This report summarizes the accomplishments toward project goals during the first six months of the second year of the project to assess the properties and performance of coal based products. These products are in the gasoline, diesel and fuel oil range and result from coal based jet fuel production from an Air Force funded program. Specific areas of progress include generation of coal based material that has been fractionated into the desired refinery cuts, acquisition and installation of a research gasoline engine, and modification of diesel engines for use in evaluating diesel produced in the project. The desulfurization of sulfur containing components of coal and petroleum is being studied so that effective conversion of blended coal and petroleum streams can be efficiently converted to useful refinery products. Equipment is now in place to begin fuel oil evaluations to assess the quality of coal based fuel oil. Coal samples have procured and are being assessed for cleaning prior to use in coking studies.

We present comparisons of the CRANGE code to other well-known codes, SRIM and ASTAR, and to experimental results for ion-material interactions such as energy loss per unit length, ion range, and ion induced electron yield. These ion-material interaction simulations are relevant to the electron cloud effect in heavy ions accelerators for fusion energy and high energy density physics. Presently, the CRANGE algorithms are most accurate at energies above 1.0 MeV/amu. For calculations of energy loss per unit length of a potassium ion in stainless steel, results of CRANGE and SRIM agree to within ten percent above 1.0 MeV/amu. For calculations of the range of a helium ion in aluminum, results of CRANGE and ASTAR agree to within two percent above 1.0 MeV/amu. Finally, for calculations of ion induced electron yield for hydrogen ions striking gold, results of CRANGE agree to within ten percent with measured electron yields above 1.0 MeV/amu.

Aerosol optical depth variation over short-term time intervals is determined from broadband observations of stars with a whole sky imager. The main difficulty in such measurements consists of accurately separating the star flux value from the non-stellar diffuse skylight. Using correction method to overcome this difficulty, the monochromatic extinction at the ground due to aerosols is extracted from heterochromatic measurements. A form of closure is achieved by comparison with simultaneous or temporally close measurements with other instruments, and the total error of the method, as a combination of random error of measurements and systematic error of calibration and model, is assessed as being between 2.6 and 3% rms.

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The effect of aerosols on the clouds, or the so-called aerosol indirect effect (AIE), is highly uncertain (Penner et al. 2001). The estimation of the AIE can vary from 0.0 to -4.8 W/m2 in Global Climate Models (GCM). Therefore, it is very important to investigate these interactions and cloud-related physical processes further. The Aerosol Intensive Operation Period (AIOP) at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site in May 2003 dedicated some effort towards the measurement of the Cloud Condensation Nucleus concentration (CCN) as a function of super-saturation and in relating CCN concentration to aerosol composition and size distribution. Furthermore, airborn measurement for the cloud droplet concentration was also available. Therefore this AIOP provides a good opportunity to examine the AIE. In this study, we use a Cloud Resolving Model (CRM), i.e., Active Tracer High-resolution Atmospheric Model (ATHAM), to discuss the effect of aerosol loadings on cloud droplet effective radius (Re) and concentration. The case we examine is a stratiform cloud that occurred on May 17, 2003.

The problem of the choice of the aerosol optical constants and, in particular, imaginary part of the refractive index of particles in visible and infrared (IR) wavelength ranges is very important for calculation of the global albedo of the atmosphere in climatic models. The available models of the aerosol optical constants obtained for the prescribed chemical composition of particles (see, for example, Ivlev et al. 1973; Ivlev 1982; Volz 1972), often are far from real aerosol. It is shown in (Krekov et al. 1982) that model estimates of the optical characteristics of the atmosphere depending on the correctness of real and imaginary parts of the aerosol complex refractive index can differ by some hundreds percent. It is known that the aerosol extinction coefficient {alpha}({lambda}) obtained from measurements on a long horizontal path can be represented as {alpha}({lambda})={sigma}({lambda})+{beta}({lambda}), where {sigma} is the directed light scattering coefficient, and {beta} is the aerosol absorption coefficient. The coefficient {sigma}({lambda}) is measured by means of a nephelometer. Seemingly, if measure the values {alpha}({lambda}) and {sigma}({lambda}), it is easy to determine the value {beta}({lambda}). However, in practice it is almost impossible for a number of reasons. Firstly, the real values {alpha}({lambda}) and {sigma}({lambda}) are very close …

