Resolution of the Hanford site ferrocyanide safety issue

The Ferrocyanide Safety Issue at the Hanford Site was officially resolved in December 1996. This paper summarizes the key activities that led to final resolution of this safety hazard, a process that began in 1990 after it and other safety concerns were identified for the underground high-level waste storage tanks at the Hanford Site. At the time little was known about ferrocyanide-nitrate/nitrite reactions and their potential to cause offsite releases of radioactivity. The ferrocyanide hazard was a perceived problem, but it took six years of intense studies and analyses of tank samples to prove that the problem no longer exists. The issue revolved around the fact that ferrocyanide and nitrate mixtures can be made to explode violently if concentrated, dry, and heated to temperatures of at least 250 {degrees}C. The studies conducted over the last six years have shown that the combined effects of temperature, radiation, and pH during 40 or more years of storage have destroyed almost all of the ferrocyanide originally added to tanks. This was shown in laboratory experiments using simulant wastes and confirmed by actual samples taken from the ferrocyanide tanks. The tank waste sludges are now too dilute to support a sustained exothermic reaction, even if dried out and heated to high temperatures. 2 tabs., 18 refs

The maturation of cortical sleep rhythms and networks over early development

Objective: Although neuronal activity drives all aspects of cortical development, how human brain rhythms spontaneously mature remains an active area of research. We sought to systematically evaluate the emergence of human brain rhythms and functional cortical networks over early development. Methods: We examined cortical rhythms and coupling patterns from birth through adolescence in a large cohort of healthy children (n=384) using scalp electroencephalogram (EEG) in the sleep state. Results: We found that the emergence of brain rhythms follows a stereotyped sequence over early development. In general, higher frequencies increase in prominence with striking regional specificity throughout development. The coordination of these rhythmic activities across brain regions follows a general pattern of maturation in which broadly distributed networks of low-frequency oscillations increase in density while networks of high frequency oscillations become sparser and more highly clustered. Conclusion: Our results indicate that a predictable program directs the development of key rhythmic components and physiological brain networks over early development. Significance: This work expands our knowledge of normal cortical development. The stereotyped neurophysiological processes observed at the level of rhythms and networks may provide a scaffolding to support critical periods of cognitive growth. Furthermore, these conserved patterns could provide a sensitive biomarker for cortical health across development

Semaphorin 3F signaling actively retains neutrophils at sites of inflammation

Neutrophilic inflammation is central to disease pathogenesis, for example, in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, yet the mechanisms that retain neutrophils within tissues remain poorly understood. With emerging evidence that axon guidance factors can regulate myeloid recruitment and that neutrophils can regulate expression of a class 3 semaphorin, SEMA3F, we investigated the role of SEMA3F in inflammatory cell retention within inflamed tissues. We observed that neutrophils upregulate SEMA3F in response to proinflammatory mediators and following neutrophil recruitment to the inflamed lung. In both zebrafish tail injury and murine acute lung injury models of neutrophilic inflammation, overexpression of SEMA3F delayed inflammation resolution with slower neutrophil migratory speeds and retention of neutrophils within the tissues. Conversely, constitutive loss of sema3f accelerated egress of neutrophils from the tail injury site in fish, whereas neutrophil-specific deletion of Sema3f in mice resulted in more rapid neutrophil transit through the airways, and significantly reduced time to resolution of the neutrophilic response. Study of filamentous-actin (F-actin) subsequently showed that SEMA3F-mediated retention is associated with F-actin disassembly. In conclusion, SEMA3F signaling actively regulates neutrophil retention within the injured tissues with consequences for neutrophil clearance and inflammation resolution

Evaluation of saliency tracking as an alternative for health monitoring in PMSM-drives under nonstationary conditions

This paper evaluates the capability of saliency tracking to assess the health condition of permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drives operating under nonstationary conditions. The evaluated scheme is based on saliency tracking methods, which are associated to the accurate sensorless control of AC drives without zero speed limitations. In this work two representative saliency tracking architectures are evaluated: High Frequency (HF) injection, and PWM transient excitation. Although a monitoring approach based on HF injection was previously reported, a comparative study to evaluate the most representative saliency tracking schemes to assess health condition in drives was still missing. The aim of this work is to fill out this gap by evaluating and comparing two saliency-based monitoring schemes (one based on HF-injection and the other based on PWM transient excitation) to evaluate their performance in the presence of inter-turn winding faults. Simulation and experimental results are presented which confirm that both schemes offer excellent detection capabilities and that are suitable for drives operating under nonstationary conditions including standstill operation. Significant differences are also found for instance, PWM transient excitation offers improved accuracy since the approach is not affected by the inverter nonlinearities and is suitable for full-speed range applications. The main drawback here is complexity and the hardware requirements. Schemes based on HF-injection proved to be very simple and provide comparable results; however a good performance is only guaranteed for the zero-to-medium speed range applications which limit their applicability

Condition monitoring approach for permanent magnet synchronous motor drives based on the INFORM method

This paper proposes a monitoring scheme based on saliency tracking to assess the health condition of PMSM drives operating under non stationary conditions. The evaluated scheme is based on the INFORM methodology, which is associated to the accurate sensorless control of PM drives without zero speed limitation. The result is a monitoring scheme that is able to detect faults that would be very difficult to evaluate under nonstationary conditions. A relevant aspect of the proposed scheme is that it remains valid for full speed range, and can be used for standstill operation. Additionally, the approach is insensitive to the inverter nonlinearities which enhance the detection capabilities further respect to similar topologies. In this work the proposed approach is evaluated numerically and experimentally in the presence of incipient winding faults and inter-turn short circuits in a PM conventional drive. The obtained results show quick response and excellent detection capabilities not only in the detection of faults, but to determine their magnitude which is vital to avoid further degradation

