An adaptive optical system used to correct horizontal beam propagation paths has been demonstrated. This system utilizes an interferometric wave-front sensor and a large-actuator-number MEMS-based spatial light modulator to correct the aberrations incurred by the beam after propagation along the path. Horizontal path correction presents a severe challenge to adaptive optics systems due to the short atmospheric transverse coherence length and the high degree of scintillation incurred by laser propagation along these paths. Unlike wave-front sensors that detect phase gradients, however, the interferometric wave-front sensor measures the wrapped phase directly. Because the system operates with nearly monochromatic light and uses a segmented spatial light modulator, it does not require that the phase be unwrapped to provide a correction and it also does not require a global reconstruction of the wave-front to determine the phase as required by gradient detecting wave-front sensors. As a result, issues with branch points are eliminated. Because the atmospheric probe beam is mixed with a large amplitude reference beam, it can be made to operate in a photon noise limited regime making its performance relatively unaffected by scintillation. The MEMS-based spatial light modulator in the system contains 1024 pixels and is controlled to speeds in excess …

The Republic of Kazakhstan is continuing to develop its extensive petroleum reserves in the Tengiz region of the northeastern part of the Caspian Sea. Large quantities of by-product sulfur are being produced as a result of the removal of hydrogen sulfide from the oil and gas produced in the region. Lack of local markets and economic considerations limit the traditional outlets for by-product sulfur and the buildup of excess sulfur is a becoming a potential economic and environmental liability. Thus, new applications for re-use of by-product sulfur that will benefit regional economies including construction, paving and waste treatment are being developed. One promising application involves the cleanup and treatment of mercury at a Kazakhstan chemical plant. During 19 years of operation at the Pavlodar Khimprom chlor-alkali production facility, over 900 tons of mercury was lost to the soil surrounding and beneath the buildings. The Institute of Metallurgy and Ore Benefication (Almaty) is leading a team to develop and demonstrate a vacuum-assisted thermal process to extract the mercury from the soil and concentrate it as pure, elemental mercury, which will then be treated using the Sulfur Polymer Stabilization/Solidification (SPSS) process. The use of locally produced sulfur will recycle a low-value industrial …

We consider the collinear limit of QCD amplitudes at one-loop order, and their factorization properties directly in color space. These results apply to the multiple collinear limit of an arbitrary number of QCD partons, and are a basic ingredient in many higher-order computations. In particular, we discuss the triple collinear limit and its relation to flavor asymmetries in the QCD evolution of parton densities at three loops. As a phenomenological consequence of this new effect, and of the fact that the nucleon has non-vanishing quark valence densities, we study the perturbative generation of a strange-antistrange asymmetry s(x)-{bar s}(x) in the nucleon's sea.

Soils and sediments contaminated with toxic organic and inorganic compounds harmful to the environment and to human health are common in the urban environment. We report here on aspects of a program being carried out in the New York/New Jersey Port region to develop methods for processing dredged material from the Port to make products that are safe for introduction to commercial markets. We discuss some of the results of the program in Computational Environmental Science, Laboratory Environmental Science, and Applied Environmental Science and indicate some possible directions for future work. Overall, the program elements integrate the scientific and engineering aspects with regulatory, commercial, urban planning, local governments, and community group interests. Well-developed connections between these components are critical to the ultimate success of efforts to cope with the problems caused by contaminated urban soils and sediments.

Two and three dimensional assemblies of colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) have been of great interest during recent years [1-3]. While size-dependent optical and electronic properties of isolated particles are particularly important for fundamental research, studies of their ordered assemblies provide a transition path to the engineering of materials and devices for future practical applications. Assemblies of NCs of different materials, such as semiconductors, metals and metal oxides, have been reported in the literature during recent years [4-7]. However, perfect, crystallographic-ordered assemblies of colloidal NCs or colloidal superlattices (SLs) have been observed so far only using transmission (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in a very small scale of a few hundred nanometers, while macroscopic characterization and device application demonstrations have been performed mainly on amorphous, randomly packed powders of NCs [8, 9]. To make SLs available for traditional methods of characterization, they should be obtained in a sufficiently large size. For colloidal NCs soluble in variety of solvents, simple growth from solution seems to be an appropriate choice to produce SLs. In solution, NCs act as large molecules that, as shown previously [1, 8], can form nanoscale ordered assemblies by the classical Frank-Cabrerra mechanism [10] of crystal growth. It is, however, …

