A chemical sensing system based on arrays of surface acoustic wave (SAW) delay lines has been developed for identification and quantification of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The individual SAW chemical sensors consist of interdigital transducers patterned on the surface of an ST-cut quartz substrate to launch and detect the acoustic waves and a thin film coating in the SAW propagation path to perturb the acoustic wave velocity and attenuation during analyte sorption. A diverse set of material coatings gives the sensor arrays a degree of chemical sensitivity and selectivity. Materials examined for sensor application include the alkanethiol-based self-assembled monolayer, plasma-processed films, custom-synthesized conventional polymers, dendrimeric polymers, molecular recognition materials, electroplated metal thin films, and porous metal oxides. All of these materials target a specific chemical fi.mctionality and the enhancement of accessible film surface area. Since no one coating provides absolute analyte specificity, the array responses are further analyzed using a visual-empirical region-of-influence (VERI) pattern recognition algorithm. The chemical sensing system consists of a seven-element SAW array with accompanying drive and control electronics, sensor signal acquisition electronics, environmental vapor sampling hardware, and a notebook computer. Based on data gathered for individual sensor responses, greater than 93%-accurate identification can be achieved for …

The experimental and theoretical study of electrostatically driven granular material are reported. It is shown that the charged granular medium undergoes a hysteretic first order phase transition from the immobile condensed state (granular solid) to a fluidized dilated state (granular gas) with a changing applied electric field. In addition a spontaneous precipitation of dense clusters from the gas phase and subsequent coarsening--coagulation of these clusters is observed. Molecular dynamics simulations shows qualitative agreement with experimental results.

Simulation of viscous three-dimensional fluid flow typically involves a large number of unknowns. When free surfaces are included, the number of unknowns increases dramatically. Consequently, this class of problem is an obvious application of parallel high performance computing. We describe parallel computation of viscous, incompressible, free surface, Newtonian fluid flow problems that include dynamic contact fines. The Galerkin finite element method was used to discretize the fully-coupled governing conservation equations and a ''pseudo-solid'' mesh mapping approach was used to determine the shape of the free surface. In this approach, the finite element mesh is allowed to deform to satisfy quasi-static solid mechanics equations subject to geometric or kinematic constraints on the boundaries. As a result, nodal displacements must be included in the set of unknowns. Other issues discussed are the proper constraints appearing along the dynamic contact line in three dimensions. Issues affecting efficient parallel simulations include problem decomposition to equally distribute computational work among a SPMD computer and determination of robust, scalable preconditioners for the distributed matrix systems that must be solved. Solution continuation strategies important for serial simulations have an enhanced relevance in a parallel coquting environment due to the difficulty of solving large scale systems. Parallel computations …

The objective of this project is to explore potential applications of underwater pulsed power technology to the paper industry. These included fiber refining, disinfection, stickies dispersion, and stickies control.

Engineered Cu-rich islands were fabricated on an Al thin film to investigate pit initiation mechanisms at noble particles. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms that the thin film Cu-rich islands interdiffuse with the underlying Al substrate to form Al{sub 2}Cu islands. The defect arrays exhibit open circuit potential fluctuations whose magnitude and frequency increase as defect spacing decreases for constant island size and cathode/anode ratio. Post-exposure examination by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) shows that the Al beneath the Cu-rich island dissolves with a crevice geometry. Engineered Al islands fabricated under identical conditions do not induce crevice corrosion in the vicinity of the Al defects. These results suggest that the Al dissolution is driven by the galvanic coupling between the noble island and matrix, and/or by a local change in chemistry, rather than by the presence of a defective oxide in the vicinity of the island.

Weekly newspaper from Castroville, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with extensive advertising.

Weekly newspaper from Goldthwaite, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with extensive advertising.

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By combining the results of dc magnetization, ac susceptibility, magnetoresistivity, magnetostriction, and x-ray and neutron powder diffraction data for stoichiometric La{sub 1{minus}x}Sr{sub x}MnO{sub 3} the authors have constructed a phase diagram that describes the magnetic, transport, and structural properties and the relationships among them as a function of composition and temperature. Correlations among physical and structural properties have been observed that are consistent with a competition between ferromagnetism and JT distortion. A metallic state occurs below the Curie temperature when both coherent and incoherent JT distortions are suppressed.

