Reversible wetting of NaCl nanoparticles at relative humidities below deliquescence observed by environmental non-contact AFM (open access)

Reversible wetting of NaCl nanoparticles at relative humidities below deliquescence observed by environmental non-contact AFM

The behavior of NaCl nanoparticles as a function of relative humidity (RH) was characterized by depositing particles on a prepared hydrophobic surface and measuring their height via non-contact environmental atomic force microscopy (AFM). Non-contact AFM allows greater sensitivity to changes in the size of particles than does contact AFM or scanning electron microscopy, and greater sensitivity to changes in shape than do mass-based techniques. Crystalline cubic NaCl nanoparticles with sides of 35 to 150 nm were found to reversibly take up water with increasing RH, and to form a liquid-like surface layer of thickness 2 to 4 nm at humidities well below the deliquescence point of 75.0% at 20°C. Measurable uptake begins at 70% RH. The maximum thickness of the layer increases with increasing RH for a given particle size and, for a given RH, increases with increasing particle size over the range studied. The liquid-like behavior of the layer is indicated by a reversible “rounding” at the tops of the particles, where the ratio of particle height to radius of curvature increases from zero (flat top) at 68% RH to 0.7 at 74% RH. These observations suggest that a reorganization of mass occurs on the solid NaCl nanoparticle, and …
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Bruzewicz, D.A.; Lewis, E.; Ocko, B. M.; McGraw, R. L. & Schwartz, S. E.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Review & Assessment of Current Operating Conditions Allowable Stresses in ASME Section III Subsection NH (open access)

A Review & Assessment of Current Operating Conditions Allowable Stresses in ASME Section III Subsection NH

The current operating condition allowable stresses provided in ASME Section III, Subsection NH were reviewed for consistency with the criteria used to establish the stress allowables and with the allowable stresses provided in ASME Section II, Part D. It was found that the S{sub o} values in ASME III-NH were consistent with the S values in ASME IID for the five materials of interest. However, it was found that 0.80 S{sub r} was less than S{sub o} for some temperatures for four of the materials. Only values for alloy 800H appeared to be consistent with the criteria on which S{sub o} values are established. With the intent of undertaking a more detailed evaluation of issues related to the allowable stresses in ASME III-NH, the availabilities of databases for the five materials were reviewed and augmented databases were assembled.
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Swindeman, R. W.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
SALTSTONE 3QCY09 TCLP RESULTS (open access)

SALTSTONE 3QCY09 TCLP RESULTS

A Saltstone waste form was prepared in the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) from a Tank 50H sample and Z-Area premix material for the third quarter of calendar year 2009 (3QCY09). After the prescribed 28 day cure, samples of the saltstone were collected, and the waste form was shown to meet the South Carolina Hazardous Waste Management Regulations (SCHWMR) R.61-79.261.24 and R.61-79.268.48(a) requirements for a nonhazardous waste form with respect to RCRA metals and underlying hazardous constituents. These analyses met all quality assurance specifications of USEPA SW-846. The Saltstone Production Facility (SPF) receives waste from Tank 50H for treatment. In the third quarter of the 2009 calendar year (3QCY09), Tank 50H accepted transfers of approximately 37 kgal from the Effluent Treatment Project (ETP) waste, approximately 5 kgal from Tank 710 - the H-Canyon General Purpose Evaporator, approximately 26 kgal from Tank 221H, approximately 319 kgal from the Modular Caustic Side Solvent Extraction Unit (MCU) Decontaminated Salt Solution Hold Tank (DSS-HT), and approximately 358 kgal from Tank 23H. The Saltstone Grout Sampling plan provides the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) with the chemical and physical characterization strategy for the salt solution which is to be disposed of …
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Reigel, M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
"Second International AMMA Conference (November 26-30, 2007)" (open access)

"Second International AMMA Conference (November 26-30, 2007)"

None
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Lamb, Peter J.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
SQUID-Detected MRI in the Limit of Zero Static Field (open access)

