The next generation of accelerators and ever expanding needs of existing accelerators demand new developments and additions to Monte-Carlo codes, with an emphasis on enhanced modeling of elementary particle and heavy-ion interactions and transport. Challenges arise from extremely high beam energies and beam power, increasing complexity of accelerators and experimental setups, as well as design, engineering and performance constraints. All these put unprecedented requirements on the accuracy of particle production predictions, the capability and reliability of the codes used in planning new accelerator facilities and experiments, the design of machine, target and collimation systems, detectors and radiation shielding and minimization of their impact on environment. Recent advances in widely-used general-purpose all-particle codes are described for the most critical modules such as particle production event generators, elementary particle and heavy ion transport in an energy range which spans up to 17 decades, nuclide inventory and macroscopic impact on materials, and dealing with complex geometry of accelerator and detector structures. Future requirements for developing physics models and Monte-Carlo codes are discussed.

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Independent databases of nuclear constants for Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) have been independently maintained by the physics and chemistry communities for many year. They contain thermal neturon cross sections s0, standardization values k0, and transition probabilities Pg. Chemistry databases tend to rely upon direct measurements of the nuclear constants k0 and Pg which are often published in chemistry journals while the physics databases typically include evaluated s0 and Pg data from a variety of experiments published mainly in physics journals. The IAEA/LBNL Evaluated Gamma-ray Activation File (EGAF) also contains prompt and delayed g-ray cross sections sg from Prompt Gamma-ray Activation Analysis (PGAA) measurements that can also be used to determine k0 and s0 values. As a result several independent databases of fundamental constants for NAA have evolved containing slightly different and sometimes discrepant results. An IAEA CRP for a Reference Database for Neutron Activation Analysis was established to compare these databases and investigate the possibilitiy of producing a self-consistent set of s0, k0, sg, and Pg values for NAA and other applications. Preliminary results of this IAEA CRP comparison are given in this paper.

In this paper, we address the manner in which the continuum-scale diffusive properties of smectite-rich porous media arise from their molecular- and pore-scale features. Our starting point is a successful model of the continuum-scale apparent diffusion coefficient for water tracers and cations which decomposes it as a sum of pore-scale terms describing diffusion in macropore and interlayer 'compartments.' We then apply molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to determine molecular-scale diffusion coefficients D{sub interlayer} of water tracers and representative cations (Na{sup +}, Cs{sup +}, Sr{sup 2+}) in Na-smectite interlayers. We find that a remarkably simple expression relates D{sub interlayer} to the pore-scale parameter {delta}{sub nanopore} {<=} 1, a constrictivity factor that accounts for the lower mobility in interlayers as compared to macropores: {delta}{sub nanopore} = D{sub interlayer}/D{sub 0}, where D{sub 0} is the diffusion coefficient in bulk liquid water. Using this scaling expression, we can accurately predict the apparent diffusion coefficients of tracer H{sub 2}O, Na{sup +}, Sr{sup 2+} and Cs{sup +}+ in compacted Na-smectite-rich materials.

Dark matter is hypothetical matter which does not interact with electromagnetic radiation. The existence of dark matter is only inferred from gravitational effects of astrophysical observations to explain the missing mass component of the Universe. Weakly Interacting Massive Particles are currently the most popular candidate to explain the missing mass component. I review the current status of experimental searches of dark matter through direct detection using terrestrial detectors.

We have used a sample of photon+3 jets events collected by the D0 experiment with an integrated luminosity of about 1 fb{sup -1} to determine the fraction of events with double parton scattering (f{sub DP}) in a single ppbar collision at {radical}s = 1.96 TeV. The DP fraction and effective cross section (sigma{sub eff}), a process-independent scale parameter related to the parton density inside the nucleon, are measured in three intervals of the second (ordered in p{sub T}) jet transverse momentum pT{sub jet2} within the range 15 < pT{sub jet2} < 30 GeV. In this range, f{sub DP} varies between 0.23 < f{sub DP} < 0.47, while sigma{sub eff} has the average value sigma{sub effave} = 16.4 {+-} 0.3(stat) {+-} 2.3(syst) mb.