Scoria cones are commonly assumed to have been constructed by the accumulation of ballistically-ejected clasts from discrete and relatively coarse-grained Strombolian bursts and subsequent avalanching such that the cone slopes are at or near the angle of repose for loose scoria. The cone at the hawaiitic Lathrop Wells volcano, southern Nevada, contains deposits that are consistent with the above processes during early cone-building phases; these early deposits are composed mainly of coarse lapilli and fluidal bombs and are partially welded, indicating relatively little cooling during flight. However, the bulk of the cone is comprised of relatively fine-grained (ash and lapilli), planar beds with no welding, even within a few tens of meters of the vent. This facies is consistent with deposition by direct fallout from sustained eruption columns of relatively well-fragmented material, primarily mantling cone slopes and with a lesser degree of avalanching than is commonly assumed. A laterally extensive fallout deposit (up to 20 km from the vent) is inferred to have formed contemporaneously with these later cone deposits. This additional mechanism for construction of scoria cones may also be important at other locations, particularly where the magmas are relatively high in volatile content and where conditions promote the …

Water vapor is well known to be a critical component in many aspects of atmospheric research, such as radiative transfer and cloud and aerosol processes. This requires both improved measurements of the columnar water vapor and its profiles in the atmosphere in a wide range of conditions, and adjustment of water vapor parameterizations in radiation codes including the perfection of spectroscopic parameters. In this paper we will present the results of comparison of our calculations and downward solar fluxes measured with Rotating Shadowband Spectroradiometer under conditions of horizontally homogeneous clouds. We also will discuss the sensitivity of atmospheric radiation characteristics to variations of water vapor in the band 940 nm: these results may be useful for development of new methods of retrieval of the total column water vapor content (WVC) in the atmosphere from data of radiation observations.

There are currently twenty-four Multi-Filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometers (MFRSR) operating within Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM). Eighteen are located within the Southern Great Plains (SGP) region, there is one at each of the North Slope of Alaska (NSA) and Tropical Western Pacific (TWP) sites, and one is part of the instrumentation of the ARM Mobile Facility. At this time there are four sites, all extended facilities within the SGP, that are equipped for a MFRSR but do not have one due to instrument failure and a lack of spare instruments. In addition to the MFRSRs, there are three other MFRSR derived instruments that ARM operates. They are the Multi-Filter Radiometer (MFR), the Normal Incidence Multi-Filter Radiometer (NIMFR) and the Narrow Field of View (NFOV) radiometer. All are essentially just the head of a MFRSR used in innovative ways. The MFR is mounted on a tower and pointed at the surface. At the SGP Central Facility there is one at ten meters and one at twenty-five meters. The NSA has a MFR at each station, both at the ten meter level. ARM operates three NIMFRs; one is at the SGP Central Facility and one at each of the NSA stations. There are …

Variations of dendrochronologic parameters, especially annual ring density, significantly reflect the physiological tree response to systematic variations of solar UV-B radiation, taking place on monthly and longer timescales during growing season. Such variations of UV-B radiation are totally governed by variations of total ozone (TO). Thus, in any dendrochronologic signal, especially for coniferous trees, there is also a recorded response to TO variations, characterizing variations of UV-B radiation. Because a monitoring of global TO distribution is regularly performed since 1979 using TOMS satellite instrumentation, there appears a possibility to reconstruct TO behavior in the past practically at any point of dendrochronologic monitoring network. The reconstruction is performed by the method of linear regression, based on significant correlation of annual ring density of coniferous trees and TO for coordinates of denrochronologic signal. The present report considers the Subarctic latitudes, which are characterized by considerable TO variations in the second half of twentieth century.

Our overall goal is identical to that of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program: the development of new and improved parameterizations of cloud-radiation effects and related processes, using ARM data at all three ARM sites, and the implementation and testing of these parameterizations in global and regional models. To test recently developed prognostic parameterizations based on detailed cloud microphysics, we have first compared single-column model (SCM) output with ARM observations at the Southern Great Plains (SGP), North Slope of Alaska (NSA) and Topical Western Pacific (TWP) sites. We focus on the predicted cloud amounts and on a suite of radiative quantities strongly dependent on clouds, such as downwelling surface shortwave radiation. Our results demonstrate the superiority of parameterizations based on comprehensive treatments of cloud microphysics and cloud-radiative interactions. At the SGP and NSA sites, the SCM results simulate the ARM measurements well and are demonstrably more realistic than typical parameterizations found in conventional operational forecasting models. At the TWP site, the model performance depends strongly on details of the scheme, and the results of our diagnostic tests suggest ways to develop improved parameterizations better suited to simulating cloud-radiation interactions in the tropics generally. These advances have made it possible to …

