Superovulation of female mice with exogenous gonadotrophins is routinely used for increasing the number of eggs ovulated by each female in reproductive and developmental studies. We report an unusual effect of superovulation on fertilization in mice. In vivo matings of superovulated T-stock females with B6C3F1 males resulted in a 2-fold reduction (P<0.001) in the frequencies of fertilized eggs compared to control B6C3F1 matings. In addition, {approx}22 hr after mating only 15% of fertilized eggs recovered in T-stock females had reached the metaphase stage of the first cleavage division versus 87% in B6C3F1 females (P < 0.0001). Matings with T-stock males did not improve the reproductive performance of T-stock females. To investigate the possible cause(s) for the impaired fertilization and zygotic development, the experiments were repeated using in vitro fertilization. Under these conditions, the frequencies of fertilized eggs were not different in superovulated T-stock and B6C3F1 females (51.7% {+-} 6.0 and 64.5% {+-}3.8, P=0.10). There was a 7-fold increase in the frequencies of fertilized T-stock eggs that completed the first cell cycle of development after in vitro versus in vivo fertilization. These results rule out an intrinsic deficiency of the T-stock oocyte as the main reason for the impaired fertility after …

We have designed and built a six-band multi-spectral NIR imaging system used in clinical testing on cancer patients. From our layered tissue model, we create blood volume and blood oxygenation images for patient treatment monitoring.

A numerical study is undertaken comparing a fifth-order version of the weighted essentially non-oscillatory numerical (WENO5) method to a modern piecewise-linear, second-order, version of Godunov's (PLMDE) method for the compressible Euler Equations. A series of one-dimensional test problems are examined beginning with classical linear problems and ending with complex shock interactions. The problems considered are: (1) linear advection of a Gaussian pulse in density, (2) Sod's shock tube problem, (3) the ''peak'' shock tube problem, (4) a version of the Shu and Osher shock entropy wave interaction and (5) the Woodward and Colella interacting shock wave problem. For each problem and method, run times, density error norms and convergence rates are reported for each method as produced from a common code test-bed. The linear problem exhibits the advertised convergence rate for both methods as well as the expected large disparity in overall error levels; WENO5 has the smaller errors and an enormous advantage in overall efficiency (in accuracy per unit CPU time). For the nonlinear problems with discontinuities, however, we generally see both first-order self-convergence of error as compared to an exact solution, or when an analytic solution is not available, a converged solution generated on an extremely fine grid. …

Prepulses are of great concern in high-power lasers: if their intensity is sufficiently high, they can heat and/or destroy a target before the arrival of the main pulse. For ultrahigh peak power lasers, for which focused intensity can exceed 10{sup 21} W/cm{sup 2}, a contrast of at least 10{sup 8} is the minimum requirement to avoid preionization of solid targets. Conventional preamplification stages do not meet this requirement, primarily due to prepulse originating from regenerative amplification. Optical parametric amplification (OPA) is well-known to generate pulses with a prepulse contrast equal to the gain of the amplifier, but it does not remove pre-existing prepulses. In this paper we describe a novel technique for contrast enhancement in cascaded optical parametric amplifiers (COPA). Based on cascaded idler utilization, COPA represents a versatile technique with a potentially infinite prepulse contrast enhancement. We have experimentally demonstrated COPA, producing a prepulse contrast of 10{sup 8}, limited by the sensitivity of measurement. A simple modification of the front end of a petawatt-type laser that utilizes optical parametric chirped pulse amplification (OPCPA) can yield unprecedented levels of prepulse contrast.

Precision spindles used for diamond turning and other applications requiring low error motion generally require a drive system that ideally applies a pure torque to the rotating spindle. Frequently a frameless motor, that is, one without its own bearings, is directly coupled to the spindle to make a compact and simple system having high resonant frequencies. Although in addition to delivering drive torque, asymmetries in the motor cause it to generate disturbance loads (forces and moments) which influence the spindle error motion of the directly coupled system. This paper describes the tests and results for a particular frameless, brushless DC motor that was originally developed for military and space applications requiring very low torque ripple. Because the construction of the motor should also lead to very low disturbance loads, it was selected for use on a new diamond turning and grinding machine under developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The level of influence for this motor-spindle combination is expected to be of order one nanometer for radial and axial error motion.

