Mars oxygen production system design

The design and construction phase is summarized of the Mars oxygen demonstration project. The basic hardware required to produce oxygen from simulated Mars atmosphere was assembled and tested. Some design problems still remain with the sample collection and storage system. In addition, design and development of computer compatible data acquisition and control instrumentation is ongoing

Off-diagonal Interactions, Hund's Rules and Pair-binding in Hubbard Molecules

We have studied the effect of including nearest-neighbor, electron-electron interactions, in particular the off-diagonal (non density-density) terms, on the spectra of truncated tetrahedral and icosahedral ``Hubbard molecules,'' focusing on the relevance of these systems to the physics of doped C$_{60}$. Our perturbation theoretic and exact diagonalization results agree with previous work in that the density-density term suppresses pair-binding. However, we find that for the parameter values of interest for $C_{60}$ the off-diagonal terms {\em enhance} pair-binding, though not enough to offset the suppression due to the density-density term. We also find that the critical interaction strengths for the Hund's rules violating level crossings in C$_{60}^{-2}$, C$_{60}^{-3}$ and C$_{60}^{-4}$ are quite insensitive to the inclusion of these additional interactions.Comment: 20p + 5figs, Revtex 3.0, UIUC preprint P-94-10-08

A slow coronal mass ejection with rising X-ray source

An eruptive event, which occurred on 16th April 2002, is discussed. Using images from the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) at 195 Å, we observe a lifting flux rope which gives rise to a slow coronal mass ejection (CME). There are supporting velocity observations from the Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer (CDS) on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), which illustrate the helical nature of the structure. Additionally a rising coronal hard X-ray source, which is observed with the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI), is shown to follow the flux rope with a speed of ~60 km s-1. It is also sampled by the CDS slit, although it has no signature in the Fe XIX band. Following the passage of this source, there is evidence from the CDS for down-flowing (cooling) material along newly reconnected loops through Doppler velocity observations, combined with magnetic field modeling. Later, a slow CME is observed with the Large Angle and Spectroscopic Coronagraph (LASCO). We combine a height-time profile of the flux rope at lower altitudes with the slow CME. The rising flux rope speeds up by a factor of 1.7 at the start of the impulsive energy release and goes through further acceleration before reaching 1.5 solar radii. These observations support classical CME scenarios in which the eruption of a filament precedes flaring activity. Cusped flare loops are observed following the erupting flux rope and their altitude increases with time. In addition we find RHESSI sources both below and above the probable location of the reconnection region.Fil: Goff, C. P.. Mullard Space Science Laboratory; Reino UnidoFil: van Driel Gesztelyi, Lidia. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Observatoire de Paris; FranciaFil: Harra, L. K.. Mullard Space Science Laboratory; Reino UnidoFil: Matthews, S. A.. Mullard Space Science Laboratory; Reino UnidoFil: Mandrini, Cristina Hemilse. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; Argentin

Pyrochemical Treatment of Spent Nuclear Fuel

Over the last 10 years, pyrochemical treatment of spent nuclear fuel has progressed from demonstration activities to engineering-scale production operations. As part of the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative within the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology, pyrochemical treatment operations are being performed as part of the treatment of fuel from the Experimental Breeder Reactor II at the Idaho National Laboratory. Integral to these treatment operations are research and development activities that are focused on scaling further the technology, developing and implementing process improvements, qualifying the resulting high-level waste forms, and demonstrating the overall pyrochemical fuel cycle

Three geographically separate domestications of Asian rice

Domesticated rice (Oryza sativa L.) accompanied the dawn of Asian civilization(1) and has become one of world's staple crops. From archaeological and genetic evidence various contradictory scenarios for the origin of different varieties of cultivated rice have been proposed, the most recent based on a single domestication(2,3). By examining the footprints of selection in the genomes of different cultivated rice types, we show that there were three independent domestications in different parts of Asia. We identify wild populations in southern China and the Yangtze valley as the source of the japonica gene pool, and populations in Indochina and the Brahmaputra valley as the source of the indica gene pool. We reveal a hitherto unrecognized origin for the aus variety in central India or Bangladesh. We also conclude that aromatic rice is a result of a hybridization between japonica and aus, and that the tropical and temperate versions of japonica are later adaptations of one crop. Our conclusions are in accord with archaeological evidence that suggests widespread origins of rice cultivation(1,4). We therefore anticipate that our results will stimulate a more productive collaboration between genetic and archaeological studies of rice domestication, and guide utilization of genetic resources in breeding programmes aimed at crop improvement.European Research Council [339941]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

OPTN/SRTR 2018 Annual Data Report: Heart

The new adult heart allocation policy was approved in 2016 and implemented in October 2018, so its effect was not yet evident in 2018 data. However, the more granular data being collected are anticipated to allow for improved analyses. In 2018, new listings continued to increase; 3883 new adult and 685 new pediatric candidates were added. In 2018, 3440 heart transplants were performed, an increase of 167 over 2017; 473 transplants occurred in pediatric recipients and 2967 in adult recipients. Short‐term and long‐term posttransplant mortality improved. Overall 1‐year survival for adults who underwent heart transplant in 2011‐2013 was 90.3%, 3‐year survival was 84.7%, and 5‐year survival was 79.6%. Mortality rates for pediatric recipients were 4.5% at 6 months and in 5.9% at 1 year posttransplant, 12.5% at 3 years for transplants in 2014‐2015, 14.8% at 5 years for transplants in 2012‐2013, and 29.8% at 10 years for transplants performed in 2008‐2009.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153233/1/ajt15676.pd

Jahn-Teller versus quantum effects in the spin-orbital material LuVO3

We report on combined neutron and resonant x-ray scattering results, identifying the nature of the spin-orbital ground state and magnetic excitations in LuVO3 as driven by the orbital parameter. In particular, we distinguish between models based on orbital Peierls dimerization, taken as a signature of quantum effects in orbitals, and Jahn-Teller distortions, in favor of the latter. In order to solve this long-standing puzzle, polarized neutron beams were employed as a prerequisite in order to solve details of the magnetic structure, which allowed quantitative intensity-analysis of extended magnetic excitation data sets. The results of this detailed study enabled us to draw definite conclusions about classical vs quantum behavior of orbitals in this system and to discard the previous claims about quantum effects dominating the orbital physics of LuVO3 and similar systems.Comment: Phys. Rev. B 91, 161104(R) (2015