showed substantial energy reduction emanating spatially from the injection interval. It was quantitatively observed that the recorded AE signals provided sufficient information to generalize the damage radiating spatially away from the injection wellbore.

Using cylindrical implosions to investigate hydrodynamic instabilities in convergent geometry

Hydrodynamic instabilities such as the Rayleigh–Taylor(RT)and Richtmyer–Meshkov instabilities disrupt inertial confinement fusion(ICF)implosions through the growth of 3D perturbations.Growth of these 3D imperfections at the interfaces of an ICF capsule during implosion lead to mixing between materials that is detrimental to performance.These instabilities have been studied extensively in planar geometry,but such experiments lack the effects of convergence in spherical implosions.While several studies have been performed in spherical geometry,these often lack a direct means to measure perturbation growth.Experiments in cylindrical geometry include convergence effects while maintaining direct diagnostic access.Although cylinders have less compression than spheres,they do provide an excellent platform to validate modeling for convergent geometries.The problem with previous cylindrical implosion experiments was that the convergence ratios were limited to∼4.With the National Ignition Facility(NIF),larger cylindrical targets can be driven to convergences of 10–15 while maintaining a large enough final diameter to measure perturbation growth.This paper reviews the design process used to both benchmark radiation hydrodynamics codes and enable 1D post-processed simulations to explore design space to separate compression effects from acceleration/deceleration RT instability.Results from 1D simulations suggest that cylindrical implosions on the NIF can produce high-convergence experiments to validate RT instability growth for ICF implosions.

Fuel-ion diffusion in shock-driven inertial confinement fusion implosions

The impact of fuel-ion diffusion in inertial confinement fusion implosions is assessed using nuclear reaction yield ratios and reaction histories.In T3He-gas-filled(with trace D)shock-driven implosions,the observed TT/T3He yield ratio is∼23lower than expected from temperature scaling.InD3He-gas-filled(with trace T)shock-driven implosions,the timing of theD3He reaction history is∼50 ps earlier than those of the DT reaction histories,and average-ion hydrodynamic simulations cannot reconcile this timing difference.Both experimental observations are consistent with reduced T ions in the burn region as predicted by multi-ion diffusion theory and particle-in-cell simulations.

Hepatitis C virus RNA kinetics:Drug efficacy and the rate of HCV-infected cells loss

TO THE EDITOR We read the study by Medeiros-Filho et al with much interest. The study shed light on early HCV RNA kinetics in conjunction with liver cirrhosis, different genotypes （gen-1 vs gen-3） of HCV and sustained viral response （SVR） rates. In particular, Medeiros-Filho et al showed that the HCV RNA first phase decline, under interferon-or （IFN） and ribavirin therapy,

Effect of stress-dependent microannulus aperture on well leakage

Debonding at the cement-casing interface is recognized as a principal failure mechanism leading to CO_(2) leakage in wells.This detachment gives rise to a microannulus,which notably possesses greater permeability than undamaged cement,undermining its sealing efficacy.Conventionally,the permeability of the microannulus is regarded as a uniform value throughout the well.However,fundamentally,a microannulus is one type of fracture,and its gap or aperture size is affected by the effective stress.In this work,we developed a unique experimental apparatus.This equipment facilitates the curing of cement inside a steel casing,the formation of a microannulus between the casing and the cement,and the investigation of the fluid flow dynamics along the microannulus under laboratory-replicated in situ conditions.The microannulus was formed by injecting fluid from one end of the setup,and receiving similar amount of fluid on the other end signified the development of the leakage channel.Additionally,strain gauges affixed to the casing’s external surface yielded key information on the microannulus’s opening and closure.We observed a noticeable decline in microannulus hydraulic aperture(or permeability)in relation to effective stress and an exponential equation fits their relationship.Our findings also indicate a distinct behavior when comparing liquid CO_(2) with water.Specifically,it is easier for liquid CO_(2) to create the microannulus.However,the hydraulic aperture range for this microannulus(0.7-6 mm)is considerably smaller than that created by water flow(2-17 mm).Finally,we integrated the stressdependent microannulus aperture size into the combined analysis of well mechanical integrity and well leakage.The outcomes consistently demonstrated that when factoring in the stress-dependent aperture sizes,the leakage rates are 3e5 times compared to a fixed aperture model.The traditional assumption of a constant aperture significantly underestimates fluid leakage risks.