Only the simplest monopole scattering behavior has usually been treated in previous time-reversal analyses. A new application of time-reversal processing of wave scattering data permits characterization of scatterers by analyzing the number and nature of the singular functions (or eigenfunctions) associated with individual scatterers when they have multiple contributions from monopole, dipole and/or quadrupole scattering terms. We discuss acoustic, elastic, and electromagnetic scattering problems for low frequencies (ka < 1, k being the wavenumber and a the radius of the scatterer). Specific examples for electromagnetic scattering from one of a number of small conducting spheres show that each sphere can have up to six distinct time-reversal eigenfunctions associated with it.

Contrary to the behavior of swelling of f.c.c. Fe-15Cr-16Ni and Fe-15Cr-16Ni-0.25Ti alloys irradiated together in the same FFTF-MOTA experiment, Fe-15Cr-16Ti-0.25Ti-0.05C does not exhibit a dependence of swelling on dpa rate at {approx}400 C. The transient regime of swelling is prolonged by carbon addition, however. Addition of boron to the carbon-doped alloy decreases the swelling somewhat but does not restore the sensitivity to dpa rate. It appears that the primary influence of boron is chemical in nature, probably associated with boron's impact on the behavior of carbon. Boron's role as a source of helium is thought to be secondary.

Structural speciation of glasses in the systems PbO-B{sub 2}O{sub 3}-SiO{sub 2}, PbO-B{sub 2}O{sub 3}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-SiO{sub 2}, and PbO-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-SiO{sub 2} were studied using solid-state {sup 29}Si, {sup 27}Al, {sup 11}B, and {sup 207}Pb nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Raman spectroscopy. Application of these methods provided insight into the role of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} incorporation in the lead-borosilicate glass networks. The general composition range studied was (PbO){sub x} [(B{sub 2}O{sub 3}){sub 1-z} (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3})z]{sub y}(SiO{sub 2}){sub y} where x = 0.35, 0.5, and 0.65, y = (1-x)/2 and z = 0.0, 0.5 and 1.0. Additional insight was obtained via {sup 27}Al 2D-3QMAS experiments. The {sup 207}Pb spin echo mapping spectra showed a transition from ionic (Pb{sup 2+}) to covalently bound lead species with increased PbO contents in the borosilicate glasses. The addition of aluminum to the glass network further enhanced the lead species transition resulting in a higher relative amount of covalent lead bonding in the high PbO content alumino-borosilicate glass. The number of BO{sub 4} units present in the {sup 11}B MAS NMR decreased with increasing PbO contents for both the borosilicate and the alumino-borosilicate glass systems, with the addition of aluminum further promoting the BO{sub 3} …

We have measured the equation of state (EoS) of osmium to 75 GPa under hydrostatic conditions at room temperature using angle dispersive x-ray diffraction. A least-squares fit of the data using a third order Birch-Murnaghan EoS yields K{sub 0} = 411 {+-} 6 GPa and K'{sub 0} = 4.0 {+-} 0.2, showing osmium is in fact more compressible than diamond. Most importantly, we have documented an anomaly in the compressibility at 20.3 GPa associated with a large discontinuity in the first pressure derivative of the c/a ratio. This discontinuity likely arises from the collapse of the small hole-ellipsoid in the Fermi surface near the L point. There has been much interest in the possibility of a Lifshitz [1] or electronic topological transition (ETT) in zinc at high-pressure near 10 GPa. Interestingly, while the experimental data remain somewhat ambiguous [2-5], most simulations suggest the ETT exists in this pressure range [6-8]. Recently, Steinle-Neumann et al. [8] have shown that the transition arises from changes in the band structure near the high-symmetry point K where three bands cross the Fermi surface upon compression. Thus one might expect that other hcp metals should exhibit similar phenomena. The hcp 4d and 5d transition elements …

Adaptive optics (AO), a mature technology developed for astronomy to compensate for the effects of atmospheric turbulence, can also be used to correct the aberrations of the eye. The classic phoropter is used by ophthalmologists and optometrists to estimate and correct the lower-order aberrations of the eye, defocus and astigmatism, in order to derive a vision correction prescription for their patients. An adaptive optics phoropter measures and corrects the aberrations in the human eye using adaptive optics techniques, which are capable of dealing with both the standard low-order aberrations and higher-order aberrations, including coma and spherical aberration. High-order aberrations have been shown to degrade visual performance for clinical subjects in initial investigations. An adaptive optics phoropter has been designed and constructed based on a Shack-Hartmann sensor to measure the aberrations of the eye, and a liquid crystal spatial light modulator to compensate for them. This system should produce near diffraction-limited optical image quality at the retina, which will enable investigation of the psychophysical limits of human vision. This paper describes the characterization and operation of the AO phoropter with results from human subject testing.

