Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Spatial Variability On The Exposure Of Fish To Hypoxia: A Modeling Analysis For The Gulf Of Mexico, Elizabeth D. Labone, Kenneth A. Rose, Dubravko Justic, Haosheng Huang, Lixia Wang

Faculty Publications

The hypoxic zone in the northern Gulf of Mexico varies spatially (area, location) and temporally (onset, duration) on multiple scales. Exposure of fish to hypoxic dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations (

Trends In Growth Modeling In Fisheries Science, Shane A. Flinn, Stephen R. Midway

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Accuracy Assessment Of Global Internal-Tide Models Using Satellite Altimetry, Loren Carrere, Brian K. Arbic, Brian Dushaw, Gary Egbert, Svetlana Erofeeva, Florent Lyard, Richard D. Ray, Clement Ubelmann, Edward Zaron, Zhongxiang Zhao, Jay F. Shriver, Maarten Cornelis Buijsman, Nicolas Picot

Faculty Publications

Altimeter measurements are corrected for several geophysical parameters in order to access ocean signals of interest, like mesoscale or sub-mesoscale variability. The ocean tide is one of the most critical corrections due to the amplitude of the tidal elevations and to the aliasing phenomena of high-frequency signals into the lower-frequency band, but the internal-tide signatures at the ocean surface are not yet corrected globally.

Internal tides can have a signature of several centimeters at the surface with wavelengths of about 50–250 km for the first mode and even smaller scales for higher-order modes. The goals of the upcoming Surface Water …

Variable- And Person-Centered Approaches To Affect-Biased Attention In Infancy Reveal Unique Relations With Infant Negative Affect And Maternal Anxiety, Alicia Vallorani, Xiaoxue Fu, Santiago Morales, Vanessa Lobue, Kristin A. Buss, Koraly Perez-Edgar

Faculty Publications

Affect-biased attention is an automatic process that prioritizes emotionally or motivationally salient stimuli. Several models of affect-biased attention and its development suggest that it comprises an individual's ability to both engage with and disengage from emotional stimuli. Researchers typically rely on singular tasks to measure affect-biased attention, which may lead to inconsistent results across studies. Here we examined affect-biased attention across three tasks in a unique sample of 193 infants, using both variable-centered (factor analysis; FA) and person-centered (latent profile analysis; LPA) approaches. Using exploratory FA, we found evidence for two factors of affect-biased attention: an Engagement factor and a …

Language Of Witness: Survivor Testimony And Narrative Representation Of The Mauthausen Experience, Siegrun Wildner

Faculty Publications

This study analyses and compares how survivors of the Nazi concentration camp of Mauthausen (Austria) recount significant events or situations in the camp at specific times and places in their testimonies published, right after the liberation, between 1945 and 1950. As an initial and exploratory stage of a large-scale investigation into survivor narratives, this article highlights two intersecting events at the Mauthausen main camp, Himmler’s visits and the arrival of Dutch Jews, and addresses the question of how Gostner, Hoffmann, Schifko-Pungartnik, Stantke, and Wiesenthal in their written accounts assessed, understood, reconstructed, and transmitted similar events, and how these camp experiences …

Topsentinol L Trisulfate, A Marine Natural Product That Targets Basal-Like And Claudin-Low Breast Cancers, Nader N. El-Chaar, Thomas E. Smith, Gajendra Shrestha, Stephen R. Piccolo, Mary Kay Harper, Ryan M. Van Wagoner, Zhenyu Lu, Ashlee R. Venancio, Chris M. Ireland, Andrea H. Bild, Philip J. Moos

Faculty Publications

Patients diagnosed with basal-like breast cancer suffer from poor prognosis and limited treatment options. There is an urgent need to identify new targets that can benefit patients with basal-like and claudin-low (BL-CL) breast cancers. We screened fractions from our Marine Invertebrate Compound Library (MICL) to identify compounds that specifically target BL-CL breast cancers. We identified a previously unreported trisulfated sterol, i.e., topsentinol L trisulfate (TLT), which exhibited increased efficacy against BL-CL breast cancers relative to luminal/HER2+ breast cancer. Biochemical investigation of the effects of TLT on BL-CL cell lines revealed its ability to inhibit activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) …

Translations As Representations Of Cultural Bias, Sarah Theimer

Faculty Publications

A presentation at the American Library Association's Midwinter Conference this presentation discusses how translations are not simply the movement of a resource from the source language to the target language. Transitioning a work into another language necessarily carries with it the bias of the target culture. Bias is demonstrated in different ways. Publishers decide what should and should not get published. Translators decide what should get included in the text to be meet the expectations of the source culture. Translations are often are incompletely described in library catalogs, which further inhibit the users' ability to make an informed choice.

