Rheology of water and ammonia-water ices

Creep experiments on fine-grained water and ammonia-water ices have been performed at one atmosphere and high confining pressure in order to develop constitutive relationships necessary to model tectonic processes and interpret surface features of icy moons of the outer solar system. The present series of experiments explores the effects of temperature, strain rate, grain size, and melt fraction on creep strength. In general, creep strength decreases with increasing temperature, decreasing strain rate, and increasing melt fraction. A transition from dislocation creep to diffusion creep occurs at finer grain sizes, higher temperatures, and lower strain rates

Crystallographic preferred orientations of ice deformed in direct-shear experiments at low temperatures

Synthetic polycrystalline ice was sheared at temperatures of-5,-20 and-30 °C, to different shear strains, up to γ = 2.6, equivalent to a maximum stretch of 2.94 (final line length is 2.94 times the original length). Cryo-electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis shows that basal intracrystalline slip planes become preferentially oriented parallel to the shear plane in all experiments, with a primary cluster of crystal c axes (the c axis is perpendicular to the basal plane) perpendicular to the shear plane. In all except the two highest-strain experiments at-30 °C, a secondary cluster of c axes is observed, at an angle to the primary cluster. With increasing strain, the primary c-axis cluster strengthens. With increasing temperature, both clusters strengthen. In the-5 °C experiments, the angle between the two clusters reduces with strain. The c-axis clusters are elongated perpendicular to the shear direction. This elongation increases with increasing shear strain and with decreasing temperature. Highly curved grain boundaries are more prevalent in samples sheared at higher temperatures. At each temperature, the proportion of curved boundaries decreases with increasing shear strain. Subgrains are observed in all samples. Microstructural interpretations and comparisons of the data from experimentally sheared samples with numerical models suggest that the observed crystallographic orientation patterns result from a balance of the rates of lattice rotation (during dislocation creep) and growth of grains by strain-induced grain boundary migration (GBM). GBM is faster at higher temperatures and becomes less important as shear strain increases. These observations and interpretations provide a hypothesis to be tested in further experiments and using numerical models, with the ultimate goal of aiding the interpretation of crystallographic preferred orientations in naturally deformed ice

Crystallographic preferred orientations of ice deformed in direct-shear experiments at low temperatures

Synthetic polycrystalline ice was sheared at temperatures of −5, −20 and −30&thinsp;∘C, to different shear strains, up to γ=2.6, equivalent to a maximum stretch of 2.94 (final line length is 2.94 times the original length). Cryo-electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis shows that basal intracrystalline slip planes become preferentially oriented parallel to the shear plane in all experiments, with a primary cluster of crystal c axes (the c axis is perpendicular to the basal plane) perpendicular to the shear plane. In all except the two highest-strain experiments at −30&thinsp;∘C, a secondary cluster of c axes is observed, at an angle to the primary cluster. With increasing strain, the primary c-axis cluster strengthens. With increasing temperature, both clusters strengthen. In the −5&thinsp;∘C experiments, the angle between the two clusters reduces with strain. The c-axis clusters are elongated perpendicular to the shear direction. This elongation increases with increasing shear strain and with decreasing temperature. Highly curved grain boundaries are more prevalent in samples sheared at higher temperatures. At each temperature, the proportion of curved boundaries decreases with increasing shear strain. Subgrains are observed in all samples. Microstructural interpretations and comparisons of the data from experimentally sheared samples with numerical models suggest that the observed crystallographic orientation patterns result from a balance of the rates of lattice rotation (during dislocation creep) and growth of grains by strain-induced grain boundary migration (GBM). GBM is faster at higher temperatures and becomes less important as shear strain increases. These observations and interpretations provide a hypothesis to be tested in further experiments and using numerical models, with the ultimate goal of aiding the interpretation of crystallographic preferred orientations in naturally deformed ice.</p

