The Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on 2003 Archaea: Ecology, Metabolism and Molecular Biology was held at Proctor Academy, Andover, NH from August 3-8, 2003. The Conference was well-attended with 150 participants (attendees list attached). The attendees represented the spectrum of endeavor in this field coming from academia, industry, and government laboratories, both U.S. and foreign scientists, senior researchers, young investigators, and students. In designing the formal speakers program, emphasis was placed on current unpublished research and discussion of the future target areas in this field. There was a conscious effort to stimulate lively discussion about the key issues in the field today. Time for formal presentations was limited in the interest of group discussions. In order that more scientists could communicate their most recent results, poster presentation time was scheduled. Attached is a copy of the formal schedule and speaker program and the poster program. In addition to these formal interactions, ''free time'' was scheduled to allow informal discussions. Such discussions are fostering new collaborations and joint efforts in the field. I want to personally thank you for your support of this Conference. As you know, in the interest of promoting the presentation of unpublished and frontier-breaking research, Gordon Research …

This conference will address recent progress in many aspects of cell wall biology. Molecular, genetic, and genomic approaches are yielding major advances in our understanding of the composition, synthesis, and architecture of plant cell walls and their dynamics during growth, and are identifying the genes that encode the machinery needed to make their biogenesis possible. This meeting will bring together international scientists from academia, industry and government labs to share the latest breakthroughs and perspectives on polysaccharide biosynthesis, wood formation, wall modification, expansion and interaction with other organisms, and genomic & evolutionary analyses of wall-related genes, as well as to discuss recent ''nanotechnological'' advances that take wall analysis to the level of a single cell.

Daily newspaper from Altus, Oklahoma that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

The CAMBRIC nuclear test was conducted beneath Frenchman Flat at the Nevada Test Site on May 14, 1965. The nuclear device was emplaced in heterogeneous alluvium, approximately 70 m beneath the ambient water table, which is itself 220 m beneath the ground surface. Approximately 10 years later, groundwater adjacent to the test was pumped steadily for 16 years to elicit information on the migration of residual radionuclide migration through the saturated zone. The pumping well effluent--containing mostly soluble radionuclides such as tritium, {sup 14}C, {sup 36}Cl, {sup 85}Kr, {sup 129}I, and {sup 106}Ru--was monitored, discharged to an unlined ditch, and allowed to flow towards Frenchman Lake over one kilometer away. Discharged water and radionuclides infiltrated into the ground and created an unexpected second experiment in which the migration of the effluent through the unsaturated zone back to the water table could be studied. In this paper, the pumping and effluent data are being utilized in conjunction with a series of geologic data, new radionuclide measurements, isotopic age-dating estimates, and vadose zone flow and transport models to better understand the movement of radionuclides between the ditch and the water table. Measurements of radionuclide concentrations in water samples produced from a water …

Daily newspaper from Baytown, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Semiweekly newspaper from Boerne, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Semiweekly newspaper from Brady, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

The study of Alloy 22 was undertaken in several selected nitrate/chloride (NO{sub 3}{sup -}/Cl{sup -}) electrolytes with chloride concentrations [Cl{sup -}] of 1.0, 3.5 and 6.0 molal with [NO{sub 3}{sup -}]/[Cl{sup -}] ratios of 0.05, 0.15 and 0.5 at temperatures up to 100 C. The repassivation potentials increased with increase in [NO{sub 3}{sup -}]/[Cl{sup -}] ratio and decreased with increase in temperature. The absolute [Cl{sup -}] was found to have less of an effect on the repassivation potential compared with temperature and the [NO{sub 3}{sup -}]/[Cl{sup -}]. Regression analyses were carried out to describe the relationship between the repassivation potential, temperature, [Cl{sup -}] and [NO{sub 3}{sup -}] for the conditions tested.

Daily newspaper from Chickasha, Oklahoma that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

We have developed a program called FUDGE that allows one to modify data from LLNL's nuclear database. After modifying data, FUDGE can then be instructed to process the data into the formats used by LLNL's deterministic (ndf) and the Monte Carlo (MCAPM) transport codes. This capability allows users to perform nuclear data sensitivity studies without modification of the transport modeling codes. FUDGE is designed to be user friendly (object-oriented) and fast (the modification and processing typically takes about a minute). It uses Python as a front-end, making it flexible and scriptable. Comparing, plotting and printing of the data are also supported. An overview of FUDGE will be presented as well as examples.