We review in this talk various SUSY SO(10) models. Specifically, we discuss how small neutrino masses are generated in and generic predictions of different SO(10) models. A comparison of the predictions of these models for sin{sup 2} {theta}{sub 13}is given.

One of the planned core neutron diagnostics for NIF will use material activation to aid in determining information about target neutron yields. While this technique was routinely used on Nova and is in use today on Omega, the substantially larger chamber size and neutron yields for NIF raise several new issues for this technique. The effect of neutron scattering, due to the larger amount of entrant equipment inside the chamber, and more importantly, scattering inside the NIF target itself, is shown to be a significant effect. The appropriate location of the counting room to analyze activated samples that is sufficiently protected from neutron fluences is discussed. There are no significant safety issues related to sample handling when using In and Cu for short durations (minutes). We recommend placement and thickness of Cu samples based on neutron yield.

Recent 2{omega} gasbag experiments on the Helen laser studied single-beam propagation and backscatter as a function of gas density. We present a comprehensive analysis of these experiments using simulations in HYDRA. Post-processed results agree well with experimental fast x-ray images (FXI) showing stable laser propagation across the bag. The measured total stimulated Raman backscatter (SRS) increases with initial gas density up to n{sub e} {approx} 0.08 n{sub c}, then decreases. Near-backscatter images (NBI) show that the decrease in total SRS with increasing density is not due to scatter outside of the collection optics. SRS gain spectra calculated from the HYDRA results agree well with experimental streak spectra. The tilt and spread in wavelength of the spectra appear to be explained by gasbag hydrodynamics only, with no need to invoke filamentation. Axial density gradients and laser pump absorption may combine to detune and limit SRS gain at high density.

We are developing an all fiber front end for the next generation high-energy petawatt (HEPW) laser at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The ultimate goal of the LLNL HEPW effort is to generate 5-kJ pulses capable of compression to 5ps at 1053nm, enabling advanced x-ray backlighters and possible demonstration of fast ignition. We discuss the front-end of the laser design from the fiber master oscillator, which generates the mode-locked 20nm bandwidth initial pulses through the 10mJ output of the large flattened mode (LFM) fiber amplifier. Development of an all fiber front end requires technological breakthroughs in the key areas of the master oscillator and fiber amplification. Chirped pulse amplification in optical fibers has been demonstrated to 1mJ. Further increase is limited by the onset of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS). We have recently demonstrated a new flattened mode fiber technology, which reduces peak power for a given energy and thus the onset of SRS. Controlled experiments with 1st generation fibers yielded 0.5mJ of energy while significantly increasing the point at which nonlinear optical effects degrade the amplified pulse. In this paper we will discuss our efforts to extend this work to greater than 20mJ using our large flattened mode fiber amplifier.

We discuss two volume rendering methods developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The first, cell projection, renders the polygons in the projection of each cell. It requires a global visibility sort in order to composite the cells in back to front order, and we discuss several different algorithms for this sort. The second method uses regularly spaced slice planes perpendicular to the X, Y, or Z axes, which slice the cells into polygons. Both methods are supplemented with anti-aliasing techniques to deal with small cells that might fall between pixel samples or slice planes, and both have been parallelized.

In this paper we discuss recent work on the development of high damage threshold, high efficiency MLD (multilayer dielectric) diffraction gratings for use in high energy, petawatt laser systems. This effort involves a close integration between modeling, fabrication, and testing. The modeling work is used to identify grating designs that satisfy the constraints of high efficiency (>94%) and low field enhancement which is a necessary condition for high damage threshold. Subscale MLD gratings for test are being fabricated in an advanced ion-etch machine we have recently built. The testing effort is being conducted in a dedicated laboratory. The laser beam used to test the samples is based on an OPCPA (optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier) and a compressor that can provide pulse energies up to 50mJ with pulse lengths variable from 0.3-20 ps. This test station is equipped with diagnostics to fully characterize both the spatial and temporal characteristics of the test beam at the plane of the sample. Initial results have demonstrated a dependence of damage threshold on incident angle that is in good agreement with the field enhancement calculations. We have demonstrated a grating design with a damage threshold of 3J/cm{sup 2} and are investigating manufacturability and reproducibility issues …

