Abstract: The Dark Energy Survey Camera focal plane array will consist of 62 2k x 4k CCDs with a pixel size of 15 microns and a silicon thickness of 250 microns for use at wavelengths between 400 and 1000 nm. Bare CCD die will be received from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). At the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the bare die will be packaged into a custom back-side-illuminated module design. Cold probe data from LBNL will be used to select the CCDs to be packaged. The module design utilizes an aluminum nitride readout board and spacer and an Invar foot. A module flatness of 3 microns over small (1 sqcm) areas and less than 10 microns over neighboring areas on a CCD are required for uniform images over the focal plane. A confocal chromatic inspection system is being developed to precisely measure flatness over a grid up to 300 x 300 mm. This system will be utilized to inspect not only room-temperature modules, but also cold individual modules and partial arrays through flat dewar windows.

The MERIT experiment, to be run at CERN in 2007, is a proof-of-principle test for a target system that converts a 4-MW proton beam into a high-intensity muon beam for either a neutrino factory complex or a muon collider. The target system is based on a free mercury jet that intercepts an intense proton beam inside a 15-T solenoidal magnetic field. Here, we describe the design and initial performance of the 15-T, liquid-nitrogen-precooled, copper solenoid magnet.

This report documents the decontamination, decommissioining (D&D) and the demolition of select facilities in the 100 Area of the Hanford Site as required by DOE G 430.1-4.

We describe the design, fabrication, analysis and preliminary testing of the prototype 201 MHz copper cavity for a muon ionization cooling channel. Cavity applications include the Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE) as well as cooling channels for a neutrino factory or a muon collider. This cavity was developed by the US muon cooling (MUCOOL) collaboration and is being tested in the MUCOOL Test Area (MTA) at Fermilab. To achieve a high accelerating gradient, the cavity beam irises are terminated by a pair of curved, thin beryllium windows. Several fabrication methods developed for the cavity and windows are novel and offer significant cost savings as compared to conventional construction methods. The cavity's thermal and structural performances are simulated with an FEA model. Preliminary high power RF commissioning results will be presented.

Poster for WindPower 2006 held June 4-7, 2006, in Pittsburgh, PA, describing the 225-kW dynamometer for testing small wind turbine components.

This paper describes NREL's new 225-kW dynamometer facility that is suitable for testing a variety of components and subsystems for small wind turbines and discusses opportunities for industry partnerships with NREL for use of the facility.

This report documents the deactivation, decontamination, decommissioning, and demolition of 16 buildings in the 300 Area of the Hanford Site. The D4 of these facilities included characterization, engineering, removal of hazardous and radiologically contaminated materials, equipment removal, utility disconnection, deactivation, decontamination, demolition of the structure, and stabilization or removal of the remaining slab and foundation as appropriate.

Retention of tritium in carbon co-deposits is a serious concern for ITER. Developing a reliable in-situ removal method of the co-deposited tritium would allow the use of carbon plasma-facing components which have proven reliable in high heat flux conditions and compatible with high performance plasmas. Thermal oxidation is a potential solution, capable of reaching even hidden locations. It is necessary to establish the least severe conditions to achieve adequate tritium recovery, minimizing damage and reconditioning time. The first step in this multi-machine project is {sup 13}C-tracer experiments in DIII-D, JET, C-Mod and MAST. In DIII-D and JET, {sup 13}CH{sub 4} has been (and in C-Mod and MAST, will be) injected toroidally symmetrically, facilitating quantification and interpretation of the results. Tiles have been removed, analyzed for {sup 13}C content and will next be evaluated in a thermal oxidation test facility in Toronto with regard to the ability of different severities of oxidation exposure to remove the different types of (known and measured) {sup 13}C co-deposit. Removal of D/T from B on Mo tiles from C-Mod will also be tested. OEDGE interpretive code analysis of the {sup 13}C deposition patterns is used to generate the understanding needed to apply findings to ITER. …

This report is on Cellulases and Cellulosomes on Gordon Research Conferences.

