Ground-Water Hydrology and Hydrochemistry of Eagle Flat and Surrounding Area

This report presents the results of the Bureau of Economic Geology's investigation of the saturated-zone hydrology and hydrochemistry of Eagle Flat, Red Light Draw, and surrounding areas of southern Hudspeth County, Texas. Boundaries of the study area are the Rio Grande and Quitman Mountains to the south and west, the Van Horn and Carrizo Mountains to the east, and the Diablo Plateau to the north. Total land area is about 1,200 mi2 (3,110 km2). The Bureau of Economic Geology initiated this study in July 1991 at the request of the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Authority (TLLRWDA). The objective of the investigation was to ascertain whether northwest Eagle Flat may be considered a suitable location for disposal of low-level radioactive waste.Bureau of Economic Geolog

Eagle Flat Project, Hudspeth County, Texas

The geomorphic, stratigraphic, and structural geologic studies are designed to characterize the geologic setting of the site and region. The results of these studies are required for the license application, to support design and geotechnical studies, and to construct the hydrogeologic framework. Various elements of the regional stratigraphy and structural setting have been described by many authors. Our studies will synthesize relevant portions of the previous work but focus on those issues that require more detailed characterization and analysis to evaluate the proposed site. Exposed bedrock geology, for example, was generally well mapped in the vicinity of the Faskin Ranch-Eagle Flat region by Underwood (1963), Albritton and Smith (1965), and King (1965). We have compiled the previous mapping on the six topographic maps (1:24,000) that cover the area designated by the Texas Legislature (fig. 1). Drilling, mapping, and geophysical studies associated with this project will add new information on the bedrock units beneath the basin-fill sediments and on the character of the basin-fill sediments themselves, particularly in the siting area.Bureau of Economic Geolog

Ground-Water Hydrology and Hydrochemistry of Eagle Flat and Surrounding Area

This report presents the results of the Bureau of Economic Geology's investigation of the saturated-zone hydrology and hydrochemistry of Eagle Flat, Red Light Draw, and surrounding areas of southern Hudspeth County, Texas. Boundaries of the study area are the Rio Grande and Quitman Mountains to the south and west, the Van Horn and Carrizo Mountains to the east, and the Diablo Plateau to the north. Total land area is about 1,200 mi^2 (3,110 km^2). The Bureau of Economic Geology initiated this study in July 1991 at the request of the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Authority (TLLRWDA). The objective of the investigation was to ascertain whether northwest Eagle Flat may be considered a suitable location for disposal of low-level radioactive waste.Bureau of Economic Geolog

SAR by MS for Functional Genomics (Structure-Activity Relation by Mass Spectrometry)

Large-scale functional genomics will require fast, high-throughput experimental techniques, coupled with sophisticated computer algorithms for data analysis and experiment planning. In this paper, we introduce a combined experimental-computational protocol called Structure-Activity Relation by Mass Spectrometry (SAR by MS), which can be used to elucidate the function of protein-DNA or protein-protein complexes. We present algorithms for SAR by MS and analyze their complexity. Carefully-designed Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-Of-Flight (MALDI TOF) and Electrospray Ionization (ESI) assays require only femtomolar samples, take only microseconds per spectrum to record, enjoy a resolution of up to one dalton in $10^6$, and (in the case of MALDI) can operate on protein complexes up to a megadalton in mass. Hence, the technique is attractive for high-throughput functional genomics. In SAR by MS, selected residues or nucleosides are 2H-, 13C-, and/or 15N-labeled. Second, the complex is crosslinked. Third, the complex is cleaved with proteases and/or endonucleases. Depending on the binding mode, some cleavage sites will be shielded by the crosslinking. Finally, a mass spectrum of the resulting fragments is obtained and analyzed. The last step is the Data Analysis phase, in which the mass signatures are interpreted to obtain constraints on the functional binding mode. Experiment Planning entails deciding what labeling strategy and cleaving agents to employ, so as to minimize mass degeneracy and spectral overlap, in order that the constraints derived in data analysis yield a small number of binding hypotheses. A number of combinatorial and algorithmic questions arise in deriving algorithms for both Experiment Planning and Data Analysis. We explore the complexity of these problems, obtaining upper and lower bounds. Experimental results are reported from an implementation of our algorithms

The NOESY Jigsaw: Automated Protein Secondary Structure and Main-Chain Assignment from Sparse, Unassigned NMR Data

High-throughput, data-directed computational protocols for Structural Genomics (or Proteomics) are required in order to evaluate the protein products of genes for structure and function at rates comparable to current gene-sequencing technology. This paper presents the Jigsaw algorithm, a novel high-throughput, automated approach to protein structure characterization with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Jigsaw consists of two main components: (1) graph-based secondary structure pattern identification in unassigned heteronuclear NMR data, and (2) assignment of spectral peaks by probabilistic alignment of identified secondary structure elements against the primary sequence. Jigsaw\u27s deferment of assignment until after secondary structure identification differs greatly from traditional approaches, which begin by correlating peaks among dozens of experiments. By deferring assignment, Jigsaw not only eliminates this bottleneck, it also allows the number of experiments to be reduced from dozens to four, none of which requires 13C-labeled protein. This in turn dramatically reduces the amount and expense of wet lab molecular biology for protein expression and purification, as well as the total spectrometer time to collect data. Our results for three test proteins demonstrate that we are able to identify and align approximately 80 percent of alpha-helical and 60 percent of beta-sheet structure. Jigsaw is extremely fast, running in minutes on a Pentium-class Linux workstation. This approach yields quick and reasonably accurate (as opposed to the traditional slow and extremely accurate) structure calculations, utilizing a suite of graph analysis algorithms to compensate for the data sparseness. Jigsaw could be used for quick structural assays to speed data to the biologist early in the process of investigation, and could in principle be applied in an automation-like fashion to a large fraction of the proteome