We present the leptonic decay constants f{sub D{sub s}} and f{sub D{sup +}} computed on the MILC collaboration's 2+1 flavor asqtad gauge ensembles. We use clover heavy quarks with the Fermilab interpretation and improved staggered light quarks. The simultaneous chiral and continuum extrapolation, which determines both decay constants, includes partially-quenched lattice results at lattice spacings a {approx} 0.09, 0.12 and 0.15 fm. We have made several recent improvements in our analysis: (a) we include terms in the fit describing leading order heavy-quark discretization effects, (b) we have adopted a more precise input r{sub 1} value consistent with our other D and B meson studies, (c) we have retuned the input bare charm masses based upon the new r{sub 1}. Our preliminary results are f{sub D{sub s}} = 260 {+-} 10 MeV and f{sub D{sup +}} = 217 {+-} 10 MeV.

We consider the emission of visible light by hot metal surfaces having uniform and non-uniform temperature distributions and by small droplets of liquid metal. The calculations employ a nonlocal transport theory for light emission, using the Kubo formula to relate microscopic current fluctuations to the dielectric function of the material. We describe a related algorithm for calculating radiation emission in particle simulation of hot fusion plasmas.

New studies on exotic (non-SUSY) searches beyond the Standard Model are reviewed, which include contact interactions using jet p{sub T} spectrum, leptoquark production, signals for new gauge bosons and extra dimensions, monojet events expected in ADD extra dimension scenarios, 4th generation quarks, and heavy stable charged particles. Emphasis is given to the potential for early discoveries at the LHC, e.g., within the first year of physics data taking.

Pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons for microbial community profiling can, for equivalent costs, yield greater than two orders of magnitude more sensitivity than traditional PCR-cloning and Sanger sequencing. With this increased sensitivity and the ability to analyze multiple samples in parallel, it has become possible to evaluate several technical aspects of PCRbased community structure profiling methods. We tested the effect of amplicon length and primer pair on estimates of species richness number of species and evenness relative abundance of species by assessing the potentially tractable microbial community residing in the termite hindgut. Two regions of the 16S rRNA gene were sequenced from one of two common priming sites, spanning the V1-V2 or V8 regions, using amplicons ranging n length from 352 to 1443 bp. Our results demonstrate that both amplicon length and primer pair markedly influence estimates of richness and evenness. However, estimates of species evenness are consistent among different primer pairs targeting the same region. These results highlight the importance of experimental methodology when comparing diversity estimates across communities.

The authors present the first observation of the {Lambda}{sub b}{sup 0} {yields} {Lambda}{sub c}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -} decay using data from an integrated luminosity of approximately 2.4 fb{sup -1} of p{bar p} collisions at {radical}s = 1.96 TeV, collected with the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron. They also present the first observation of the resonant decays {Lambda}{sub b}{sup 0} {yields} {Sigma}{sub c}(2455){sup 0} {pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -} {yields} {Lambda}{sub c}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}, {Lambda}{sub b}{sup 0} {yields} {Sigma}{sub c}(2455){sup ++}{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup -} {yields} {Lambda}{sub c}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}, {Lambda}{sub b}{sup 0} {yields} {Lambda}{sub c}(2595){sup +}{pi}{sup -} {yields} {Lambda}{sub c}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -} and {Lambda}{sub b}{sup 0} {yields} {Lambda}{sub c}(2625){sup +}{pi}{sup -} {yields} {Lambda}{sub c}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}, and measure their relative branching ratios.

Processes involving flavor changing neutral currents (FCNC) provide excellent signatures with which to search for evidence of new physics. They have very small branching fractions in the Standard Model since they are highly suppressed by Glashow-Iliopoulos-Maiani (GIM) mechanism. They occur only through higher order diagrams, and new particles contributions can provide a significant enhancements, which would be an unique vocal signs of physics beyond the Standard Model. In this paper we present the most recent measurements on FCNC processes performed by CDF and D0 Collaborations, while last section is devote to the charm physics at CDF.

We perform a global fit to data from Dark Matter (DM) direct detection experiments, including the recent CDMS-II results. We discuss possible interpretations of the DAMA annual modulation signal in terms of spin-independent and spin-dependent DM-nucleus interactions, both for elastic and inelastic scattering. We find that for the spin-dependent inelastic scattering off protons a good fit to all data is obtained. We present a simple toy model realizing such a scenario. In all the remaining cases the DAMA allowed regions are disfavored by other experiments or suffer from severe fine tuning of DM parameters with respect to the galactic escape velocity. Finally, we also entertain the possibility that the two events observed in CDMS-II are an actual signal of elastic DM scattering, and we compare the resulting CDMS-II allowed regions to the exclusion limits from other experiments.