The 27 GPa pressure-induced epsilon-phi phase transition in HMX is explored using the Isentropic Compression Experiment (ICE) technique at the Sandia National Laboratories Z-machine facility. Our data indicate that this phase transition is sluggish and if it does occur to any extent under the time scales (200-500 ns) and strain rates (5 x 10{sup 5}) typical of ICE loading conditions, the amount of conversion is small.

A distributed memory message-passing parallel implementation of a finite-volume discretization of the primitive equations in the Community Atmosphere Model is presented. Due to the data dependencies resulting from the polar singularity of the latitude-longitude coordinate system, it is necessary to employ two separate domain decompositions within the dynamical core. Data must be periodically redistributed between these two decompositions. In addition, the domains contain halo regions that cover the nearest neighbor data dependencies. A combination of several techniques, such as one-sided communication and multithreading, are presented to optimize data movements. The resulting algorithm is shown to scale to very large machine configurations, even for relatively coarse resolutions.

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Under anaerobic conditions and at circumneutral pH, cells of the widely-distributed, obligate chemolithoautotrophic bacterium Thiobacillus denitrificans oxidatively dissolved synthetic and biogenic U(IV) oxides (uraninite) in nitrate-dependent fashion: U(IV) oxidation required the presence of nitrate and was strongly correlated to nitrate consumption. This is the first report of anaerobic U(IV) oxidation by an autotrophic bacterium.

Understanding and predicting the behavior of high-Z non-LTE plasmas is important for developing indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion. Extending earlier work from the Nova laser, we present results from experiments using the Omega laser to study the ionization balance of gold as a function of electron and radiation temperature. In these experiments, gold samples embedded in Be disks expand under direct laser heating to n{sub e} {approx} 10{sup 21} cm{sup -3}, with T{sub e} varying from 0.8 to 2.5 keV. An additional finite radiation field with effective temperature T{sub r} up to 150 eV is provided by placing the gold-Be disks inside truncated 1.2 mm diameter tungsten-coated cylindrical hohlraums with full laser entrance holes. Densities are measured by imaging of plasma expansion. Electron temperatures are diagnosed with either 2 {omega} or 4 {omega} Thomson scattering, and also K-shell spectroscopy of KCl tracers co-mixed with the gold. Hohlraum flux and effective radiation temperature are measured using an absolutely-calibrated multichannel filtered diode array. Spectroscopic measurements of the M-shell gold emission in the 2.9-4 keV spectral range provide ionization balance and charge state distribution information. The spectra show strong variation with T{sub e}, strong variation with the applied T{sub r} at T{sub e} below …

Alumina aerogels were prepared through the addition of propylene oxide to aqueous or ethanolic solutions of hydrated aluminum salts, AlCl{sub 3} {center_dot} 6H{sub 2}O or Al(NO{sub 3}){sub 3} {center_dot} 9H{sub 2}O, followed by drying with supercritical CO{sub 2}. This technique affords low-density (60-130 kg/m{sup 3}), high surface area (600-700 m{sup 2}/g) alumina aerogel monoliths without the use of alkoxide precursors. The dried alumina aerogels were characterized using elemental analysis, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, solid state NMR, acoustic measurements and nitrogen adsorption/desorption analysis. Powder X-ray diffraction and TEM analysis indicated that the aerogel prepared from hydrated AlCl{sub 3} in water or ethanol possessed microstructures containing highly reticulated networks of pseudoboehmite fibers, 2-5 nm in diameter and of varying lengths, while the aerogels prepared from hydrated Al(NO{sub 3}){sub 3} in ethanol were amorphous with microstructures comprised of interconnected spherical particles with diameters in the 5-15 nm range. The difference in microstructure resulted in each type of aerogel displaying distinct physical and mechanical properties. In particular, the alumina aerogels with the weblike microstructure were far more mechanically robust than those with the colloidal network, based on acoustic measurements. Both types of alumina aerogels can be transformed to {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} …

We present results of gas phase cluster and liquid water simulations from the recently determined VRT(ASP-W)III water dimer potential energy surface. VRT(ASP-W)III is shown to not only be a model of high ''spectroscopic'' accuracy for the water dimer, but also makes accurate predictions of vibrational ground-state properties for clusters up through the hexamer. Results of ambient liquid water simulations from VRT(ASP-W)III are compared to those from ab initio Molecular Dynamics, other potentials of ''spectroscopic'' accuracy, and to experiment. The results herein represent the first time that a ''spectroscopic'' potential surface is able to correctly model condensed phase properties of water.

