Instrumentation was developed in 2004 and 2005 to measurethe quantum efficiency of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab(LBNL)total-depletion CCD's, intended for astronomy and spaceapplications. This paper describes the basic instrument. Although it isconventional even to the parts list, there are important innovations. Axenon arc light source was chosen for its high blue/UV and low red/IRoutput as compared with a tungsten light. Intensity stabilization hasbeen difficult, but sinceonly flux ratios matter this is not critical.Between the light source andan Oriel MS257 monochromator are a shutterand two filter wheels. High-bandpass and low-bandpass filter pairsisolate the 150-nm wide bands appropriate to the wavelength, thusminimizing scattered light and providing order blocking. Light from theauxiliary port enters a 20-inch optical sphere, and the 4-inch outputport is at right angles to the input port. An 80 cm drift space producesnear-uniform illumination on the CCD. Next to the cold CCD inside thehorizontal dewar is a calibrated reference photodiode which is regulatedto the PD calibration temperature, 25$^\circ$ C. The ratio ofthe CCD andin-dewar reference PD signals provides the QE measurement. Additionalcross-calibration to a PD on the integrating spherepermitslower-intensity exposures.

Both chemical weathering rates and fluid flow are difficultto measure in natural systems. However, these parameters are critical forunderstanding the hydrochemical evolution of aquifers, predicting thefate and transport of contaminants, and for water resources/water qualityconsiderations. 87Sr/86Sr and (234U/238U) activity ratios are sensitiveindicators of water-rock interaction, and thus provide a means ofquantifying both flow and reactivity. The 87Sr/86Sr values in groundwaters are controlled by the ratio of the dissolution rate to the flowrate. Similarly, the (234U/238U) ratio of natural ground waters is abalance between the flow rate and the dissolution of solids, andalpha-recoil loss of 234U from the solids. By coupling these two isotopesystems it is possible to constrain both the long-term (ca. 100's to1000's of years) flow rate and bulk dissolution rate along the flow path.Previous estimates of the ratio of the dissolution rate to theinfiltration flux from Sr isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) are combined with a modelfor (234U/238U) to constrain the infiltration flux and dissolution ratefor a 70-m deep vadose zone core from Hanford, Washington. The coupledmodel for both (234U/238U) ratios and the 87Sr/86Sr data suggests aninfiltration flux of 5+-2 mm/yr, and bulk silicate dissolution ratesbetween 10-15.7 and 10-16.5 mol/m2/s. The process of alpha-recoilenrichment, while primarily responsible for the observed variation …

The big-headed turtle (Platysternon megacephalum) from east Asia is the sole living representative of a poorly-studied turtle lineage (Platysternidae). It has no close living relatives, and its phylogenetic position within turtles is one of the outstanding controversies in turtle systematics. Platysternon was traditionally considered to be close to snapping turtles (Chelydridae) based on some studies of its morphology and mitochondrial (mt) DNA, however, other studies of morphology and nuclear (nu) DNA do not support that hypothesis. We sequenced the complete mt genome of Platysternon and the nearly complete mt genomes of two other relevant turtles and compared them to turtle mt genomes from the literature to form the largest molecular dataset used to date to address this issue. The resulting phylogeny robustly rejects the placement of Platysternon with Chelydridae, but instead shows that it is a member of the Testudinoidea, a diverse, nearly globally-distributed group that includes pond turtles and tortoises. We also discovered that Platysternon mtDNA has large-scale gene rearrangements and possesses two, nearly identical, control regions, features that distinguish it from all other studied turtles. Our study robustly determines the phylogenetic placement of Platysternon and provides a well-resolved outline of major turtle lineages, while demonstrating the significantly greater …

The authors have deduced the cross section for {sup 237}U(n,f) over an equivalent neutron energy range from 0 to 20 MeV using the Surrogate Ratio method. A 55 MeV {sup 4}He beam from the 88 Inch Cyclotron at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory was used to induce fission in the following reactions: {sup 238}U({alpha},{alpha}{prime}f) and {sup 236}U({alpha},{alpha}{prime}f). The {sup 238}U reaction was a surrogate for {sup 237}U(n,f) and the {sup 236}U reaction was used as a surrogate for {sup 235}U(n,f). Scattered alpha particles were detected in a fully depleted segmented silicon telescope array (STARS) over an angle range of 35{sup o} to 60{sup o} with respect to the beam axis. The fission fragments were detected in a third independent silicon detector located at backward angles between 106{sup o} and 131{sup o}.