Grain growth of natural and synthetic ice at 0 °C

Grain growth can modify the microstructure of natural ice, including the grain size and crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO). To better understand grain-growth processes and kinetics, we compared microstructural data from synthetic and natural ice samples of similar starting grain sizes that were annealed at the solidus temperature (0 ∘C) for durations of a few hours to 33 d. The synthetic ice has a homogeneous initial microstructure characterized by polygonal grains, little intragranular distortion, few bubbles, and a near-random CPO. The natural ice samples were subsampled from ice cores acquired from the Priestley Glacier, Antarctica. This natural ice has a heterogeneous microstructure characterized by a considerable number of air bubbles, widespread intragranular distortion, and a CPO. During annealing, the average grain size of the natural ice barely changes, whereas the average grain size of the synthetic ice gradually increases. These observations demonstrate that grain growth in natural ice can be much slower than in synthetic ice and therefore that the grain-growth law derived from synthetic ice cannot be directly applied to estimate the grain-size evolution in natural ice with a different microstructure. The microstructure of natural ice is characterized by many bubbles that pin grain boundaries. Previous studies suggest that bubble pinning provides a resisting force that reduces the effective driving force of grain-boundary migration and is therefore linked to the inhibition of grain growth observed in natural ice. As annealing progresses, the number density (number per unit area) of bubbles on grain boundaries in the natural ice decreases, whilst the number density of bubbles in the grain interiors increases. This observation indicates that some grain boundaries sweep through bubbles, which should weaken the pinning effect and thus reduce the resisting force for grain-boundary migration. Some of the Priestley ice grains become abnormally large during annealing. We speculate that the contrast of dislocation density amongst neighbouring grains, which favours the selected growth of grains with low dislocation densities, and bubble pinning, which inhibits grain growth, are tightly associated with abnormal grain growth. The upper 10 m of the Priestley ice core has a weaker CPO and better-developed second maximum than deeper samples. The similarity of this difference to the changes observed in annealing experiments suggests that abnormal grain growth may have occurred in the upper 10 m of the Priestley Glacier during summer warming

Evaluation Studies of a 800W Solid Oxide-Based Fuel Cells Stack for Electrical Power in Aviation

As both NASA and the aeronautics industry recognize the need for higher fuel efficiency and lower carbon emissions in both commercial airline and private aviation applications, development of all-electric or hybrid electric aircraft have garnered renewed interest in the aviation community. For the particular example of the hybrid-electric option, the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is an attractive option for the power source, due to its potential to utilize aviation fuels thereby having minimal impact to aviation infrastructure. SOFC stack performance depends upon many factors, one of the most important is the way the oxidant and fuel gases are delivered to the fuel cells. System modeling of various aircraft configurations for FUELEAP (Fostering Ultra-Efficient, Low-Emitting Aviation Power) point to the need to operate SOFC stacks at high current densities. This creates challenges in the thermal profile of the stacks with potential to create large thermal gradients and hot spots. This study investigates two types of commercial solid oxide fuel cell stacks, the cross flow and co-flow gas designs, both convectively cooled with cathode air. High fuel utilization factors were also employed under varying electrical loads expected from the demands of flight. In addition, performance, range of operation and endurance were investigated under conditions of high current loads and thermal cycling. Evaluations include the study of gas kinetic using electrochemical spectroscopy. Testing took place at the facilities of NASA Glenn using a commercial test system (FuelCon AG, Magdeburg Germany). These studies are crucial to the Glenn Research Center's ability to conduct research, evaluation and development of the next-generation SOFC based stacks for cutting-edge energy technologies for aerospace applications. This study supports NASA's Convergent Aeronautics Solutions' (CAS) FUELEAP project

Quantify uncertain emergency search techniques (QUEST) -- Theory and user`s guide

As recent world events show, criminal and terrorist access to nuclear materials is a growing national concern. The national laboratories are taking the lead in developing technologies to counter these potential threats to the national security. Sandia National laboratories, with support from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Bechtel Nevada, Remote Sensing Laboratory, has developed QUEST (a model to Quantify Uncertain Emergency Search Techniques), to enhance the performance of organizations in the search for lost or stolen nuclear material. In addition, QUEST supports a wide range of other applications, such as environmental monitoring, nuclear facilities inspections, and searcher training. QUEST simulates the search for nuclear materials and calculates detector response for various source types and locations. The probability of detecting a radioactive source during a search is a function of many different variables, including source type, search location and structure geometry (including shielding), search dynamics (path and speed), and detector type and size. Through calculation of dynamic detector response, QUEST makes possible quantitative comparisons of various sensor technologies and search patterns. The QUEST model can be used as a tool to examine the impact of new detector technologies, explore alternative search concepts, and provide interactive search/inspector training

DNA polymerase δ-dependent repair of DNA single strand breaks containing 3′-end proximal lesions

