In this paper the authors describe the approach to research, develop, and evaluate prototype middleware tools and architectures. The developed tools can be used by scientists to compose astronomical data analysis pipelines easily. They use the SuperMacho data pipelines as example applications to test the framework. they describe their experience from scheduling and running these analysis pipelines on massive parallel processing machines. they use MCR a Linux cluster machine with 1152 nodes and Luster parallel file system as the hardware test-bed to test and enhance the scalability of the tools.

This study examined waste feed and solvent limits for the Modular Caustic-Side Solvent Extraction Unit (MCU) currently being designed and built at the Savannah River Site (SRS) to remove cesium from highly alkaline radioactive waste. The study involved proposing ranges for 12 waste feed components (i.e., Na{sup +}, K{sup +}, Cs{sup +}, OH{sup -}, NO{sub 3}{sup -}, NO{sub 2}{sup -}, Cl{sup -}, F{sup -}, SO{sub 4}{sup 2-}, PO{sub 4}{sup 3-}, and CO{sub 3}{sup 2-}, and AlO{sub 2}{sup -}) through a compilation of SRS waste data. Statistical design methods were used to generate numerous wastes with varying compositions from the proposed ranges. An Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) model called SXFIT was used to predict the cesium extraction distribution coefficients (D-values) between the organic (solvent) phase and the aqueous waste phase using the waste component concentrations as inputs. The D-values from the SXFIT model were used as input along with MCU base case process parameters to a SASSE (Spreadsheet Algorithm for Stagewise Solvent Extraction) model to calculate final cesium concentrations for the MCU. The SASSE model was developed at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). The SXFIT D-value and the waste component concentration data were used to develop a handier alternative model (neural …

The United States and Morocco reached agreement on March 2, 2004, to create a free trade agreement (FTA). The FTA is intended to strengthen bilateral ties, boost trade and investment flows, and bolster Morocco’s position as a moderate Arab state. More than 95% of bilateral trade in consumer and industrial products will become duty-free upon entry into force of the agreement. The Senate approved implementing legislation (S. 2677) on July 2, 2004, by a vote of 85-13 and the House approved identical legislation (H.R. 4842) on July 22, 2004, by a vote of 323-99. The next day, the Senate passed House approved H.R. 4842 without amendment by unanimous consent. The legislation was signed by President Bush into law (P.L.108-302) on August 3, 2004. While the FTA was initially scheduled to be implemented on January 1, 2005, it is now expected to go into effect on July 1, 2005.

The interaction and mixing of high-temperature melt and water is the important technical issue in the safety assessment of water-cooled reactors to achieve ultimate core coolability. For specific advanced light water reactor (ALWR) designs, deliberate mixing of the core-melt and water is being considered as a mitigative measure, to assure ex-vessel core coolability. The goal of this work is to provide the fundamental understanding needed for melt-water interfacial transport phenomena, thus enabling the development of innovative safety technologies for advanced LWRs that will assure ex-vessel core coolability. The work considers the ex-vessel coolability phenomena in two stages. The first stage is the melt quenching process and is being addressed by Argonne National Lab and University of Wisconsin in modified test facilities. Given a quenched melt in the form of solidified debris, the second stage is to characterize the long-term debris cooling process and is being addressed by Korean Maritime University in via test and analyses. We then address the appropriate scaling and design methodologies for reactor applications.

The authors analyze the decay B{sup 0} {yields} K{sub S}{sup 0}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -} using a sample of 232 million {Upsilon}(4S) {yields} B{bar B} decays collected with the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric-energy B factory. A maximum likelihood fit finds the following branching fractions: {Beta}(B{sup 0} {yields} K{sup 0}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}) = (43.0 {+-} 2.3 {+-} 2.3) x 10{sup -6}, {Beta}(B{sup 0} {yields} f{sub 0}({yields} {pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -})K{sup 0}) = (5.5 {+-} 0.7 {+-} 0.5 {+-} 0.3) x 10{sup -6} and {Beta}(B{sup 0} {yields} K*{sup +}{pi}{sup -}) = (11.0 {+-} 1.5 {+-} 0.5 {+-} 0.5) x 10{sup -6}. For these results, the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic, and the third (if present) is due to the effect of interference from other resonances. They also measure the CP-violating charge asymmetry in the decay B{sup 0} {yields} K*{sup +}{pi}{sup -}, {Alpha}{sub K*{pi}} = -0.11 {+-} 0.14 {+-} 0.05.