SQUID-Detected MRI in the Limit of Zero Static Field

This thesis describes an implementation of the so-called&quot;zero-field MRI&quot; (ZFMRI) pulse sequence, which allows for imaging in an arbitrarily low B<sub>0</sub> field. The ZFMRI sequence created an effective unidirectional gradient field by using a train of pi pulses to average out the concomitant gradient components during encoding. The signals were acquired using a low-transition temperature dc Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (low-Tc dc SQUID) coupled to a first-order axial gradiometer. The experiments were carried out in a liquid helium dewar which was magnetically shielded with a single-layer mu-metal can around the outside and a superconducting Pb can contained within the helium space. We increased the filling factor of the custom-made, double-walled Pyrex insert by placing the liquid alcohol sample, at a temperature of approximately -50 degrees C, at the center of one loop of the superconducting gradiometer, which was immersed in the helium bath.
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Kelso, Nathan Dean
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. International Trade: Trends and Forecasts (open access)

U.S. International Trade: Trends and Forecasts

None
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Postal Service: The Program for Reassessing Work Provided to Injured Employees Is Under Way, but Actions Are Needed to Improve Program Management (open access)

U.S. Postal Service: The Program for Reassessing Work Provided to Injured Employees Is Under Way, but Actions Are Needed to Improve Program Management

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Between 50,000 and 60,000 United States Postal Service (Service) employees, or 7 to 8 percent of the Service's workforce, occupied a modified work assignment during fiscal year 2008. The Service must provide these assignments to employees with workplace injuries if work is available to perform within their medical restrictions. Historically, the Service has returned employees to work as soon as possible, partly to reduce its costs for workers' compensation. In 2006, the Service initiated a program, the National Reassessment Process (NRP), to ensure that modified work assignments are medically suitable and necessary to carry out the Service's mission. This requested report addresses (1) the goal of the program, (2) how it is being implemented, and (3) the program's status and outcomes. To perform its work, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) analyzed data and documentation, visited four districts selected to illustrate a range of conditions, and interviewed Service officials."
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan: Background and Policy Issues (open access)

United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan: Background and Policy Issues

This report examines the role of United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in Afghanistan and discusses the obstacles the organization faces in coordinating international efforts and explores related policy issues and considerations for the 112th Congress.
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Margesson, Rhoda
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The United Nations Human Rights Council: Issues for Congress (open access)

The United Nations Human Rights Council: Issues for Congress

This report provides historical background of the Council, including the role of the previous Commission. It discusses the Council's current mandate and structure, as well as U.S. policy and congressional actions.
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Blanchfield, Luisa
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
VA Construction: VA Is Working to Improve Initial Project Cost Estimates, but Should Analyze Cost and Schedule Risks (open access)

VA Construction: VA Is Working to Improve Initial Project Cost Estimates, but Should Analyze Cost and Schedule Risks

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operates one of the largest health care systems in the country. As of August 2009, VA's Veterans Health Administration (VHA) had 32 major ongoing construction projects with an estimated total cost of about $6.1 billion and average cost per project of about $191 million. Some of these projects were initiated as part of VA's Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) process, which was a comprehensive assessment of VHA's capital asset requirements. In response to a congressional request, GAO (1) described how costs and schedules of current VHA major construction projects have changed, (2) determined the reasons for changes in costs and schedules, and (3) described the actions VA has taken to address cost increases and schedule delays. To do its work, GAO reviewed construction documents, visited three construction sites, and interviewed VA officials."
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Water Quality Sampling Locations Along the Shoreline of the Columbia River, Hanford Site, Washington (open access)

Water Quality Sampling Locations Along the Shoreline of the Columbia River, Hanford Site, Washington

As environmental monitoring evolved on the Hanford Site, several different conventions were used to name or describe location information for various sampling sites along the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River. These methods range from handwritten descriptions in field notebooks to the use of modern electronic surveying equipment, such as Global Positioning System receivers. These diverse methods resulted in inconsistent archiving of analytical results in various electronic databases and published reports because of multiple names being used for the same site and inaccurate position data. This document provides listings of sampling sites that are associated with groundwater and river water sampling. The report identifies names and locations for sites associated with sampling: (a) near-river groundwater using aquifer sampling tubes; (b) riverbank springs and springs areas; (c) pore water collected from riverbed sediment; and (d) Columbia River water. Included in the listings are historical names used for a particular site and the best available geographic coordinates for the site, as of 2009. In an effort to create more consistency in the descriptive names used for water quality sampling sites, a naming convention is proposed in this document. The convention assumes that a unique identifier is assigned to each site that is …
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Peterson, Robert E. & Patton, Gregory W.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Who Regulates Whom? An Overview of U.S. Financial Supervision (open access)