Development of a convolutional neural network based geomechanical upscaling technique for heterogeneous geological reservoir

Geomechanical assessment using coupled reservoir-geomechanical simulation is becoming increasingly important for analyzing the potential geomechanical risks in subsurface geological developments.However,a robust and efficient geomechanical upscaling technique for heterogeneous geological reservoirs is lacking to advance the applications of three-dimensional(3D)reservoir-scale geomechanical simulation considering detailed geological heterogeneities.Here,we develop convolutional neural network(CNN)proxies that reproduce the anisotropic nonlinear geomechanical response caused by lithological heterogeneity,and compute upscaled geomechanical properties from CNN proxies.The CNN proxies are trained using a large dataset of randomly generated spatially correlated sand-shale realizations as inputs and simulation results of their macroscopic geomechanical response as outputs.The trained CNN models can provide the upscaled shear strength(R^(2)>0.949),stress-strain behavior(R^(2)>0.925),and volumetric strain changes(R^(2)>0.958)that highly agree with the numerical simulation results while saving over two orders of magnitude of computational time.This is a major advantage in computing the upscaled geomechanical properties directly from geological realizations without the need to perform local numerical simulations to obtain the geomechanical response.The proposed CNN proxybased upscaling technique has the ability to(1)bridge the gap between the fine-scale geocellular models considering geological uncertainties and computationally efficient geomechanical models used to assess the geomechanical risks of large-scale subsurface development,and(2)improve the efficiency of numerical upscaling techniques that rely on local numerical simulations,leading to significantly increased computational time for uncertainty quantification using numerous geological realizations.

The acceleration of a high-charge electron bunch to 10 GeV in a 10-cm nanoparticle-assisted wakefield accelerator

An intense laser pulse focused onto a plasma can excite nonlinear plasma waves.Under appropriate conditions,electrons from the background plasma are trapped in the plasma wave and accelerated to ultra-relativistic velocities.This scheme is called a laser wakefield accelerator.In this work,we present results from a laser wakefield acceleration experiment using a petawatt-class laser to excite the wakefields as well as nanoparticles to assist the injection of electrons into the accelerating phase of the wakefields.We find that a 10-cm-long,nanoparticle-assisted laser wakefield accelerator can generate 340 pC,10±1.86 GeV electron bunches with a 3.4 GeV rms convolved energy spread and a 0.9 mrad rms divergence.It can also produce bunches with lower energies in the 4–6 GeV range.

Direct Synthesis of Layer-Tunable and Transfer-Free Graphene on Device-Compatible Substrates Using Ion Implantation Toward Versatile Applications

Direct synthesis of layer-tunable and transfer-free graphene on technologically important substrates is highly valued for various electronics and device applications.State of the art in the field is currently a two-step process:a high-quality graphene layer synthesis on metal substrate through chemical vapor deposition(CVD)followed by delicate layer transfer onto device-relevant substrates.Here,we report a novel synthesis approach combining ion implantation for a precise graphene layer control and dual-metal smart Janus substrate for a diffusion-limiting graphene formation to directly synthesize large area,high quality,and layer-tunable graphene films on arbitrary substrates without the post-synthesis layer transfer process.Carbon(C)ion implantation was performed on Cu-Ni film deposited on a variety of device-relevant substrates.A well-controlled number of layers of graphene,primarily monolayer and bilayer,is precisely controlled by the equivalent fluence of the implanted C-atoms(1 monolayer~4×10^(15)C-atoms/cm^(2)).Upon thermal annealing to promote Cu-Ni alloying,the pre-implanted C-atoms in the Ni layer are pushed toward the Ni/substrate interface by the top Cu layer due to the poor C-solubility in Cu.As a result,the expelled C-atoms precipitate into a graphene structure at the interface facilitated by the Cu-like alloy catalysis.After removing the alloyed Cu-like surface layer,the layer-tunable graphene on the desired substrate is directly realized.The layer-selectivity,high quality,and uniformity of the graphene films are not only confirmed with detailed characterizations using a suite of surface analysis techniques but more importantly are successfully demonstrated by the excellent properties and performance of several devices directly fabricated from these graphene films.Molecular dynamics(MD)simulations using the reactive force field(ReaxFF)were performed to elucidate the graphene formation mechanisms in this novel synthesis approach.With the wide use of ion implantation technology in the microelectronics industry,this novel graphene synthesis approach with precise layer-tunability and transfer-free processing has the promise to advance efficient graphene-device manufacturing and expedite their versatile applications in many fields.

Editorial for Multiscale&Multifield Coupling in Geomechanics

We are delighted to serve as guest editors for this special issue in the Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering.The purpose of this special issue is dedicated to gathering the latest research work on Multiscale&Multifield Coupling in Geomechanics,where we delve into the intricate interplay of various fields and scales that govern the behavior of geomaterials.In total,30 manuscripts from USA,China,UK,Germany,Canada,India and United Arab Emirates are selected to be included in this issue.

Batch Active Learning for Multispectral and Hyperspectral Image Segmentation Using Similarity Graphs

Graph learning,when used as a semi-supervised learning(SSL)method,performs well for classification tasks with a low label rate.We provide a graph-based batch active learning pipeline for pixel/patch neighborhood multi-or hyperspectral image segmentation.Our batch active learning approach selects a collection of unlabeled pixels that satisfy a graph local maximum constraint for the active learning acquisition function that determines the relative importance of each pixel to the classification.This work builds on recent advances in the design of novel active learning acquisition functions(e.g.,the Model Change approach in arXiv:2110.07739)while adding important further developments including patch-neighborhood image analysis and batch active learning methods to further increase the accuracy and greatly increase the computational efficiency of these methods.In addition to improvements in the accuracy,our approach can greatly reduce the number of labeled pixels needed to achieve the same level of the accuracy based on randomly selected labeled pixels.

