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Characterizing an adaptive optics (AO) system refers to understanding its performance and limitations. The goal of an AO system is to correct wavefront aberrations. The uncorrected aberrations, called the residual errors and referred to in what follows simply as the errors, degrade the image quality in the science camera. Understanding the source of these errors is a great aid in designing an AO system and optimizing its performance. This chapter explains how to estimate the wavefront error terms and the relationship between the wavefront error and the degradation of the image. The analysis deals with the particular case of a HartmannShack wavefront sensor (WFS) and a continuous deformable mirror (DM), although the principles involved can be applied to any AO system.

Application of high pressure significantly alters the interatomic distance and thus the nature of intermolecular interaction, chemical bonding, molecular configuration, crystal structure, and stability of solid [1]. With modern advances in high-pressure technologies [2], it is feasible to achieve a large (often up to a several-fold) compression of lattice, at which condition material can be easily forced into a new physical and chemical configuration [3]. The high-pressure thus offers enhanced opportunities to discover new phases, both stable and metastable ones, and to tune exotic properties in a wide-range of atomistic length scale, substantially greater than (often being several orders of) those achieved by other thermal (varying temperatures) and chemical (varying composition or making alloys) means. Simple molecular solids like H{sub 2}, C, CO{sub 2}, N{sub 2}, O{sub 2}, H{sub 2}O, CO, NH{sub 3}, and CH{sub 4} are bounded by strong covalent intramolecular bonds, yet relatively weak intermolecular bonds of van der Waals and/or hydrogen bonds. The weak intermolecular bonds make these solids highly compressible (i.e., low bulk moduli typically less than 10 GPa), while the strong covalent bonds make them chemically inert at least initially at low pressures. Carbon-carbon single bonds, carbon-oxygen double bonds and nitrogen-nitrogen triple bonds, for example, …

This document summarizes information from worldwide sources on the beneficial use of residues from the combustion of municipal. The information presented, including results of numerous research projects, field demonstrations, and actual full-scale projects, demonstrates that the ash can be safely used. It includes data on ash characteristics, environmental considerations, guidance on selected ash use applications, and information on federal and state regulations and policies affecting ash use.

''Save with Solar'' is a quarterly bulletin produced under the Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program for all those who are planning or working on installations of solar and other renewable energy technologies in the Federal government's facilities. Contents include technical information about today's solar technologies and information about the programs, policies, procurement practices, and incentives that support the deployment of renewable energy in the Federal sector. Among the topics covered in this issue is a two-page article about how solar energy is being used by the National Science Foundation in NSF outposts in Antarctica. The newsletter also describes projects that meet the goals of the President's Million Solar Roofs Initiative.

Contours, the connected components of level sets, play an important role in understanding the global structure of a scalar field. In particular their nestingbehavior and topology-often represented in form of a contour tree-have been used extensively for visualization and analysis. However, traditional contour trees onlyencode structural properties like number of contours or the nesting of contours, but little quantitative information such as volume or other statistics. Here we use thesegmentation implied by a contour tree to compute a large number of per-contour (interval) based statistics of both the function defining the contour tree as well asother co-located functions. We introduce a new visual metaphor for contour trees, called topological cacti, that extends the traditional toporrery display of acontour tree to display additional quantitative information as width of the cactus trunk and length of its spikes. We apply the new technique to scalar fields ofvarying dimension and different measures to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach.

Fungi and yeast have been characterized as important components in the bioremediation of organic contaminants in soil and water including polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); however, research into their ability to metabolize these compounds in extreme environments has been limited. In this work forty-three fungi and yeasts were isolated from a PAH-contaminated sludge waste lagoon in Poland. The lagoon was part of a monitored natural attenuation (MNA) study where natural reduction of PAHs and associated toxicity over time in non-disturbed areas of the sludge lagoon indicated MNA activity. The microorganisms were initially isolated on minimal medium containing naphthalene as the sole carbon and energy source. Fungal isolates were then maintained on MEA and identified based on microscopic examination and BIOLOG{reg_sign}. The analysis identified several of the fungal isolates as belonging to the genera Penicillium, Paecilomyces, Aspergillus, and Eupenicillium. Yeasts included Candida parapsilosis and C. fluvialitis. Further microbial characterization revealed that several isolates were capable of rowing on acidified media of pH 4, 3, and 2.5. Over twenty percent of the fungi demonstrated growth as low as pH 2.5. Of the 43 isolates examined, 24 isolates exhibited growth at 5 C. Nine of the fungal isolates exhibiting growth at 5 C were then …

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Energy Matters is an Office of Industrial Technologies bimonthly publication on energy efficiency opportunities. This issue's focus is on reliability-centered maintenance along with articles on optimizing industrial process heating and discussion on an international motor systems management tool.

The Salt Lake metropolitan area faces some interesting economic and environmental challenges. It ranks eighth in the nation in population growth, so managing its increasing numbers without spoiling the beauty of its high mountain valley may seem to be a contradiction in goals. In addition, the 2002 Winter Olympics will attract almost 2 million visitors during February, when Salt Lake's unusual topography encourages its highest levels of air pollution. The Clean Cities Coalition is working with the Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee to find clean vehicles to transport visitors to and from the various Olympic venues. A major goal of the Coalition is to keep as many AFVs as possible in Utah after the Olympics.