Who Regulates Whom? An Overview of U.S. Financial Supervision

Federal financial regulation in the United States has evolved through a series of piecemeal responses to developments and crises in financial markets. This report provides an overview of current U.S. financial regulation: which agencies are responsible for which institutions and markets, and what kinds of authority they have.
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Jickling, Mark & Murphy, Edward V.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Development of a Hydronic Rooftop Unit-HyPak-MA (open access)

Development of a Hydronic Rooftop Unit-HyPak-MA

The majority of U.S. commercial floor space is cooled by rooftop HVAC units (RTUs). RTU popularity derives chiefly from their low initial cost and relative ease of service access without disturbing building occupants. Unfortunately, current RTUs are inherently inefficient due to a combination of characteristics that unnecessarily increase cooling loads and energy use. 36% percent of annual U.S. energy, and two-thirds of electricity, is consumed in and by buildings. Commercial buildings consume approximately 4.2 quads of energy each year at a cost of $230 billion per year, with HVAC equipment consuming 1.2 quads of electricity. More than half of all U.S. commercial floor space is cooled by packaged HVAC units, most of which are rooftop units (RTUs). Inefficient RTUs create an estimated 3.5% of U.S. CO{sub 2} emissions, thus contributing significantly to global warming5. Also, RTUs often fail to maintain adequate ventilation air and air filtration, reducing indoor air quality. This is the second HyPak project to be supported by DOE through NETL. The prior project, referred to as HyPak-1 in this report, had two rounds of prototype fabrication and testing as well as computer modeling and market research. The HyPak-1 prototypes demonstrated the high performance capabilities of the HyPak …
Date: November 14, 2009
Creator: Lee, Eric & Berman, Mark
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oxbow Fish Hatchery Snake River Sockeye Salmon Smolt Program, 2008 Annual Report. (open access)

Oxbow Fish Hatchery Snake River Sockeye Salmon Smolt Program, 2008 Annual Report.

This contract proposal is in response to the Federal Columbia River Power System Biological Opinion Implementation Plan/Update Proposed Action (UPA) associated with increasing the number of Snake River sockeye smolts by 150,000. To accomplish this proposal the cooperation and efforts of three government entities has been planned (e.g., Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG), Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)). Improvements at the IDFG Eagle Fish Hatchery and NMFS Burley Creek Hatchery will focus on increasing sockeye salmon captive broodstock and egg production. Improvements at the ODFW Oxbow Fish Hatchery will be made to accommodate the incubation, hatching and rearing of 150,000 sockeye salmon smolts for release into Idaho's Sawtooth Valley, Upper Salmon River near IDFG's Sawtooth Fish Hatchery and/or Redfish Lake Creek 1.4 km downstream of Redfish Lake. Modifications to Oxbow Fish Hatchery (ODFW) will include retro-fit existing pond drains so pond cleaning effluent water can be routed to the pollution abatement pond, and modifications to the abatement pond. Also included in this project as an added phase, was the rerouting of the hatchery building effluent water to meet state DEQ guidelines for the use of formalin to treat salmonid …
Date: November 14, 2009
Creator: Banks, Duane D.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Santa Clara County Planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Demonstration Project (open access)

Santa Clara County Planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Demonstration Project

The Santa Clara County Planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (PSOFC) project demonstrated the technical viability of pre-commercial PSOFC technology at the County 911 Communications headquarters, as well as the input fuel flexibility of the PSOFC. PSOFC operation was demonstrated on natural gas and denatured ethanol. The Santa Clara County Planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (PSOFC) project goals were to acquire, site, and demonstrate the technical viability of a pre-commercial PSOFC technology at the County 911 Communications headquarters. Additional goals included educating local permit approval authorities, and other governmental entities about PSOFC technology, existing fuel cell standards and specific code requirements. The project demonstrated the Bloom Energy (BE) PSOFC technology in grid parallel mode, delivering a minimum 15 kW over 8760 operational hours. The PSOFC system demonstrated greater than 81% electricity availability and 41% electrical efficiency (LHV net AC), providing reliable, stable power to a critical, sensitive 911 communications system that serves geographical boundaries of the entire Santa Clara County. The project also demonstrated input fuel flexibility. BE developed and demonstrated the capability to run its prototype PSOFC system on ethanol. BE designed the hardware necessary to deliver ethanol into its existing PSOFC system. Operational parameters were determined for running the …
Date: November 14, 2009
Creator: Mitlitsky, Fred; Mulhauser, Sara; Chien, David; Shukla, Deepak & Weingaertner, David
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Systems Analysis of the Chemosensitivity of Breast Cancer Cells to the Polyamine Analogue PG-11047 (open access)