The authors report preliminary measurements of the charmless exclusive semileptonic branching fractions of the B{sup 0} {yields} {pi}{sup -}{ell}{sup +}{nu} and B{sup +} {yields} {pi}{sup 0}{ell}{sup +}{nu} decays, based on 211 fb{sup -1} of data collected at the {Upsilon}(4S) resonance by the BABAR detector. In events in which the decay of one B meson to a hadronic final state is fully reconstructed, the semileptonic decay of the second B meson is identified by the detection of a charged lepton and a pion. They measure the partial branching fractions for B{sup 0} {yields} {pi}{sup -}{ell}{sup +}{nu} and B{sup +} {yields} {pi}{sup 0}{ell}{sup +}{nu} in three regions of the invariant mass squared of the lepton pair, and they obtain the total branching fractions {Beta}(B{sup 0} {yields} {pi}{sup -}{ell}{sup +}{nu}) = (1.14 {+-} 0.27{sub stat} {+-} 0.17{sub syst}) x 10{sup -4} and {Beta}(B{sup +} {yields} {pi}{sup 0}{ell}{sup +}{nu}) = (0.86 {+-} 0.22{sub stat} {+-} 0.11{sub syst}) x 10{sup -4}. Using isospin symmetry, they measure the combined total branching fraction {Beta}(B{sup 0} {yields} {pi}{sup -}{ell}{sup +}{nu}) = (1.28 {+-} 0.23{sub stat} {+-} 0.16{sub syst}) x 10{sup -4}. Theoretical predictions of the form-factor are used to determine the magnitude of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element |V{sub …

Using 88.9 million B{bar B} events collected by the BABAR detector at the {Upsilon}(4S), they measure the branching fraction for the radiative penguin process B {yields} X{sub s}{gamma} from the sum of 38 exclusive final states. The inclusive branching fraction above a minimum photon energy E{sub {gamma}} > 1.9 GeV is {Beta}(b {yields} s{gamma}) = (3.27 {+-} 0.18(stat.){sub -0.40}{sup +0.55}(syst.){sub -0.09}{sup +0.04}(theory)) x 10{sup -4}. They also measure the isospin asymmetry between B{sup -} {yields} X{sub s{bar u}}{gamma} and {bar B}{sup 0} {yields} X{sub sd}{gamma} to be {Delta}{sub 0-} = -0.006 {+-} 0.058(stat.) {+-} 0.009(syst.) {+-} 0.024({bar B}{sup 0}/B{sup -}). The photon energy spectrum is measured in the B rest frame, from which moments are derived for different values of the minimum photon energy. They present fits to the photon spectrum and moments which give the heavy-quark parameters m{sub b} and {mu}{sub {pi}}{sup 2}. The fitted parameters are consistent with those obtained from semileptonic B {yields} X{sub c}{ell}{nu} decays, and are useful inputs for the extraction of |V{sub ub}| from measurements of semileptonic B {yields} X{sub u}{ell}{nu} decays.

A search for the non-conservation of lepton flavor in the decay {tau}{sup {+-}} {yields} e{sup {+-}}{gamma} has been performed with 2.07 x 10{sup 8} e{sup +}e{sup -} {yields} {tau}{sup +}{tau}{sup -} events collected by the BABAR detector at the PEP-II storage ring at a center-of-mass energy near 10.58 GeV. They find no evidence for a signal and set an upper limit on the branching ratio of {Beta}({tau}{sup {+-}} {yields} e{sup {+-}}{gamma}) < 1.1 x 10{sup -7} at 90% confidence level.

The authors report a search for the decays B{sup 0} {yields} D{sub s}{sup -}D{sub s}{sup +}, B{sup 0} {yields} D*{sub s}{sup -}D{sub s}{sup +} and B{sup 0} {yields} D*{sub s}{sup -}D*{sub s}{sup +} in a sample of 232 million {Upsilon}(4S) decays to B{bar B} pairs collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e{sup +}e{sup -} storage ring. They find no significant signal and set upper bounds for the branching fractions: {Beta}(B{sup 0} {yields} D{sub s}{sup -}D{sub s}{sup +}) < 1.0 x 10{sup -4}, {Beta}(B{sup 0} {yields} D*{sub s}{sup -} D{sub s}{sup +}) < 1.3 x 10{sup -4} and {Beta}(B{sup 0} {yields} D*{sub s}{sup -} D*{sub s}{sup +}) < 2.4 x 10{sup -4} at 90% confidence level.

