Training Manual updated for United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation/National Library of Medicine - HBCU ACCESS Project for Alcorn State University, Natchez, Mississippi, November 12, 2010

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is sponsoring this course to increase awareness of the availability and value of NLM’s online environmental health and toxicology information resources that provide invaluable tools to address these issues—for professionals and consumers alike. Participants will receive hands-on practice with selected NLM resources, and demonstrations of other valuable resources will be provided.

The very high theoretical capacity of lithium (3829 mAh/g) provided a compelling rationale from the 1970's onward for development of rechargeable batteries employing the elemental metal as an anode. The realization that some transition metal compounds undergo reductive lithium intercalation reactions reversibly allowed use of these materials as cathodes in these devices, most notably, TiS{sub 2}. Another intercalation compound, LiCoO{sub 2}, was described shortly thereafter but, because it was produced in the discharged state, was not considered to be of interest by battery companies at the time. Due to difficulties with the rechargeability of lithium and related safety concerns, however, alternative anodes were sought. The graphite intercalation compound (GIC) LiC{sub 6} was considered an attractive candidate but the high reactivity with commonly used electrolytic solutions containing organic solvents was recognized as a significant impediment to its use. The development of electrolytes that allowed the formation of a solid electrolyte interface (SEI) on surfaces of the carbon particles was a breakthrough that enabled commercialization of Li-ion batteries. In 1990, Sony announced the first commercial batteries based on a dual Li ion intercalation system. These devices are assembled in the discharged state, so that it is convenient to employ a prelithiated cathode …

This article describes the role of scientific visualizationin computational and experimental sciences with emphasis upon futureresearch challenges.

This paper consists of three parts. The first part is concerned with the parameterization of cloud microphysics in climate models. We demonstrate the crucial importance of spectral dispersion of the cloud droplet size distribution in determining radiative properties of clouds (e.g., effective radius), and underline the necessity of specifying spectral dispersion in the parameterization of cloud microphysics. It is argued that the inclusion of spectral dispersion makes the issue of cloud parameterization essentially equivalent to that of the droplet size distribution function, bringing cloud parameterization to the forefront of cloud physics. The second part is concerned with theoretical investigations into the spectral shape of droplet size distributions in cloud physics. After briefly reviewing the mainstream theories (including entrainment and mixing theories, and stochastic theories), we discuss their deficiencies and the need for a paradigm shift from reductionist approaches to systems approaches. A systems theory that has recently been formulated by utilizing ideas from statistical physics and information theory is discussed, along with the major results derived from it. It is shown that the systems formalism not only easily explains many puzzles that have been frustrating the mainstream theories, but also reveals such new phenomena as scale-dependence of cloud droplet size …

1,3-Propanediol is one of two ingredients used in producing polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), a polymer which can be used in polyester and nylon applications. Researchers are developing a process to ferment biomass feedstock to malonic acid using filamentous fungi and then catalytically convert malonic acid to 1,3-propanediol.

Clean Fractionation is a new technology that enables energy-efficient and environmentally-clean separation of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin from lignocellulosic biomass.

The Department of Energy launched the Education Initiative in 1999 to promote the establishment of multi-disciplinary, graduate-level education and research programs.

Vegetable oils such as soybean oil will be converted to novel polymers using hydroformylation and other catalytic processes. These polymers can be used in the construction, automotive, packaging, and electronic sectors.

Improved membrane filtration and separation technologies reduce energy use, capital and maintenance costs of separation and purification systems for biomass sugars. Other areas of application include waste treatment, and chemical and food processing.

Isosorbide is a new polymer additive derived from corn (via sorbitol) that when copolymerized with polyethylene terephthalate (PET), increases the strength and rigidity of the plastic. This project will develop an economically-viable, continuous catalytic process to convert sorbitol to isosorbide.

The basic processes of the so-called BaF{sub 2} process for the formation of YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7}, YBCO, films as well as its advantages over the in situ formation processes are discussed in the previous chapter. The process and the properties of YBCO films by this process were also nicely described in earlier articles by R. Feenstra, et al. Here, we will discuss two pertinent subjects related to fabrication of technologically viable YBCO conductors using this process. These are (1) the growth of thick (>> 1 {micro}m) c-axis-oriented YBCO films and (2) their growth rates. Before the detail discussions of these subjects are given, we first briefly discuss what geometrical structure a YBCO-coated conductor should be. Then, we will provide examples of simple arguments for how thick the YBCO films and how fast their growth rates need to be. Then, the discussions in the following two sections are devoted to: (1) the present understanding of the nucleation and the growth process for YBCO, and why it is so difficult to grow thick c-axis-oriented films (> 3 {micro}m), and (2) our present understanding of the YBCO growth-limiting mechanism and methods to increase the growth rates. The values of critical-current densities J{sub …