3d-Printed Microfluidic Droplet Generator With Hydrophilic And Hydrophobic Polymers, Chandler A. Warr, Hunter S. Hinnen, Saroya Avery, Rebecca J. Cate, Gregory P. Nordin, William G. Pitt

Faculty Publications

Droplet generation has been widely used in conventional two-dimensional (2D) microfluidic devices, and has recently begun to be explored for 3D-printed droplet generators. A major challenge for 3D-printed devices is preventing water-in-oil droplets from sticking to the interior surfaces of the droplet generator when the device is not made from hydrophobic materials. In this study, two approaches were investigated and shown to successfully form droplets in 3D-printed microfluidic devices. First, several printing resin candidates were tested to evaluate their suitability for droplet formation and material properties. We determined that a hexanediol diacrylate/lauryl acrylate (HDDA/LA) resin forms a solid polymer that …

3d-Printed Microfluidic Droplet Generator With Hydrophilic And Hydrophobic Polymers, Chandler A. Warr, Hunter S. Hinnen, Saroya Avery, Rebecca J. Cate, Gregory P. Nordin, William G. Pitt

Faculty Publications

Droplet generation has been widely used in conventional two-dimensional (2D) microfluidic devices, and has recently begun to be explored for 3D-printed droplet generators. A major challenge for 3D-printed devices is preventing water-in-oil droplets from sticking to the interior surfaces of the droplet generator when the device is not made from hydrophobic materials. In this study, two approaches were investigated and shown to successfully form droplets in 3D-printed microfluidic devices. First, several printing resin candidates were tested to evaluate their suitability for droplet formation and material properties. We determined that a hexanediol diacrylate/lauryl acrylate (HDDA/LA) resin forms a solid polymer that …

Asymptotic Security Of Discrete-Modulation Protocols For Continuous-Variable Quantum Key Distribution, Eneet Kaur, Saikat Guha, Mark M. Wilde

Faculty Publications

We consider discrete-modulation protocols for continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) that employ a modulation constellation consisting of a finite number of coherent states and that use a homodyne- or a heterodyne-detection receiver. We establish a security proof for collective attacks in the asymptotic regime, and we provide a formula for an achievable secret-key rate. Previous works established security proofs for discrete-modulation CV-QKD protocols that use two or three coherent states. The main constituents of our approach include approximating a complex, isotropic Gaussian probability distribution by a finite-size Gauss-Hermite constellation, applying entropic continuity bounds, and leveraging previous security proofs for Gaussian-modulation …

The Barley Hvwrky6 Transcription Factor Is Required For Resistance Against Pyrenophora Teres F. Teres, Prabin Tamang, Jonathan K. Richards, Shyam Solanki, Gazala Ameen, Roshan Sharma Poudel, Priyanka Deka, Karl Effertz, Shaun J. Clare, Justin Hegstad, Achintya Bezbaruah, Xuehui Li, Richard D. Horsley, Timothy L. Friesen, Robert S. Brueggeman

Faculty Publications

Barley is an important cereal crop worldwide because of its use in the brewing and distilling industry. However, adequate supplies of quality malting barley are threatened by global climate change due to drought in some regions and excess precipitation in others, which facilitates epidemics caused by fungal pathogens. The disease net form net blotch caused by the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Pyrenophora teres f. teres (Ptt) has emerged as a global threat to barley production and diverse populations of Ptt have shown a capacity to overcome deployed genetic resistances. The barley line CI5791 exhibits remarkably effective resistance to diverse Ptt isolates …

Removal Of Potentially Toxic Metal By Biochar Derived From Rendered Solid Residue With High Content Of Protein And Bone Tissue, Jong Hwan Park, Jin Ju Yun, Se Won Kang, Seong Heon Kim, Ju Sik Cho, Jim J. Wang, Dong Cheol Seo