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This report provides a summary of results obtained in research supported by contract ''Fundamental Surface Reaction Mechanisms in Fluorocarbon Plasma-Based Processing'' (Contract No. DE-FG0200ER54608). In this program we advanced significantly the scientific knowledge base on low pressure fluorocarbon plasmas used for patterning of dielectric films and for producing fluorocarbon coatings on substrates. We characterized important neutral and ionic gas phase species that are incident at the substrate, and the processes that occur at relevant surfaces in contact with the plasma. The work was performed through collaboration of research groups at three universities where significantly different, complementary tools for plasma and surface characterization, computer simulation of plasma and surface processes exist. Exchange of diagnostic tools and experimental verification of key results at collaborating institutions, both experimentally and by computer simulations, was an important component of the approach taken in this work.

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This is a brief memo look at the problem of determining whether one has broken through the inside plastic mandrel of a sputtered Be shell. This is important because the next step is the thermal removal of the mandrel, and failure to break through the plastic, even if through the Be, makes our process at best difficult. Described below are two possible approaches, the first somewhat high tech and maybe not possible, the second definitely low tech but certainly doable.

This updated report summarizes the debate on the government policy regarding industrial competitiveness and technological advancement and its influence on the U.S. economy. It discusses the most recent developments, dives into the background and analysis of the topic, and talks about Congress' plans and approach.

The overall aim of this project is to investigate the irradiation induced precipitation of alloying elements and dissolution of second phase particles in Zr alloys using a combination of (1) synchrotron radiation examination of bulk samples using the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory and (2) in-situ irradiation of model alloys using the IVEM/Tandem Facility also located at Argonne

The development of a suborbital or spaceborne system to monitor seismic waves poses an intriguing prospect for advancing the state of seismology. This capability would enable an unprecedented global mapping of the velocity structure of the earth's crust, understanding of earthquake rupture dynamics and wave propagation effects, and event source location, characterization and discrimination that are critical for both fundamental earthquake research and nuclear non-proliferation applications. As part of an ongoing collaboration between LLNL and JPL, an advanced mission concept study assessed architectural considerations and operational and data delivery requirements, extending two prior studies by each organization--a radar-based satellite system (JPL) for earthquake hazard assessment and a feasibility study of space- or UAV-based laser seismometer systems (LLNL) for seismic event monitoring. Seismic wave measurement requirements include lower bounds on detectability of specific seismic sources of interest and wave amplitude accuracy for different levels of analysis, such as source characterization, discrimination and tomography, with a 100 {micro}m wave amplitude resolution for waves nominally traveling 5 km/s, an upper frequency bound based on explosion and earthquake surface displacement spectra, and minimum horizontal resolution (1-5 km) and areal coverage, in general and for targeted observations. For a radar system, corresponding engineering and operational …

The combination of lithography and self-assembly provides apowerful means of organizing solution-synthesized nanostructures for awide variety of applications. We have developed a fluidic assembly methodthat relies on the local pinning of a moving liquid contact line bylithographically produced topographic features to concentratenanoparticles at those features. The final stages of the assembly processare controlled first by long-range immersion capillary forces and then bythe short-range electrostatic and Van der Waal's interactions. We havesuccessfully assembled nanoparticles from 50 nm to 2 nm in size usingthis technique and have also demonstrated the controlled positioning ofmore complex nanotetrapod structures. We have used this process toassemble Au nanoparticles into pre-patterned electrode structures andhave performed preliminary electrical characterization of the devices soformed. The fluidic assembly method is capable of very high yield, interms of positioning nanostructures at each lithographically-definedlocation, and of excellent specificity, with essentially no particledeposition between features.

The search for models of an algebra is an important and demanding aspect of automated reasoning. Typically, a model is represented in the form of a matrix or a set of matrices. When a model is found that satisfies all the given theorems of an algebra, it is called a solution model. This paper considers algebras that can be represented by using a single operation, by way of the Sheffer stroke. The characteristic of needing only one operation to represent an algebra reduces the problem by requiring a search through all instances of a single matrix. This search is simple when the domain size is small, say 2, but for a larger domain size, say 10, the search space increases dramatically. Clearly, a method other than a brute-force, global search is desirable. Most modern model-finding programs use a global search; instead of checking every possible matrix, however a set of heuristics is used that allows the search space to be dramatically smaller and thus increases the likelihood of reaching a solution. An alternative approach is local search. This paper discusses several local search strategies that were applied to the problem of equational satisfiability.

