Simple models are constructed for ''acceleressence'' dark energy: the latent heat of a phase transition occurring in a hidden sector governed by the seesaw mass scale v{sup 2}/M{sub Pl}, where v is the electroweak scale and M{sub Pl} the gravitational mass scale. In our models, the seesaw scale is stabilized by supersymmetry, implying that the LHC must discover superpartners with a spectrum that reflects a low scale of fundamental supersymmetry breaking. Newtonian gravity may be modified by effects arising from the exchange of fields in the acceleressence sector whose Compton wavelengths are typically of order the millimeter scale. There are two classes of models. In the first class the universe is presently in a metastable vacuum and will continue to inflate until tunneling processes eventually induce a first order transition. In the simplest such model, the range of the new force is bounded to be larger than 25 {micro}m in the absence of fine-tuning of parameters, and for couplings of order unity it is expected to be {approx} 100 {micro}m. In the second class of models thermal effects maintain the present vacuum energy of the universe, but on further cooling, the universe will ''soon'' smoothly relax to a matter dominated …

The stability and NO{sub x} sensing performance of electrochemical cells of the structure Sr-doped LaCrO{sub 3-{delta}} (LSC)/yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)/Pt are being investigated for use in NO{sub x} aftertreatment systems in diesel vehicles. Among the requirements for NO{sub x} sensor materials in these systems are stability and long lifetime (up to ten years) in the exhaust environment. In this study, cell aging effects were explored following extended exposure to a test environment of 10% O{sub 2} at operating temperatures of 600-700 C. The data show that aging results in changes in particle morphology, chemical composition and interfacial structure, Impedance spectroscopy indicated an initial increase in the cell resistance during the early stages of aging, which is correlated to densification of the Pt electrode. Also, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated formation of SrZrO{sub 2} solid state reaction product in the LSC, a process which is of finite duration. Subsequently, the overall cell resistance decreases with aging time due, in part, to roughening of YSZ-LSC interface, which improves interface adherence and enhances charge transfer kinetics at the O{sub 2}/YSZ/LSC triple phase boundary. This study constitutes a first step in the development of a basic understanding of aging phenomena in solid state electrochemical systems with …

Algorithms for the treatment of special positions in 3-dimensional crystallographic space groups are presented. These include an algorithm for the determination of the site-symmetry group given the coordinates of a point, an algorithm for the determination of the exact location of the nearest special position, an algorithm for the assignment of a Wyckoff letter given the site-symmetry group, and an alternative algorithm for the assignment of a Wyckoff letter given the coordinates of a point directly. All algorithms are implemented in ISO C++ and are integrated into the Computational Crystallography Toolbox. The source code is freely available.

We discuss two approaches to obtain detectors of very high temporal resolution. In the first approach, uranium-coated cathode is used in a streak tube configuration. Secondary electrons accompanying the fission fragments from a neutron-uranium reaction are accelerated, focussed and energy analyzed through a pinhole and streaked. Calculations show that 20 ps time-resolution can be obtained. In the second approach, a uranium-coated cathode is integrated into a transmission line. State-of-the-art technology indicates that time resolution of 20 ps can be obtained by gating the cathode with a fast electric pulse.

Short article to be sent to the Johnson-Humphrey Texas Campaigner describing the contributions of Latin Americans to the campaign, naming the chairmen and co-chairmen and who the speakers were at their first mass meeting in Houston.

An automated system for the performance of ion-exchange chromatography with corrosive solvents has been built. It is LSI-II microcomputer controlled and is capable of selecting six sample/solvents and collecting six separate fractions. Preliminary results on the separation of plutonium from 8M HNO/sub 3/ solutions indicate that the system can achieve chemical yields, analytical accuracy, and precision fully comparable to manual column operation at a considerable savings of operator time.

Article provides a detailed overview of the benefits and issues of metal alloys when used as biomedical implants and how they are improved by bioactive glass-based coatings for biomedical applications.

Laser technology has advanced dramatically and is an integral part of today's healthcare delivery system. Lasers are used in the laboratory analysis of human blood samples and serve as surgical tools that kill, burn or cut tissue. Recent semiconductor microtechnology has reduced the size o f a laser to the size of a biological cell or even a virus particle. By integrating these ultra small lasers with biological systems, it is possible to create micro-electrical mechanical systems that may revolutionize health care delivery.