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We report on the evolution of defects in Pu during isochronal annealing and self irradiation using positron annihilation spectroscopy. Positron annihilation spectroscopy is a sensitive probe (part per million level) for atomic-scale defects. The spectroscopic tools available at LLNL allow the determination of size, concentration, and chemical surroundings of defects in aged Pu samples. Positron lifetime analysis was performed on eight samples aged 7 months to 42 years. All samples except the 7-month old sample contained a high concentration of positron trapping centers. The dominant component yielded a lifetime value of {approx}182 ps. In aged samples, a second longer lifetime component was observed that appears to increase in strength with the age of the sample. The observed lifetime values and their relative strengths are shown in figure 1. The top panel corresponds to the lifetime values and the bottom panel corresponds to the intensity of the long lifetime component. Positron lifetime values are determined by the bubble size and He content. When He is added to a bubble, the positron lifetime is shortened due to the increased electron density. When the size of the bubble is known from an independent measurement, the observed positron lifetime values and the associated first …

I review investigations of the quark confinement mechanism that have been carried out in the framework of SU(N) lattice gauge theory. The special role of Z(N) center symmetry is emphasized.

International benchmarking and conference on women in physics.

Information management in natural resources has become an overwhelming task. A massive amount of electronic documents and data is now available for creating informed decisions. The problem is finding the relevant information to support the decision-making process. Determining gaps in knowledge in order to propose new studies or to determine which proposals to fund for maximum potential is a time-consuming and difficult task. Additionally, available data stores are increasing in complexity; they now may include not only text and numerical data, but also images, sounds, and video recordings. Information visualization specialists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have software tools for exploring electronic data stores and for discovering and exploiting relationships within data sets. These provide capabilities for unstructured text explorations, the use of data signatures (a compact format for the essence of a set of scientific data) for visualization (Wong et al 2000), visualizations for multiple query results (Havre et al. 2001), and others (http://www.pnl.gov/infoviz ). We will focus on IN-SPIRE, a MS Windows vision of PNNL’s SPIRE (Spatial Paradigm for Information Retrieval and Exploration). IN-SPIRE was developed to assist information analysts find and discover information in huge masses of text documents.

Zincblende half-metallic compounds such as CrAs, with large magnetic moments and high Curie temperatures, are promising materials for spintronic applications. They explore layered materials, consisting of alternating layers of zincblende half-metals, by first principles calculations, and find that superlattices of (CrAs){sub 1}(MnAs){sub 1} and (CrAs){sub 2}(MnAs){sub 2} are half-metallic with magnetic moments of 7.0{mu}{sub B} and 14.0{mu}{sub B} per unit cell, respectively. They discuss the nature of the bonding and half-metallicity in these materials and, based on the understanding acquired, develop a simple expression for the magnetic moment in such materials. They explore the range of lattice constants over which half-metallicity is manifested, and suggest corresponding substrates for growth in thin film form.

Global warming is promoted by anthropogenic CO{sub 2} emissions into the atmosphere, while at the same time it is partially mitigated by carbon sequestration by terrestrial ecosystems. However, improvement in the understanding and monitoring of below ground carbon processes is essential for evaluating strategies for carbon sequestration including quantification of carbon stores for credits. A system for non-destructive in situ carbon monitoring in soil, based on inelastic neutron scattering (INS), is described. The system can be operated in stationary or scanning mode and measures soil to depth of approximately 30 cm. There is a good agreement between results obtained from INS and standard chemical analysis of soil cores collected from the same study site.

The Advanced Light Source (ALS) saw first light on October 5, 1993, not quite to the day but close to 10 years before the 2003 ALS Users Association meeting, held October 6-8. Fittingly, the proceedings included retrospectives from two of the key players in the early history of the ALS, David Attwood and Jay Marx, and a display of photographs chronicling its construction and commissioning. Science highlights, highlights from young researchers, and posters constituted the meat of the program on Monday and Tuesday morning, while workshops took over Tuesday afternoon and all day Wednesday.