Formerly entitled 'CO2 Fixation and Metabolism in Green Plants', this long-standing Gordon Research Conference has been held on a triennial basis since 1976. In 1990 the participants decided to alternate between sites in the U.S. and outside the U.S. The 2005 conference was held in Europe at the Centre Paul Langevin in Aussois, France, so the 2008 conference returns to a U.S. site - the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine. The 2008 conference covers basic plant research related to photosynthesis and the subsequent regulation and engineering of carbon assimilation. Approaches that range from post-genomic technologies and systems biology, through to fundamental biochemistry, physiology and molecular biology are integrated within ecological and agronomic contexts. As such, the meeting provides the rare opportunity of a single venue for discussing all aspects of the 'carbon-side' of photosynthesis - from genome to biome. The 2008 conference will include an emphasis on the central role of carbon assimilation by plants for developing new sources of bioenergy and for achieving a carbon-neutral planet. A special characteristic of this conference is its 'intimacy' with approximately 110 conferees, ranging from beginning graduate students and postdoctoral associates to leading senior plant scientists, engaged in open and forward-thinking …

None

The Sludge Treatment Project (STP), managed by CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company (CHPRC) has specified base formulations for non-radioactive sludge simulants for use in the development and testing of equipment for sludge sampling, retrieval, transport, and processing. In general, the simulant formulations are based on the average or design-basis physical and chemical properties obtained by characterizing sludge samples. The simulants include surrogates for uranium metal, uranium oxides (agglomerates and fine particulate), and the predominant chemical phases (iron and aluminum hydroxides, sand). Specific surrogate components were selected to match the nominal particle-size distribution and particle-density data obtained from sludge sample analysis. Under contract to CHPRC, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has performed physical and rheological characterization of simulants, and the results are reported here. Two base simulant types (dry) were prepared by STP staff at the Maintenance and Storage Facility and received by PNNL on February 12, 2009: Settler Tank Simulant and KW Container Sludge Simulant. The objectives of this simulant characterization effort were to provide baseline characterization data on simulants being used by STP for process development and equipment testing and provide a high-level comparison of the simulant characteristics to the targets used to formulate the simulants.

FISH PRODUCTION: Brood year 2008 production and experimental hatchery & supplemental crossed eggs continue to be incubated and chilled water at 380 Fahrenheit for the month. Temperature units are {approx}960 TU's at the end of the month. Hatching was observed at {approx}900 temperature units (TU's). The 2007 Brood year (BY) has approximately 773,477 juveniles on hand at the end of December, averaging 30.6 fish per pound. Fish tagging operations wrapped up on the 5th. Transportation of fish to acclimation sites is tentatively scheduled to begin January 12th. FISH CULTURE: Production pond cleaning continues on a weekly basis, and feeding continues to be performed two days per week due to the colder river water temperatures. Eggs in the incubation continue to be tempered in 38 degree water and temperature units recorded daily. On the 20th the river became too inclement for normal operations as the intake screens were covered with ice, at that time we shutdown two river pumps and turned on wells four and six to get 6,825 gallons of water. This was the operation at the facility for twenty-four hours at which point we were able to get back to normal operations. WATER PRODUCTION: The current combined well and …

A particle size dependence for CO oxidation over rhodium nanoparticles of 1.9-11.3 nm has been investigated and determined to be modified by the existence of the capping agent poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP). The particles were prepared using a polyol reduction procedure with PVP as the capping agent. The Rh nanoparticles were subsequently supported on SBA-15 during hydrothermal synthesis to produce Rh/SBA-15 supported catalysts for size-dependent catalytic studies. CO oxidation by O{sub 2} at 40 Torr CO and 100 Torr O{sub 2} was investigated over two series of Rh/SBA-15 catalysts: as-synthesized Rh/SBA-15 covering the full range of Rh sizes and the same set of catalysts after high temperature calcination and reduction. The turnover frequency at 443 K increases from 0.4 to 1.7 s{sup -1} as the particle size decreases from 11.3 to 1.9 nm for the as-synthesized catalysts. After calcination and reduction, the turnover frequency is between 0.1 and 0.4 s{sup -1} with no particle size dependence. The apparent activation energy for all catalysts is {approx}30 kcal mol{sup -1} and is independent of particle size and thermal treatment. Infrared spectroscopy of CO on the Rh nanoparticles indicates that the heat treatments used influence the mode of CO adsorption. As a result, the particle …

This response demonstrates that the comment by Peeters et al. contains an incorrect and misleading interpretation of our paper [Hahm et al., Phys. Plasmas 15, 055902 (2008)] regarding the density gradient dependence of momentum pinch and the turbulent equipartition (TEP) theory.