In order to assess the pathways for human exposure to methyl-tert-butyl-ether (MTBE) and to understand the extent of MTBE contamination in watersheds, a purge and trap gas chromatographic mass spectrometric method to measure part-per-trillion (ppt) concentrations of MTBE in environmental waters was developed. A variety of California's raw drinking waters were analyzed. No detectable MTBE was found in deep groundwater (>1000 feet). However shallow groundwater ({approx}250 feet) contained MTBE concentrations of non-detect to 1300 ppt. MTBE concentrations measured in rivers and lakes ranged from non-detect to 3500 ppt. East (San Francisco) Bay area rain water contained approximately 80 ppt MTBE.

This Good Practice Guide provides tools, information, and examples for promoting the implementation of pollution prevention during the design phases of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) projects. It is one of several Guides for implementing DOE Order 430.1, Life-cycle Asset Management. DOE Order 430.1 provides requirements for DOE, in partnership with its contractors, to plan, acquire, operate, maintain, and dispose of physical assets. The goals of designing for pollution prevention are to minimize raw material consumption, energy consumption, waste generation, health and safety impacts, and ecological degradation over the entire life of the facility (EPA 1993a). Users of this Guide will learn to translate national policy and regulatory requirements for pollution prevention into action at the project level. The Guide was written to be applicable to all DOE projects, regardless of project size or design phase. Users are expected to interpret the Guide for their individual project's circumstances, applying a graded approach so that the effort is consistent with the anticipated waste generation and resource consumption of the physical asset. This Guide employs a combination of pollution prevention opportunity assessment (PPOA) methods and design for environment (DfE) philosophies. The PPOA process was primarily developed for existing products, processes, and facilities. …

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Weekly newspaper from The Colony, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

The U.S. Army Armament Research Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) sponsored this research project to support the development of new self-assembled monolayer fiber coatings. These coatings can greatly increase the bond strength between the fiber and the resin matrix of a composite material. Composite ammunition components molded from such materials will exhibit higher strength than current materials, and will provide a major improvement in the performance of composites in military applications. Use of composite materials in military applications is desirable because of the lighter weight of the materials and their high strengths. The FY97 project investigated initial interfacial chemical control for enhancement of composite material strength. The core of the project was to modify the covalent interface of glass fibers (or other reinforcing fibers) to induce strong, uniform, defect-free adhesion between the fibers' surfaces and the polymer matrix. Installing a self-assembled monolayer tailored to the specific matrix resin accomplished this. Simply, the self-assembled monolayer modifies the fiber to make it appear to have the same chemical composition as the resin matrix. The self-assembled monolayer creates a receptive, hydrophobic interface that the thermoset resin (or polymer precursors) would wet more effectively, leading to a higher contact surface area and more efficient …

The HMX {beta}-{delta} solid-solid phase transition, which occurs as HMX is heated near 170 C, is clearly linked to increased reactivity and sensitivity to initiation. Thermally damaged energetic materials (EMs) containing HMX therefore may present a safety concern. Information about the phase transition is vital to a predictive safety model for HMX and HMX-containing EMs. We report work in progress on monitoring the phase transition with real-time Raman spectroscopy and ultrasonic measurements aimed towards a better understanding of physical properties through the phase transition. HMX samples were confined with minimal free volume.in a cell with constant volume. The cell was heated at a controlled rate and real-time Raman spectroscopic or ultrasonic measurements were performed. Raman spectroscopy provides a clear distinction between the two phases because the vibrational transitions of the molecule change with confirmational changes associated with the phase transition. Ultrasonic time-of-flight measurements provide an additional method of distinguishing the two phases because the sound speed through the material changes with the phase transition. Ultrasonic attenuation measurements also provide information about microstructural changes such as increased porosity due to evolution of gaseous decomposition products.

Weekly newspaper published in Duncanville, Texas that includes local Cedar Hill, state, and national news along with advertising.

Identifies, evaluates and recommends interim measures for reducing or eliminating water sources and preferential pathways within the vadose zone of the single-shell tank farms. Features studied: surface water infiltration and leaking water lines that provide recharge moisture, and wells that could provide pathways for contaminant migration. An extensive data base, maps, recommended mitigations, and rough order of magnitude costs are included.

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Weekly newspaper from Garber, Oklahoma that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

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Weekly newspaper from De Leon, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.