A Systems Analysis of the Chemosensitivity of Breast Cancer Cells to the Polyamine Analogue PG-11047

Polyamines regulate important cellular functions and polyamine dysregulation frequently occurs in cancer. The objective of this study was to use a systems approach to study the relative effects of PG-11047, a polyamine analogue, across breast cancer cells derived from different patients and to identify genetic markers associated with differential cytotoxicity. A panel of 48 breast cell lines that mirror many transcriptional and genomic features present in primary human breast tumours were used to study the antiproliferative activity of PG-11047. Sensitive cell lines were further examined for cell cycle distribution and apoptotic response. Cell line responses, quantified by the GI50 (dose required for 50% relative growth inhibition) were correlated with the omic profiles of the cell lines to identify markers that predict response and cellular functions associated with drug sensitivity. The concentrations of PG-11047 needed to inhibit growth of members of the panel of breast cell lines varied over a wide range, with basal-like cell lines being inhibited at lower concentrations than the luminal cell lines. Sensitive cell lines showed a significant decrease in S phase fraction at doses that produced little apoptosis. Correlation of the GI50 values with the omic profiles of the cell lines identified genomic, transcriptional and proteomic …
Date: November 14, 2009
Creator: Kuo, Wen-Lin; Das, Debopriya; Ziyad, Safiyyah; Bhattacharya, Sanchita; Gibb, William J.; Heiser, Laura M. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Collaborative Research: Simulation of Beam-Electron Cloud Interactions in Circular Accelerators Using Plasma Models (open access)

Collaborative Research: Simulation of Beam-Electron Cloud Interactions in Circular Accelerators Using Plasma Models

Final Report for grant DE-FG02-06ER54888, "Simulation of Beam-Electron Cloud Interactions in Circular Accelerators Using Plasma Models" Viktor K. Decyk, University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 90095-1547 The primary goal of this collaborative proposal was to modify the code QuickPIC and apply it to study the long-time stability of beam propagation in low density electron clouds present in circular accelerators. The UCLA contribution to this collaborative proposal was in supporting the development of the pipelining scheme for the QuickPIC code, which extended the parallel scaling of this code by two orders of magnitude. The USC work was as described here the PhD research for Ms. Bing Feng, lead author in reference 2 below, who performed the research at USC under the guidance of the PI Tom Katsouleas and the collaboration of Dr. Decyk The QuickPIC code [1] is a multi-scale Particle-in-Cell (PIC) code. The outer 3D code contains a beam which propagates through a long region of plasma and evolves slowly. The plasma response to this beam is modeled by slices of a 2D plasma code. This plasma response then is fed back to the beam code, and the process repeats. The pipelining is based on the observation that …
Date: October 14, 2009
Creator: Katsouleas, Thomas & Decyk, Viktor
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Consumer Financial Protection by Federal Agencies (open access)

Consumer Financial Protection by Federal Agencies

This report discusses the Obama's administration that proposed creating a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA) to focus exclusively on consumer protection. The agency would focus primarily on banking services; institutions and firms regulated by the SEC and CFTC.
Date: October 14, 2009
Creator: Jickling, Mark
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Infrastructure: DOD Needs to Provide Updated Labor Requirements to Help Guam Adequately Develop Its Labor Force for the Military Buildup (open access)

Defense Infrastructure: DOD Needs to Provide Updated Labor Requirements to Help Guam Adequately Develop Its Labor Force for the Military Buildup

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) plans to increase its military presence on Guam from about 15,000 in 2009 to more than 39,000 by 2020 at a cost of more than $13 billion. The growth will create temporary construction jobs and permanent civilian jobs with the military, with contractors, and in the Guam community. GAO was asked to examine the extent to which DOD and the government of Guam have (1) planned for temporary construction labor requirements and the means to meet the requirements for building military infrastructure to support the force in Guam and (2) identified permanent federal and non-federal civilian jobs and shared this information so that Guam can develop its workforce to better compete for job opportunities. To address these objectives, GAO obtained documents and interviewed officials from DOD, the Services, government of Guam offices, and the Guam higher educational community."
Date: October 14, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Development and Comparison of Ground and Satellite-based Retrievals of Cirrus Cloud Physical Properties (open access)

