Increasing the return on investment from federally-funded research and development

Abstract

Each year, the United States invests approximately $495 billion in research and development (R&D) – about a quarter of the total global investment. While the private sector accounts for about 67% of U.S. investment, the Federal government plays a critical role in funding R&D, particularly in areas that address societal needs in which the private sector does not yet have sufficient clear or strong incentive to make the required investments. The Federal government invests approximately $150 billion each year in R&D conducted at Federal laboratories, universities and other research organizations. As Federal R&D investments wind down or are completed, additional work is often still needed to translate the knowledge accrued from that R&D into products and services that will improve lives and provide economic growth. Technology transfer is the process by which existing knowledge, facilities or capabilities developed through R&D are utilised to fulfill public and private need. The transfer of technology from federally-funded R&D to the private sector is crucial to realising the taxpayer’s return on investment in the Federal R&D ecosystem. However, moving innovations from the lab to the market is more than inventing products for people to buy. Technology transfer is about creating jobs and growing the economy; ensuring a strong, secure, and resilient Nation; and improving Americans’ health and environment, fostering the conditions for America to maintain leadership in global innovation.     

Fermions in Two Dimensions: Scattering and Many-Body Properties

Ultracold atomic Fermi gases in two dimensions (2D) are an increasingly popular topic of research. The interaction strength between spin-up and spin-down particles in two-component Fermi gases can be tuned in experiments, allowing for a strongly interacting regime where the gas properties are yet to be fully understood. We have probed this regime for 2D Fermi gases by performing T = 0 ab initio diffusion Monte Carlo calculations. The many-body dynamics are largely dependent on the two-body interactions; therefore, we start with an in-depth look at scattering theory in 2D. We show the partial-wave expansion and its relation to the scattering length and effective range. Then, we discuss our numerical methods for determining these scattering parameters. We close out this discussion by illustrating the details of bound states in 2D. Transitioning to the many-body system, we use variationally optimized wave functions to calculate ground-state properties of the gas over a range of interaction strengths. We show results for the energy per particle and parametrize an equation of state. We then proceed to determine the chemical potential for the strongly interacting gas.     

The effect of mass transfer resistance and nonuniform initial solvent concentration on permeation through polymer membranes

A numerical simulation model has been developed which enables one to examine the effects of surface mass transfer resistance on the evaluation of permeation (P*), diffusion (D), and solubility (S) coefficients from unsteady‐state mass transfer experiments as well as the transmission rate. A complementary analytical expression has been developed which validates the numerical model and facilitates the evaluation of the concentration dependence of P*, D, and S from sequential step‐change experiments, under experimental conditions when the surface mass transfer resistance can be neglected. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46126.     

Case-control study of radon and lung cancer in New Jersey

Radon is known to cause lung cancer in humans; however, there remain uncertainties about the effects associated with residential exposures. This case-control study of residential radon and lung cancer was conducted in five counties in New Jersey and involved 561 cases and 740 controls. A year long alpha-track detector measurement of radon was completed for approximately 93% of all residences lived in at the time of interview (a total of 2,063). While the odds ratios (ORs) for whole data were suggestive of an increased risk for exposures >75 Bq m(-3), these associations were not statistically significant. The adjusted excess OR (EOR) per 100 Bq m(-3) was -0.13 (95% CI: -0.30 to 0.44) for males, 0.29 (95% CI: -0.12 to 1.70) for females and 0.05 (95% CI: -0.14 to 0.56) for all subjects combined. An analysis of radon effects by histological type of lung cancer showed that the OR was strongest for small/oat cell carcinomas in both males and females. There was no statistical heterogeneity of radon effects by demographic factors (age at disease occurrence, education level and type of respondent). Analysis by categories of smoking status, frequency or duration did not modify the risk estimates of radon on lung cancer. The findings of this study are consistent with an earlier population-based study of radon and lung cancer among New Jersey women, and with the North American pooling of case control radon seven studies, including the previous New Jersey study. Several uncertainties regarding radon measurements and assumptions of exposure history may have resulted in underestimation of a true exposure-response relationship.     

