History is most interesting when seen through the eyes of those who lived it. In this 40th anniversary retrospective of bioscience research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, we've asked 19 scientists to share their personal recollections about a major accomplishment in the program's history. We have not tried to create a comprehensive or seamless story. Rather, we've attempted to capture the perspectives of key individuals, each of whom worked on a research program that met significant milestones. We have focused particularly on programs and accomplishments that have shaped the current Biology and Biotechnology Research Program (BBRP). In addition, we have included a timeline of biosciences at LLNL, a history of the directorate that appeared in the Laboratory's magazine, ''Science & Technology Review'', in 2002, and a list of bioscience-related articles that have appeared over the years in ''Science & Technology Review and its predecessor, Energy & Technology Review''. The landscape of biological science today is stunningly different from 40 years ago. When LLNL bioscience began in 1963, we knew about the structure of DNA and that it was the carrier of genetic information. However, it would be another year before scientists would understand how DNA codes for the production of …

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This report describes results on this grant over the 3 year period, 1999-2002. The emphasis of the work has continued to shift during 2001-2 from halocarbon adsorption in zeolites towards other separation processes in zeolites. These additional areas include (i) work on lithium-containing zeolites for non-cryogenic air separation, and (ii) the study of nickel phosphate molecular sieves for hydrogen storage. Nevertheless, they continued their experimental and computational work on halocarbons in zeolites.

Laboratory breadboard results of a high-speed adaptive optics system are presented. The wave-front sensor for the adaptive optics system is based on a quadrature interferometer, which directly measures the turbulence induced phase aberrations. The laboratory experiments were conducted using Kolmogorov phase screens to simulate atmospheric phase distortions with the characterization of these plates presented below. The spatial light modulator used in the phase conjugate engine was a MEMS-based piston-only correction device with 1024 actuators. The overall system achieved correction speeds in excess of 800 hz and Strehl ratios greater than 0.5 with the Kolmogorov phase screens.

Natural gas reservoirs are obvious targets for carbon sequestration by direct carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) injection by virtue of their proven record of gas production and integrity against gas escape. Carbon sequestration in depleted natural gas reservoirs can be coupled with enhanced gas production by injecting CO{sub 2} into the reservoir as it is being produced, a process called Carbon Sequestration with Enhanced Gas Recovery (CSEGR). In this process, supercritical CO{sub 2} is injected deep in the reservoir while methane (CH{sub 4}) is produced at wells some distance away. The active injection of CO{sub 2} causes repressurization and CH{sub 4} displacement to allow the control and enhancement of gas recovery relative to water-drive or depletion-drive reservoir operations. Carbon dioxide undergoes a large change in density as CO{sub 2} gas passes through the critical pressure at temperatures near the critical temperature. This feature makes CO{sub 2} a potentially effective cushion gas for gas storage reservoirs. Thus at the end of the CSEGR process when the reservoir is filled with CO{sub 2}, additional benefit of the reservoir may be obtained through its operation as a natural gas storage reservoir. In this paper, we present discussion and simulation results from TOUGH2/EOS7C of gas …

Dimethyl carbonate (DMC) has been of interest as an oxygenate additive to diesel fuel because of its high oxygen content. In this study, a chemical kinetic mechanism for DMC was developed for the first time and used to understand its combustion under conditions in an opposed flow diffusion flame. Computed results were compared to experimental results from an opposed flow diffusion flame. It was found that the decomposition rate DMC {yields} H{sub 3}COC(=O)O. + CH{sub 3} in the flame was much slower than originally thought because resonance stabilization in the H{sub 3}COC(=O)O. radical was less than expected. Also, a new molecular elimination path for DMC is proposed and its rate calculated by quantum chemical methods. In the simulations of DMC in the flame, it was determined that much of the oxygen in dimethyl carbonate goes directly to CO{sub 2}. This characteristic indicates that DMC would not be an effective oxygenate additive for reducing soot emissions from diesel engines. In an ideal oxygenate additive for diesel fuel, each oxygen atom stays bonded to one carbon atom in the products thereby preventing the formation of carbon-carbon bonds that can lead to soot. When CO2 is formed directly, two oxygen atoms are bonded …

The DUV-FEL facility has been in operation in High Gain Harmonic Generation (HGHG) mode for one year producing 266 nm output from 177 MeV electrons. In this paper we present preliminary results of the Chirped Pulse Amplification (CPA) of HGHG radiation. In the normal HGHG process, a 1 ps electron beam is seeded by chirped 9 ps long 800 nm Ti:Sapphire laser. The electron beam sees only a narrow fraction of the seed laser bandwidth. However, in the CPA case the seed laser pulse length is reduced to 1 ps, and the electron beam sees the full bandwidth. We introduce an energy chirp on electron beam to match the chirp of the seed pulse, enabling the resonant condition for the whole beam. We present measurements of the spectrum bandwidth for various chirp conditions.

