Authors of the article assert that isoflavonoids play important roles in plant defense and also exhibit a range of mammalian health-promoting activities. They emphasize that understanding the structural basis of isoflavone biosynthesis will facilitate the engineering of new bioactive isoflavonoids.

Article shows that oral R,S-1,3, butanediol diacetoacetate (BD-AcAc2) consumption results in body weight loss or maintenance with moderate increases in circulating ketones. The purpose of this study was to determine if a diet consisting of 25% BD-AcAc2 (ketone ester, KE) would alter body composition, transcriptional regulation, the proteome, and the lipidome of skeletal muscle in aged mice.

Article describes how plasmons associated with zero-dimensional (0D) metal nanoparticles and their synergistic interactions with excitons in two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors offer opportunities for remarkable spectral tunability not otherwise evident in the pristine parent materials, which necessitates an in-depth study elucidating the nature of the plasmonic and excitonic interactions, jointly referred to as plexcitons in order to understand the foundational aspects of the light–matter interactions in hybrid 0D–2D systems. The authors examine the plexcitonic interactions of van der Waals (vdWs) hybrid structures composed of 2D WSe2 and 0D Au nanoparticles (Au-NPs) in their spherical (Au-Sp) and bi-pyramidical (Au-BP) architectures, which demonstrates that geometry-mediated response of the AuNPs provides another degree of freedom to modulate the carrier photodynamics in WSe₂.

Article studying students' learning of counseling ethics, particularly international students who experience acculturation in the general sense and the acculturation of ethics in the counseling profession specifically.

This article measures the cardiac performance of Newfoundland Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). The results: (1) show that maximum performance of the isolated cod heart is not compromised by exposure to cold temperatures; and (2) support data from other studies, which show that, in contrast to salmonids, cod cardiac performance/myocardial contractility is not dependent upon humoral adrenergic stimulation.

Article describes an experiment where a self-organized 2D nanolaminate with an average lamella thickness of ~22 nm was formed in the subsurface of a cold-sprayed WC-reinforced metal matrix composite (MMC) Cu-MoS2-WC during oscillatory sliding, resulting in more stable friction and improved wear resistance.

Previous calculations of line emission were extended to higher density, lower temperature plasmas, typical of those expected in early ablative compression experiments. Emission from Ne-seeded fuel was analyzed in order to diagnose the density and temperature of the compressed core. The Stark/Doppler broadened emission profile is calculated for the H-like Ne resonance line. The observable lineshape is then obtained by time-averaging over expected density and temperature profiles and by including the effects of radiative transfer.

Separate abstracts were prepared for twenty-four papers. (MHR)

The history and state-of-the-art of laser isotope separation at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory are reviewed. (TFD)

We combine AAVSO and VSS/RASNZ optical and Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer EUV light curves of dwarf novae in outburst to place constraints on the nature of dwarf nova outbursts. From the observed optical-EUV time delays of {approx} 0.75-1.5 days, we show that the propagation velocity of the dwarf nova instability heating wave is {approx} 3 km s{sup -1}.

In our second paper on long-term quasar variability, we employ a much larger database of quasars than in de Vries, Becker & White. This expanded sample, containing 35,165 quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 2, and 6,413 additional quasars in the same area of the sky taken from the 2dF QSO Redshift Survey, allows us to significantly improve on our earlier conclusions. As before, all the historic quasar photometry has been calibrated onto the SDSS scale by using large numbers of calibration stars around each quasar position. We find the following: (1) the outbursts have an asymmetric light-curve profile, with a fast-rise, slow-decline shape; this argues against a scenario in which micro-lensing events along the line-of-sight to the quasars are dominating the long-term variations in quasars; (2) there is no turnover in the Structure Function of the quasars up to time-scales of {approx}40 years, and the increase in variability with increasing time-lags is monotonic and constant; and consequently, (3) there is not a single preferred characteristic outburst time-scale for the quasars, but most likely a continuum of outburst time-scales, (4) the magnitude of the quasar variability is a function of wavelength: variability increases toward the blue part …

We have begun building the ''Mercury'' laser system as the first in a series of new generation diode-pumped solid-state lasers for inertial fusion research. Mercury will integrate three key technologies: diodes, crystals, and gas cooling, within a unique laser architecture that is scalable to kilojoule and megajoule energy levels for fusion energy applications. The primary near-term performance goals include 10% electrical efficiencies at 10 Hz and 100J with a 2-10 ns pulse length at 1.047 mm wavelength. When completed, Mercury will allow rep-rated target experiments with multiple chambers for high energy density physics research.