In order to drive an inertial fusion target or study high energy density physics with heavy ion beams, the beam radius must be focused to < 3 mm and the pulse length must be compressed to < 10 ns. The conventional scheme for temporal pulse compression makes use of an increasing ion velocity to compress the beam as it drifts and beam space charge to stagnate the compression before final focus. Beam compression in a neutralizing plasma does not require stagnation of the compression, enabling a more robust method. The final pulse shape at the target can be programmed by an applied velocity tilt. In this paper, neutralized drift compression is investigated. The sensitivity of the compression and focusing to beam momentum spread, plasma, and magnetic field conditions is studied with realistic driver examples. Using the 3D particle-in-cell code, we examine issues associated with self-field generation, stability, and vacuum-neutralized transport transition and focusing.

A theoretical study of problems relevant to the hadron physics program at Jefferson Laboratory and at other laboratories around the world.

One of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program important goals is to develop and test radiation and cloud parameterizations of climate models using single column modeling (SCMs) (Randall et al. 1996). As forcing terms, SCMs need advection tendency of cloud condensates besides the tendencies of temperature, moisture and momentum. To compute the tendency terms of cloud condensates, 3D distribution of cloud condensates over a scale much larger than the climate model's grid scale is needed. Since they can cover a large area within a short time period, satellite measurements are useful utilities to provide advection tendency of cloud condensates for SCMs. However, so far, most satellite retrieval algorithms only retrieve vertically integrated quantities, for example, in the case of cloud ice, ice water path (IWP). To fulfill the requirement of 3D ice water content field for computing ice water advection, in this study, we develop an ice water content profile retrieval algorithm by combining the vertical distribution characteristics obtained from long-term surface radar observations and satellite high-frequency microwave observations that cover a large area. The algorithm is based on the Bayesian theorem using a priori database derived from analyzing cloud radar observations at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site. The …

In this quarter, we have started the data collection process of the first field deployable multi-wavelength PM measurement system. This system is now operating in real world on PM emissions from a turbine power generator v.s. known PM standard for the system that we designed and tested in the lab. We proved that we could repeatedly collect same scattering signal under same engine load conditions. We further improved the signal to noise ratio of the system, by shortening the exposure time below 1,500 nanosecond and increasing the peak power. Here, we give detailed description on our investigation of the mechanisms in improving precision of pulsed laser timing.

The methods of sun-photometry of the atmosphere based, for example, on interpretation of the angular distribution of radiation in the solar almucantar are widely used for retrieval of the aerosol optical characteristics. Preliminary analysis has shown that the near-horizon region also can be interesting for solving some applied problems. As is known, investigations of the structure of the daytime cloudless sky brightness at observation from the ground were carried out principally at zenith angles less than 80{sup o} in visible wavelength range. For further development of the methods it is necessary to obtain more complete data on the distribution of the cloudless sky brightness at great zenith angles of observation and wider wavelength range. The regularities of formation of the sky brightness field in the near-horizon region and just above the horizon line are considered in this paper.

It is well established that gene expression levels in many organisms change during the aging process, and the advent of DNA microarrays has allowed genome-wide patterns of transcriptional changes associated with aging to be studied in both model organisms and various human tissues. Understanding the effects of aging on gene expression in the human brain is of particular interest, because of its relation to both normal and pathological neurodegeneration. Here we show that human cerebral cortex, human cerebellum, and chimpanzee cortex each undergo different patterns of age-related gene expression alterations. In humans, many more genes undergo consistent expression changes in the cortex than in the cerebellum; in chimpanzees, many genes change expression with age in cortex, but the pattern of changes in expression bears almost no resemblance to that of human cortex. These results demonstrate the diversity of aging patterns present within the human brain, as well as how rapidly genome-wide patterns of aging can evolve between species; they may also have implications for the oxidative free radical theory of aging, and help to improve our understanding of human neurodegenerative diseases.