In laser beam alignment in addition to detecting position, one must also determine the rotation of the beam. This is essential when a commissioning new laser beam for National Ignition Facility located at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. When the beam is square, the positions of the corners with respect to one another provides an estimate of the rotation of the beam. This work demonstrates corner detection in the presence or absence of a second order non-uniform illumination caused by a spatial mask. The Hough transform coupled with illumination dependent pre-processing is used to determine the corner points. We show examples from simulated and real NIF images.

The recent rise of ''computer-assisted'' and ''experimental'' mathematics raises intriguing questions as to the future role of computation in mathematics. These results also draw into question the traditional distinctions that have been drawn between formal proof and computationally-assisted proof. This article explores these questions in the context of the growing consensus among computer technologists that Moore's Law is likely to continue unabated for quite some time into the future, producing hardware and software much more powerful than what is available today.

We review recent research that assesses evidence for the detection of anthropogenic and natural external influences on the climate. Externally driven climate change has been detected by a number of investigators in independent data covering many parts of the climate system, including surface temperature on global and large regional scales, ocean-heat content, atmospheric circulation, and variables of the free atmosphere, such as atmospheric temperature and tropopause height. The influence of external forcing is also clearly discernible in reconstructions of hemispheric scale temperature of the last millennium. These observed climate changes are very unlikely to be due only to natural internal climate variability, and they are consistent with the responses to anthropogenic and natural external forcing of the climate system that are simulated with climate models. The evidence indicates that natural drivers such as solar variability and volcanic activity are at most partially responsible for the large-scale temperature changes observed over the past century, and that a large fraction of the warming over the last 50 years can be attributed to greenhouse gas increases. Thus the recent research supports and strengthens the IPCC Third Assessment Report conclusion that ''most of the global warming over the past 50 years is likely due …

Many particle accelerator applications can benefit from online pulse-by-pulse nonintercepting emittance measurement system. Recently, there has been much interest in performing such a measurement with a set of resonant quadrupole-mode cavities. This article explores a geometry to achieve an enhanced shunt impedance in such a cavity by adding a set of posts forming capacitive gaps near the beam pipe outer radius. For typical diagnostic cavity applications, a five-fold increase in shunt impedance can be obtained with this method. The effect of errors in cavity fabrication on the required mode structure are explored.

This report discusses "Section 32", which is a permanent appropriation that since 1935 has earmarked the equivalent of 30% of annual customs receipts to support the farm sector through a variety of activities. Today, most of this sizeable appropriation (totaling approximately $6 billion each year) is transferred to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) child nutrition account.

This report discusses policy options for Congress regarding gas prices. The high price of gasoline was an important consideration during the debate on major energy legislation, which ended August 8 as the President signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005, H.R. 6 (P.L. 109-58). However, prices continued to surge, spiking at the end of August when Hurricane Katrina shut down refining operations in the Gulf of Mexico. The continuing crisis renewed attention to some issues that were dropped or compromised in the debate over P.L. 109-58. A large number of factors combined to put pressure on gasoline prices, including increased world demand for crude oil and U.S. refinery capacity inadequate to supply gasoline to a recovering national economy. The war and continued violence in Iraq added uncertainty and a threat of supply disruption that added pressure particularly to the commodity futures markets.

Many carcinogens have been shown to cause tissue specific tumors in animal models. The mechanism for this specificity has not been fully elucidated and is usually attributed to differences in organ metabolism. For heterocyclic amines, potent carcinogens that are formed in well-done meat, the ability to either bind to the estrogen receptor and activate or inhibit an estrogenic response will have a major impact on carcinogenicity. Here we describe our work with the human estrogen receptor alpha (hERa) and the mutagenic/carcinogenic heterocyclic amines PhIP, MeIQx, IFP, and the hydroxylated metabolite of PhIP, N2-hydroxy-PhIP. We found that PhIP, in contrast to the other heterocyclic amines, increased cell-proliferation in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells and activated the hERa receptor. We show mechanistic data supporting this activation both computationally by homology modeling and docking, and by NMR confirmation that PhIP binds with the ligand binding domain (LBD). This binding competes with estradiol (E2) in the native E2 binding cavity of the receptor. We also find that other heterocyclic amines and N2-hydroxy-PhIP inhibit ER activation presumably by binding into another cavity on the LBD. Moreover, molecular dynamics simulations of inhibitory heterocyclic amines reveal a disruption of the surface of the receptor protein involved with …

This report attempts to answer basic questions about the Military Health Services System (MHSS), its beneficiary population, the medical services it provides, its costs, and major changes that are underway or have been proposed. Citations are made to more detailed CRS studies where appropriate.