In preparation for an experimental study of magnetorotational instability (MRI) in liquid metal, we explore Couette flows having height comparable to the gap between cylinders, centrifugally stable rotation, and high Reynolds number. Experiments in water are compared with numerical simulations. The flow is very different from that of an ideal, infinitely long Couette system. Simulations show that endcaps co-rotating with the outer cylinder drive a strong poloidal circulation that redistributes angular momentum. Predicted toroidal flow profiles agree well with experimental measurements. Spin-down times scale with Reynolds number as expected for laminar Ekman circulation; extrapolation from two-dimensional simulations at Re less than or equal to 3200 agrees remarkably well with experiment at Re approximately equal to 106. This suggests that turbulence does not dominate the effective viscosity. Further detailed numerical studies reveal a strong radially inward flow near both endcaps. After turning vertically along the inner cylinder, these flows converge at the midplane and depart the boundary in a radial jet. To minimize this circulation in the MRI experiment, endcaps consisting of multiple, differentially rotating rings are proposed. Simulations predict that an adequate approximation to the ideal Couette profile can be obtained with a few rings.

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Performance Confirmation is the activity by which the Yucca Mountain Project confirms that the engineered and natural containment barriers of this national nuclear waste repository are performing as predicted, so that an eventual decision to close the repository can be made. This activity involves systems that must be inspected and, in some cases, serviced by mobile robots. This paper discusses systems for underground mobile robot communications, including requirements, environments, options, issues, and down-select criteria. We reviewed a variety of systems, including Slotted Waveguide, Powerline Carrier, Leaky Feeder, Photonic Bandgap Fiber, Free-Space Optics, Millimeter Waves, Terahertz Systems, and RF Systems (including IEEE 802.11 a,b, and g, and Ultra-Wideband radio).

The effect of varying ''input realism'' or varying completeness of the input data for linear microinstability calculations, in particular on the critical value of the ion temperature gradient for the ion temperature gradient mode, is investigated using gyrokinetic and gyrofluid approaches. The calculations show that varying input realism can have a substantial quantitative effect on the results.

This Corrective Action Decision Document identifies and rationalizes the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office's selection of recommended corrective action alternatives (CAAs) to facilitate the closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU)168: Areas 25 and 26 Contaminated Materials and Waste Dumps, Nevada Test Site (NTS), Nevada, under the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order. Located in Areas 25 and 26 at the NTS in Nevada, CAU 168 is comprised of twelve Corrective Action Sites (CASs). Review of data collected during the corrective action investigation, as well as consideration of current and future operations in Areas 25 and 26 of the NTS, led the way to the development of three CAAs for consideration: Alternative 1 - No Further Action; Alternative 2 - Clean Closure; and Alternative 3 - Close in Place with Administrative Controls. As a result of this evaluation, a combination of all three CAAs is recommended for this CAU. Alternative 1 was the preferred CAA for three CASs, Alternative 2 was the preferred CAA for six CASs (and nearly all of one other CAS), and Alternative 3 was the preferred CAA for two CASs (and a portion of one other CAS) to complete the closure …

This Corrective Action Investigation Plan contains the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office's approach to collect the data necessary to evaluate corrective action alternatives appropriate for the closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 528, Polychlorinated Biphenyls Contamination (PCBs), Nevada Test Site (NTS), Nevada, under the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order. Located in the southwestern portion of Area 25 on the NTS in Jackass Flats (adjacent to Test Cell C [TCC]), CAU 528 consists of Corrective Action Site 25-27-03, Polychlorinated Biphenyls Surface Contamination. Test Cell C was built to support the Nuclear Rocket Development Station (operational between 1959 and 1973) activities including conducting ground tests and static firings of nuclear engine reactors. Although CAU 528 was not considered as a direct potential source of PCBs and petroleum contamination, two potential sources of contamination have nevertheless been identified from an unknown source in concentrations that could potentially pose an unacceptable risk to human health and/or the environment. This CAU's close proximity to TCC prompted Shaw to collect surface soil samples, which have indicated the presence of PCBs extending throughout the area to the north, east, south, and even to the edge of the western boundary. Based …

We review the current status of flavor-changing neutral currents in the charm sector. We focus on the standard-model predictions and identify the main sources of theoretical uncertainties in both D{sup 0} - {bar D}{sup 0} mixing and rare charm decays. The potential of these observables for constraining short-distance physics in the standard model and its extensions is compromised by the presence of large nonperturbative effects. We examine the possible discovery windows in which short-distance physics can be tested and study the effects of various extensions of the standard model. The current experimental situation and future prospects are reviewed.