Base excision repair (BER) is the major pathway for the repair of simple, non-bulky lesions in DNA that is initiated by a damage-specific DNA glycosylase. Several human DNA glycosylases exist that efficiently excise numerous types of lesions, although the close proximity of a single strand break (SSB) to a DNA adduct can have a profound effect on both BER and SSB repair. We recently reported that DNA lesions located as a second nucleotide 5′-upstream to a DNA SSB are resistant to DNA glycosylase activity and this study further examines the processing of these ‘complex’ lesions. We first demonstrated that the damaged base should be excised before SSB repair can occur, since it impaired processing of the SSB by the BER enzymes, DNA ligase IIIα and DNA polymerase β. Using human whole cell extracts, we next isolated the major activity against DNA lesions located as a second nucleotide 5′-upstream to a DNA SSB and identified it as DNA polymerase δ (Pol δ). Using recombinant protein we confirmed that the 3′-5′-exonuclease activity of Pol δ can efficiently remove these DNA lesions. Furthermore, we demonstrated that mouse embryonic fibroblasts, deficient in the exonuclease activity of Pol δ are partially deficient in the repair of these ‘complex’ lesions, demonstrating the importance of Pol δ during the repair of DNA lesions in close proximity to a DNA SSB, typical of those induced by ionizing radiation

Dislocation interactions during low-temperature plasticity of olivine and their impact on the evolution of lithospheric strength

The strength of the lithosphere is typically modelled based on constitutive equations for steady-state flow. However, strain hardening may cause significant evolution of strength in the colder load-bearing portion of the lithosphere. Recent rheological data from low-temperature deformation experiments on olivine suggest that strain hardening occurs due to the presence of temperature-independent back stresses generated by long-range elastic interactions among dislocations. These interpretations provided the basis for a flow law that incorporates hardening by the development of back stress. Here, we test this dislocation-interaction hypothesis by examining the microstructures of olivine samples deformed plastically at room temperature either in a deformation-DIA apparatus at differential stresses of ≤4.3GPa or in a nanoindenter at applied contact stresses of ≥10.2GPa. High-angular resolution electron backscatter diffraction maps reveal the presence of geometrically necessary dislocations with densities commonly above 1014m−2 and intragranular heterogeneities in residual stress on the order of 1 GPa in both sets of samples. Scanning transmission electron micrographs reveal straight dislocations aligned in slip bands and interacting with dislocations of other types that act as obstacles. The resulting accumulations of dislocations in their slip planes, and associated stress heterogeneities, are consistent with strain hardening resulting from long-range back-stresses acting among dislocations and thereby support the form of the flow law for low-temperature plasticity. Based on these observations, we predict that back stresses among dislocations will impart significant mechanical anisotropy to deformed lithosphere by enhancing or reducing the effective stress. Therefore, strain history, with associated microstructural and micromechanical evolution, is an important consideration for models of lithospheric strength. The microstructural observations also provide new criteria for identifying the operation of back-stress induced strain hardening in natural samples and therefore provide a means to test the applicability of the flow law for low-temperature plasticity.This research was supported by Natural Environment Research Council grants NE/M000966/1 to LNH, AJW, and DW and 1710DG008/JC4 to LNH and AJW; European Plate Observing System Transnational Access grant EPOS-TNA-MSL 2018-022 to LNH; Advanced Photon Source General User Proposal 55176 to LNH, DLG, and WBD; and National Science Foundation Awards EAR-1361319 to WBD, EAR-1625032 to JMW, and EAR-1806791 to KMK

A random mutation capture assay to detect genomic point mutations in mouse tissue

Herein, a detailed protocol for a random mutation capture (RMC) assay to measure nuclear point mutation frequency in mouse tissue is described. This protocol is a simplified version of the original method developed for human tissue that is easier to perform, yet retains a high sensitivity of detection. In contrast to assays relying on phenotypic selection of reporter genes in transgenic mice, the RMC assay allows direct detection of mutations in endogenous genes in any mouse strain. Measuring mutation frequency within an intron of a transcribed gene, we show this assay to be highly reproducible. We analyzed mutation frequencies from the liver tissue of animals with a mutation within the intrinsic exonuclease domains of the two major DNA polymerases, δ and ε. These mice exhibited significantly higher mutation frequencies than did wild-type animals. A comparison with a previous analysis of these genotypes in Big Blue mice revealed the RMC assay to be more sensitive than the Big Blue assay for this application. As RMC does not require analysis of a particular gene, simultaneous analysis of mutation frequency at multiple genetic loci is feasible. This assay provides a versatile alternative to transgenic mouse models for the study of mutagenesis in vivo