Thin films of epitaxial LaCoO{sub 3} were synthesized on SrTiO{sub 3} and (La, Sr)(Al, Ta)O{sub 3} substrates varying the oxygen background pressure in order to evaluate the impact of epitaxial growth as well as oxygen vacancies on the long range magnetic order. The epitaxial constraints from the substrate impose a tetragonal distortion compared to the bulk form. X-ray absorption and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements confirmed that the ferromagnetism arises from the Co ions and persists through the entire thickness of the film. It was found that for the thin films to show ferromagnetic order they have to be grown under the higher oxygen pressures, since a decrease in oxygen deposition pressure alters the film structure and suppresses ferromagnetism in the LaCoO{sub 3} films. A correlation of the structure and magnetism suggests that the tetragonal distortions induce the ferromagnetism.

A detailed chemical kinetic mechanism has been developed and used to study the oxidation of methyl decanoate, a surrogate for biodiesel fuels. This model has been built by following the rules established by Curran et al. for the oxidation of n-heptane and it includes all the reactions known to be pertinent to both low and high temperatures. Computed results have been compared with methyl decanoate experiments in an engine and oxidation of rapeseed oil methyl esters in a jet stirred reactor. An important feature of this mechanism is its ability to reproduce the early formation of carbon dioxide that is unique to biofuels and due to the presence of the ester group in the reactant. The model also predicts ignition delay times and OH profiles very close to observed values in shock tube experiments fueled by n-decane. These model capabilities indicate that large n-alkanes can be good surrogates for large methyl esters and biodiesel fuels to predict overall reactivity, but some kinetic details, including early CO2 production from biodiesel fuels, can be predicted only by a detailed kinetic mechanism for a true methyl ester fuel. The present methyl decanoate mechanism provides a realistic kinetic tool for simulation of biodiesel fuels.

A single parameter, the gravitational growth index gamma, succeeds in characterizing the growth of density perturbations in the linear regime separately from the effects of the cosmic expansion. The parameter is restricted to a very narrow range for models of dark energy obeying the laws of general relativity but can take on distinctly different values in models of beyond-Einstein gravity. Motivated by the parameterized post-Newtonian (PPN) formalism for testing gravity, we analytically derive and extend the gravitational growth index, or Minimal Modified Gravity, approach to parameterizing beyond-Einstein cosmology. The analytic formalism demonstrates how to apply the growth index parameter to early dark energy, time-varying gravity, DGP braneworld gravity, and some scalar-tensor gravity.

Free sintering of SiC with Al, B, and C additions in two successive stages, first under nitrogen and then under argon, produced a near full-density ceramic with equiaxed grain structure. The beta to alpha transformation proceeded to completion; however, the grain shape remained equiaxed due to the action of nitrogen present during the first stage of sintering. It is found that the beta to alpha transformation is necessary but not sufficient for producing the microstructure of interlocking plates found in high-toughness SiC.

DNA from low biodiversity fracture water collected at 2.8 km depth in a South African gold mine was sequenced and assembled into a single, complete genome. This bacterium, Candidatus Desulforudis audaxviator, comprises>99.9percent of the microorganisms inhabiting the fluid phase of this particular fracture. Its genome indicates a motile, sporulating, sulfate reducing, chemoautotrophic thermophile that can fix its own nitrogen and carbon using machinery shared with archaea. Candidatus Desulforudis audaxviator is capable of an independent lifestyle well suited to long-term isolation from the photosphere deep within Earth?s crust, and offers the first example of a natural ecosystem that appears to have its biological component entirely encoded within a single genome.

We report the synthesis of epitaxial spinel CuCr{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin films that display enhanced magnetization in excess of 200% of the bulk values when grown on single-crystal (110) MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} substrates. Bulk CuCr{sub 2}O{sub 4} is a ferrimagnetic insulator with a net magnetic moment of 0.5 {micro}{sub B} due to its distorted tetragonal unit cell (c/a= 1.29) and frustrated triangular moment configuration. We show that through epitaxial growth and substrate-induced strain, it is possible to tune the magnetic functionality of our films by reducing the tetragonal distortion of the unit cell which effectively decreases the frustration of the magnetic moments allowing for an overall greater net moment.