Gradient Synchrotron (AGS) accelerator complex at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) to provide an average beam power of 1 MW at the energy of 28 GeV. The facility is to be used primarily as a proton driver for the production of intense neutrino beams [1,2]. A study of a proton Super-Conducting Linac (SCL) as the new injector to the AGS has just been completed [3] and found feasible. We are now initiating a second design phase with more emphasis on engineering considerations, namely: cryogenics, cryostat design, RF cavity design, RF power couplers and power sources, conventional engineering, and insertions for transverse focusing and other beam utilities. Some of these issues are addressed in this paper.

30,000 gallons of Americium/Curium (Am/Cm) slurry was transferred from F-Canyon to Tank 51H over an 18 hour period. This was the first continuous transfer of waste from F-Canyon to a waste tank. Prior to the successful Am/Cm transfer, the facility had experienced difficulties in transferring simulated solutions. A team of personnel from several divisions worked in well-coordinated fashion to determine a cost effective means to identify and mitigate the obstacles to the transfer. The team successfully diagnosed the causes of the problem, replicated the observed behavior in laboratory tests and computer modeling, and recommended controls and changes to facility operations. A successful simulant transfer demonstrated readiness for the Am/Cm transfer. This report summarizes the results of the investigation to determine the cause for the poor flow rate experienced during simulant testing in F-Area. Flow rates as low as 3 gallons per minute (gpm) occurred at the end of the transfer. This report includes an explanation for the low flow rate and recommends controls to prevent the reoccurrence. We recommend the following controls to prevent the reoccurrence of slow flows. 1. Control the temperature of the contents of the simulant and real waste storage tanks near ambient during preparation and storage. …

In radiation therapy of cancer, more accurate delivery techniques spur the need for improved patient imaging during treatment. To this purpose, the megavoltage radiation protocol that is used for treatment is also used for imaging.

A diagnostic setup for characterization of near-anode processes in Hall-current plasma thrusters consisting of biased and emissive electrostatic probes, high-precision positioning system and low-noise electronic circuitry was developed and tested. Experimental results show that radial probe insertion does not cause perturbations to the discharge and therefore can be used for accurate near-anode measurements.

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The role of grain boundary constraint in strain localization, slip system activation, slip transmission, and the concomitant constitutive response was examined performing a series of uniaxial compression tests on tantalum bicrystals. Tantalum single crystals were diffusion bonded to form a (011) twist boundary and compressed along the [011] direction. The resulting three-dimensional deformation was analyzed via volume reconstruction. With this, both, the effective states of stress and strain over the cross-sectional area could be measured as a function of distance from the twist boundary, revealing a highly constrained grain boundary. Post-test metallurgical characterization was performed using Electron Back-Scattered-Diffraction (EBSD). The results, a spatial distribution of slip patterning and mapping of crystal rotation around the twist-boundary was analyzed and compared to the known behavior of the individual single crystals. A rather large area near the grain boundary revealed no crystal rotation. Instead, patterns of alternating crystal rotation similar to single crystal experiments were found to be some distance away ({approx} 400 m) from the immediate grain boundary region, indicating the large length scale of the rotation free region.

Three electronic personal dosimeters (EPD-N) manufactured by Siemens, serial numbers 0635, 0658, and 0683, were tested at the Radiation Calibration Laboratory for an evaluation of their response to neutron, gamma and x-ray radiation. Designed to provide real-time neutron and photon dosimetry, the EPD-N is capable of estimating and displaying neutron and gamma dose components separately for a range of energies from 50 keV to 7 MeV for photon and 0.025 eV to > 10 MeV for neutron. All tests were conducted using the factory calibrations. A technical representative of the manufacturer indicated that site-specific calibrations are required as factory settings are calibrated for the lowest neutron energy limit of 0.025 eV. This raises concerns about the reliability of these devices in measuring neutrons when calibrations are made for a specific site radiological characterization then used at another site.

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The Pennsylvania State University, under contract to the U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory will establish, promote, and manage a national industry-driven Stripper Well Consortium (SWC) that will be focused on improving the production performance of domestic petroleum and/or natural gas stripper wells. The consortium creates a partnership with the U.S. petroleum and natural gas industries and trade associations, state funding agencies, academia, and the National Energy Technology Laboratory. This report serves as the ninth quarterly technical progress report for the SWC. Key activities for this reporting period include: (1) organizing and hosting two fall technology transfer meetings, (2) SWC membership class expansion, and (3) planning the SWC 2003 Spring meeting. In addition, a literature search that focuses on the use of lasers, microwaves, and acoustics for potential stripper well applications continued.