The authors have directly measured the stress evolution during metal organic chemical vapor deposition of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures on sapphire. In situ stress measurements were correlated with ex situ microstructural analysis to directly determine a critical thickness for cracking and the subsequent relaxation kinetics of tensile-strained Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1{minus}x}N on GaN. Cracks appear to initiate the formation of misfit dislocations at the AlGaN/GaN interface, which account for the majority of the strain relaxation.

To provide a compact high-brightness heavy-ion beam source for Heavy Ion Fusion (HIF), we have been experimenting with merging multi-beamlets in an injector which uses an RF plasma source. An array of converging beamlets was used to produce a beam with the envelope radius, convergence, and ellipticity matched to an electrostatic quadrupole (ESQ) channel. Experimental results were in good quantitative agreement with simulation and have demonstrated the feasibility of this concept. The size of a driver-scale injector system using this approach will be several times smaller than one designed using traditional single large-aperture beams. The success of this experiment has possible significant economical and technical impacts on the architecture of HIF drivers.

The complexation of plutonium(IV) with sulfate at variable temperatures has been investigated by solvent extraction method. A NaBrO{sub 3} solution was used as holding oxidant to maintain the plutonium(IV) oxidation state throughout the experiments. The distribution ratio of Pu(IV) between the organic and aqueous phases was found to decrease as the concentrations of sulfate were increased. Stability constants of the 1:1 and 1:2 Pu(IV)-HSO{sub 4}{sup -} complexes, dominant in the aqueous phase, were calculated from the effect of [HSO{sub 4}{sup -}] on the distribution ratio. The enthalpy and entropy of complexation were calculated from the stability constants at different temperatures using the Van't Hoff equation.

The April 2011 DOE workshop, 'Computational Needs for the Next Generation Electric Grid', was the culmination of a year-long process to bring together some of the Nation's leading researchers and experts to identify computational challenges associated with the operation and planning of the electric power system. The attached papers provide a journey into these experts' insights, highlighting a class of mathematical and computational problems relevant for potential power systems research. While each paper defines a specific problem area, there were several recurrent themes. First, the breadth and depth of power system data has expanded tremendously over the past decade. This provides the potential for new control approaches and operator tools that can enhance system efficiencies and improve reliability. However, the large volume of data poses its own challenges, and could benefit from application of advances in computer networking and architecture, as well as data base structures. Second, the computational complexity of the underlying system problems is growing. Transmitting electricity from clean, domestic energy resources in remote regions to urban consumers, for example, requires broader, regional planning over multi-decade time horizons. Yet, it may also mean operational focus on local solutions and shorter timescales, as reactive power and system dynamics (including …

Article describes how photocatalytic water splitting into H2 and O2 has attracted significant scientific interest for solar energy conversion applications during the last two decades. Authors of the article further elaborate that One of the half-reactions of this process, water oxidation, is known to be the key step in natural and artificial photosynthesis to convert and store solar energy.

The cryocondensation pumping system for the TFTR neutral beam injectors is described. Topics include hardware design, differential pumping and beam loss, operational modes, and response to massive vacuum breaks.

This paper provides an overview of the Worker Protection System (WPS), a client/server, Windows-based database management system for essential radiological protection and industrial hygiene. Seven operational modules handle records for external dosimetry, bioassay/internal dosimetry, sealed sources, routine radiological surveys, lasers, workplace exposure, and respirators. WPS utilizes the latest hardware and software technologies to provide ready electronic access to a consolidated source of worker protection.

Deformation at grain boundaries is observed and a framework for boundary specific constitutive laws based upon geometric considerations of slip transfer is developed. Orientation images of a pseudo-internal surface during interrupted channel die deformations of a Cu bi-crystal show the heterogeneity of lattice rotation near the grain boundary. The experiments demonstrate that a region near the boundary is strongly influenced by neighboring grain deformation and lend support to the development of deformation models that include the effects of non-local slip system interaction.

