Article describes how rate constants for the dissociation/recombination reaction N2H4 (+ M) ⇄ NH2 + NH2 (+ M) are determined by a combination of quantum-chemical calculations and statistical unimolecular rate theory. Implications of the present re-evaluated rate constants for the modeling of high temperature ammonia oxidation kinetics are discussed, showing an only small influence of their precise values on the overall properties of the process.

Authors of the article assert that public speaking, especially in a foreign language, is associated with increased anxiety. The authors found that VR technology had a positive effect on practicing public speaking in a foreign language, the research findings have practical implications for professionals and curriculum designers in various domains where public speaking skills are essential.

Article describes how this study aims to enhance the practical performance of PVDF/ZnO and PVDF/TiO2 composite coatings known for their distinctive properties. The coatings, applied through spray coating with PVDF and ZnO or TiO2 nanoparticles on glass, steel, and aluminum substrates, underwent a comprehensive evaluation.

This article describes the theoretical background and experimental design of new research based on previous multi-agent research on collaborative agents. The research extends the concept of agent decommitment into a resource scheduling domain. The problem is no longer time constrained, however, the number of agents is increased dramatically. The actual experimentation is yet to be performed. The authors state that results of the experimentation will be reported in a future article.

Study explores whether chronic inflammatory processes in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are in part due to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction by challenging female control and SLE mice with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and measuring c-Fos expression as an index of neuronal activation, plasma adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) as an index of anterior pituitary function, and plasma corticosterone as an index of adrenal function.

A focusing system which utilizes two f/0.47 doublets in conjunction with ellipsoidal mirrors produces two focusing cones with half angles of 81.5/sup 0/. This system has been used with the LLL Janus laser system to irradiate and implode DT filled glass microshells approximately 80 ..mu..m diameter. The purpose of the system was to provide more uniform heating of the pusher and compression of the fuel than had been obtained with Janus irradiated targets using f/1 lenses. Neutron yields of approximately 10/sup 7/ per event have been obtained and x-ray micrographs indicate tha the heating of the pusher was more uniform. Also the implosions are definitely more spherical than those obtained with the f/1 lenses. Data is also presented which add further confirmation to the importance of absorption by plasma wave resonance for non normal incidence of the laser light with the target.

As energies have increased exponentially with time so have the size and complexity of accelerators and control systems. NN may offer the kinds of improvements in computation and control that are needed to maintain acceptable functionality. For control their associative characteristics could provide signal conversion or data translation. Because they can do any computation such as least squares, they can close feedback loops autonomously to provide intelligent control at the point of action rather than at a central location that requires transfers, conversions, hand-shaking and other costly repetitions like input protection. Both computation and control can be integrated on a single chip, printed circuit or an optical equivalent that is also inherently faster through full parallel operation. For such reasons one expects lower costs and better results. Such systems could be optimized by integrating sensor and signal processing functions. Distributed nets of such hardware could communicate and provide global monitoring and multiprocessing in various ways e.g. via token, slotted or parallel rings (or Steiner trees) for compatibility with existing systems. Problems and advantages of this approach such as an optimal, real-time Turing machine are discussed. Simple examples are simulated and hardware implemented using discrete elements that demonstrate some basic characteristics …

To determine the feasibility of recovering data actively from x-ray imaging instruments used in the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory Laser Fusion Program, a commercial silicon video sensor was used to detect patterns of soft x-rays (1-8 keV). The sensor is a 2-dimensional frame transfer charge coupled device (CCD), modified to allow direct access of x-rays to the sensitive silicon. The x-ray sensitivity, linearity, and dynamic range of the CCD are discussed.

The need in clinical nuclear medicine for imaging devices with high spatial resolution has been discussed at length for many years. More recently, specialists in cardiology and neurology have restated this need for greater resolution in order to effect earlier or more accurate diagnoses of brain tumors, cerebral and myocardial ischemia and infarcts and septum defects, among others. Our approach to filling this need is to ultimately develop a 3072-element, high-purity germanium camera with a 2-mm spatial resolution, an energy resolution of 2 to 3 percent for /sup 99m/Tc, and a clinically useful area of 123 cm/sup 2/ for imaging the average adult heart, breast or brain. To this end, a 100-element prototype has been constructed and images of rats and mice have been obtained with the use of single and multiple isotopes. A second prototype with 512 elements has also been completed and tested. The 512 elements are derived from an array of electrodes, on the bottom of two germanium crystals, orthogonal to 16 electrodes on the top. The top electrodes are electrically in parallel and have a common electronic readout. The p-contact is palladium over germanium oxide, and the n-side is gold over the lithium diffusion. Cooling for …

Experiments were performed on the Janus laser with ..cap alpha..- spherical illumination system producing very nearly uniform energy deposition on microscopic laser fusion targets. The target performance as measured by the thermonuclear reaction yield was increased by a factor of 2.5 over experiments performed with f/1 lenses. Simple considerations of useful absorbed energy together with ..cap alpha..-particle time-of-flight measurements indicate that the D-T ion temperatures were not increased over those of earlier experiments. The increased neutron yield is thus to first order caused by the greater uniformity of compression achieved. Measurements of absorption as a function of focal overlap of the ellipsoidal mirrors support the hypothesis that resonance absorption plays an important role in these laser fusion experiments.

