HIGH-RESOLUTION MAPPING OF HIERARCHICAL GREATER SAGE-GROUSE NESTING HABITAT: A GRAIN-SPECTRUM APPROACH IN NORTHWESTERN WYOMING

Our overall objective was to create a probabilistic nesting-habitat map for the Jackson Hole sage-grouse population that would have utility as a tool for future research, conservation, and management. The models that we developed for this purpose were specified to evaluate whether sage-grouse may be selecting nesting-habitat characteristics simultaneously at various spatial scales. Our spatially-explicit landscape-scale research was implemented primarily with readily available National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) data. All nesting data was collected from 2007-2010. We tested how a broad range of grain sizes (spatial resolution) of covariate values affected the fit to logistic regression models used to estimate parameters for resource selection functions (RSFs). We analyzed habitat response signatures at three scales (extents) of analysis: (1) the nesting-patch scale, (2) the nesting-region scale, and (3) the nest-site scale. Akaike\u27s information criterion corrected for small sample sizes (AICc) and 5-fold cross validation were used to identify the most well-supported and predictive models at each scale. The RSF models were examined separately and then combined into a weighted scale-integrated conditional RSF (SRSF) integrating habitat selection signatures across all three scales. At the nesting-patch scale we determined that sage-grouse nesting occurrence was positively associated with the size of a patch, and the average cover for the patch. At the nesting-region scale, shrub cover of a 769-m-radius grain size was positively associated with nesting-region selection. Distance to tall objects and terrain ruggedness also appeared to influence nesting-region selection at this scale. At the nest-site scale shrub cover and landscape greenness were positively associated with nest-site selection. There was also noteworthy AICc support for terrain ruggedness at the nest-site scale. The SRSF provided a single high-resolution probabilistic GIS surface that mapped out areas that represent attractive sage-grouse nesting habitat

Attenuation of amiodarone induced lung fibrosis and phospholipidosis in hamsters, by treatment with the platelet activating factor receptor antagonist, WEB 2086

Therapeutic use of amiodarone (AMD), a Class III antiarrhythmic drug is complicated by the development of lung fibrosis (LF) and phospholipidosis (PL). In the present study, the effectiveness of a PAF antagonist, WEB 2086, against AMD induced LF and PL has been tested in hamsters. The animals were randomly divided into four groups: (1) saline + H2O; (2) WEB + H2O; (3) saline + AMD; and (4) WEB + AMD. Saline or WEB (10 mg/kg i.p.) was given 2 days prior to intratracheal instillation of water or AMD (1.5 μmol/0.25 ml/100 g BW) and thereafter daily throughout the study. Twenty-eight days after intratracheal instillation, the animals were killed and the lungs processed for various assays. The amount of lung hydroxyproline, an index of LF, in saline + H2O, WEB + H2O, saline + AMD, and WEB + AMD groups were 959 ± 46, 1035 ± 51, 1605 ± 85 and 1374 ± 69 μg/lung, respectively. Total lung PL, an index of phospholipidosis, in the corresponding groups were 8.4 ± 0.4, 8.3 ± 0.3, 11.7 ± 0.3 and 9.9 μg/lung. Lung malondialdehyde, an index of lipid peroxidation and superoxide dismutase activity in saline + H2O WEB + H2O, saline + AMD, and WEB + AMD were 93.0 ± 4.3, 93.0 ± 2.7, 138.9 ± 6.0 and 109.0 ± 3.8 nmol/lung and 359.7 ± 13.9, 394.0 ± 22.8, 497.5 ± 19.7 and 425.5 ± 4.9 units/lung, respectively. Administration of AMD alone caused significant increases in all the above indexes of lung toxicity, and treatment with WEB 2086 minimized the AMD induced toxicity as reflected by significant decreases in these indexes. Histopathological studies revealed a marked reduction in the extent and severity of lung lesions in the WEB + AMD group compared with the saline + AMD group. Treatment with WEB 2086 also reduced the acute mortality from 35% in saline + AMD group to 22% in WEB + AMD group. It was concluded that PAF is involved in the AMD induced lung fibrosis and phospholipidosis and that the PAF receptor antagonist may, therefore, be potentially useful in reducing AMD induced lung toxicity