None

The K East (KE) Basin facilities are located near the north end of the Hanford Site's 100 K area. The facilities were built in 1950 as part of the KE Reactor complex and constructed within 400 meters of the Columbia River, which is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest and by volume the fourth largest river in the United States. The basin, located adjacent to the reactor, was used for the underwater storage of irradiated nuclear fuel discharged from the reactor. The basin was covered by a superstructure comprising steel columns and beams, concrete, and cement asbestos board (CAB) siding. The project's mission was to complete demolition of the structure over the KE Basin within six months of turnover from facility deactivation activities. The demolition project team applied open-air demolition techniques to bring the facility to slab-on-grade. Several innovative techniques were used to control contamination and maintain contamination control within the confines of the demolition exclusion zone. The techniques, which focused on a defense-in-depth approach, included spraying fixatives on interior and exterior surfaces before demolition began; applying fixatives during the demolition; misting using a fine spray of water during demolition; and demolishing the facility systematically. Another innovative approach that …

The motional Stark effect (MSE) diagnostic on Alcator C-Mod uses an in-vessel optical system (five lenses and three mirrors) to relay polarized light to an external polarimeter because port access limitations on Alcator C-Mod preclude a direct view of the diagnostic beam. The system experiences unacceptable, spurious drifts of order several degrees in measured pitch angle over the course of a run day. Recent experiments illuminated the MSE diagnostic with polarized light of fixed orientation as heat was applied to various optical elements. A large change in measured angle was observed as two particular lenses were heated, indicating that thermal-stress-induced birefringence is a likely cause of the spurious variability. Several new optical designs have been evaluated to eliminate the affected in-vessel lenses and to replace the focusing they provide with curved mirrors; however, ray tracing calculations imply that this method is not feasible. A new approach is under consideration that utilizes in situ calibrations with in-vessel reference polarized light sources. 2008 American Institute of Physics.

The Material Protection, Control and Accounting (MPC&A) Operations Monitoring (MOM) systems handling at the International Intergovernmental Organization - Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) is described in this paper. Category I nuclear material (plutonium and uranium) is used in JINR research reactors, facilities and for scientific and research activities. A monitoring system (MOM) was installed at JINR in April 2003. The system design was based on a vulnerability analysis, which took into account the specifics of the Institute. The design and installation of the MOM system was a collaborative effort between JINR, Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Financial support was provided by DOE through BNL. The installed MOM system provides facility management with additional assurance that operations involving nuclear material (NM) are correctly followed by the facility personnel. The MOM system also provides additional confidence that the MPC&A systems continue to perform effectively.

Transmission system operators require near real time knowledge of reactive power capability to reliably operate large electric power transmission systems. Reactive power produced by, or capable of being produced by, a power generator is often estimated based on a series of mega volt amperes (MVA) capability curves for the generator. These curves indicate the ability of the generator to produce real and reactive power under a variety of conditions. In transmission planning and operating studies, it is often assumed, based on estimates for these capability curves, that the generator can provide its rated MVA capability output when needed for system stability However, generators may not always operate at levels depicted by the maximum MVA capability curve due to present constraints. Transmission system operators utilizing the generators’ capability curves for operation decisions regarding transmission system stability or for planning horizons may overestimate the capability of the generators to supply reactive power when required. Southern Company has enhanced GenVARR(TM), the system of plant data query, retrieval, and analysis and calculates the actual – not estimated -- remaining reactive power output capability. The remaining reactive output is considered spinning reserve and is displayed graphically to transmission control center and generating plant operators to …

In this project we proposed to establish feasibility of the development of targeted tracers for radionuclide imaging of epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) in cancer patients. The significance and impact of the proposed radiotracers are determined by the crucial role that EGFR plays in many cancers and by the rapid entrance of EGFR-inhibiting drugs into clinic. Clinical experience, however, revealed that only 10-25% of patients that are defined as EGFR-positive by immunohistochemical analysis respond to EGFR-directed therapeutics and there is poor correlation between EGFR immunohistochemistry and treatment. Therefore, for more efficacious use of EGFR-targeting therapeutics, there is a need for information about EGFR activity in patients. We hypothesized that radionuclide imaging of functionally active EGFR will provide such information and would allow for 1) rational patient stratification, 2) rapid monitoring of responses to therapy, and 3) development of personalized treatment regimens. We hypothesized that tracers based epidermal growth factor (EGF), a natural EGFR ligand, as a targeting vector would be particularly advantageous. First, only functionally active and therefore critical for disease progression EGFRs will bind and internalize an EGF-based tracer. Second, continuous internalization of EGF-based tracers by recyclable EGFR would lead to intracellular accumulation of radionuclide and improved signal-to-background ratio. …

