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Lithium-drifted silicon [Si(Li)] has been used for decades as an ionizing radiation detector in nuclear, particle, and astrophysical experiments, though such detectors have frequently been limited to small sizes (few cm$^2$) and cryogenic operating temperatures. The 10-cm-diameter Si(Li) detectors developed for the General Antiparticle Spectrometer (GAPS) balloon-borne dark matter experiment are novel particularly for their requirements of low cost, large sensitive area (~10 m$^2$ for the full 1440-detector array), high temperatures (near -40$\,^\circ$C), and energy resolution below 4 keV FWHM for 20--100-keV x-rays. Previous works have discussed the manufacturing, passivation, and small-scale testing of prototype GAPS Si(Li) detectors. Here we show for the first time the results from detailed characterization of over 1100 flight detectors, illustrating the consistent intrinsic low-noise performance of a large sample of GAPS detectors. This work demonstrates the feasibility of large-area and low-cost Si(Li) detector arrays for next-generation astrophysics and nuclear physics applications., Comment: Updated to version accepted in IEEE Trans Nucl Sci. Minor changes to text, fixed plotting error on Fig. 5. Conclusions unchanged

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in statistical methods that exhibit robust performance under distribution changes between training and test data. While most of the related research focuses on point predictions with the squared error loss, this article turns the focus towards probabilistic predictions, which aim to comprehensively quantify the uncertainty of an outcome variable given covariates. Within a causality-inspired framework, we investigate the invariance and robustness of probabilistic predictions with respect to proper scoring rules. We show that arbitrary distribution shifts do not, in general, admit invariant and robust probabilistic predictions, in contrast to the setting of point prediction. We illustrate how to choose evaluation metrics and restrict the class of distribution shifts to allow for identifiability and invariance in the prototypical Gaussian heteroscedastic linear model. Motivated by these findings, we propose a method to yield invariant probabilistic predictions, called IPP, and study the consistency of the underlying parameters. Finally, we demonstrate the empirical performance of our proposed procedure on simulated as well as on single-cell data.

Fluid seepage along obliquely deforming plate boundaries can be an important indicator of crustal permeability and influence on fault-zone mechanics and hydrocarbon migration. The ∼850-km-long Queen Charlotte fault (QCF) is the dominant structure along the right-lateral transform boundary that separates the Pacific and North American tectonic plates offshore southeastern Alaska (USA) and western British Columbia (Canada). Indications for fluid seepage along the QCF margin include gas bubbles originating from the seafloor and imaged in the water column, chemosynthetic communities, precipitates of authigenic carbonates, mud volcanoes, and changes in the acoustic character of seismic reflection data. Cold seeps sampled in this study preferentially occur along the crests of ridgelines associated with uplift and folding and between submarine canyons that incise the continental slope strata. With carbonate stable carbon isotope (δ13C) values ranging from −46‰ to −3‰, there is evidence of both microbial and thermal degradation of organic matter of continental-margin sediments along the QCF. Both active and dormant venting on ridge crests indicate that the development of anticlines is a key feature along the QCF that facilitates both trapping and focused fluid flow. Geochemical analyses of methane-derived authigenic carbonates are evidence of fluid seepage along the QCF since the Last Glacial Maximum. These cold seeps sustain vibrant chemosynthetic communities such as clams and bacterial mats, providing further evidence of venting of reduced chemical fluids such as methane and sulfide along the QCF.

High-temperature low-cycle fatigue testing was conducted on pressure vessel steel using standard and miniature specimen sizes and the fatigue toughness required for macrocrack propagation was investigated. A definite specimen-size dependency was observed for both the threshold cumulative plastic strain energy and cycles required for macrocrack propagation, which was explained to be influenced by geometric conditions. An analytical modelling prediction was developed that accounted for specimen-size dependency and was successfully applied to predict fatigue toughness to macrocrack propagation.

Hydrogen cracking in steel weldments can drastically reduce the toughness and ductility of welds in steel structures. Unfortunately, the development of the hydrogen economy will also see materials being increasingly exposed to hydrogen, in processes such as during hydrogen production and transportation. Thus, test methods are required which allow for a reproducible assessment of hydrogen embrittlement in weld material. In this article, rectangular test specimens made from weld bead on plate samples were subject to 4-point bend testing to investigate the relationship between applied stress, hydrogen content and embrittlement. This test concentrates the stresses in the weld bead, thus reducing the effects of premature HAZ cracking and enabling failure to develop in the weld metal, and showed good reproducibility. This test may form the basis for an industry test. Another test method is described using an un-machined weld bead on plate. A method of calculating the stresses and strains in this specimen in 4-point bending was developed.

Diffusible hydrogen introduced during the welding process can drastically reduce the toughness and ductility of welds in steel structures. In welds experiencing high levels of longitudinal residual stress (such as upper passes in multipass thick sections), transverse weld metal cracking can occur. While there are methods available for assessing susceptibility of heat affected zones in the parent material to hydrogen cracking, there are few that are applicable to the deposited weld metal, and none that are quantitative in relation to transverse cracking. Therefore, the current work was undertaken to develop a test that isolates and quantitatively assesses the effects of diffusible hydrogen on transverse cracking in the weld metal. The test method was based on four point bending of as-deposited weld metal with controlled levels of diffusible hydrogen. It is proposed that such a test configuration allows quantitative assessment of the relationship between applied stress/strain, hydrogen content, microstructural characteristics and the fracture behaviour. There were two variations on the test method; the first involved rectangular specimens machined from bead on plate welds providing a geometrically regular specimen with low variability in test results, and the second involved an as-welded bead on plate specimen (un-machined) which inherently has a higher level of variability due to greater irregularity in the specimen geometry, but which has the potential for industrial application due to the much simplified sample preparation and handling required. The method shows a high level of reproducibility and shows great potential for future application for both assessment of susceptibility of weld metals to hydrogen embrittlement, as well as more fundamental studies of the physico-chemical mechanis ms underlying hydro gen embrittlement phenomena.