Recently, Akimitsu and co-workers [1] discovered superconductivity at 39 K in the intermetallic compound MgB{sub 2}. This discovery provides a new perspective on the mechanism for superconductivity. More specifically, it opens up possibilities for investigation of structure/properties in a new class of materials. With the exceptions of the cuprate and C{sub 60} families of compounds, MgB{sub 2} possesses the highest superconducting transition temperature T{sub c}. Its superconductivity appears to follow the BCS theory, apparently being mediated by electron-phonon coupling. The coherence length of MgB{sub 2} is reported to be longer than that of the cuprates [2]. In contrast to the cuprates, grain boundaries are strongly coupled and current density is determined by flux pinning [2,3]. Presently, samples of MgB{sub 2} commonly display inhomogeneity and porosity on the nanoscale, and are untextured. In spite of these obstacles, magnetization and transport measurements show that polycrystalline samples may carry large current densities circulating across many grains [3,4]. Very high values of critical current densities and critical fields have been recently observed in thin films [5,6]. These attributes suggest possible large scale and electronic applications. The underlying microstructure can be intriguing, both in terms of basic science and in applied areas. Subsequent to the …

New houses designed by Cambridge Homes in Crest Hill, Illinois, with technical support from the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America Program, save their homeowners money by applying the principles of ''whole-building'' design to the entire home product line. Regardless of the model chosen, home buyers can enjoy consistently high levels of comfort and performance with the added benefit of reduced operating costs.

This newsletter is prepared for the NARUC Subcommittee on Renewable Energy to promote information sharing on state-level renewable electric activities. It is sponsored by the Office of Power Technologies of the U.S. Department of Energy.

A general update of things fleet managers and fuel providers need to know regarding the State and Alternative Fuel Provider Program.

This tri-fold brochure describe the partnering activities of the Office of Industrial Technologies' (OIT) Industries of the Future (IOF) for Glass. Information on what works for the Glass industry, examples of successful partnerships, and benefits of partnering with OIT are included.

The transportation market in the United States is evolving. As the number of vehicles and miles traveled on American roadways continues to grow, the nation is looking toward advanced vehicles and fuels to meet the increasing demand for more energy efficient, environmentally friendly modes of transport. At the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Center for Transportation Technologies and Systems' Fuel Utilization Program is doing its part. We're developing and demonstrating engine and fuel technologies that allow alternative and advanced petroleum fuels to compete with their conventional counterparts.

This document provides guidelines and methods for measuring and verifying the savings associated with federal agency performance contracts. It contains procedures and guidelines for quantifying the savings resulting from energy efficiency equipment, water conservation, improved operation and maintenance, renewable energy, and cogeneration projects implemented under federal agency-financed energy savings performance contracts.

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 third quarter, contains articles on several important PV-related conferences held in the prior three months: the REAP/HBCU Conference and the IPS-2000 Photochemistry Conference. The issue also contains a preview article of the PV Specialists conference held in Alaska in September. The editorialist is John Benner, PV Specialist Conference Program Chairman.

Solar carbon dioxide fixation offers the possibility of a renewable source of chemicals and fuels in the future. Its realization rests on future advances in the efficiency of solar energy collection and development of suitable catalysts for CO{sub 2} conversion. Recent achievements in the efficiency of solar energy conversion and in catalysis suggest that this approach holds a great deal of promise for contributing to future needs for fuels and chemicals.

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There is general agreement that the two most important factors determining electron transfer rates in solution are the degree of electronic interaction between the donor and acceptor sites, and the changes in the nuclear configurations of the donor, acceptor, and surrounding medium that occur upon the gain or loss of an electron Ll-51. The electronic interaction of the sites will be very weak, and the electron transfer slow, when the sites are far apart or their interaction is symmetry or spin forbidden. Since electron motion is much faster than nuclear motion, energy conservation requires that, prior to the actual electron transfer, the nuclear configurations of the reactants and the surrounding medium adjust from their equilibrium values to a configuration (generally) intermediate between that of the reactants and products. In the case of electron transfer between , two metal complexes in a polar solvent, the nuclear configuration changes involve adjustments in the metal-ligand and intraligand bond lengths and angles, and changes in the orientations of the surrounding solvent molecules. In common with ordinary chemical reactions, an electron transfer reaction can then be described in terms of the motion of the system on an energy surface from the reactant equilibrium configuration (initial …

Building America houses in Las Vegas, Nevada, are using state-of-the-art building materials and systems to provide residents with much lower energy bills than standard construction. The houses use unvented roofs, high-performance windows, and combo domestic hot-water and air-conditioning units.