An intermediate regime for tokamak operation has been obtained in DIII-D and in other tokamaks in which the inductive flux consumption is reduced and a broad current profile with the safety factor just above or near the sawtoothing limit is obtained and maintained. The DIII-D tokamak was operated in this regime near the no-wall b limit. High stability and good confinement was achieved at a desired level of q{sub 95} {approx} 3 to 4 for durations as long as 35{tau}{sub E}, three times the current-diffusion time. This regime offers the promise of achieving higher fusion gain and yield and/or longer burn duration for ITER.

We are developing high-current ion sources for Heavy Ion Fusion applications. Our proposed RF plasma source starts with an array of high current density mini-beamlets (of a few mA each at {approx}100 mA/cm{sup 2}) that are kept separated from each other within a set of acceleration grids. After they have gained sufficient kinetic energy (>1.2 MeV), the mini-beamlets are allowed to merge together to form a high current beam (about 0.5 A) with low emittance. Simulations have been done to maximize the beam brightness within the physical constraints of the source. We have performed a series of experiments on an RF plasma source. A 80-kV 20-{micro}s source has produced up to 5 mA of Ar{sup +} in a single beamlet and we measured the emittance of a beamlet, its energy spread, and the fraction of ions in higher charge states. We have also tested a 50-kV 61-hole multi-beamlet array. Two upcoming experiments are being prepared: the first experiment will test full-gradient extraction and transport of 61 beamlets though the first four electrodes, and the second experiment will converge 119 beamlets into an ESQ channel at one-quarter scaled voltage of a 1.6 MV HIF injector.

Electron impact excitation cross sections have been measured for iron L-shell 3 {yields} 2 lines of FeXXI to FeXXIV at the EBIT-II electron beam ion trap using a crystal spectrometer and a 6 x 6-element array microcalorimeter. The cross sections were determined by direct normalization to the well established cross section of radiative electron capture and a summary of calculated energy dependent radiative recombination cross sections for electron capture into the ground state fine structure levels of Fe{sup 16+} to Fe{sup 23+} ions is given. The measurement results for 17 lines and their comparison with model calculations are presented. While agreement of the model calculations with experiment is good for most measured lines, significant discrepancies were found for a few lines, including the strongest line in Fe XXI.

Growing interest and exploration dollars within the geothermal sector have paved the way for increasingly sophisticated suites of geophysical and geochemical tools and methodologies. The efforts to characterize and assess known geothermal fields and find new, previously unknown resources has been aided by the advent of higher spatial resolution airborne geophysics (e.g. aeromagnetics), development of new seismic processing techniques, and the genesis of modern multi-dimensional fluid flow and structural modeling algorithms, just to name a few. One of the newest techniques on the scene, is hyperspectral imaging. Really an optical analytical geochemical tool, hyperspectral imagers (or imaging spectrometers as they are also called), are generally flown at medium to high altitudes aboard mid-sized aircraft and much in the same way more familiar geophysics are flown. The hyperspectral data records a continuous spatial record of the earth's surface, as well as measuring a continuous spectral record of reflected sunlight or emitted thermal radiation. This high fidelity, uninterrupted spatial and spectral record allows for accurate material distribution mapping and quantitative identification at the pixel to sub-pixel level. In volcanic/geothermal regions, this capability translates to synoptic, high spatial resolution, large-area mineral maps generated at time scales conducive to both the faster pace of …

We report the first measurement of the saturation of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) by an ion-trapping induced frequency shift, which was achieved by directly measuring the amplitude and absolute frequency of SBS-driven ion-acoustic waves (IAW). A frequency shift of up to 30% and a simultaneous saturation of driven IAW and SBS reflectivity was observed. The scaling of the frequency shift with the IAW amplitude compares well with theoretical calculations. We have further measured fast 30 ps oscillations of the SBS-driven IAW amplitude induced by the frequency shift.