Modulation instability in high power laser amplifiers

The modulation instability (MI) is one of the main factors responsible for the degradation of beam quality in high-power laser systems. The so-called B-integral restriction is commonly used as the criteria for MI control in passive optics devices. For amplifiers the adiabatic model, assuming locally the Bespalov-Talanov expression for MI growth, is commonly used to estimate the destructive impact of the instability. We present here the exact solution of MI development in amplifiers. We determine the parameters which control the effect of MI in amplifiers and calculate the MI growth rate as a function of those parameters. The safety range of operational parameters is presented. The results of the exact calculations are compared with the adiabatic model, and the range of validity of the latest is determined. We demonstrate that for practical situations the adiabatic approximation noticeably overestimates MI. The additional margin of laser system design is quantified

The effect of self-focusing on laser space-debris cleaning

A ground-based laser system for space-debris cleaning will use powerful laser pulses that can self-focus while propagating through the atmosphere. We demonstrate that for the relevant laser parameters, this self-focusing can noticeably decrease the laser intensity on the target. We show that the detrimental effect can be, to a great extent, compensated for by applying the optimal initial beam defocusing. The effect of laser elevation on the system performance is discussed

Laser-Matter Interactions with a 527 nm Drive

The primary goal of this Exploratory Research is to develop an understanding of laser-matter interactions with 527-nm light (2{omega}) for studies of interest to numerous Laboratory programs including inertial confinement fusion (ICF), material strength, radiation transport, and hydrodynamics. In addition, during the course of this work we will develop the enabling technology and prototype instrumentation to diagnose a high fluence laser beam for energy, power, and near field intensity profile at 2{omega}. Through this Exploratory Research we have established an extensive experimental and modeling data base on laser-matter interaction with 527 nm laser light (2{omega}) in plasma conditions of interest to numerous Laboratory programs. The experiments and the laser-plasma interaction modeling using the code pF3D have shown intensity limits and laser beam conditioning requirements for future 2{omega} laser operations and target physics experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF). These findings have set requirements for which present radiation-hydrodynamic simulations indicate the successful generation of relevant pressure regimes in future 2{omega} experiments. To allow these experiments on the NIF, optics and optical mounts were prepared for the 18mm Second Harmonic Generation Crystal (SHG crystal) that would provide the desired high conversion efficiency from 1{omega} to 2{omega}. Supporting experimental activities on NIF included high-energy 1{omega} shots at up to 22kJ/beamline (4MJ full NIF 1{omega} equivalent energy) that demonstrated, in excess, the 1{omega} drive capability of the main laser that is required for 2{omega} operations. Also, a very extensive 3{omega} campaign was completed (see ''The National Ignition Facility Laser Performance Status'' UCRL-JRNL-226553) that demonstrated that not only doubling the laser, but also tripling the laser (a much more difficult and sensitive combination) met our model predictions over a wide range of laser bandwidths and focal spot modification conditions. We have inferred that since we have successful modeled the 3{omega} performance that our 2{omega} model is also validated

Response to Comment on "The National Ignition Facility Laser Performance Status"

We appreciate Stephen Bodner's continuing interest in the performance of the NIF laser system. However, we find it necessary to disagree with the conclusions he reached in his comments [Appl. Opt. 47, XXX (2008)] on 'National Ignition Facility Laser Performance Status' [Appl. Opt. 46, 3276 (2007)]. In fact, repeated and ongoing tests of the NIF beamlines have demonstrated that NIF can be expected not only to meet or exceed its requirements as established in the mid-1990s in the document National Ignition Facility Functional Requirements and Primary Criteria [Revision 1.3, Report NIF-LLNL-93-058 (1994)], but also to have the flexibility that provides for successfully meeting an ever expanding range of mission goals, including those of ignition

Polarization Smoothing on the National Ignition Facility

We have recently implemented polarization smoothing (PS) on one quad of the NIF laser. Specially cut KDP and DKDP crystals at 420 x 420 mm sizes were used to scramble the incident 351 nm laser polarization over the beam aperture. The intensity contrast deduced from the measured focal spot images for one of the NIF beams is in very good agreement with the expected contrast. KDP and DKDP crystals are known to produce considerable amount of transverse stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) when irradiated with large beams at {approx}1-2 GW/cm2. In order to measure the transverse SRS, we attached optical fibers on the side of one of the PS crystals. The KDP PS crystal showed > 1 J/cm2 side scattered SRS at irradiances of 1.2 GW/cm2. The DKDP (70% deuteration level) PS crystal showed significantly less SRS. Detailed analysis of the SRS scattering in the PS crystal is in progress