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to produce rendering animal carcass residue char (RACR-C) by pyrolyzing the solid residues of low-recyclable rendered pig carcasses and to evaluate their cadmium (Cd) adsorption characteristics and mechanisms. As the pyrolysis temperature increased, the inorganic content of RACR-C increased, while the carbon content decreased. In particular, the surface structure and chemistry of RACR-Cs prepared at different pyrolysis temperatures were well described by SEM-EDS, XRD, XRF, TGA, and FTIR. The Cd adsorption characteristics of RACR-C were in good agreement with the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order models, and the Cd adsorption capacities of RACR-Cs prepared at …

Identify Rna-Associated Subcellular Localizations Based On Multi-Label Learning Using Chou’S 5-Steps Rule, Hao Wang, Yijie Ding, Jijun Tang Ph.D., Quan Zou, Fei Guo

Faculty Publications

Background: Biological functions of biomolecules rely on the cellular compartments where they are located in cells. Importantly, RNAs are assigned in specific locations of a cell, enabling the cell to implement diverse biochemical processes in the way of concurrency. However, lots of existing RNA subcellular localization classifiers only solve the problem of single-label classification. It is of great practical significance to expand RNA subcellular localization into multi-label classification problem.

Results: In this study, we extract multi-label classification datasets about RNA-associated subcellular localizations on various types of RNAs, and then construct subcellular localization datasets on four RNA categories. In order to …

Hydroperiod And Salinity Interactions Control Mangrove Root Dynamics In A Karstic Oceanic Island In The Caribbean Sea (San Andres, Colombia), Jairo Humberto Medina-Calderón, José Ernesto Mancera-Pineda, Edward Castañeda-Moya, Víctor H. Rivera-Monroy

Faculty Publications

Mangroves sustain high soil accretion and carbon sequestration rates, yet it is still unknown if they can keep pace with increasing sea level rise (SLR) across a wider range of coastal geomorphic settings. Because accretion rates are controlled by mineral sediment inputs and organic matter accumulation, it is paramount to assess the relative contribution of root productivity to soil formation. Here, we evaluated root biomass, production, and turnover in three mangrove ecotypes to evaluate the role of soil nutrient limitation, stressors, and hydroperiod in controlling root dynamics in San Andres Island (SAI), a karstic oceanic island in the Caribbean Sea. …

Fracture Diodes: Directional Asymmetry Of Fracture Toughness, N. R. Brodnik, S. Brach, C. M. Long, G. Ravichandran, B. Bourdin, K. T. Faber, K. Bhattacharya

Faculty Publications

Toughness describes the ability of a material to resist fracture or crack propagation. It is demonstrated here that fracture toughness of a material can be asymmetric, i.e., the resistance of amedium to a crack propagating from right to left can be significantly different from that to a crack propagating from left to right. Such asymmetry is unknown in natural materials, but we show that it can be built into artificial materials through the proper control of microstructure. This paves the way for control of crack paths and direction, where fracture - when unavoidable - can be guidedthrough predesigned paths to …

Rapid Spectral Variability Of A Giant Flare From A Magnetar In Ngc 253, O. J. Roberts, P. Veres, M. G. Baring, M. S. Briggs, C. Kouveliotou, E. Bissaldi, G. Younes, S. I. Chastain, J. J. Delaunay, D. Huppenkothen, A. Tohuvavohu, P. N. Bhat, E. Göğüş, A. J. Van Der Horst, J. A. Kennea, D. Kocevski, J. D. Linford, S. Guiriec, R. Hamburg, C. A. Wilson-Hodge, E. Burns

Faculty Publications

Magnetars are neutron stars with extremely strong magnetic fields (1013 to 1015 gauss)1,2, which episodically emit X-ray bursts approximately 100 milliseconds long and with energies of 1040 to 1041 erg. Occasionally, they also produce extremely bright and energetic giant flares, which begin with a short (roughly 0.2 seconds), intense flash, followed by fainter, longer-lasting emission that is modulated by the spin period of the magnetar3,4 (typically 2 to 12 seconds). Over the past 40 years, only three such flares have been observed in our local group of galaxies3–6, and in all cases the extreme intensity of the flares caused the …