This project will explore the fundamental mechanisms through which interfaces in nanolayered structures and grain boundaries of bulk nanomaterials are able to attract and rapidly eliminate point defects and unwanted foreign species. Candidate materials that will be studied include both nanostructured multilayer composites synthesized by magnetron sputtering and structural bulk nanomaterials produced by severed plastic deformation, equal channel angular extrusion.

None

This report describes the development of a dissolution flowsheet for neptunium (Np) oxide (NpO{sub 2}) residues (i.e., various NpO{sub 2} sources, HB-Line glovebox sweepings, and Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) thermogravimetric analysis samples). Samples of each type of materials proposed for processing were dissolved in a closed laboratory apparatus and the rate and total quantity of off-gas were measured. Samples of the off-gas were also analyzed. The quantity and type of solids remaining (when visible) were determined after post-dissolution filtration of the solution. Recommended conditions for dissolution of the NpO{sub 2} residues are: Solution Matrix and Loading: {approx}50 g Np/L (750 g Np in 15 L of dissolver solution), using 8 M nitric acid (HNO{sub 3}), 0.025 M potassium fluoride (KF) at greater than 100 C for at least 3 hours. Off-gas: Analysis of the off-gas indicated nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO{sub 2}) and nitrous oxide (N{sub 2}O) as the only identified components. No hydrogen (H{sub 2}) was detected. The molar ratio of off-gas produced per mole of Np dissolved ranged from 0.25 to 0.4 moles of gas per mole of Np dissolved. A peak off-gas rate of {approx}0.1 scfm/kg bulk oxide was observed. Residual Solids: Pure NpO{sub 2} …

While initially a virtual institute, the driving force behind the creation of the DOE Joint Genome Institute in Walnut Creek, California in the Fall of 1999 was the Department of Energy's commitment to sequencing the human genome. With the publication in 2004 of a trio of manuscripts describing the finished 'DOE Human Chromosomes', the Institute successfully completed its human genome mission. In the time between the creation of the Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) and completion of the Human Genome Project, sequencing and its role in biology spread to fields extending far beyond what could be imagined when the Human Genome Project first began. Accordingly, the targets of the DOE JGI's sequencing activities changed, moving from a single human genome to the genomes of large numbers of microbes, plants, and other organisms, and the community of users of DOE JGI data similarly expanded and diversified. Transitioning into operating as a user facility, the DOE JGI modeled itself after other DOE user facilities, such as synchrotron light sources and supercomputer facilities, empowering the science of large numbers of investigators working in areas of relevance to energy and the environment. The JGI's approach to being a user facility is …

Scientific data centers comprised of high-powered computing equipment and large capacity disk storage systems consume considerable amount of energy. Dynamic power management techniques (DPM) are commonly used for saving energy in disk systems. These involve powering down disks that exhibit long idle periods and placing them in standby mode. A file request from a disk in standby mode will incur both energy and performance penalties as it takes energy (and time) to spin up the disk before it can serve a file. For this reason, DPM has to make decisions as to when to transition the disk into standby mode such that the energy saved is greater than the energy needed to spin it up again and the performance penalty is tolerable. The length of the idle period until the DPM decides to power down a disk is called idlenessthreshold. In this paper, we study both analytically and experimentally dynamic power management techniques that save energy subject to performance constraints on file access costs. Based on observed workloads of scientific applications and disk characteristics, we provide a methodology for determining file assignment to disks and computing idleness thresholds that result in significant improvements to the energy saved by existing DPMsolutions …