碟状胶体:软物质的新兴前沿

回顾了微纳米碟状胶体的研究发展近况,侧重于合成、自组装和它们在软凝聚态物质及材料科学中的角色.首先讨论了各种合成碟状胶体的方法,包括选择性表面活性剂吸附下的纳米晶体生长、受控沉淀、剥离层状结构化合物、液晶乳液形状变化等等.介绍了这些碟状胶体颗粒在液晶相的形成和悬浮液流变性质等方向的研究应用.特别要提到的是碟状颗粒-聚合物纳米复合材料,如尼龙黏土混合材料、α-ZrP-环氧树脂等在先进功能材料工程中的广泛应用,以及研究人体红细胞的流动性质和形变性质对医疗研究的重大意义.

蛋白组学方法应用于人肺癌组织蛋白表达的研究

采用蛋白组学方法,利用4例中国肺癌患者的切除肺癌组织测定了磷癌(SQCLC)的蛋白表达 从双向电泳(2-DEgel)切下53个点,49个蛋白与数据库搜索结果吻合。在鉴定的24个蛋白中,17个蛋白有报道是与肺癌相关的蛋白其7个蛋白与人类其它癌症相关。所建立的蛋白组学方法能够用于建立一种基于组织的化验方法,发现肺癌患者组织中表达的蛋白标记物以用于癌症的分子学诊断。

氘/固体系统异常中子测量

<正> 设计了一系列的实验来观察重水电解槽和吸氘钛材料温度循环中异常中子生成现象。在电解实验中采用BORON-Ⅰ中子探测系统。该系统包括16只BF_3计数管,其2 h计数的探测极限为0.38中子/s。对于所设计的7种F及P型和Jones型实验条件,并未观察到高于BORON-Ⅰ系统探测极限的中子产额。在吸氘钛碎屑的温度循环中,采用了一台HLNCC-Ⅱ型中子探测装置。这台装置配有18只~3He计数管,用移位寄存符合单元计数。对随机中子发射率,其探测极限为0.20中子/s。选择了不同材料和样品处理程序来研究骤发中子群频率和强度的变化。

磁控功能合金功能行为的原位表征——高能X射线与中子衍射技术

报道了课题组在国际上率先开展利用同步辐射高能X射线衍射和中子衍射技术,成功地实现了多场(温度场,磁场,应力场)耦合作用下,铁磁性记忆合金微结构、晶粒取向、磁结构、母相与变体取向及其与功能行为耦合的原位研究。利用原位飞行时间中子衍射技术,跟踪了铁磁性形状记忆合金Ni-Mn-Ga在单轴压力下马氏体变体的转变行为,这是目前其它方法(如EBSD)仍无法实现的。测试了M_s点为393K的Ni_(47)Mn_(25)Ga_(22)Co_4合金在不同的单轴压力(0,-60MPa,-110MPa,-140MPa,-7MPa)下从523～298K之间的中子衍射花样,并利用GSAS软件获得了不同单轴压力下马氏体相的反极图(IPFs)。利用高能球磨及后续热处理的方法制备出了Ni_(51)Mn_(27)Ga_(22)纳米颗粒。铁磁性Ni_2MnGa纳米颗粒功能行为受晶粒尺寸,原子有序度及固有磁结构交互作用的影响,经历了各种不同的结构转变序,这与它们相应的块体材料是完全不同的。通过高能球磨法制备出尺寸分布均匀约10 nm左右的Ni_(51)Mn_(27)Ga_(22)颗粒,其室温晶体结构由原始的体心四方结构转变为一种无序面心立方结构。高能球磨后的纳米颗粒经过623K,4h退火后,又完全转变为Heusler母相结构。利用高能X射线研究了该纳米颗粒在退火过程中结构的原位转变,证明转变动力学由一种具有非晶结构的中间相控制。高能球磨及后续热处理之后的纳米粒子,在约274K下转变为调制马氏体(14M)结构,并且该结构可以稳定到4K。

2010年智利8.8级地震在北京房山岩体附近的动态触发活动

本文采用波形分析和β统计方法,基于首都圈地区数字测震台网和部分流动地震台的观测资料,对2010年2月27日Mw8.8智利大地震在北京房山岩体附近地区的动态触发活动进行了分析讨论.结果表明,在背景地震活动相对较弱的北京房山岩体附近,我们检测出至少5次小震活动事件在智利地震面波到达时发生.这些触发活动显著地改变了房山岩体地区这一地震活动相对平静地区的地震活动性,但是对北京地区地震活动性的影响并不明显.NKY地震台记录的智利地震触发活动的最大动态应力与之前的研究结果相比要小,约为7kPa.这可能与房山岩体附近地区的背景地震在智利地震前一直较为平静有关.此外,相对有利的面波入射方向,以及在对蹠点上的前两组面波叠加的效应等因素综合作用,使得本研究能在约2万公里极远处观测到远震触发小震活动.然而,在随后的多次面波叠加期间并没有观测到明显的触发地震活动.在智利地震10h前发生的琉球Mw7.0地震也未在房山地区触发相关的微震活动,这可能与它们引起的动态应力变化太过微弱有关.