A semi-empirical model was used to explain why the measured melting curves of molybdenum, and the other bcc transition metals, have an unusually low slope (dT/dP{approx}0). The total binding energy of Mo is written as the sum of the repulsive energy of the ions and sp-electrons (modeled by an inverse 6th power potential) and the d-band cohesive energy described by the well known Friedel equation. Using literature values for the Mo band width energy, the number of d-electrons and their volume dependence, we find that a small broadening of the liquid d-band width ({approx}1%) leads to an increase in the stability of the liquid relative to the solid. This is sufficient to depress the melting temperature and lower the melting slope to a value in agreement with the diamond-anvil cell measurements. Omission of the d-band physics results in an Al-like melting curve with a much steeper melt slope. The model, when applied to the f-electrons of the light actinides (Th-Am), gives agreement with the observed fall and rise in the melting temperature with increasing atomic number.

X-ray free-electron lasers will produce pulses of x-rays that are 10 orders of magnitude brighter than today's undulator sources at synchrotrons. This may enable atomic resolution imaging of single macromolecules.

Homologous recombinational repair is a major DNA repair pathway that preserves chromosomal integrity by removing double-strand breaks, crosslinks, and other DNA damage. In eukaryotic cells, the Rad51 paralogs (XRCC2, XRCC3, Rad51B, Rad51C, and Rad51D) are involved in this process, although their exact functions are largely undetermined. All five paralogs contain ATPase motifs, and XRCC3 appears to exist in a single complex with Rad51C. To begin to examine the function of this Rad51C-XRCC3 complex, we generated mammalian expression vectors that produce human wild-type XRCC3 or mutant XRCC3 with either a non-conservative mutation (K113A) or a conservative mutation (K113R) in the GKT Walker A box of the ATPase motif. The three vectors were independently transfected into Xrcc3-deficient irs1SF CHO cells. Wild-type XRCC3 complemented irs1SF cells, albeit to varying degrees, while ATPase mutants had no complementing activity, even when the mutant protein was expressed at comparable levels to that in wild-type-complemented clones. Because of the mutants' dysfunction, we propose that ATP binding and hydrolyzing activities of XRCC3 are essential. We tested in vitro complex formation by wild-type and mutant XRCC3 with His6-tagged Rad51C upon coexpression in bacteria, nickel affinity purification, and western blotting. Wild-type and K113A mutant XRCC3 formed stable complexes with Rad51C …

The vapor deposition methods of planar magnetron sputtering and electron-beam evaporation are used to synthesize materials with nano structured morphological features that have ultra-high surface areas with continuous open porosity at the nano scale. These nano structured membranes are used in a variety of fuel cells to provide electrode and catalytic functions. Specifically, stand alone and composite nickel electrodes for use in thin film solid-oxide, and molten carbonate fuel cells are formed by sputter deposition and electron bean evaporation, respectively. Also, a potentially high-performance catalyst material for the direct reformation of hydrocarbon fuels at low temperatures is deposited as a nano structure by the reactive sputtering of a copper-zinc alloy using a partial pressure of oxygen at an elevated substrate temperature.

Article on an extracellular aspartic protease functions in Arabidopsis disease resistance signaling.

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have developed several techniques to probe the properties of Plutonium using tiny microgram-to-milligram samples. This commentary describes the advantages of this experimental approach, and contains examples of successful experimental setups. One motivation for such experiments is that they couple well to computational simulations of electronic and atomistic properties and processes, and examples of this coupling are discussed.

Longitudinal compression of a tailored-velocity, intense neutralized ion beam has been demonstrated. The compression takes place in a 1-2 m drift section filled with plasma to provide space-charge neutralization. An induction cell produces a head-to-tail velocity ramp that longitudinally compresses the neutralized beam, enhancing the beam peak current by a factor of 50 and producing a pulse duration of about 3 ns. this measurement has been confirmed independently with two different diagnostic systems.