Preliminary Evaluation of the Eagle Flat Region Hudspeth County, Texas

Preliminary evaluation of the Eagle Flat region, as designated by the Texas Legislature, indicates several areas that may have geologic and hydrologic conditions favorable for further evaluation as potential siting areas for the Texas low-level radioactive waste repository. This determination is based on a review of available data regarding surface drainage, thickness and character of alluvial fill, depth to groundwater, and apparent presence or absence of such features as late Cenozoic faults, fissures, known natural resources, and evidence of erosion. Some general siting areas have been identified that contain several sections that appear to have favorable characteristics. Examples of apparently favorable general siting areas are east of Yucca Mesa, south of Eagle Flat Mountain, and north of Little Hills. Our preliminary assessment is that, of the three areas cited above, the Yucca Mesa location should be given priority consideration. Initial flooding and drainage analysis indicates that the Yucca Mesa site includes sufficient surface areas unaffected by flooding. There are no known fissures or late Cenozoic faults. Depth to groundwater may be in excess of 500 ft, and the water quality may be poor. Shallow alluvium may be somewhat finer grained than at other settings, and the surface appears to be relatively stable and devoid of major incision by existing drainages. Although each of these characteristics needs to be investigated by further work, the most critical unanswered question is the thickness of alluvial fill. Available gravity data, including recent work by The University of Texas at El Paso, indicates that 100 ft or more of alluvial fill may be present in the area. Other areas may be present that are of equal or similar merit, but the preliminary analysis and available information suggest that the Yucca Mesa location apparently has the most favorable characteristics of those general siting areas identified currently. Smaller potential siting areas, generally about 400 to 800 acres in size, also may exist locally throughout the region where alluvial fill may be of sufficient thickness and drainage characteristics may be appropriate. These smaller potential siting areas would require additional site-specific evaluation of surface drainage characteristics before drill testing could be recommended. Any potential siting area is unique and would require site-specific evaluation activities to assess its suitability for characterization.Bureau of Economic Geolog

Effects of the passage of Comet C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) observed by the Shallow Radar (SHARAD) on Mars reconnaissance orbiter

The close passage of Comet C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) to Mars provided a unique opportunity to observe the interaction of cometary materials with the Martian ionosphere and atmosphere using the sounding radar SHARAD (SHAllow RADar) aboard Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. In two nightside observations, acquired in the 10 h following the closest approach, the SHARAD data reveal a significant increase of the total electron content (TEC). The observed TEC values are typical for daylight hours just after dawn or before sunset but are unprecedented this deep into the night. Results support two predictions indicating that cometary pickup O+ ions, or ions generated from the ablation of cometary dust, are responsible for the creation of an additional ion layer

Austenite Formation Kinetics During Rapid Heating in a Microalloyed Steel

The model parameters for the normalized 1054V1 material were compared to parameters previously generated for 1026 steel, and the transformation behavior was relatively consistent. Validation of the model predictions by heating into the austenite plus undissolved ferrite phase field and rapidly quenching resulted in reasonable predictions when compared to the measured volume fractions from optical metallography. The hot rolled 1054V1 material, which had a much coarser grain size and a non-equilibrium volume fraction of pearlite, had significantly different model parameters and the on heating transformation behavior of this material was less predictable with the established model. The differences in behavior is consistent with conventional wisdom that normalized micro-structure produce a more consistent response to processing, and it reinforces the need for additional work in this area

Amenability of groups and GG-sets

This text surveys classical and recent results in the field of amenability of groups, from a combinatorial standpoint. It has served as the support of courses at the University of G\"ottingen and the \'Ecole Normale Sup\'erieure. The goals of the text are (1) to be as self-contained as possible, so as to serve as a good introduction for newcomers to the field; (2) to stress the use of combinatorial tools, in collaboration with functional analysis, probability etc., with discrete groups in focus; (3) to consider from the beginning the more general notion of amenable actions; (4) to describe recent classes of examples, and in particular groups acting on Cantor sets and topological full groups

Building a diverse workforce and thinkforce to reduce health disparities

The Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Program was congressionally man-dated in 1985 to build research capacity at institutions that currently and historically recruit, train, and award doctorate degrees in the health professions and health-related sciences, primarily to individuals from underrepresented and minority populations. RCMI grantees share similar infrastructure needs and institutional goals. Of particular importance is the professional development of multidisciplinary teams of academic and community scholars (the “workforce”) and the harnessing of the heterogeneity of thought (the “thinkforce”) to reduce health disparities. The purpose of this report is to summarize the presentations and discussion at the RCMI Investigator Development Core (IDC) Workshop, held in conjunction with the RCMI Program National Conference in Bethesda, Maryland, in December 2019. The RCMI IDC Directors provided information about their professional development activities and Pilot Projects Programs and discussed barriers identified by new and early-stage investigators that limit effective career development, as well as potential solutions to overcome such obstacles. This report also proposes potential alignments of professional development activities, targeted goals and common metrics to track productivity and success