Monthly publication documenting statistics related to economic information in the Mexico-Texas border areas including types of border crossings, employment, customs revenues, and other related data.

Monthly newsletter documenting statistics related to employment in Texas including nonagricultural job trends, labor force numbers, and other relevant indicators as well as information on related topics.

Annual handbook documenting information for college students about the Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan, including general information about the program and how it works, fees and scholarships, how the plan applies to various institutions, and other information about using the program.

Magazine discussing natural resources, parks, hunting and fishing, and other information related to the outdoors in Texas.

Magazine for Texas Lottery retailers that contains news, retailer spotlights, and a list of lottery winners.

Bimonthly magazine containing news and information that pertains to Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers. "The magazine's goals are to help organizations function professionally as EMS providers, to educate individuals so they can perform lifesaving prehospital skills under stressful conditions, and to help the public get into the EMS system when they need it" (p. 4).

Monthly newsletter of the general manage at the Edwards Aquifer Authority discussing news and activities of the organization as well as other information related to water in southern Texas.

Pamphlet describing the Warmouth including physical characteristics, habitat, behavior, and other information, with a shaded map to show where it can be found in Texas.

Pamphlet describing the Red-shouldered Hawk including physical characteristics, habitat, behavior, and other information, with a shaded map to show where it can be found in Texas.

Despite the fact that chemical weathering of silicate rocks plays an important role in the draw-down of CO{sub 2} over geologic time scales (Berner and Berner, 1996), the overall controls on the rate of chemical weathering are still not completely understood. Lacking a mechanistic understanding of these controls, it remains difficult to evaluate a hypothesis such as that presented by Raymo and Ruddiman (1992), who suggested that enhanced weathering and CO{sub 2} draw-down resulting from the uplift of the Himalayas contributed to global cooling during the Cenozoic. At an even more fundamental level, the three to four order of magnitude discrepancy between laboratory and field weathering rates is still unresolved (White et al., 1996). There is as yet no comprehensive, mechanistic model for silicate chemical weathering that considers the coupled effects of precipitation, vadose zone flow, and chemical reactions. The absence of robust process models for silicate weathering and the failure to resolve some of these important questions may in fact be related-the controls on the overall rates of weathering cannot be understood without considering the weathering environment as one in which multiple, time-dependent chemical and physical processes are coupled (Malmstrom, 2000). Once chemical weathering is understood at a mechanistic …

The performance of object-oriented applications often suffers from the inefficient use of high-level abstractions provided by underlying libraries. Since these library abstractions are user-defined and not part of the programming language itself only limited information on their high-level semantics can be leveraged through program analysis by the compiler and thus most often no appropriate high-level optimizations are performed. In this paper we outline an approach based on source-to-source transformation to allow users to define optimizations which are not performed by the compiler they use. These techniques are intended to be as easy and intuitive as possible for potential users; i.e. for designers of object-oriented libraries, people most often only with basic compiler expertise.

We used synthetic aperture radar interferograms to image ground subsidence that occurred over the Dixie Valley geothermal field during different time intervals between 1992 and 1997. Linear elastic inversion of the subsidence that occurred between April, 1996 and March, 1997 revealed that the dominant sources of deformation during this time period were large changes in fluid volumes at shallow depths within the valley fill above the reservoir. The distributions of subsidence and subsurface volume change support a model in which reduction in pressure and volume of hot water discharging into the valley fill from localized upflow along the Stillwater range frontal fault is caused by drawdown within the upflow zone resulting from geothermal production. Our results also suggest that an additional source of fluid volume reduction in the shallow valley fill might be similar drawdown within piedmont fault zones. Shallow groundwater flow in the vicinity of the field appears to be controlled on the NW by a mapped fault and to the SW by a lineament of as yet unknown origin.

This report is a summary of the discussion sessions of the 12th Workshop on Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells and Processes. The theme of the workshop was"Fundamental R&D in c-Si: Enabling Progress in Solar-Electric Technology." This theme was chosen to reflect a concern that the current expansion in the PV energy production may redirect basic research efforts to production-oriented issues. The PV industry is installing added production capacity and new production lines that include the latest technologies. Once the technologies are selected, it is difficult to make changes. Consequently, a large expansion can stagnate the technologies and diminish interest in fundamental research. To prevent the fundamental R&D program from being overwhelmed by the desire to address immediate engineering issues, there is a need to establish topics of fundamental nature that can be pursued by the universities and the research institutions. Hence, one of the objectives of the workshop was to identify such areas for fundamental research.