Probabilistic solar wind and geomagnetic forecasting using an analogue ensemble or "Similar Day" approach

Effective space-weather prediction and mitigation requires accurate forecasting of near-Earth solar-wind conditions. Numerical magnetohydrodynamic models of the solar wind, driven by remote solar observations, are gaining skill at forecasting the large-scale solar-wind features that give rise to near-Earth variations over days and weeks. There remains a need for accurate short-term (hours to days) solar-wind forecasts, however. In this study we investigate the analogue ensemble (AnEn), or “similar day”, approach that was developed for atmospheric weather forecasting. The central premise of the AnEn is that past variations that are analogous or similar to current conditions can be used to provide a good estimate of future variations. By considering an ensemble of past analogues, the AnEn forecast is inherently probabilistic and provides a measure of the forecast uncertainty. We show that forecasts of solar-wind speed can be improved by considering both speed and density when determining past analogues, whereas forecasts of the out-of-ecliptic magnetic field [ BNBN ] are improved by also considering the in-ecliptic magnetic-field components. In general, the best forecasts are found by considering only the previous 6 – 12 hours of observations. Using these parameters, the AnEn provides a valuable probabilistic forecast for solar-wind speed, density, and in-ecliptic magnetic field over lead times from a few hours to around four days. For BNBN , which is central to space-weather disturbance, the AnEn only provides a valuable forecast out to around six to seven hours. As the inherent predictability of this parameter is low, this is still likely a marked improvement over other forecast methods. We also investigate the use of the AnEn in forecasting geomagnetic indices Dst and Kp. The AnEn provides a valuable probabilistic forecast of both indices out to around four days. We outline a number of future improvements to AnEn forecasts of near-Earth solar-wind and geomagnetic conditions

Origins of the Ambient Solar Wind: Implications for Space Weather

The Sun's outer atmosphere is heated to temperatures of millions of degrees, and solar plasma flows out into interplanetary space at supersonic speeds. This paper reviews our current understanding of these interrelated problems: coronal heating and the acceleration of the ambient solar wind. We also discuss where the community stands in its ability to forecast how variations in the solar wind (i.e., fast and slow wind streams) impact the Earth. Although the last few decades have seen significant progress in observations and modeling, we still do not have a complete understanding of the relevant physical processes, nor do we have a quantitatively precise census of which coronal structures contribute to specific types of solar wind. Fast streams are known to be connected to the central regions of large coronal holes. Slow streams, however, appear to come from a wide range of sources, including streamers, pseudostreamers, coronal loops, active regions, and coronal hole boundaries. Complicating our understanding even more is the fact that processes such as turbulence, stream-stream interactions, and Coulomb collisions can make it difficult to unambiguously map a parcel measured at 1 AU back down to its coronal source. We also review recent progress -- in theoretical modeling, observational data analysis, and forecasting techniques that sit at the interface between data and theory -- that gives us hope that the above problems are indeed solvable.Comment: Accepted for publication in Space Science Reviews. Special issue connected with a 2016 ISSI workshop on "The Scientific Foundations of Space Weather." 44 pages, 9 figure

The Scientific Foundations of Forecasting Magnetospheric Space Weather

The magnetosphere is the lens through which solar space weather phenomena are focused and directed towards the Earth. In particular, the non-linear interaction of the solar wind with the Earth's magnetic field leads to the formation of highly inhomogenous electrical currents in the ionosphere which can ultimately result in damage to and problems with the operation of power distribution networks. Since electric power is the fundamental cornerstone of modern life, the interruption of power is the primary pathway by which space weather has impact on human activity and technology. Consequently, in the context of space weather, it is the ability to predict geomagnetic activity that is of key importance. This is usually stated in terms of geomagnetic storms, but we argue that in fact it is the substorm phenomenon which contains the crucial physics, and therefore prediction of substorm occurrence, severity and duration, either within the context of a longer-lasting geomagnetic storm, but potentially also as an isolated event, is of critical importance. Here we review the physics of the magnetosphere in the frame of space weather forecasting, focusing on recent results, current understanding, and an assessment of probable future developments.Peer reviewe

Uncovering the heterogeneity and temporal complexity of neurodegenerative diseases with Subtype and Stage Inference

The heterogeneity of neurodegenerative diseases is a key confound to disease understanding and treatment development, as study cohorts typically include multiple phenotypes on distinct disease trajectories. Here we introduce a machine-learning technique\u2014Subtype and Stage Inference (SuStaIn)\u2014able to uncover data-driven disease phenotypes with distinct temporal progression patterns, from widely available cross-sectional patient studies. Results from imaging studies in two neurodegenerative diseases reveal subgroups and their distinct trajectories of regional neurodegeneration. In genetic frontotemporal dementia, SuStaIn identifies genotypes from imaging alone, validating its ability to identify subtypes; further the technique reveals within-genotype heterogeneity. In Alzheimer\u2019s disease, SuStaIn uncovers three subtypes, uniquely characterising their temporal complexity. SuStaIn provides fine-grained patient stratification, which substantially enhances the ability to predict conversion between diagnostic categories over standard models that ignore subtype (p = 7.18 7 10 124 ) or temporal stage (p = 3.96 7 10 125 ). SuStaIn offers new promise for enabling disease subtype discovery and precision medicine