A Median-Unbiased Estimator of the AR(1) Coefficient

A proof is given that the median of the ratios of consecutive observations of a stationary first-order autoregressive process X_t = α X _{t −1} + Y_t with P ( Y_t ≥ 0) = P ( Y_t ≤ 0) = 1/2 and P ( X_t = 0) = 0 is a median-unbiased estimator of α.     

Supplementation of amino acids in apple must for the standardization of volatile compounds in ciders

The aim of this study was to identify the main amino acids responsible for the production of esters in ciders. The experiments were carried out in apple must and synthetic must. The amino acids were analysed by high‐performance liquid chromatography and the volatile compounds by gas chromatography. Aspartate, asparagine and glutamate positively influenced the production of esters in the cider models and were used in the experiments with mixtures. The response surface generated by the proposed model yielded two regions that maximized the production of esters. In addition, the combination of aspartate and glutamate predicted a higher production. The optimal suggested concentrations were 43.4% of aspartate and 56.6% of glutamate for 120 mg/L of total nitrogen. The apple must supplemented with these two amino acids resulted in four times more esters than in the same cider without supplementation, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed model.     

The Control-Volume Weighted Flux Scheme (CVWFS) for Nonlocal Diffusion and Its Relationship to Fractional Calculus

In diffusion transport, the flux at a point is typically modeled in terms of the local gradient of a potential. When heterogeneities are present, this local model can break down and it may be more appropriate to model the diffusion flux as a weighted sum of gradients present throughout the domain. Here a discrete nonlocal flux model—consistent with control-volume implementations—is developed. This scheme is referred to as the control-volume weighted flux scheme (CVWFS). The key component is the modeling of the diffusion flux at a given control-volume face in terms of a weighted sum of gradients at that face and at faces up- and downstream. Criteria for choosing the weights are proposed. This results in numerical solution schemes in which the coefficient matrix is diagonally dominant, has positive off-diagonal elements, and zero row sums. For a particular power-law weighting scheme it is shown how the CVWFS is related to the definition of the Caputo fractional derivative and the one-shift Grünwald approximation of the Riemann-Liouville fractional derivative. On developing transients and boundary condition treatments, the accuracy and suitability of the CVWFS scheme is demonstrated by solving a number of problems governed by Caputo fractional diffusion equations.     

Classification of juices and fermented beverages made from unripe,ripe and senescent apples based on the aromatic profile using chemometrics

The aim of this study was to assess differences between apple juices and fermented apple beverages elaborated with fruits from different varieties and at different ripening stages in the aroma profile by using chemometrics. Ripening influenced the aroma composition of the apple juice and fermented apple. For all varieties, senescent fruits provided more aromatic fermented apple beverages. However, no significant difference was noticed in samples made of senescent or ripe fruits of the Lisgala variety. Regarding the juices, ripe Gala apple had the highest total aroma concentration. Ethanal was the major compound identified in all the samples, with values between 11.83 mg/L (unripe Lisgala juice) and 81.05 mg/L (ripe Gala juice). 3-Methyl-1-butanol was the major compound identified in the fermented juices. Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were applied and classified the juices and fermented juices based on physicochemical and aroma profile, demonstrating their applicability as tools to monitor the quality of apple-based products.     

Frost salt scaling resistance of concrete containing CFBC fly ash

The possibility for using coal combustion by-products in concrete exposed to frost-salt aggression was investigated. The research was aimed to assess an influence addition of circulating fluidized bed combustion (CFBC) fly ash on frost-salt scaling of air-entrained concrete. For evaluation of the resistance of concrete to frost salt scaling the test called “depth sensing indentation” (DSI) was applied. The DSI test method was implemented on a universal testing frame using a standard Vickers indenter. Experimental tests were performed on cement paste specimens and concrete specimens designed with partial replacement of cement with coal combustion by-products. The mass of scaled material in standard frost salt scaling resistance tests on concrete was inversely proportional to the Vickers hardness of the paste containing CFBC fly ash; the best-fit arithmetic relationship is provided.