The power of a quantum computer (QC) relies on the fundamental concept of the superposition in quantum mechanics and thus allowing an inherent large-scale parallelization of computation. In a QC, binary information embodied in a quantum system, such as spin degrees of freedom of a spin-1/2 particle forms the qubits (quantum mechanical bits), over which appropriate logical gates perform the computation. In classical computers, the basic unit of information is the bit, which can take a value of either 0 or 1. Bits are connected together by logic gates to form logic circuits to implement complex logical operations. The expansion of modern computers has been driven by the developments of faster, smaller and cheaper logic gates. As the size of the logic gates become smaller toward the level of atomic dimensions, the performance of such a system is no longer considered classical but is rather governed by quantum mechanics. Quantum computers offer the potentially superior prospect of solving computational problems that are intractable to classical computers such as efficient database searches and cryptography. A variety of algorithms have been developed recently, most notably Shor's algorithm for factorizing long numbers into prime factors in polynomial time and Grover's quantum search algorithm. …

The identification of individual molecules and the determination of how these interact with their local environment are critical steps toward a better understanding of complex organic systems. Optical detection techniques have always played a key role in the nondestructive and noninvasive analysis of complex materials. Until recently, however, optical microscopy has lacked the sensitivity to study processes on the molecular scale. This has changed with the recent development of new schemes that limit the optical detection volume, and the advent of new, highly quantum-efficient photon detectors. These inventions have enabled researchers to optically probe biomolecular processes at the single molecule level by observing the fluorescence of specific marker molecules. The requirement to specifically label biomolecules and the fact, that fluorescence emission is prone to photodecomposition of the marker molecules, however, have limited this approach to a few, well-characterized case studies. Raman scattering, is one of few optical techniques that can identify atomic species and in addition determine their chemical bonds by observing their distinct vibrational fingerprints; but it is orders of magnitude weaker than fluorescence. In this project, we have developed new optical probes that allow for the non-destructive characterization and identification of organic and inorganic matter at the single …

This LDRD project consisted of the development, testing, and prototype application of a new capability to couple atmospheric models of different spatial and temporal scales with a state-of-the-science vegetation-fuel combustion model and a GIs-based analysis system. The research addressed the complex, multi-scale interactions of atmospheric processes, combustion, and vegetative fuel conditions, using a suite of models to simulate their impact on wildfire behavior in areas of complex terrain. During the course of the project, we made substantial progress toward the implementation of a world-class modeling system that could be used as a tool for wildfire risk assessment, wildfire consequence analysis, wildfire suppression planning, fuels management, firefighter training, and public fire-safety education. With one additional year of funding we would have been able conduct combined modeling and field experiments to evaluate the models capability to predict the behavior of prescribed burns before they are ignited. Because of its investment in this LDRD project, LLNL is very close to having a new core capability--likely the world's most generally applicable, most scientifically sound, and most respected wildfire simulation system.

The present paper reports the results of an attempt aimed at the synthesis of element 118 in the reaction {sup 249}Cf({sup 48}Ca,3n){sup 294}118. The experiment was performed employing the Dubna Gas-filled Recoil Separator and the U400 heavy-ion cyclotron at FLNR, JINR, Dubna. In the course of a 2300-hour irradiation of an enriched {sup 249}Cf target (0.23 mg/cm{sup 2}) with a beam of 245-MeV {sup 48}Ca ions, we accumulated a total beam dose of 2.5 x 10{sup 19} ions. We detected two events that may be attributed to the formation and decay of nuclei with Z=118. For one event, we observed a decay chain of two correlated {alpha}-decays with corresponding energies and correlation times of E{sub {alpha}1} = 11.65 {+-} 0.06 MeV, t{sub {alpha}1} = 2.55 ms and E{sub {alpha}2} = 10.71 {+-} 0.17 MeV, t{sub {alpha}2} = 42.1 ms and, finally, a spontaneous fission with the sum of the kinetic energies of the fission fragments E{sub tot} = 207 MeV (TKE {approx} 230 MeV) and t{sub SF} = 0.52 s. In the second event chain, the recoil nucleus decayed into two fission fragments with E{sub tot} = 223 MeV (TKE {approx} 245 MeV) 3.16 ms later, without intervening {alpha} decays. …