The post-genomic era presents new opportunities for manipulating plant chemistry for improvement of plant traits such as disease and stress resistance and nutritional qualities. This conference will provide a setting for developing multidisciplinary collaborations needed to unravel the dynamic complexity of plant metabolic networks and advance basic and applied research in plant metabolic engineering. The conference will integrate recent advances in genomics, with metabolite and gene expression analyses. Research discussions will explore how biosynthetic pathways interact with regard to substrate competition and channeling, plasticity of biosynthetic enzymes, and investigate the localization, structure, and assembly of biosynthetic metabolons in native and nonnative environments. The meeting will develop new perspectives for plant transgenic research with regard to how transgene expression may influence cellular metabolism. Incorporation of spectroscopic approaches for metabolic profiling and flux analysis combined with mathematical modeling will contribute to the development of rational metabolic engineering strategies and lead to the development of new tools to assess temporal and subcellular changes in metabolite pools. The conference will also highlight new technologies for pathway engineering, including use of heterologous systems, directed enzyme evolution, engineering of transcription factors and application of molecular/genetic techniques for controlling biosynthetic pathways.

The first Gordon Research Conference on Multiphoton Processes, was held in 1982. The meeting continues to evolve as it embraces both the rapid technological and intellectual growth in the field as well as the multi-disciplinary expertise of the participants. Current areas of interest include: (1) Ionization/Dissociation of Atoms and Molecules in Intense Laser Fields; (2) Frequency Domain Multi-Photon and Multiple-Resonance Spectroscopies of Molecules; (3) Time-Resolved Photoelectron Spectroscopy; (4) Ultrafast Pump-Probe Spectroscopy; (5) Coherent Strong-Field Manipulation of Atoms and Molecules; (6) High-Harmonic Generation; (7) Attosecond Pulse Generation and Measurement; and (8) Super-Intense Laser-Matter Interactions. In developing the program, the conference organizers will strive to blur traditional disciplinary boundaries, involving chemists, physicists, and optical engineers, representing both experiment and theory, as presenters and discussion leaders. The broad range of expertise and different perspectives of attendees should provide a stimulating and unique environment for solving problems and developing new ideas in this rapidly evolving field.

The 2007 Solar Decathlon Brochure is a multipurpose document that provides a broad overview of the Decathlon's background, purpose, scope, the student participants, as well as the successes from the 2002 and 2005 competitions and the excitement and energy surrounding the event.

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "To conduct a successful census, it is important that the U.S. Census Bureau (Bureau) produce the most complete and accurate address file and maps for 2010. For this review, GAO's specific objectives were to determine the extent to which (1) the Bureau's efforts to modernize the address file and maps are addressing problems experienced during the 2000 Census, (2) the Bureau is managing emerging address file and map issues, (3) the Bureau is able to collect and transmit address and mapping data using mobile computing devices (MCD) equipped with global positioning system (GPS) technology, and (4) the Bureau has a plan to update the address file and maps in areas affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. GAO reviewed the Bureau's progress in modernizing both the address file and maps."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The decennial census is a constitutionally mandated activity, with immutable deadlines. It produces data used to allocate about $200 billion yearly in federal financial assistance, reapportion the seats of the House of Representatives, and provide a profile of the nation's people to help guide policy decisions. The U.S. Census Bureau (Bureau) estimates the 2010 Census will cost $11.3 billion, making it the most expensive census in the nation's history, even after adjusting for inflation. Based primarily on GAO's issued reports, this testimony addresses the extent to which the Bureau has (1) developed detailed and timely cost data for effective oversight and cost control, (2) reduced nonresponse mail follow up costs, and (3) produced risk mitigation plans to address identified challenges."