Program Implementation And Church Members' Health Behaviors In A Countywide Study Of The Faith, Activity, And Nutrition Program, John Bernhart Ph.D., Mph, Ches, Sarah Wilcox Phd, Ruth P. Saunders Ph.D., Brent E. Hutto Msph, Jessica Stucker

Faculty Publications

Implementation research of health programs in faith-based organizations is lacking. The Faith, Activity, and Nutrition (FAN) program helps churches improve physical activity and fruit and vegetable behaviors of members. This study examined associations between implementation of FAN intervention components and church members' physical activity, fruit and vegetable behaviors, and self-efficacy for improving these behaviors. FAN was implemented in 35 churches in a southeastern US county. After attending in-person training, led by community health advisors, church committees received 12 months of telephone-delivered technical assistance to implement FAN according to 4 components: increasing opportunities, increasing guidelines and policies, increasing pastor support, and …

Poster Competitions In A Pandemic: The Value Of Going Virtual, Megan Frost, Michael C. Goates, Gregory M. Nelson

Faculty Publications

Science librarians at Brigham Young University have hosted a student poster competition for the past several years to showcase student research on campus and to promote science information literacy and scholarly communication skills. As part of this competition, students receive constructive feedback on both their poster design and their oral presentation skills during an in-person open house. In 2020, COVID-19 threw a curveball as the campus shut down just two weeks before the scheduled competition open house. Rather than throwing in the towel, the librarians scrambled to turn this previously in-person competition into a completely virtual event. Despite the substantial …

On-Chip Silicon Photonic Controllable 2 × 2 Four-Mode Waveguide Switch, Cao Dung Truong, Duy Nguyen Thi Hang, Hengky Chandrahalim, Minh Tuan Trinh

Faculty Publications

Multimode optical switch is a key component of mode division multiplexing in modern high-speed optical signal processing. In this paper, we introduce for the first time a novel 2 × 2 multimode switch design and demonstrate in the proof-of-concept. The device composes of four Y-multijunctions and 2 × 2 multimode interference coupler using silicon-on-insulator material with four controllable phase shifters. The shifters operate using thermo-optic effects utilizing Ti heaters enabling simultaneous switching of the optical signal between the output ports on four quasi-transverse electric modes with the electric power consumption is in order of 22.5 mW and the switching time …

A Burkholderia Thailandensis Deda Family Membrane Protein Is Required For Proton Motive Force Dependent Lipid A Modification, Pradip R. Panta, William T. Doerrler

Faculty Publications

The DedA family is a conserved membrane protein family found in most organisms. A Burkholderia thailandensis DedA family protein, named DbcA, is required for high-level colistin (polymyxin E) resistance, but the mechanism awaits elucidation. Modification of lipopolysaccharide lipid A with the cationic sugar aminoarabinose (Ara4N) is required for colistin resistance and is dependent upon protonmotive force (PMF) dependent transporters. B. thailandensis ΔdbcA lipid A contains only small amounts of Ara4N, likely leading to colistin sensitivity. Two B. thailandensis operons are required for lipid A modification with Ara4N, one needed for biosynthesis of undecaprenyl-P-Ara4N and one for transport of the lipid …

The Inhibition Of Cdk8/19 Mediator Kinases Prevents The Development Of Resistance To Egfr-Targeting Drugs, Amanda C. Sharko, Chang-Uk Lim, Martina S.J. Mcdermott, Chuck Hennes, Kingsavanh P. Philavong, Tiffanie Aiken, Victor V. Tatarskiy, Igor Roninson Ph. D., Eugenia Broude

Faculty Publications

Drug resistance is the main obstacle to achieving cures with both conventional and targeted anticancer drugs. The emergence of acquired drug resistance is initially mediated by non-genetic transcriptional changes, which occur at a much higher frequency than mutations and may involve population-scale transcriptomic adaptation. CDK8/19 kinases, through association with transcriptional Mediator complex, regulate transcriptional reprogramming by co-operating with different signal-responsive transcription factors. Here we tested if CDK8/19 inhibition could prevent adaptation to drugs acting on epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR/ERBB1/HER1). The development of resistance was analyzed following long-term exposure of BT474 and SKBR3 breast cancer cells to EGFR-targeting small molecules …