Improving climate model predictions over Earth's polar regions requires a comprehensive knowledge of polar cloud microphysics. Over the Arctic, there is minimal contrast between the clouds and background snow surface, making it difficult to detect clouds and retrieve their phase from space. Snow and ice cover, temperature inversions, and the predominance of mixed-phase clouds make it even more difficult to determine cloud phase. Also, since determining cloud phase is the first step toward analyzing cloud optical depth, particle size, and water content, it is vital that the phase be correct in order to obtain accurate microphysical and bulk properties. Changes in these cloud properties will, in turn, affect the Arctic climate since clouds are expected to play a critical role in the sea ice albedo feedback. In this paper, the IR trispectral technique (IRTST) is used as a starting point for a WV and 11-{micro}m brightness temperature (T11) parameterization (WVT11P) of cloud phase using MODIS data. In addition to its ability to detect mixed-phase clouds, the WVT11P also has the capability to identify thin cirrus clouds overlying mixed or liquid phase clouds (multiphase ice). Results from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) MODIS phase model (AMPHM) are compared to the surface-based …

The satellite imagery in Figure 1 provides dramatic examples of how aerosol influences the cloud field. Aerosol from ship exhaust can serve as nucleation centers in otherwise cloud-free regions, forming ship tracks (top image), or can enhance the reflectance/albedo in already cloudy regions. This image is a demonstration of the first indirect effect, in which changes in aerosol modulate cloud droplet radius and concentration, which influences albedo. It is thought that, through the effects it has on precipitation (drizzle), aerosol can also affect the structure and persistence of planetary boundary layer (PBL) clouds. Regions of cellular convection, or open pockets of cloudiness (bottom image) are thought to be remnants of strongly drizzling PBL clouds. Pockets of Open Cloudiness (POCs) (Stevens et al. 2005) or Albrecht's ''rifts'' are low cloud fraction regions characterized by anomalously low aerosol concentrations, implying they result from precipitation. These features may in fact be a demonstration of the second indirect effect. To accurately represent these clouds in numerical models, we have to treat the coupled cloud-aerosol system. We present the following series of mesoscale and large eddy simulation (LES) experiments to evaluate the important aspects of treating the coupled cloud-aerosol problem. 1. Drizzling and nondrizzling simulations …

Internal variability of stratiform clouds is manifested on grid scales ranging from cloud resolving models to general circulation models, and its accurate formulation is one of the most important tasks in improvement of model predictions. Understanding cloud variability on different scales will help to develop and improve subgrid-scale cloud parameterizations. Information about variability is also crucial when dealing with retrieval of microphysical information from observations of volume averaged reflectivity parameters, since neglecting variability can lead to substantial biases in estimation of retrieved microphysical variables. The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) operates millimeter wave cloud radar (MMCR) at the ARM Climate Research Facility over the Southern Great Plains (ACRF SGP) that provides a unique opportunity to obtain continuous observations in order to address issues of cloud variability. These data contain information on spatial and/or temporal short- and long-range correlations in cloudiness, enabling scale-by-scale (scaling) analyses over a range of hundreds of meters to hundreds of kilometers. The objective of this study is to conduct an analysis based on radar reflectivity observations of clouds over the ACRF SGP site with special emphasis on boundary layer clouds, and the effect of drizzle.

Following completion of contracting activities, sites were identified for the field leachate characterization study. Sampling and Analyses Plans (SAPs) and Site Access Agreements (SAAs) were developed for each site. A total of ten sites were sampled during this reporting period. Among the trace constituents, boron, silicon, and strontium were present in highest concentrations, with median values above 1 mg/L (1,000 {micro}g/L). Work on the first of three sites for the detailed arsenic and selenium adsorption studies began in 2002, prior to completion of the final DOE award. Kd values ranged from 100 to 12,000 L/kg for arsenic (V), 15 to 160 L.kg for As(III), and 5 to 25 L/kg for Se(VI).

A calibration apparatus for calibrating a linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) having an armature positioned in au LVDT armature orifice, and the armature able to move along an axis of movement. The calibration apparatus includes a heating mechanism with an internal chamber, a temperature measuring mechanism for measuring the temperature of the LVDT, a fixture mechanism with an internal chamber for at least partially accepting the LVDT and for securing the LVDT within the heating mechanism internal chamber, a moving mechanism for moving the armature, a position measurement mechanism for measuring the position of the armature, and an output voltage measurement mechanism. A method for calibrating an LVDT, including the steps of powering the LVDT; heating the LVDT to a desired temperature; measuring the position of the armature with respect to the armature orifice; and measuring the output voltage of the LVDT.

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A rotating aperture system includes a low-pressure vacuum pumping stage with apertures for passage of a deuterium beam. A stator assembly includes holes for passage of the beam. The rotor assembly includes a shaft connected to a deuterium gas cell or a crossflow venturi that has a single aperture on each side that together align with holes every rotation. The rotating apertures are synchronized with the firing of the deuterium beam such that the beam fires through a clear aperture and passes into the Xe gas beam stop. Portions of the rotor are lapped into the stator to improve the sealing surfaces, to prevent rapid escape of the deuterium gas from the gas cell.