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We have developed and tested a fully autonomous pathogen detection system (APDS) capable of continuously monitoring the environment for airborne biological threat agents. The system was developed to provide early warning to civilians in the event of a bioterrorism incident and can be used at high profile events for short-term, intensive monitoring or in major public buildings or transportation nodes for long-term monitoring. The APDS is completely automated, offering continuous aerosol sampling, in-line sample preparation fluidics, multiplexed detection and identification immunoassays, and nucleic-acid based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and detection. Highly multiplexed antibody-based and duplex nucleic acid-based assays are combined to reduce false positives to a very low level, lower reagent costs, and significantly expand the detection capabilities of this biosensor. This article provides an overview of the current design and operation of the APDS. Certain sub-components of the ADPS are described in detail, including the aerosol collector, the automated sample preparation module that performs multiplexed immunoassays with confirmatory PCR, and the data monitoring and communications system. Data obtained from an APDS that operated continuously for seven days in a major U.S. transportation hub is reported.

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For this study, an extensive suite of mineral particles analogous to components of cosmic dust were tested to determine if their Raman signatures can be recognized after hypervelocity capture in aerogel. The mineral particles were mainly of greater than 20 micrometers in size and were accelerated onto the silica aerogel by light gas gun shots. It was found that all the individual minerals captured in aerogel could be subsequently identified using Raman (or fluorescent) spectra. The beam spot size used for the laser illumination was of the order of 5 micrometers, and in some cases the captured particles were of a similar small size. In some samples fired into aerogel there was observed a shift in the wavenumbers of some of the Raman bands, a result of the trapped particles being at quite high temperatures due to heating by the laser. Temperatures of samples under laser illumination were estimated from the relative intensities of Stokes and anti-Stokes Raman bands, or, in the case of ruby particles, from the wavenumber of fluorescence bands excited by the laser. It was found that the temperature of particles in aerogel varied greatly, dependent upon laser power and the nature of the particle. In the …

Following the successful design in 1974 of a 256-channel battery-powered pulse-height analyzer system, we have completed a second-generation analyzer with advanced features, lighter weight, and more rugged construction. The 17-kg analyzer includes a NaI detector and is packaged as a small suitcase; it has high stability and accuracy to allow use over the temperature range from --30 to +70/sup 0/C. The waterproof unit has many features not found on any commercial unit to allow sophisticated analysis by non-electronics oriented personnel. Its 36-button keyboard will allow manipulation of multiple spectra, integrations, and expanded energy scale with readout in keV. If its self-contained SX70 display camera is not sufficient for record keeping, the unit will telemeter all data onto analog tape or send to a remote computer via phone coupler.

The nuclear/radioactive threat to homeland security posed by terrorists can be broken into four categories. Of highest concern is the use of an improvised nuclear device (IND). An IND, as its name implies, is a nuclear explosive device. It produces nuclear yield, and this nuclear yield has catastrophic effects. An IND is the ultimate terrorist weapon, and terrorist groups are actively attempting to acquire nuclear weapons. Detonation of an IND could dwarf the devastation of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center. Dealing with the aftermath of an IND would be horrific. Rescue efforts and cleanup would be hazardous and difficult. Workers would have to wear full protection suits and self-contained breathing apparatus. Because of the residual radioactivity, in certain locations they could only work short times before acquiring their ''lifetime'' dose. As with the Chernobyl event, some rescue workers might well expose themselves to lethal doses of radiation, adding to the casualty toll. Enormous volumes of contaminated debris would have to be removed and disposed. If a terrorist group decides not to pursue an actual nuclear device, it might well turn to Radiological Dispersal Devices (RDDs) or ''dirty bombs'' as they are often called. RDDs spread radioactivity …

The I/O channels of the control system of the LHC experiments are distributed over the whole detector volume with distances of up to 100 meters. Special requirements on the I/O system arise due to the inaccessibility of the equipment and the hostile environment due to radiation and magnetic field. A general purpose I/O system based on the fieldbus CAN and using the CANopen software protocol has been developed using standard electronic components. Each of these distributed fieldbus nodes can monitor and control up to some hundred channels. The performance of a low-cost high precision ADC system will be presented together with the results of extensive tests.