Stem Cell Factor In Combination With Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor Protects The Brain From Capillary Thrombosis-Induced Ischemic Neuron Loss In A Mouse Model Of Cadasil, Suning Ping, Xuecheng Qiu, Maria E. Gonzalez-Toledo, Xiaoyun Liu, Li Ru Zhao

Faculty Publications

Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarct and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is a Notch3 mutation-induced cerebral small vessel disease, leading to recurrent ischemic stroke and vascular dementia. There is currently no treatment that can stop or delay CADASIL progression. We have demonstrated the efficacy of treatment with combined stem cell factor (SCF) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) (SCF+G-CSF) in reducing cerebral small vessel thrombosis in a TgNotch3R90C mouse model of CADASIL. However, it remains unknown whether SCF+G-CSF treatment protects neurons from microvascular thrombosis-induced ischemic damage. Using bone marrow transplantation to track thrombosis, we observed that capillary thrombosis was widely distributed in …

Beam Spin Asymmetry In Semi-Inclusive Electroproduction Of Hadron Pairs, M. Mirazita, H. Avakian, A. Courtoy, S. Pisano, S. Pisano, S. Adhikari, M. J. Amaryan, Giovanni Angelini, H. Atac, N. A. Baltzell, L. Barion, M. Battaglieri, I. Bedlinskiy, Fatiha Benmokhtar, A. Bianconi, A. S. Biselli, F. Bossù, S. Boiarinov, W. J. Briscoe, W. K. Brooks, Steffen Strauch, Et. Al.

Faculty Publications

A first measurement of the longitudinal beam spin asymmetry 𝐴_𝐿⁢𝑈 in the semi-inclusive electroproduction of pairs of charged pions is reported. 𝐴_𝐿⁢𝑈 is a higher-twist observable and offers the cleanest access to the nucleon twist-3 parton distribution function 𝑒⁡(𝑥). Data have been collected in the Hall-B at Jefferson Lab by impinging a 5.498-GeV electron beam on a liquid-hydrogen target, and reconstructing the scattered electron and the pion pair with the CLAS detector. One-dimensional projections of the 𝐴^{sin⁡𝜙𝑅} _LU moments are extracted for the kinematic variables of interest in the valence quark region. The understanding of dihadron production …

Journal Of Water Sanitation And Hygiene For Development Use Of Single Particle Icp-Ms To Estimate Silver Nanoparticle Penetration Through Baby Porcine Mucosa, Ilaria Zanoni, Matteo Crosera, Elena Pavoni, Gianpiero Adami, Marcella Mauro, Anna Luisa Costa, Jamie Lead, Francesca Larese

Faculty Publications

Children are potentially exposed to products that contain nanoparticles (NPs). In particular, silver NPs are commonly present both in products used by and around children, primarily due to their antibacterial properties. However, very few data are available regarding the ability of silver NPs to penetrate through the oral mucosa in children. In the present work, we used baby porcine buccal mucosa mounted on vertical Franz diffusion cells, as an in vitro model to investigate penetration of silver NPs (19 ± 5 nm). Permeability experiments were performed using pristine physiologically-relevant saline solution in the receiver chamber and known concentrations of NPs …

Use Of Single Particle Icp-Ms To Estimate Silver Nanoparticle Penetration Through Baby Porcine Mucosa, Ilaria Zanoni, Matteo Crosera, Elena Pavoni, Gianpiero Adami, Marcella Mauro, Anna Luisa Costa, Jamie Lead, Francesca Larese Filon

Faculty Publications

Children are potentially exposed to products that contain nanoparticles (NPs). In particular, silver NPs are commonly present both in products used by and around children, primarily due to their antibacterial properties. However, very few data are available regarding the ability of silver NPs to penetrate through the oral mucosa in children. In the present work, we used baby porcine buccal mucosa mounted on vertical Franz diffusion cells, as an in vitro model to investigate penetration of silver NPs (19 ± 5 nm). Permeability experiments were performed using pristine physiologically-relevant saline solution in the receiver chamber and known concentrations of NPs …