Preliminary experiments to study the ionization dynamics and equation of state of a strongly coupled plasma have been performed at the LLNL COMET laser facility. In these experiment, a 1.0 J, 500 fs, 532 nm laser was used to create a uniform, warm dense plasma.The primary diagnostic, Fourier Domain Interferometry (FDI), was used to provide information about the position of the critical density of the target and thus the expansion hydrodynamics, laying the ground work for the plasma characterization. The plasmas were determined to be strongly coupled. In addition work was performed characterizing the back-lighter. A von Hamos spectrograph coupled to a 500 fs X-ray streak camera (TREX-VHS) developed at LLNL was used for these measurements. This diagnostic combines high collection efficiency ({approx} 10{sup -4} steradians) with fast temporal response ({approx} 500 fs), allowing resolution of extremely transient spectral variations. The TREX-VHS will be used to determine the time history, intensity, and spectral content of the back-lighter resulting in absorption measurements that provide insight into bound states in strongly coupled conditions.

The objectives of this research project are to significantly extend the theoretical foundation and the modeling of radiation-induced microstructural changes in structural materials used in Generation IV nuclear reactors, and to derive from these microstructure models the constitutive laws for void swelling, irradiation creep and stress-induced swelling, as well as changes in mechanical properties. The need for the proposed research is based on three major developments and advances over the past two decades. First, new experimental discoveries have been made on void swelling and irradiation creep which invalidate previous theoretical models and empirical constitutive laws for swelling and irradiation creep. Second, recent advances in computational methods and power make it now possible to model the complex processes of microstructure evolution over long-term neutron exposures. Third, it is now required that radiation-induced changes in structural materials over extended lifetimes be predicted and incorporated in the design of Generation IV reactors. Our approach to modeling and data analysis is a dual one in accord with both the objectives to simulate the evolution of the microstructure and to develop design equations for macroscopic properties. Validation of the models through data analysis is therefore carried out at both the microscopic and the macroscopic levels. …

We present a simple method for compressing very large and regularly sampled scalar fields. Our method is particularly attractive when the entire data set does not fit in memory and when the sampling rate is high relative to the feature size of the scalar field in all dimensions. Although we report results for R{sup 3} and R{sup 4} data sets, the proposed approach may be applied to higher dimensions. The method is based on the new Lorenzo predictor, introduced here, which estimates the value of the scalar field at each sample from the values at processed neighbors. The predicted values are exact when the n-dimensional scalar field is an implicit polynomial of degree n-1. Surprisingly, when the residuals (differences between the actual and predicted values) are encoded using arithmetic coding, the proposed method often outperforms wavelet compression in an L{infinity} sense. The proposed approach may be used both for lossy and lossless compression and is well suited for out-of-core compression and decompression, because a trivial implementation, which sweeps through the data set reading it once, requires maintaining only a small buffer in core memory, whose size barely exceeds a single n-1 dimensional slice of the data.

This Program Evaluation report is an updated revision to the annual assessment of PNNL's VPP Program performance with respect to DOE-VPP criteria. It contains a summary of results and a data sheet for each of the VPP Elements, including strengths, weaknesses, recent/anticipated changes that will affect each Element, and a rating for each Element. Recommendations are also offered for continuous improvement.

This report represents an initial activity of the Bureau of Land Managements (BLM) proposed National Energy Policy Implementation Plan: identify and evaluate renewable energy resources on federal lands and any limitations on accessing them. Ultimately, BLM will prioritize land-use planning activities to increase industrys development of renewable energy resources. These resources include solar, biomass, geothermal, water, and wind energy. To accomplish this, BLM and the Department of Energys National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) established a partnership to conduct an assessment of renewable energy resources on BLM lands in the western United States. The objective of this collaboration was to identify BLM planning units in the western states with the highest potential for private-sector development of renewable resources. The assessment resulted in the following findings: (1) 63 BLM planning units in nine western states have high potential for one or more renewable energy technologies; and (2) 20 BLM planning units in seven western states have high potential for power production from three or more renewable energy sources. This assessment report provides BLM with information needed to prioritize land-use planning activities on the basis of potential for the development of energy from renewable resources.

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