The local structure of KH{sub 2}PO{sub 4} crystals (so-called KDP) at laser-induced damage sites created by irradiation with {approx} 3-ns, 355-nm laser pulses is studied by a combination of Raman scattering and photoluminescence spectroscopies. We compare spectra from pristine material, surface and bulk laser-induced damage sites, as well as from KPO{sub 3} references. Results show that irradiation with uences above the laser-induced breakdown threshold leads to stoichiometric changes at surface damage sites but not at bulk damage sites. New spectroscopic features are attributed to dehydration products. For the laser irradiation conditions used in this study, the decomposed near-surface layer absorbs photons at {approx} 3.4 eV (364 nm). These results may help explain the recently reported observation that surface laser damage sites in KDP crystals tend to grow with subsequent exposure to high-power laser pulses, while bulk damage sites do not.

Hopper is a powerful interactive tool that allows users to transfer and manipulate files and directories by means of a graphical user interface. Users can connect to and manage resources using the major file transfer protocols. Implemented in Java, Hopper can be run almost anywhere: from an individual's desktop machine to large production machines. In a high-performance computing environment, managing files can become a difficult and time-consuming task that distracts from scientific work. Users must deal with multiple file transfer protocols, transferring enormous amounts of files between computer platforms, repeated authentication, organizing massive amounts of data, and other detailed but necessary tasks. This is often accomplished with a set of several different tools, each with its own interface and idiosyncrasies. Our goal is to develop tools for a more automated approach to file management that substantially improves users' ability to transfer, organize, search, and operate on collections of files. This paper describes the Hopper tool for advanced file management, including the software architecture, the functionality, and the user interface.

Alloy 22 (UNS N06022) was selected to fabricate the corrosion resistant outer barrier of a two-layer waste package container for nuclear waste at the designated repository site in Yucca Mountain in Nevada (USA). A testing program is underway to characterize and quantify three main modes of corrosion that may occur at the site. Current results show that the containers would perform well under general corrosion, localized corrosion and environmentally assisted cracking (EAC). For example, the general corrosion rate is expected to be below 100 nm/year and the container is predicted to be outside the range of potential for localized corrosion and environmentally assisted cracking.

Welcome to the Eleventh Annual C.A.S.I.S. Workshop, a yearly event at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, presented by the Center for Advanced Signal & Image Sciences, or CASIS, and sponsored by the LLNL Engineering Directorate. Every November for the last 10 years we have convened a diverse set of engineering and scientific talent to share their work in signal processing, imaging, communications, controls, along with associated fields of mathematics, statistics, and computing sciences. This year is no exception, with sessions in Adaptive Optics, Applied Imaging, Scientific Data Mining, Electromagnetic Image and Signal Processing, Applied Signal Processing, National Ignition Facility (NIF) Imaging, and Nondestructive Characterization.

This column article discusses the impact of Robert Boutillier and Graham Shelton's 1986 Journal of Experimental Biology paper "Gas exchange, storage and transport in voluntarily diving Xenopus laevis."

A solid-state modulator with very fast rise and fall times, pulse width agility, and multi-pulse burst and intra-pulse amplitude adjustment capability for use with high speed electron beam kickers has been designed and tested at LLNL. The modulator uses multiple solid-state modules stacked in an inductive-adder configuration. Amplitude adjustment is provided by controlling individual modules in the adder, and is used to compensate for transverse e-beam motion as well as the dynamic response and beam-induced steering effects associated with the kicker structure. A control algorithm calculates a voltage based on measured e-beam displacement and adjusts the modulator to regulate beam centroid position. This paper presents design details of amplitude control along with measured performance data from kicker operation on the ETA-II accelerator at LLNL.