Integrated Profiling Identifies Itgb3bp As Prognostic Biomarker For Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Qiuli Liang, Chao Tan, Feifei Xiao, Fuqiang Yin, Meiliang Liu, Lei Lei, Liuyu Wu, Yu Yang, Jennifer Hui Juan Tan, Shun Liu, Xiaoyun Zeng

Faculty Publications

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly malignant tumor. In this study, we sought to identify a novel biomarker for HCC by analyzing transcriptome and clinical data. The R software was used to analyze the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the datasets GSE74656 and GSE84598 downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, followed by a functional annotation. A total of 138 shared DEGs were screened from two datasets. They were mainly enriched in the “Metabolic pathways” pathway (Padj = 8.21E-08) and involved in the carboxylic acid metabolic process (Padj = 0.0004). The top 10 hub genes were found by protein-protein interaction …

Expanding The Legal Services Ecosystem: An Educational Model To Improve Access To Immigration Justice Through Legal Paraprofessionals, Michele R. Pistone

Faculty Publications

Using disruptive innovation theory as a guidepost, this Article analyzes what is happening in the market for legal services and legal education. Disruption theory is also used to try to anticipate future developments in the market for legal education.

Guided by this theory, this Article discusses a new model of education about the law implemented in anticipation of inevitable changes in the market for legal education.The new online educational program is being modeled in the field of immigration law to train more students about immigration law with the goal of increasing the pool of people qualified to apply to become …

Arthropods Are Not Declining But Are Responsive To Disturbance In The Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico, Timothy D. Schowalter, Manoj Pandey, Steven J. Presley, Michael R. Willig, Jess K. Zimmerman

Faculty Publications

A number of recent studies have documented long-term declines in abundances of important arthropod groups, primarily in Europe and North America. These declines are generally attributed to habitat loss, but a recent study [B.C. Lister, A. Garcia, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 115, E10397-E10406 (2018)] from the Luquillo Experimental Forest (LEF) in Puerto Rico attributed declines to global warming. We analyze arthropod data from the LEF to evaluate long-term trends within the context of hurricane-induced disturbance, secondary succession, and temporal variation in temperature. Our analyses demonstrate that responses to hurricane-induced disturbance and ensuing succession were the primary factors that affected …

Search For Slow Magnetic Monopoles With The Nova Detector On The Surface, M. A. Acero, P. Adamson, L. Aliaga, T. Alion, V. Allakhverdian, N. Anfimov, A. Antoshkin, E. Arrieta-Diaz, L. Asquith, A. Aurisano, A. Back, C. Backhouse, M. Biard, N. Balashov, P. Baldi, B. A. Bambah, S. Bashar, K. Bays, S. Bending, R. Bernstein, Roberto Petti, Sanjib R. Mishra Ph.D., Et. Al.

Faculty Publications

We report a search for a magnetic monopole component of the cosmic-ray flux in a 95-day exposure of the NOvA experiment’s Far Detector, a 14 kt segmented liquid scintillator detector designed primarily to observe GeV-scale electron neutrinos. No events consistent with monopoles were observed, setting an upper limit on the flux of 2 × 10⁻¹⁴ cm⁻² s⁻¹ sr⁻¹ at 90% C.L. for monopole speed 6 × 10⁻⁴ < β < 5 × 10⁻³ and mass greater than 5 × 10⁸ GeV. Because of NOvA’s small overburden of 3 meters-water equivalent, this constraint covers a previously unexplored low-mass region.

First-Order Comprehensive Adjoint Sensitivity Analysis Methodology For Critical Points In Coupled Nonlinear Systems. I: Mathematical Framework, Dan Gabriel Cacuci

Faculty Publications

This work presents the novel first-order comprehensive adjoint sensitivity analysis methodology for critical points (1st-CASAM-CP), which enables the exact and efficient computation of the first-order sensitivities of responses defined at critical points (maxima, minima, saddle points) of coupled nonlinear models of physical systems characterized by imprecisely known parameters underlying the models, boundaries, and interfaces between the coupled systems. Responses defined at critical points are important in many applications, including system optimization, safety analyses and licensing. For the design and licensing of nuclear reactors, such essentially important responses include the maximum temperatures of the fuel and cladding in hot channels. The …