[en] Is there a hidden like between electromagnetism and gravity? Michael Brooks meets a physicist willing to risk his reputation to find out

[en] This document consists of DOE R and D tracking information for the following topics: Stockpile Readiness Program; Stockpile Reduction Program; Enduring Stockpile Program; Future Stockpile Program; Archiving; Nuclear Component Assessment; Advanced Application; Validation and Verification; Distance and Distributed Computing; DOD Munitions; Performance Assessment; Physics; Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility/Los Alamos Neutron Science Center; Advanced Hydrodynamic Radiography; Systems Engineering; Advanced Manufacturing; Chemistry and Materials; High Explosives; Special Nuclear Mateirals; Tritium; Collaboration with ASCI; Numeric Environment for Weapons Simulation; Target Physics; Theory and Modeling; Target Development; Fabrication and Handling; Other ICF Activities; Development of Predictive Capabilities--Nuclear; Development of Diagnostic Tools--Nuclear; Process Development; and IPPD/Agile Manufacturing

[en] The connection of rare decays to supersymmetric grand unification is highlighted, and a review of the status of rare decay experiments is given. Plans for future investigations of processes that violate lepton flavor are discussed. A new result from the MEGA experiment, a search for μ⁺ → e⁺ γ, is reported to be B.R. < 3.8 x 10^-11 with 90% confidence

[en] This is the final report of a three-year Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The study of quark and antiquark distributions in the nucleon has been a major endeavor in nuclear and particle physics. Results from a recent deep-inelastic scattering experiment suggest the surprising possibility that the up and down antiquark distributions in the proton are not symmetric. A sensitive and direct determination of the antiquark distributions in the proton can be made by comparing the Drell-Yan cross sections on hydrogen versus deuterium targets. The authors have proposed a new experiment (E866) at Fermilab to carry out such measurements. E866 has been taking data since September 1996. Preliminary results show that the apparatus is working very well. The authors anticipate having seven months of beam in 1997, which would allow them to achieve the sensitivities for a definitive measurement of flavor symmetry of sea quarks in the proton

[en] Permeabilized cells treated with the adenosine triphosphate analog, (³⁵S)adenosine-5'-0-3(3-thiotriphosphate) ((γ-³⁵S)ATP), showed thiophosphorylation of a small number of cellular proteins. A 54 kilodalton (kDa) protein was heavily thiophosphorylated in unstimulated control cells and a 43 kilodalton protein was more heavily thiophosphorylated in calcium stimulated cells. Intact cells incorporated ³⁵S into a series of higher molecular weight proteins. Stimulation of prelabelled, permeabilized cells resulted in a loss of ³⁵S from the cells over a 20 min period. Treatment of permeabilized cells with ATPγS inhibited secretion and ³⁵S incorporation into the cells. Pretreatment with ATPγS resulted in subsequent inhibition of both secretion and the ability of the cells to incorporate ³⁵S from (γ-³⁵S)ATP. These results indicate that the sites normally available for phosphorylation were inactivated by thiophosphorylation and were unavailable to participate in the secretory process. The inhibition of secretion associated with thiophosphorylation of these proteins suggests that they may play a role in the control of secretion by chromaffin cells. 15 references, 1 figure, 3 tables

[en] Spectral sidelight emission intensities of N₂, CO and Xe electronic transitions in the 2000 to 9000 A range are significantly perturbed (approximately < 10%) by changes in the 10.6 μm laser field intensity in gain (or loss) CO₂ laser gas mixture. The general behaviour and polarity of all the observed perturbations are explained in terms of current and electron density fluctuations and a single perturbed vibrational distribution mechanism. (author)

[en] Ninety females underwent mastectomy for breast cancer and were thereafter investigated to determine whether nerve entrapments were responsible for some of the disabling symptoms in their arms. The majority of these patients suffered from fullness (edema), numbness, paraesthesia, weakness and pain of the arm on the mastectomized side. Lymphedema of varying degrees found in 50% of these patients was associated with brachial plexus entrapment and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). 28% of the patients has CTS, and 28% suffered from brachial plexus entrapment of the arm on the mastectomized side, as compared with 8% and 5%, respectively, on the nonoperated side. 12% of the patients suffered from both types of entrapment. Thus we consider that brachial plexus entrapment and carpal tunnel syndrome should be added to the list of complications following mastectomy, with lymphedema playing an active part in their development

[en] Changes in the 10.6 μm CO₂ laser resonant radiation field cause gas number density changes in the irradiated volume by V-T energy exchange and gas heating. This primary pressure fluctuation (approximately 0.5%) causes a change in the mean energy exchange per electron-molecule collisions dX/X and a change in the electron mean free path lambda and hence the discharge current. The current fluctuation di/i (approximately 1 to > 10%) can be eliminated with a constant-current power supply with a sufficiently rapid response feedback circuit. (author)

[en] Annex I to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM) states that Category I material should be stored in a protected area that is under surveillance by guards who are in close communication with appropriate response forces with specific measures to be employed with the objective for the detection and prevention of any assault, unauthorized access or unauthorized removal of material. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) utilizes a Protective Force (PF) to provide the physical protection of interests under DOE’s purview ranging from facilities, buildings, Government property, and employees to national security interests such as classified information, special nuclear material (SNM), and nuclear weapons. DOE utilizes a graded approach for the protection of the lowest level of government property, with increasing layers of security, to the most critical assets. DOE requires the establishment and maintenance of a PF program, as an integral element of its defense-in-depth strategy, to detect and prevent malevolent acts against DOE security interests. The PF program includes the development of written plans, post orders, general orders, and procedures covering PF routine, emergency and administrative duties; tactical deployment, and other operational requirements to allow maximum concentration of resources in a tactical posture. (author)

[en] A technique has been developed that permits detection and characterization of sparsely distributed chemical inhomogeneities in Zircaloy. These inhomogeneities have previously been observed at the origins of iodine stress-corrosion cracks but are not detectable by, for example, simple scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examination. The technique uses radioactive iodine to ''label'' the chemical inhomogeneities, autoradiography to detect their locations, and SEM and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) to further characterize them. Large areas of surface have been surveyed and statistically meaningful populations of chemical inhomogeneities measured for five different lots of Zircaloy cladding. Inner surfaces and cladding cross-sectional surfaces have been studied. There are clear differences in chemical inhomogeneity size distribution and composition between the various claddings. For three of the claddings characterized in this work, the previously measured stress-corrosion cracking (SCC) threshold stresses correlate well (inversely) with the new data on their average chemical inhomogeneity sizes. Of special interest is the fact that the most SCC-resistant cladding contains far fewer iron-bearing inhomogeneities than the other claddings