The Workshop Report integrates what was said at the Workshop on New Directions in Soft X-Ray Photoabsorption, which focused on the region from 100 eV to 10 keV. The report clarifies the current state of theory and experiment and identifies the opportunities which new theoretical methods and experimental facilities could be expected to provide. The understanding of photoabsorption (which requires experimental photoabsorption cross section data) is a key to understanding the properties and behavior of atoms, molecules and solids. The Workshop participants were forty-three physicists and quantum chemists, from twenty-four institutions in four countries, all interested in photoabsorption from different perspectives.

The consideration for building an international Engineering Test Reactor emerged from the November 1985 Geneva Summit, in which President Reagan and Secretary Gorbachev called for the ''widest practical development of international cooperation'' in fusion. In parallel with the OTR design in the USSR, the FER in Japan, and the NET in Europe, the US has pursued the TIBER (Tokamak Ignition/Burn Experimental Reactor). This compact design of 3-m major radius is achievable because of high-current-density, radiation-tolerant magnets with nuclear heating rates up to 10 mW . cm/sup -3/. Full development of cable-in-conduit conductors (CICC) is seen as a credible path to achieve 40 A . mm/sup -2/ at fields of 12 T in the toroidal field (TF) coils and 14 T in the central poloidal field (PF) coils. Since neutron fluences of up to 10/sup 19/ n . cm/sup -2/ are expected in the TF coils, the unalloyed niobium-tin would be superior at 12 T. However, the central PF coil at 14 T is better shielded, so modified niobium tin would be advantageous. Polyimide insulation in the TF coils would withstand the equivalent 10/sup 10/) rads if loads in the winding pack are taken in compression. 13 refs., 7 figs., 2 …

The High-Field Test Facility (HFTF) is a flexible and, in many ways, unique facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) for providing the test capabilities needed to develop the superconducting magnet systems of the next generation fusion machines. The superconducting coil set in HFTF has been operated successfully at LLNL, but in its original configuration, its utility as a test facility was somewhat restricted and cryogenic losses were intolerable. A new cryostat for the coil set allows the magnet system to remain cold indefinitely so the system is available on short notice to provide high fields (about 11 T) inside a reasonably large test volume (0.3-m diam). The test volume is physically and thermally isolated from the coil volume, allowing test articles to be inserted and removed without disturbing the coil cryogenic volume, which is maintained by an on-line refrigerator. Indeed, with the proper precautions, it is even unnecessary to drop the field in the HFTF during such an operation. The separate test volume also allows reduced temperature operation without the expense and complication of subcooling the entire coil set (about 20-t cold mass). The HFTF has thus become a key facility in the LLNL magnet development program, where the …

The Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) at the Savannah River Site (SRS) will be the first production facility in the United States for the immobilization of high-level nuclear waste. Production of DWPF canistered wasteforms will begin prior to repository licensing, so decisions on facility startup will have to be made before the final decisions on repository design are made. The Department of Energy's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (RW) has addressed this discrepancy by defining a Waste Acceptance Process. This process provides assurance that the borosilicate-glass wasteform, in a stainless-steel canister, produced by the DWPF will be acceptable for permanent storage in a federal repository. As part of this process, detailed technical specifications have been developed for the DWPF product. SRS has developed detailed strategies for demonstrating compliance with each of the Waste Acceptance Process specifications. An important part of the compliance is the testing which will be carried out in the DWPF. In this paper, the bases for each of the tests to be performed in the DWPF to establish compliance with the specifications are described, and the tests are detailed. The results of initial tests relating to characterization of sealed canisters are reported.