Development and Comparison of Ground and Satellite-based Retrievals of Cirrus Cloud Physical Properties

This report is the final update on ARM research conducted at DRI through May of 2006. A relatively minor amount of work was done after May, and last month (November), two journal papers partially funded by this project were published. The other investigator on this project, Dr. Bob d'Entremont, will be submitting his report in February 2007 when his no-cost extension expires. The main developments for this period, which concludes most of the DRI research on this project, are as follows: (1) Further development of a retrieval method for cirrus cloud ice particle effective diameter (De) and ice water path (IWP) using terrestrial radiances measured from satellites; (2) Revision and publication of the journal article 'Testing and Comparing the Modified Anomalous Diffraction Approximation'; and (3) Revision and publication of our radar retrieval method for IWC and snowfall rate.
Date: October 14, 2009
Creator: Mitchell, David L
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Equal Employment Opportunity: DHS Has Opportunities to Better Identify and Address Barriers to EEO in Its Workforce (open access)

Equal Employment Opportunity: DHS Has Opportunities to Better Identify and Address Barriers to EEO in Its Workforce

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This testimony discusses the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) efforts to identify and address barriers to equal employment opportunity (EEO) in its workforce. Since its inception in March 2003, DHS has faced a number of challenges, one of which is effectively and strategically managing its large workforce (about 216,000 employees) to respond to current and emerging 21st century issues. The federal government is faced with a workforce that is becoming increasingly eligible for retirement. We have reported that it is important for federal agencies, including DHS, to use available flexibilities to acquire, develop, motivate, and retain talented individuals who reflect all segments of society and our nation's diversity. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) Management Directive (MD) 715 provides that in order to attract and retain top talent, federal agencies are to identify barriers to EEO in the workplace, execute plans to eliminate barriers, and report annually to EEOC. This testimony is based on our report that we recently issued entitled Equal Employment Opportunity: DHS Has Opportunities to Better Identify and Address Barriers to EEO in Its Workforce. This testimony discusses (1) the extent to which DHS has …
Date: October 14, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Health Reform and the 111th Congress (open access)

Health Reform and the 111th Congress

This report presents basic background information on health insurance that may be useful to legislators considering health insurance reforms. It describes health insurance reform approaches and provides brief descriptions of health insurance reform bills introduced in the 111th Congress.
Date: October 14, 2009
Creator: Chaikind, Hinda
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
High Speed Passenger Rail: Developing Viable High Speed Rail Projects under the Recovery Act and Beyond (open access)

High Speed Passenger Rail: Developing Viable High Speed Rail Projects under the Recovery Act and Beyond

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This testimony discusses funding for high speed and other intercity passenger rail projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the Recovery Act). The $8 billion that the Recovery Act provided for these projects has attracted great attention from states and others who look to develop or improve intercity passenger rail service across the country. Proponents see these projects as serving an important transportation role, by moving people quickly and safely, reducing highway and airport congestion, and being environmentally friendly. While we have found that the potential benefits of high speed and intercity passenger rail projects are many, these projects--both here and abroad--are costly, take years to develop and build, and require substantial up-front public investment as well as potentially long-term operating subsidies. This testimony focuses on (1) some principles that could guide the effective use of these Recovery Act funds, (2) some challenges that states face in establishing high speed and other intercity passenger rail service, and (3) the nature of our ongoing work on Recovery Act high speed rail projects. This testimony is based on our recent report and testimony on high speed rail …
Date: October 14, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Information Security: Actions Needed to Manage, Protect, and Sustain Improvements to Los Alamos National Laboratory's Classified Computer Network (open access)

Information Security: Actions Needed to Manage, Protect, and Sustain Improvements to Los Alamos National Laboratory's Classified Computer Network

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), which is overseen by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), has experienced a number of security lapses in controlling classified information stored on its classified computer network. GAO was requested to (1) assess the effectiveness of security controls LANL used to protect information on its classified network, (2) assess whether LANL had fully implemented an information security program to ensure that security controls were effectively established and maintained for its classified network, and (3) identify the expenditures used to operate and support its classified network from fiscal years 2001 through 2008. To carry out this work, GAO examined security policies and procedures and reviewed LANL's access controls for protecting information on its classified network."
Date: October 14, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library