The response of Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough to salt adaptation (long-term NaCl exposure) was examined by physiological, global transcriptional, and metabolite analyses. The growth of D. vulgaris was inhibited by high levels of NaCl, and the growth inhibition could be relieved by the addition of exogenous amino acids (e.g., glutamate, alanine, tryptophan) or yeast extract. Salt adaptation induced the expression of genes involved in amino acid biosynthesis and transport, electron transfer, hydrogen oxidation, and general stress responses (e.g., heat shock proteins, phage shock proteins, and oxidative stress response proteins). Genes involved in carbon metabolism, cell motility, and phage structures were repressed. Comparison of transcriptomic profiles of D. vulgaris responses to salt adaptation with those of salt shock (short-term NaCl exposure) showed some similarity as well as a significant difference. Metabolite assays showed that glutamate and alanine were accumulated under salt adaptation, suggesting that they may be used as osmoprotectants in D. vulgaris. A conceptual model is proposed to link the observed results to currently available knowledge for further understanding the mechanisms of D. vulgaris adaptation to elevated NaCl.

In these two lectures I will chose some highlights from the Tevatron experiments (CDF/D0) and the Neutrino experiments and then discuss the future direction of physics at Fermilab after the Tevatron collider era.

Hydrogeophysical methods are presented that support the siting and monitoring of aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) systems. These methods are presented as numerical simulations in the context of a proposed ASR experiment in Kuwait, although the techniques are applicable to numerous ASR projects. Bulk geophysical properties are calculated directly from ASR flow and solute transport simulations using standard petrophysical relationships and are used to simulate the dynamic geophysical response to ASR. This strategy provides a quantitative framework for determining site-specific geophysical methods and data acquisition geometries that can provide the most useful information about the ASR implementation. An axisymmetric, coupled fluid flow and solute transport model simulates injection, storage, and withdrawal of fresh water (salinity {approx}500 ppm) into the Dammam aquifer, a tertiary carbonate formation with native salinity approximately 6000 ppm. Sensitivity of the flow simulations to the correlation length of aquifer heterogeneity, aquifer dispersivity, and hydraulic permeability of the confining layer are investigated. The geophysical response using electrical resistivity, time-domain electromagnetic (TEM), and seismic methods is computed at regular intervals during the ASR simulation to investigate the sensitivity of these different techniques to changes in subsurface properties. For the electrical and electromagnetic methods, fluid electric conductivity is derived from …

Electromigration-induced hydrostatic elastic stress in Pb-free SnCu solder joints was studied by in situ synchrotron X-ray white beam microdiffraction. The elastic stresses in two different grains with similar crystallographic orientation, one located at the anode end and the other at the cathode end, were analyzed based on the elastic anisotropy of the Beta-Sn crystal structure. The stress in the grain at the cathode end remained constant except for temperature fluctuations, while the compressive stress in the grain at the anode end was built-up as a function of time during electromigration until a steady state was reached. The measured compressive stress gradient between the cathode and the anode is much larger than what is needed to initiate Sn whisker growth. The effective charge number of Beta-Sn derived from the electromigration data is in good agreement with the calculated value.

We propose an iterative method for in-situ optical testing under partially coherent illumination that relies on the rapid computation of aerial images. In this method a known pattern is imaged with the test optic at several planes through focus. A model is created that iterates through possible aberration maps until the through-focus series of aerial images matches the experimental result. The computation time of calculating the through-focus series is significantly reduced by a-SOCS, an adapted form of the Sum Of Coherent Systems (SOCS) decomposition. In this method, the Hopkins formulation is described by an operator S which maps the space of pupil aberrations to the space of aerial images. This operator is well approximated by a truncated sum of its spectral components.

We report a measurement of the lifetime of the {Lambda}{sub b}{sup 0} baryon in decays to the {Lambda}{sub c}{sup +} {pi}{sup -} final state in a sample corresponding to 1.1 fb{sup -1} collected in p{bar p} collisions at {radical}s = 1.96 TeV by the CDF II detector at the Tevatron collider. Using a sample of about 3000 fully reconstructed {Lambda}{sub b}{sup 0} events we measure {tau}({Lambda}{sub b}{sup 0}) = 1.401 {+-} 0.046 (stat) {+-} 0.035 (syst) ps (corresponding to c{tau}({Lambda}{sub b}{sup 0}) = 420.1 {+-} 13.7 (stat) {+-} 10.6 (syst) {micro}m, where c is the speed of light). The ratio of this result and the world average B{sup 0} lifetime yields {tau}({Lambda}{sub b}{sup 0})/{tau}(B{sup 0}) = 0.918 {+-} 0.038 (stat and syst), in good agreement with recent theoretical predictions.