In 1989, the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR), which includes the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP), was placed on the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) National Priorities List. The Federal Facility Agreement (FFA) (DOE 1992), effective January 1, 1992, now governs environmental restoration activities conducted under CERCLA at the ORR. Following signing of the FFA, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the state of Tennessee signed the Oak Ridge Accelerated Cleanup Plan Agreement on June 18, 2002. The purpose of this agreement is to define a streamlined decision-making process to facilitate the accelerated implementation of cleanup, resolve ORR milestone issues, and establish future actions necessary to complete the accelerated cleanup plan by the end of fiscal year 2008. While the FFA continues to serve as the overall regulatory framework for remediation, the Accelerated Cleanup Plan Agreement supplements existing requirements to streamline the decision-making process. Decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) activities of Bldg. K-25, the original gaseous diffusion facility, is being conducted by Bechtel Jacobs Company LLC (BJC) on behalf of the DOE. The planned CERCLA action covering disposal of building structure and remaining components from the K-25 building is scheduled as a …

The purpose of this document is to evaluate the effect of frost heave on waste transfer lines with shallow depths in DST farms. Because of the insulation, well compacted sandy material around waste transfer lines, the type of sandy and gravel soil, and relatively low precipitation at Hanford site, it is concluded that waste transfer lines with one foot of soil covers (sandy cushion material and insulation) are not expected to undergo frost heave damaging effects.

Excited spectator electron effects on Stark broadened spectral line shapes of transitions involving tightly bound electrons are investigated. It is shown that the interference terms in the electron impact broadening are essential to describe the overlapping lines generated by these configurations (e.g.; dielectronic satellite lines). The main impact is narrower spectral features and reduced far wing intensities compared to calculations neglecting the interference terms.

A series of laser plasma interaction experiments at OMEGA (LLE, Rochester) using gas-filled hohlraums shed light on the behavior of stimulated Raman scattering and stimulated Brillouin scattering at various plasma conditions encountered in indirect drive ignition designs. We present detailed experimental results that quantify the density, temperature, and intensity thresholds for both of these instabilities. In addition to controlling plasma parameters, the National Ignition Campaign relies on optical beam smoothing techniques to mitigate backscatter. We show that polarization smoothing is effective at controlling backscatter. These results provide an experimental basis for forthcoming experiments on National Ignition Facility.

The User Centric Monitoring (UCM) project was aimed at developing a toolkit that provides the Virtual Organization (VO) with tools to build systems that serve a rich set of intuitive job and application monitoring information to the VO's scientists so that they can be more productive. The tools help collect and serve the status and error information through a Web interface. The proposed UCM toolkit is composed of a set of library functions, a database schema, and a Web portal that will collect and filter available job monitoring information from various resources and present it to users in a user-centric view rather than and administrative-centric point of view.

The Greenidge Multi-Pollutant Control Project is being conducted as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Power Plant Improvement Initiative to demonstrate an innovative combination of air pollution control technologies that can cost-effectively reduce emissions of SO{sub 2}, NO{sub x}, Hg, acid gases (SO{sub 3}, HCl, and HF), and particulate matter from smaller coal-fired electrical generating units (EGUs). The multi-pollutant control system includes a hybrid selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR)/in-duct selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system to reduce NOx emissions by {ge}60%, followed by a Turbosorp{reg_sign} circulating fluidized bed dry scrubber system to reduce emissions of SO{sub 2}, SO{sub 3}, HCl, and HF by {ge}95%. Mercury removal of {ge}90% is also targeted via the co-benefits afforded by the in-duct SCR, dry scrubber, and baghouse and by injection of activated carbon upstream of the scrubber, as required. The technology is particularly well suited, because of its relatively low capital and maintenance costs and small space requirements, to meet the needs of coal-fired units with capacities of 50-300 MWe. There are about 440 such units in the United States that currently are not equipped with SCR, flue gas desulfurization (FGD), or mercury control systems. These smaller units are a valuable part of the nation's …

At the Department of Energy, Richland Operations (DOE-RL) Hanford site in eastern Washington, a 350 mm (14 inch) diameter high density polyethylene (HDPE) pump recirculation pipeline failed at a bonded joint adjacent to a radiologically and chemically contaminated groundwater storage basin. The responsible DOE-RL contractor, CH2MHill Plateau Remediation Company, applied a fiberglass reinforced plastic (composite) field repair system to the failed joint. The system was devised specifically for the HDPE pipe repair at the Hanford site, and had not been used on this type of plastic piping previously. This paper introduces the pipe failure scenario, describes the options considered for repair and discusses the ultimate resolution of the problem. The failed pipeline was successfully returned to service with minimal impact on waste water treatment plant operating capacity. Additionally, radiological and chemical exposures to facility personnel were maintained as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA). The repair is considered a success for the near term, and future monitoring will prove whether the repair can be considered for long term service and as a viable alternative for similar piping failures at the Hanford site.