We present a stable and convergent method for the computation of flows of DNA-laden fluids in microchannels with complex geometry. The numerical strategy combines a ball-rod model representation for polymers tightly coupled with a projection method for incompressible viscous flow. We use Cartesian grid embedded boundary methods to discretize the fluid equations in the presence of complex domain boundaries. A sample calculation is presented showing flow through a packed array microchannel in 2D.

Human activities are increasingly altering the Earth's climate. A particular concern is that atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) may be rising fast because of increased industrialization. CO{sub 2} is a so-called ''greenhouse gas'' that traps infrared radiation and may contribute to global warming. Scientists project that greenhouse gases such as CO{sub 2} will make the arctic warmer, which would melt glaciers and raise sea levels. Evidence suggests that climate change may already have begun to affect ecosystems and wildlife around the world. Some animal species are moving from one habitat to another to adapt to warmer temperatures. Future warming is likely to exceed the ability of many species to migrate or adjust. Human production of CO{sub 2} from fossil fuels (such as at coal-fired power plants) is not likely to slow down soon. It is urgent to find somewhere besides the atmosphere to put these increased levels of CO{sub 2}. Sequestration in the ocean and in soils and forests are possibilities, but another option, sequestration in geological formations, may also be an important solution. Such formations could include depleted oil and gas reservoirs, unmineable coal seams, and deep saline aquifers. In many cases, injection of CO2 into a …

Misrejoining of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) was measured in human primary fibroblasts after exposure to X-rays and high LET particles (He, N and Fe) in the dose range 10-80 Gy. To measure joining of wrong DNA ends, the integrity of a 3.2 Mbp restriction fragment was analyzed directly after exposure and after 16 hr of repair incubation. It was found that the misrejoining frequency for X-rays was non-linearly related to dose, with less probability of misrejoining at low doses than at high doses. The dose dependence for the high LET particles, on the other hand, was closer to being linear, with misrejoining frequencies higher than for X-rays particularly at the lower doses. These experimental results were simulated with a Monte-Carlo approach that includes a cell nucleus model with all 46 chromosomes present, combined with realistic track structure simulations to calculate the geometrical positions of all DSBs induced for each dose. The model assumes that the main determinant for misrejoining probability is the distance between two simultaneously present DSBs. With a Gaussian interaction probability function with distance, it was found that both the low and high LET data could be fitted with an interaction distance (sigma of the Gaussian curve) of …

A platform for analysis of material properties under extreme conditions, where a sample is bathed in radiation with a high temperature, is under development. This hot environment is produced with a laser by depositing maximum energy into a small, high-Z can. Such targets were recently included in an experimental campaign using the first four of the 192 beams of the National Ignition Facility, under construction at the University of California Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. These targets demonstrate good laser coupling, reaching a radiation temperature of 340 eV. In addition, there is a unique wavelength dependence of the Raman backscattered light that is consistent with Brillouin backscatter of Raman forward scatter [A. B. Langdon and D. E. Hinkel, Physical Review Letters 89, 015003 (2002)]. Finally, novel diagnostic capabilities indicate that 20% of the direct backscatter from these reduced-scale targets is in the polarization orthogonal to that of the incident light.

We present neutron diffraction, magnetic susceptibility and specific heat data for a single-crystal sample of the cubic (Cu{sub 3}Au structure) compound Pr{sub 3}In. This compound is believed to have a singlet ({Lambda}{sub 1}) groundstate and a low-lying triplet ({Lambda}{sub 4}) excited state. In addition, nearest-neighbor antiferromagnetic interactions are frustrated in this structure. Antiferromagnetic order occurs below T{sub N} = 12K with propagation vector (0, 0, 0.5 {center_dot}{delta}) where {delta} {approx} 1/12. The neutron diffraction results can be approximated with the following model: ferromagnetic sheets from each of the three Pr sites alternate in sign along the propagation direction with a twelve-unit-cell square-wave modulation. The three moments of the unit cell of 1 {micro}{sub B} magnitude are aligned so as to sum to zero as expected for nearest-neighbor antiferromagnetic interactions on a triangle. The magnetic susceptibility indicates that in addition to the antiferromagnetic transition at 12K, there is a transition near 70K below which there is a small (0.005 {micro}{sub B}) ferromagnetic moment. There is considerable field and sample dependence to these transitions. The specific heat data show almost no anomaly at T{sub N} = 12K. This may be a consequence of the induced moment in the {Lambda}{sub 1} singlet, but …