This fact sheet describes the Technology Cooperation Agreement Pilot Project (TCAPP) established by U.S. Government agencies USAID, EPA, and DOE and programs USCSP and USIJI in August 1997. TCAPP is currently facilitating voluntary partnerships between the governments of Brazil, China, Kazakhstan, Mexico, and the Philippines, the U.S. and other OECD countries, international donors, and the private sector, on a common set of actions that will advance implementation of clean energy technologies. The five participating countries have been actively engaged in shaping this initiative along with international donors and the private sector. This program helps fulfill the U.S. obligation to support technology transfer to developing countries under Article 4.5 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. TCAPP also provides a mechanism to focus resources across international donor programs on technology cooperation needs of developing and transition countries. The goals of TCAPP are to: (1) Foster private investment in energy technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and produce economic benefits for the country; (2) Engage in-country and international donor support for actions to build sustainable markets for clean energy technologies; and (3) Establish technology cooperation agreements as an organizing structure for coupling in-country, donor, and private-sector climate change mitigation actions. …

The Regional Resource Centers for Innovation (RRCIs) promote networking among the various regional, state, and local specialists who provide services to inventors and small business innovators. This networking facilitates the rapid deployment of I&I technologies that provide solutions for the energy challenges facing the U.S.

Solar Electricity--The Power of Choice (formerly NREL PV Working With Industry) is a quarterly newsletter devoted to the research and development activities performed by NREL staff in concert with their industry and university partners. This issue is devoted to NREL's renewables workshop for farmers and ranchers, presented at the National Western Stock Show in Denver; the PV Industry Roadmap; the Siemens Solar Industries celebration of 200 MW of cumulative PV module production; and a profile of ''PV Beyond the Horizon'' initiative. The editorialist for this issue is Tim Anderson of the University of Florida.

The Department of Energy's Office of Transportation Technologies is initiating the Next Generation Natural Gas Vehicle (NGNGV) Program to develop commercially viable medium- and heavy-duty natural gas vehicles. These new vehicles will incorporate advanced alternative fuel vehicle technologies that were developed by DOE and others.

From cost to availability, the fact sheet presents the various the advantages of using biodiesel fuel in fleet vehicles. It also offers a number of real-life success stories.

Bi-annual newsletter features articles on HEV/LSV compliance advisory, biodiesel fuel use growth in 2000, Texas Department of Transportation, and the Credit Trades Bulletin Board.

NREL PV Working With Industry is a quarterly newsletter devoted to the research, development, and deployment performed by NREL staff in concert with their industry and university partners. The fourth quarter contains an article that is a followup to the IEEE PVSC conference held in Alaska in September 2000, an article about two new R and D initiatives, and an article on cooperative research efforts between the NCPV and the Solar Buildings and Concentrating Solar Power programs. The editorialist is Jim Rannels, Director of the Office of Power Technologies.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Solar Energy Research Facility in Golden, Colorado, uses a stair-step configuration to allow daylight and heat into the office areas, while the laboratories in the back of the building are in a more controlled environment where tight levels of ventilation, humidity, temperature, and light are critical. A unique mechanical system makes the most of the natural environment and the building's design to efficiently heat and cool the building at an annual utility bill savings of almost $200,000 per year.

The Energy Policy Act of 1992 and supporting Executive Orders have directed Federal agencies to implement cost-effective energy and water efficient measures to help conserve natural resources and protect the environment. Federal energy and facility managers can make a big difference. DOE's Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) has outlined seven steps on how to implement an energy-saving project.

A detailed description of the history of EPAct's State and Alternative Fuel Provider Program and what fleets need to do to comply to its regulations.

Organisms living on the earth are exposed to solar radiation, including its ultraviolet (UV) components (for general reviews, the reader is referred to Smith [1] and Young et al. [2]). UV wavelength regions present in sunlight are frequently designated as UVB (290-320 nm) and UVA (320-400 nm). In today's solar spectrum, UVA is the principal UV component, with UVB present at much lower levels. Ozone depletion will increase the levels of UVB reaching the biosphere, but the levels of UVA will not be changed significantly [3]. Because of the high efficiency of UVB in producing damage in biological organisms in the laboratory experiments, it has sometimes been assumed that UVA has little or no adverse biological effects. However, accumulating data [4, 5], including action spectra (efficiency of biological damage as a function of wavelength of radiation; see Section 5) for DNA damage in alfalfa seedlings [6], in human skin [7], and for a variety of plant damages (Caldwell, this volume) indicate that UVA can induce damage in DNA in higher organisms. Thus, understanding the differential effects of UVA and UVB wavebands is essential for estimating the biological consequences of stratospheric ozone depletion.

Interested in learning about innovative ways to improve the efficiency of your plant's steam, electric motor, and compressed air systems? This US Department of Energy Office of Industrial Technologies fact sheet offers information regarding training sessions, teleconferences, and various training materials to teach you and your company ways to reduce energy use, save money, and reduce waste and pollution through system optimization.

The March 1999 issue of Energy Matters (formerly Turning Point) discusses options industrial customers have for financing energy projects through utilities. This issue also features information about the services provided by energy service companies (ESCOs) and explains how the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance sponsors projects to protect the environment and help customers cut utility costs. A special 4-page supplement focuses on the Compressed Air Challenge and opportunities to improve the efficiency of industrial compressed air systems.