A rapid and reliable method for analyzing technetium-99 in a wide variety of environmental samples, including waters, soils, stream sediments, and vegetations, has been developed. The procedure entails oxidizing the technitium to the heptavalent state and dissolving it in 6 N sulfuric acid. From that medium the technetium is quantitatively and selectively extracted into tributyl phosphate. A portion of the extract is then added to a scintillation cocktail, and technetium-99 activity is measured by liquid scintillation counting. Since a relatively large sample can be handled, the method can detest as little as 0.016 pCI /sup 99/Tc/ml water, 0.1 pCi /sup 99/Tc/g soil or sediment, and 0.2 pCi /sup 99/Tc/g vegetation. The procedure has also been adapted to analyzing urine samples, in which technetium activity as low as 0.12 pCi/ml can be detected.

For the on-line production of a {sup 14}O{sup +} ion beam, an integrated target--transfer line ion source system is now under development at LBNL. {sup 14}O is produced in the form of CO in a high temperature carbon target using a 20 MeV {sup 3}He beam from the LBNL 88'' Cyclotron via the reaction {sup 12}C({sup 3}He,n){sup 14}O. The neutral radioactive CO molecules diffuse through an 8 m room temperature stainless steel line from the target chamber into a cusp ion source. The molecules are dissociated, ionized and extracted at energies of 20 to 30 keV and mass separated with a double focusing bending magnet. The different components of the setup are described. The release and transport efficiency for the CO molecules from the target through the transfer line was measured for various target temperatures. The ion beam transport efficiencies and the off-line ion source efficiencies for Ar, O{sub 2} and CO are presented. Ionization efficiencies of 28% for Ar{sup +}, 1% for CO, 0.7% for O{sup +}, 0.33 for C{sup +} have been measured.

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This article describes the creation and validation of a new microbiology concept inventory using the American Society for Microbiology Curriculum Guidelines.

Evapotranspiration is an essential component of the surface hydrological balance, but obtaining accurate estimates of the water vapor flux over large terrestrial areas can be difficult because of the substantial temporal and spatial variability in surface moisture conditions that can occur. This variability is often very large in the Great Plains and other portions of the Mississippi River Basin. Nevertheless, variations in soil moisture content, groundwater levels, and runoff in streams and rivers cannot be fully assessed without some knowledge of evapotranspiration rates. Here, observations made at the Walnut River Watershed (WRW), which is near Wichita, Kansas, and has an area of approximately 5000 km{sup 2}, are used to improve and test a modeling system that estimates long-term evapotranspiration with use of satellite remote sensing data with limited surface measurements. The techniques may be applied to much larger areas. As is shown in Fig. 1, the WRW is located in the Red River Basin and is enclosed by the southern Great Plains Clouds and Radiation Testbed (CART) of the US Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program. The functional relationships involving the satellite data, surface parameters, and associated subgrid-scale fluxes are modeled in this study by the parameterization of …

A major concern in the design of thick-liquid protected inertial fusion reactors of all types is the dynamic response of the shielding liquid to the pulsed explosions. Induced liquid motion can stress and damage solid chamber structures such as the firstwall. In a z-pinch based inertial fusion (Z-IFE) reactor this issue becomes particularly critical due to the relatively large proposed target yields of several GJ. In this paper we summarize an analysis of the liquid response taking into account ablation of target facing surfaces, pocket venting, and neutron isochoric heating. The impact of varying several reactor parameters is also discussed.

New techniques for enhancing the performances of electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion sources are being investigated at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. We have utilized the multiple discrete frequency technique to improve the charge state distributions extracted from conventional magnetic field geometry ECR source by injecting three frequencies into the source. A new flat central magnetic field concept, has been incorporated in the designs of a compact all-permanent-magnet source for high charge-state ion beam generation and a compact electromagnetic source for singly ionized radioactive ion beam generation for use in the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) research program. A review of the three frequency injection experiments and descriptions of the design aspects of the "volume-type" ECR ion sources will be given in this report.

The effect of shadowing on the early state of ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions is investigated along with transverse energy and hard process production, specifically Drell-Yan, J/psi, and Upsilon production. We choose several parton distributions and parameterizations of nuclear shadowing, as well as the spatial dependence of shadowing, to study the influence of shadowing on relevant observables. Results are presented for Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s{sub NN}) = 200 GeV and Pb+Pb collisions at sqrt(s{sub NN}) =5.5 TeV.