UmuD{sub 2} cleaves and removes its N-terminal 24 amino acids to form UmuD'{sub 2}, which activates UmuC for its role in UV-induced mutagenesis in E. coli. Cells with a non-cleavable UmuD exhibit essentially no UV-induced mutagenesis and are hypersensitive to killing by UV light. UmuD has been shown to bind to the beta processivity clamp (''beta'') of the replicative DNA polymerase, pol III. A possible beta-binding motif has been predicted in the same region of UmuD shown to be important for its interaction with beta. We performed alanine-scanning mutagenesis of this motif (14-TFPLF-18) in UmuD and showed that it has a moderate influence on UV-induced mutagenesis but is required for the cold sensitive phenotype caused by elevated levels of wild-type UmuD and UmuC. Surprisingly, the wild-type and the beta-binding motif variant bind to beta with similar K{sub d} values as determined by changes in tryptophan fluorescence. However, this data also implies that the single tryptophan in beta is in strikingly different environments in the presence of the wild-type versus the variant UmuD proteins, suggesting a distinct change in some aspect of the interaction with little change in its strength. Despite the fact that this novel UmuD variant is noncleavable, we …

Letter from American Nurses Association President, Barbara A. Blakeney, to Anthony Principi regarding the future of Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

This report describes the structure and development of the narcotics trade in Afghanistan and explores its relevance to Afghan, U.S., and international security interests, including the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the United States make a long term commitment to the stability and security of Afghanistan. The report provides current statistical information on the opium trade, profiles its various participants, explores alleged narco-terrorist linkages, and reviews the U.S. and international policy response since late 2001. The report also considers current policy debates regarding the role of the U.S. military in future counternarcotics operations in Afghanistan; planned opium poppy eradication; and funding issues for Congress.

This report includes a brief description regarding funding for the arts and humanities as a perennial issue in Congress. Although arts funding represents less than 1% of the Bush Administration’s FY2006 total estimated budget authority, Congress continues to address the concern of whether federal funding is crucial to sustain arts institutions.

The systems approach to genomics seeks quantitative and predictive descriptions of cells and organisms. However, both the theoretical and experimental methods necessary for such studies still need to be developed. We are far from understanding even the simplest collective behavior of biomolecules, cells or organisms. A key aspect to all biological problems, including environmental microbiology, evolution of infectious diseases, and the adaptation of cancer cells is the evolvability of genomes. This is particularly important for Genomes to Life missions, which tend to focus on the prospect of engineering microorganisms to achieve desired goals in environmental remediation and climate change mitigation, and energy production. All of these will require quantitative tools for understanding the evolvability of organisms. Laboratory biodefense goals will need quantitative tools for predicting complicated host-pathogen interactions and finding counter-measures. In this project, we seek to develop methods to simulate how external and internal signals cause the genetic apparatus to adapt and organize to produce complex biochemical systems to achieve survival. This project is specifically directed toward building a computational methodology for simulating the adaptability of genomes. This project investigated the feasibility of using a novel quantitative approach to studying the adaptability of genomes and biochemical pathways. This effort …

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Microbial degradation of chlorinated ethenes (CE) in rhizosphere soils was investigated at seepline areas impacted by CE plumes. Successful bioremediation of CE in rhizosphere soils is dependent on microbial activity, soil types, plant species, and groundwater CE concentrations. Seepline soils were exposed to trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE) in the 10-50 ppb range. Greenhouse soils were exposed to 2-10 ppm TCE. Plants at the seepline were poplar and pine while the greenhouse contained sweet gum, willow, pine, and poplar. Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analyses were performed to assess the microbial activity in rhizosphere soils. Biomass content was lowest in the nonvegetated control soil and highest in the Sweet Gum soil. Bacterial rhizhosphere densities, as measured by PLFA, were similar in different vegetated soils while fungi biomass was highly variable. The PLFA soil profiles showed diverse microbial communities primarily composed of Gram-negative bacteria. Adaptation of the microbial community to CE was determined by the ratio of {omega}7t/{omega}7c fatty acids. Ratios (16:1{omega}7v16:1{omega}7c and 18:l{omega}7t/18:1{omega}7c) greater than 0.1 were demonstrated in soils exposed to higher CE concentrations (10-50 ppm), indicating an adaptation to CE resulting in decreased membrane permeability. Ratios of cyclopropyl fatty acids showed that the vegetated control soil sample contained the …