The 5th Symposium on Post-Transcriptional Regulation of Plant Gene Expression (PTRoPGE) will be held June 8-12, 2005 at the University of Texas at Austin. Exciting new and ongoing discoveries show significant regulation of gene expression occurs after transcription. These post-transcriptional control events in plants range from subtle regulation of transcribed genes and phosphorylation, to the processes of gene regulation through small RNAs. This meeting will focus on the regulatory role of RNA, from transcription, through translation and finally degradation. The cross-disciplinary design of this meeting is necessary to encourage interactions between researchers that have a common interest in post-transcriptional gene expression in plants. By bringing together a diverse group of plant molecular biologist and biochemists at all careers stages from across the world, this meeting will bring about more rapid progress in understanding how plant genomes work and how genes are finely regulated by post-transcriptional processes to ultimately regulate cells.

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The primary focus of this issue brief is legislative action with respect to abortion. However, discussion of those legislative proposals necessarily involves a brief discussion of the leading U.S. Supreme Court decisions concerning a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate her pregnancy. For a more detailed discussion of the relevant case law, see CRS Report 95-724, Abortion Law Development: A Brief Overview.

Qualification of microsystems for weapon applications is critically dependent on our ability to build confidence in their performance, by predicting the evolution of their behavior over time in the stockpile. The objective of this work was to accelerate aging mechanisms operative in surface micromachined silicon microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) with contacting surfaces that are stored for many years prior to use, to determine the effects of aging on reliability, and relate those effects to changes in the behavior of interfaces. Hence the main focus was on 'dormant' storage effects on the reliability of devices having mechanical contacts, the first time they must move. A large number ({approx}1000) of modules containing prototype devices and diagnostic structures were packaged using the best available processes for simple electromechanical devices. The packaging processes evolved during the project to better protect surfaces from exposure to contaminants and water vapor. Packages were subjected to accelerated aging and stress tests to explore dormancy and operational environment effects on reliability and performance. Functional tests and quantitative measurements of adhesion and friction demonstrated that the main failure mechanism during dormant storage is change in adhesion and friction, precipitated by loss of the fluorinated monolayer applied after fabrication. The data indicate …

Acceleration of polarized protons in the energy range of 5 to 25 GeV is particularly difficult: the depolarizing resonances are strong enough to cause significant depolarization but full Siberian snakes cause intolerably large orbit excursions and are not feasible in the AGS since straight sections are too short. Recently, two helical partial snakes with double pitch design have been built and installed in the AGS. With careful setup of optics at injection and along the ramp, this combination can eliminate the intrinsic and imperfection depolarizing resonances encountered during acceleration. This paper presents the accelerator setup and preliminary results.

In the framework of the CARE HHH European Network, we have developed a web-based dynamic accelerator-physics code repository. We describe the design, structure and contents of this repository, illustrate its usage, and discuss our future plans, with emphasis on code benchmarking.

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From Summary: "The report then reviews various legislative proposals affecting network access to assess their potential impact on broadband network provider's ability to mange their networks and to practice anticompetitive strategic behavior."

The purpose of this report is to provide a more concrete discussion of access to wireline broadband networks. To that end, this report provides a discussion of what broadband networks look like; how both consumers and independent applications providers gain access to these networks; and the parameters available to network providers (such as their choices about network architecture, overall bandwidth capacity, bandwidth reserved for their own use, traffic prioritization, the terms and rates for access to their networks and for their retail services) that can affect end users’ and independent applications providers’ access to those networks.

A group of business, government, environmental and academic leaders convened in a dialogue by the Aspen Institute proposed a series of actions to promote the widespread commercialization of both corn and cellulosic ethanol to improve energy security, the environment, and the economy. Co-chaired by Booz Allen Hamilton Vice President and former CIA Director R. James Woolsey and former Congressman Tom Ewing (R. IL), they developed a series of recommendations involving improved crop yields, processing of biomass into ethanol, manufacture of more cars that can burn either ethanol or gasoline, and the provision of ethanol pumps at more filling stations. Their report, "A High Growth Strategy for Ethanol, includes a discussion of the potential of ethanol, the group's recommendations, and a series of discussion papers commissioned for the dialogue.