Significant progress has been made on addressing critical issues for inertial fusion energy (IFE) chambers for heavy-ion, laser and Z-pinch drivers. A variety of chamber concepts are being investigated including dry-wall (currently favored for laser IFE), wetted-wall (applicable to both laser and ion drivers), and thick-liquid-wall favored by heavy ion and z-pinch drivers. Recent progress and remaining challenges in developing IFE chambers are reviewed.

Finite element modeling has been applied to study deformation of living cells in Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and particularly Recognition Force Microscopy (RFM). The abstract mechanical problem of interest is the response to RFM point loads of an incompressible medium enclosed in a fluid membrane. Cells are soft systems, susceptible to large deformations in the course of an RFM measurement. Often the local properties such as receptor anchoring forces, the reason for the measurement, are obscured by the response of the cell as a whole. Modeling can deconvolute these effects. This facilitates experimental efforts to have reproducible measurements of mechanical and chemical properties at specific kinds of receptor sites on the membrane of a living cell. In this article we briefly review the RFM technique for cells and the problems it poses, and then report on recent progress in modeling the deformation of cells by a point load.

Fluorescing surface defects that led to damage upon 351-nm laser exposure below 7 J/cm{sup 2} (3-11s) in DKDP optics were reported in these proceedings by this group a year ago. Subsequent laser damage experiments have correlated the density of these damage precursors to single-point diamond finishing conditions. Every diamond-finishing schedule contains brittle-mode cutting and ductile-mode cutting in a taper-down sequence. Finishing experiments have traced the occurrence of these defects to insufficient ductile-mode removal of subsurface damage incurred during prior brittle-mode cutting. Additionally, a correlation between defect fluorescence, laser-induced damage, and defect morphology has been established. Laser-induced damage tests also suggest a correlation between growth method and damage probability. Current experiments indicate that damage-prone defects can be minimized with the proper choice of diamond finishing conditions.

We suggest that the derivation of the free space Maxwell Equations for classical electromagnetism, using a discrete ordered calculus developed by L.H. Kauffman and T. Etter, necessarily pushes the discussion of determinism in natural science down to the level of relativistic quantum mechanics and hence renders the mathematical phenomena studied in deterministic chaos research irrelevant to the question of whether the world investigated by physics is deterministic. We believe that this argument reinforces Suppes` contention that the issue of determinism versus indeterminism should be viewed as a Kantian antinomy incapable of investigation using currently available scientific tools.

The Actinide Source Term represents the quantity of actinides that could be mobilized within WIPP brines and could migrate with the brines away from the disposal room vicinity. This document presents the various proposed methods for estimating this source term, with a particular focus on defining these methods and evaluating the defensibility of the models for mobile actinide concentrations. The conclusions reached in this document are: the 92 PA {open_quotes}expert panel{close_quotes} model for mobile actinide concentrations is not defensible; and, although it is extremely conservative, the {open_quotes}inventory limits{close_quotes} model is the only existing defensible model for the actinide source term. The model effort in progress, {open_quotes}chemical modeling of mobile actinide concentrations{close_quotes}, supported by a laboratory effort that is also in progress, is designed to provide a reasonable description of the system and be scientifically realistic and supplant the {open_quotes}Inventory limits{close_quotes} model.

Gas generation by transuranic (TRU) waste is a significant issue because gas will, if produced in significant quantities, affect the performance of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) with respect to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations for the long-term isolation of radioactive and chemically hazardous waste. If significant gas production occurs, it will also affect, and will be affected by, other processes and parameters in WIPP disposal rooms. The processes that will produce gas in WIPP disposal rooms are corrosion, microbial activity and radiolysis. This position paper describes these processes and the models, assumptions and data used to predict gas generation in WIPP disposal rooms.