This Letter describes the current most precise measurement of the W boson pair production cross section and most sensitive test of anomalous WW{gamma} and WWZ couplings in p{bar p} collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV. The WW candidates are reconstructed from decays containing two charged leptons and two neutrinos, where the charged leptons are either electrons or muons. Using data collected by the CDF II detector from 3.6 fb{sup -1} of integrated luminosity, a total of 654 candidate events are observed with an expected background contribution of 320 {+-} 47 events. The measured total cross section is {sigma}(p{bar p} {yields} W{sup +}W{sup -} + X) = 12.1 {+-} 0.9 (stat){sub -1.4}{sup +1.6} (syst) pb, which is in good agreement with the standard model prediction. The same data sample is used to place constraints on anomalous WW{gamma} and WWZ couplings.

Sea urchin teeth are remarkable and complex calcite structures, continuously growing at the forming end and self-sharpening at the mature grinding tip. The calcite (CaCO{sub 3}) crystals of tooth components, plates, fibers, and a high-Mg polycrystalline matrix, have highly co-oriented crystallographic axes. This ability to co-orient calcite in a mineralized structure is shared by all echinoderms. However, the physico-chemical mechanism by which calcite crystals become co-oriented in echinoderms remains enigmatic. Here, we show differences in calcite c-axis orientations in the tooth of the purple sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus), using high-resolution X-ray photoelectron emission spectromicroscopy (X-PEEM) and microbeam X-ray diffraction ({mu}XRD). All plates share one crystal orientation, propagated through pillar bridges, while fibers and polycrystalline matrix share another orientation. Furthermore, in the forming end of the tooth, we observe that CaCO{sub 3} is present as amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC). We demonstrate that co-orientation of the nanoparticles in the polycrystalline matrix occurs via solid-state secondary nucleation, propagating out from the previously formed fibers and plates, into the amorphous precursor nanoparticles. Because amorphous precursors were observed in diverse biominerals, solid-state secondary nucleation is likely to be a general mechanism for the co-orientation of biomineral components in organisms from different phyla.

Background: Microbial life dominates the earth, but many species are difficult or even impossible to study under laboratory conditions. Sequencing DNA directly from the environment, a technique commonly referred to as metagenomics, is an important tool for cataloging microbial life. This culture-independent approach involves collecting samples that include microbes in them, extracting DNA from the samples, and sequencing the DNA. A sample may contain many different microorganisms, macroorganisms, and even free-floating environmental DNA. A fundamental challenge in metagenomics has been estimating the abundance of organisms in a sample based on the frequency with which the organism's DNA was observed in reads generated via DNA sequencing. Methodology/Principal Findings: We created mixtures of ten microbial species for which genome sequences are known. Each mixture contained an equal number of cells of each species. We then extracted DNA from the mixtures, sequenced the DNA, and measured the frequency with which genomic regions from each organism was observed in the sequenced DNA. We found that the observed frequency of reads mapping to each organism did not reflect the equal numbers of cells that were known to be included in each mixture. The relative organism abundances varied significantly depending on the DNA extraction and sequencing …

Precious metals supported on ferrimagnetic particles form a diverse range of catalysts. Here we show a novel biotechnological route for the synthesis of a heterogeneous catalyst consisting of reactive palladium nanoparticles arrayed on a biomagnetite support. The magnetic support was synthesized at ambient temperature by the Fe(III)-reducing bacterium, Geobacter sulfurreducens, and facilitated ease of recovery of the catalyst with superior performance due to reduced agglomeration. Arrays of palladium nanoparticles were deposited on the nanomagnetite using a simple one-step method without the need to modify the biomineral surface most likely due to an organic coating priming the surface for Pd adsorption. A combination of EXAFS and XPS showed the particles to be predominantly metallic in nature. The Pd{sup 0}-biomagnetite was tested for catalytic activity in the Heck Reaction coupling iodobenzene to ethyl acrylate or styrene and near complete conversion to ethyl cinnamate or stilbene was achieved within 90 and 180 min, respectively.

The measurement of absolute neutrino and anti-neutrino cross-sections, the observation of a 'low energy anomaly' in the neutrino sector, the constraints placed on the LSND effect by a non-observation of neutrino oscillations, the search for neutrino and anti-neutrino appearance, and for the possible existence of new heavy particles makes MiniBooNE a major contributor to the current view of the Universe. This paper addresses specific model constraints set by the MiniBooNE data, and explores expectations for further remaining analysis of the data.