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Congress has expanded the number of low-income and minority serving institutions eligible for grants under Titles III and V of the Higher Education Act and nearly doubled funding for these grants in the last 5 years to about $432 million in fiscal year 2004. Institutions eligible for funding under Titles III and V include Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Alaska Native Serving Institutions, Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and other postsecondary institutions that serve low-income students. Given the recent expansion, we examined these programs to determine (1) how institutions used their Title III and Title V grants and the benefits they received from using these grant funds, (2) what objectives and strategies the Department of Education (Education) has developed for Title III and Title V programs, and (3) to what extent Education monitors and provides assistance to Title III and Title V institutions."

For hamiltonian lattice gauge theory, we introduce the matrix product ansatz inspired from density matrix renormalization group. In this method, wavefunction of the target state is assumed to be a product of finite matrices. As a result, the energy becomes a simple function of the matrices, which can be evaluated using a computer. The minimum of the energy function corresponds to the vacuum state. We show that the S = 1/2 Heisenberg chain model are well described with the ansatz. The method is also applied to the two-dimensional S = 1/2 Heisenberg and U(1) plaquette chain models.

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Preventive care depends on identifying health risks and on taking steps to control these risks. In contrast, Medicare, the federal health program insuring almost 35 million beneficiaries age 65 or older, was established largely to help pay beneficiaries' health care costs when they became ill or injured. Congress has broadened Medicare coverage over time to include specific preventive services, such as flu shots and certain cancer-screening tests, and the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) added coverage for several preventive services, including a one-time preventive care examination for new enrollees, which will start in 2005. GAO's work, done before MMA, included analyzing data from four national health surveys to examine the extent to which Medicare beneficiaries received preventive services through physician visits. GAO also interviewed officials from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and other experts and reviewed the results of past demonstrations and studies to assess expected benefits and limits of different delivery options for preventive care, including a one-time preventive care examination."

Biogeochemical activity is an ongoing and dynamic process due to bacterial activity in the subsurface. Bacteria contribute significantly to biotransformation of metals and radionuclides. As basic science reveals more information about specific mechanisms of bacterial-metal reduction, an even greater contribution of bacteria to biogeochemical activities is realized. An understanding and application of the mechanisms of metal and radionuclide reduction offers tremendous potential for development into bioremedial processes and technologies. Most bacteria are capable of biogeochemical transformation as a result of meeting nutrient requirements. These assimilatory mechanisms for metals transformation include production of small molecules that serve as electron shuttles for metal reduction. This contribution to biogeochemistry is small however due to only trace requirements for minerals by bacteria. Dissimilatory metal reducing bacteria (DMRB) reduce oxidized metals and insoluble mineral oxides as a means for biological energy production during growth. These types of bacteria offer considerable potential for bioremediation of environments contaminated with toxic metals and radionuclides because of the relatively large amount of metal biotransformation they require for growth. One of the mechanisms employed by some DMRB for electron transfer to insoluble metal oxides is melanin production. The electrochemical properties of melanin provide this polymeric, humic-type compound with electron shuttling …

Stray electrons can arise in positive-ion accelerators for heavy ion fusion or other applications as a result of ionization of ambient gas or gas released from walls due to halo-ion impact, or as a result of secondary- electron emission. We summarize results from several studies undertaken in conjunction with an effort to develop a self-consistent modeling capability: (1) Calculation of the electron cloud produced by electron desorption from computed beam-ion loss, which illustrates the importance of retaining ion reflection at the walls; (2) Simulation of the effect of specified electron cloud distributions on ion beam dynamics; and (3) analysis of an instability associated with a resonance between the beam-envelope ''breathing'' mode and the electron perturbation. We also report first results from a long-timestep algorithm for electron dynamics, which holds promise for efficient simultaneous solution of electron and ion dynamics. One conclusion from study (2) is that heavy-ion beams are surprisingly robust to electron clouds, compared to a priori expectations.