Detailed studies of preserved hypervelocity impact residues on spacecraft multi-layer insulation foils have yielded important information about the flux of small particles from different sources in low-Earth orbit. We have extended our earlier research on impacts occurring in LEO to design and testing of a compact capture device. MULPEX (MUlti-Layer Polymer EXperiment) is simple, cheap to build, lightweight, of no power demand, easy to deploy, and optimized for the efficient collection of impact residue for analysis on return to Earth. The capture medium is a stack of very thin (8 micron and 40 micron) polyimide foils, supported on poly-tetrafluoroethylene sheet frames, surrounded by a protective aluminum casing. The uppermost foil has a very thin metallic coating for thermal protection and resistance to atomic oxygen and ultra-violet exposure. The casing provides a simple detachable interface for deployment on the spacecraft, facing into the desired direction for particle collection. On return to the laboratory, the stacked foils are separated for examination in a variable pressure scanning electron microscope, without need for surface coating. Analysis of impact residue is performed using energy dispersive X-ray spectrometers. Our laboratory experiments, utilizing buck-shot firings of analogues to micrometeoroids (35-38 micron olivine) and space debris (4 micron …

Superconducting tunnel junction (STJ) X-ray spectrometers have been developed for synchrotron-based high-resolution soft X-ray spectroscopy. We are quantifying the improvements in sensitivity that STJ spectrometers can offer for the analysis of dilute specimens over conventional semiconductor and grating spectrometers. We present analytical equations to quantify the improvements in terms of spectrometer resolution, detection efficiency and count rate capabilities as a function of line separation and spectral background. We discuss the implications of this analysis for L-edge spectroscopy of first-row transition metals.

We present the results of Raman scattering measurements of diamond ({sup 12}C) and of cubic boron nitride (cBN), and fluorescence measurements of ruby, Sm:YAG, and SrB{sub 4}O{sub 7}:Sm{sup 2+} in the diamond anvil cell (DAC) at high pressures and temperatures. These measurements were accompanied by synchrotron x-ray diffraction measurements on gold. We have extended the room-temperature calibration of Sm:YAG in a quasihydrostatic regime up to 100 GPa. The ruby scale is shown to systematically underestimate pressure at high pressures and temperatures compared with all other sensors. On this basis, we propose a new high-temperature ruby pressure scale that should be valid to at least 100 GPa and 850 K. Historically, the accurate determination of pressure at high temperature and ultrahigh pressure has been extremely difficult. In fact, the lack of a general pressure scale nullifies, to a significant extent, the great innovations that have been made in recent years in DAC experimental techniques [1]. Now, more than ever a scale is required whose accuracy is comparable with that of the experimental data. Since pressure in the DAC is dependent on temperature (due to thermal pressure and also to changes in the properties of the materials that constitute the DAC) such …

The aging of polymeric composite materials, such as filled polydimethylsiloxane foams, through factors such as thermal and mechanical stresses, environment, radiation, and chemical attack can affect the length of time for which a given material can maintain its engineering performance. Iterative interactions and cumulative reactions may result in the material or device reaching a critical age where its properties fail unexpectedly and catastrophically. The mechanical property changes associated with multi-mechanism aging may be subtle, and may not necessarily change linearly as a function of time in service. Since such linear relationships are often used in lifetime predictions, there is a fundamental need to develop and employ spectroscopic methods to investigate the structural and motional changes that occur in these organic-inorganic materials as a result of aging in chemically, thermally, or radioactively harsh environments. We have used multinuclear nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to characterize aging signatures in a series of PDMS based composite materials. Unfortunately, {sup 13}C, {sup 29}Si, and {sup 1}H magic angle spinning NMR spectra remain unchanged with gamma radiation exposure up to 50Mrad. This suggests that the speciation related changes are small and occur at a frequency of less than approximately 1% of the monomer units. As …

The Fanconi anemia (FA) proteins overlap with those of homologous recombination through FANCD1/BRCA2, but the biochemical functions of other FA proteins are unknown. By constructing and characterizing a null fancg mutant of hamster CHO cells, we present several new insights for FA. The fancg cells show a broad sensitivity to genotoxic agents, not supporting the conventional concept of sensitivity to only DNA crosslinking agents. The aprt mutation rate is normal, but hprt mutations are reduced, which we ascribe to the lethality of large deletions. CAD and dhfr gene amplification rates are increased, implying excess chromosomal breakage during DNA replication, and suggesting amplification as a contributing factor to cancer-proneness in FA patients. In S-phase cells, both spontaneous and mutagen-induced Rad51 nuclear foci are elevated. These results support a model in which FancG protein helps to prevent collapse of replication forks by allowing translesion synthesis or lesion bypass through homologous recombination.

Results are presented for turbulence simulations with the fluid edge turbulence code BOUT [1]. The present study is focused on turbulence in the divertor leg region and on the role of the X-point in the structure of turbulence. Results of the present calculations indicate that the ballooning effects are important for the divertor fluctuations. The X-point shear leads to weak correlation of turbulence across the X-point regions, in particular for large toroidal wavenumber. For the saturated amplitudes of the divertor region turbulence it is found that amplitudes of density fluctuations are roughly proportional to the local density of the background plasma. The amplitudes of electron temperature and electric potential fluctuations are roughly proportional to the local electron temperature of the background plasma.

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