The third hypervariable domain of the HIV-1 gp120 envelope protein (V3) has been the focus of intensive sequencing efforts. To date, nearly one thousand V3 loop sequences have been stored in the HIV sequence database. Studies have revealed that the V3 loop elicits potent type-specific immune responses, and that it plays a significant role in cell tropism and fusion . The immunogenic tip of the loop can serve as a type-specific neutralizing antibody epitope, as well as a cytotoxic T-cell epitope. A helper T-cell epitope that lies within the amino terminal half of the V3 loop has also been characterized. Despite the richness of the immunologic response to this region, its potential for variation makes it an elusive target for vaccine design. Analyses of sibling sequence sets (sets of viral sequences derived from one person) show that multiple forms of the immunogenic tip of the loop are found within most HIV-1 infected individuals. Viral V3 sequences obtained from epidemiologically unlinked individuals from North America and Europe show extensive variation. However, some amino acid positions distributed throughout the V3 loop are highly conserved, and there is also conservation of the charge class of amino acid able to occupy certain positions relative …

Slower growth projections in the demand for electricity and advances in metal fuel technology have shifted some of the emphasis in fast reactor development in the US from large oxide cores to small cores and also renewed interest in metal fuel. Cores constrained by diameter and fuel burnup exhibit many similar neutronic performance characteristics. However, some parameters such as reactivity coefficients, for example, are very different. The physics parameters of the four cores studied suggest that metal fueled cores, although less developed than oxide cores, are more flexible in adapting to currently changing deployment scenarios.

The hazards associated with low-level radioactive waste, one of the nation's greatest concerns, are discussed from a health physicist's perspective. Potential biological hazards, four stages of the low-level radioactive waste disposal process, and suggested methods of reducing the risks of handling and disposal, based on previous studies, are defined. Also discussed are potential pathways of human exposure and two scenarios designed to demonstrate the complexity of modeling exposure pathways. The risks of developing a fatal cancer from exposure to the radioactive material, should it occur, is compared to other more commonly accepted risks.

An analysis was performed of the three existing measurements of the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of molten uranium dioxide. A transient heat transfer code (THTB) was used for this analysis. A much smaller range of values for thermal conductivity than originally reported was found: the original values ranged from 2.4 to 11 W . m/sup -1/ . K/sup -1/, with a mean of 7.3 W . m/sup -1/ . K/sup -1/, whereas the recalculated values ranged from 4.5 to 6.75 W . m/sup -1/ . K/sup -1/, with a mean of 5.6 W . m/sup -1/ . K/sup -1/.

The third hypervariable domain of the HIV-1 gp120 envelope protein (V3) has been the focus of intensive sequencing efforts. To date, nearly one thousand V3 loop sequences have been stored in the HIV sequence database. Studies have revealed that the V3 loop elicits potent type-specific immune responses, and that it plays a significant role in cell tropism and fusion . The immunogenic tip of the loop can serve as a type-specific neutralizing antibody epitope, as well as a cytotoxic T-cell epitope. A helper T-cell epitope that lies within the amino terminal half of the V3 loop has also been characterized. Despite the richness of the immunologic response to this region, its potential for variation makes it an elusive target for vaccine design. Analyses of sibling sequence sets (sets of viral sequences derived from one person) show that multiple forms of the immunogenic tip of the loop are found within most HIV-1 infected individuals. Viral V3 sequences obtained from epidemiologically unlinked individuals from North America and Europe show extensive variation. However, some amino acid positions distributed throughout the V3 loop are highly conserved, and there is also conservation of the charge class of amino acid able to occupy certain positions relative …

We have developed techniques and are commencing experiments using enriched {sup 41}Ca as a tracer in isolated rabbit heart preparations. The aims of the study are to measure calcium uptake and deposition in response to cardiac ischemia and reperfusion, and to investigate events and mechanism leading to irreversible myocyte injury.

The Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) at the Savannah River Site (SRS) will be the first production facility in the United States for the immobilization of high-level nuclear waste. Production of DWPF canistered wasteforms will begin prior to repository licensing, so decisions on facility startup will have to be made before the final decisions on repository design are made. The Department of Energy`s Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (RW) has addressed this discrepancy by defining a Waste Acceptance Process. This process provides assurance that the borosilicate-glass wasteform, in a stainless-steel canister, produced by the DWPF will be acceptable for permanent storage in a federal repository. As part of this process, detailed technical specifications have been developed for the DWPF product. SRS has developed detailed strategies for demonstrating compliance with each of the Waste Acceptance Process specifications. An important part of the compliance is the testing which will be carried out in the DWPF. In this paper, the bases for each of the tests to be performed in the DWPF to establish compliance with the specifications are described, and the tests are detailed. The results of initial tests relating to characterization of sealed canisters are reported.