Cisplatin and carboplatin are platinum-based drugs that are widely used in cancer chemotherapy. The cytotoxicity of these drugs is mediated by platinum-DNA monoadducts and intra- and interstrand diadducts, which are formed following uptake of the drug into the nucleus of cells. The pharmacodynamics of carboplatin display fewer side effects than for cisplatin, albeit with less potency, which may be due to differences in rates of DNA adduct formation. We report the use of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), a sensitive detection method often used for radiocarbon quantitation, to measure both the kinetics of [{sup 14}C]carboplatin-DNA adduct formation with genomic DNA and drug uptake and DNA binding in T24 human bladder cancer cells. Only carboplatin-DNA monoadducts contain radiocarbon in the platinated DNA, which allowed for calculation of kinetic rates and concentrations within the system. The percent of radiocarbon bound to salmon sperm DNA in the form of monoadducts was measured by AMS over 24 h. Knowledge of both the starting concentration of the parent carboplatin and the concentration of radiocarbon in the DNA at a variety of time points allowed calculation of the rates of Pt-DNA monoadduct formation and conversion to toxic cross-links. Importantly, the rate of carboplatin-DNA monoadduct formation was approximately …

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in very low fields isfundamentally limited by untruncated concomitant gradients which causesevere distortions in image acquisition and volume selection if thegradient fields are strong compared to the static field. In this paper,it is shown that gradient fields oscillating in quadrature can be usedfor spatial encoding in low fields and provide substantial improvementsover conventional encoding methods using static gradients. In particular,cases where the gradient field is comparable to or higher than theexternal field, Gmax/B0>1, are examined. It is shown thatundistorted slice selection and image encoding is possible because ofsmaller geometric phase errors introduced during cyclic motions of theHamiltonian. In the low field limit (Gmax/B_0 ->infinity) sliceselection is achieved with a combination of soft pulse segments and acoherent train of hard pulses to average out concomitant fields over thefast scale of the rf Hamiltonian.

Product life-cycle optimization addresses the reduction ofenvironmental burdens associated with the production, use, andend-of-life stages of a product s life cycle. In this paper, we offer anevaluation of the opportunities related to product life-cycleoptimization in California for two key products: personal computers (PCs)and concrete. For each product, we present the results of an explorativecase study to identify specific opportunities for greenhouse gas (GHG)emissions reductions at each stage of the product life cycle. We thenoffer a discussion of the practical policy options that may exist forrealizing the identified GHG reduction opportunities. The case studiesdemonstrate that there may be significant GHG mitigation options as wellas a number of policy options that could lead to life-cycle GHG emissionsreductions for PCs and concrete in California.

Rapidly growing electricity demand brings into question theability of traditional grids to expand correspondingly while providingreliable service. An alternative path is the wider application ofdistributed energy resource (DER) that apply combined heat and power(CHP). It can potentially shave peak loads and satiate its growing thirstfor electricity demand, improve overall energy efficiency, and lowercarbon and other pollutant emissions. This research investigates a methodof choosing economically optimal DER, expanding on prior studies at theBerkeley Lab using the DER design optimization program, the DistributedEnergy Resources Customer Adoption Model (DER-CAM). DER-CAM finds theoptimal combination of installed equipment from available DERtechnologies, given prevailing utility tariffs, site electrical andthermal loads, and a menu of available equipment. It provides a globaloptimization, albeit idealized, that shows how the site energy loads canbe served at minimum cost by selection and operation of on-sitegeneration, heat recovery, and cooling. Utility electricity and gastariffs are key factors determining the economic benefit of a CHPinstallation, however often be neglected. This paper describespreliminary analysis on CHP investment climate in the U.S. and Japan. DERtechnologies, energy prices, and incentive measures has beeninvestigated.

A real number alpha is said to be b-normal if every m-long string of digits appears in the base-b expansion of alpha with limiting frequency b-m. We prove that alpha is b-normal if and only if it possesses no base-b ''hot spot''. In other words, alpha is b-normal if and only if there is no real number y such that smaller and smaller neighborhoods of y are visited by the successive shifts of the base-b expansion of alpha with larger and larger frequencies, relative to the lengths of these neighborhoods

This article discusses low-coordinate iron dinitrogen complexes. Understanding the interaction of N₂ with iron is relevant to the iron catalyst used in the Haber process and to possible roles of the FeMoco active site of nitrogenase.

Simulation of ductile fracture at the atomic scale reveals many aspects of the fracture process including specific mechanisms associated with void nucleation and growth as a precursor to fracture and the plastic deformation of the material surrounding the voids and cracks. Recently we have studied void coalescence in ductile metals using large-scale atomistic and continuum simulations. Here we review that work and present some related investigations. The atomistic simulations involve three-dimensional strain-controlled multi-million atom molecular dynamics simulations of copper. The correlated growth of two voids during the coalescence process leading to fracture is investigated, both in terms of its onset and the ensuing dynamical interactions. Void interactions are quantified through the rate of reduction of the distance between the voids, through the correlated directional growth of the voids, and through correlated shape evolution of the voids. The critical inter-void ligament distance marking the onset of coalescence is shown to be approximately one void radius based on the quantification measurements used, independent of the initial separation distance between the voids and the strain-rate of the expansion of the system. No pronounced shear flow is found in the coalescence process.