In this study a respirometer is tested for its ability to act as an early upset warning device and whole effluent toxicity monitor for industrial discharge. Industrial discharge water quality is commonly evaluated by comparing measured chemical concentrations to target values or regulatory limits established by governmental agencies. Unless the regulatory values are based upon empirical data, the actual effect of the discharge on aquatic systems is unknown. At the same time assessing the environmental toxicology of wastewater discharges is complicated by synergistic relationships among chemical constituents producing greater total toxicity. For example, metals may be more toxic in waters with low total hardness or more soluble at lower pH. An alternative approach that we are investigating is whole effluent toxicity testing. This study investigates the measurement of whole effluent toxicity through an on-line respirometer that measures toxicity to microorganisms comprising activated sludge. In this approach the oxygen uptake rate is monitored and used as an indicator of microbial activity or health. This study investigates the use of an online whole effluent toxicity testing system to provide early upset warning and the consistency of measured response to low pH. Repeated exposure of the microorganisms to low pH results in reduced …

We have developed NADS (Nuclear and Atomic Data System), a web-based graphical interface for viewing pointwise and grouped cross-sections and distributions. Our implementation is a client / server model. The client is a Java applet that displays the graphical interface, which has interactive 2-D, 3-D, and 4-D plots and tables. The server, which can serve and perform computations the data, has been implemented in Python using the FUDGE package developed by Bret Beck at LLNL. Computational capabilities include algebraic manipulation of nuclear evaluated data in databases such as LLNL's ENDL-99, ENDF/B-V and ENDF/B-VI as well as user data. Processed data used in LLNL's transport codes are accessible as well. NADS is available from http://nuclear.llnl.gov/

Habitat use has been shown to be an important factor in the bioaccumulation of contaminants in striped bass. This study examines migration in striped bass as part of a larger study investigating bioaccumulation and maternal transfer of xenobiotics to progeny in the San Francisco Estuary system. Habitat use, residence time and spawning migration over the life of females (n = 23) was studied. Female striped bass were collected between Knights Landing and Colusa on the Sacramento River during the spawning runs of 1999 and 2001. Otoliths were removed, processed and aged via otolith microstructure. Subsequently, otoliths were analyzed for strontium/calcium (Sr/Ca) ratio using an electron-microprobe to measure salinity exposure and to distinguish freshwater, estuary, and marine habitat use. Salinity exposure during the last year before capture was examined more closely for comparison of habitat use by the maternal parent to contaminant burden transferred to progeny. Results were selectively confirmed by ion microprobe analyses for habitat use. The Sr/Ca data demonstrate a wide range of migratory patterns. Age of initial ocean entry differs among individuals before returning to freshwater, presumably to spawn. Some fish reside in freshwater year-round, while others return to more saline habitats and make periodic migrations to freshwater. …

N/A

These proceedings contain papers prepared for the 24th Seismic Research Review: Nuclear Explosion Monitoring: Innovation and Integration, held 17-19 September, 2002 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. These papers represent the combined research related to ground-based nuclear explosion monitoring funded by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), and other invited sponsors. The scientific objectives of the research are to improve the United States capability to detect, locate, and identify nuclear explosions. The purpose of the meeting is to provide the sponsoring agencies, as well as potential users, an opportunity to review research accomplished during the preceding year and to discuss areas of investigation for the coming year. For the researchers, it provides a forum for the exchange of scientific information toward achieving program goals, and an opportunity to discuss results and future plans. Paper topics include: seismic regionalization and calibration; detection and location of sources; wave propagation from source to receiver; the nature of seismic sources, including mining practices; hydroacoustic, infrasound, and radionuclide methods; on-site inspection; and data processing.

In the Elmo Bumpy Torus Reactor (EBTR) study the feasibility of achieving a fusion power plant based on the EBT confinement concept was evaluated. If the present understanding of the physics can be extrapolated to reactor scale devices the reactor could operate at high beta, high power density, and at steady state. The high aspect ratio of the device eases the accessibility, structural design and remote maintenance problems which are common to low aspect ratio machines. A version of the EBTR reference design described here could be constructed with only minor extrapolations in available technology.

N/A