ALBERT

Description: We have developed large-format, close-packed X-ray microcalorimeter arrays fabricated on solid substrates, designed to achieve high energy resolution with count rates up to a few hundred counts per second per pixel for X-ray photon energies upto 8 keV. Our most recent arrays feature 31-micron absorbers on a 35-micron pitch, reducing the size of pixels by about a factor of two. This change will enable an instrument with significantly higher angular resolution. In order to wire out large format arrays with an increased density of smaller pixels, we have reduced the lateral size of both the microstrip wiring and the Mo/Au transition-edge sensors (TES). We report on the key physical properties of these small TESs and the fine Nb leads attached, including the critical currents and weak-link properties associated with the longitudinal proximity effect.

Description: A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile and ovoid or rod-shaped bacterial strain, designated OITF-22T, was isolated from a tidal flat of Oido, an island of South Korea, and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. Strain OITF-22T grew optimally at 25 �C, at pH 7.0–8.0 and in the presence of 2.0–3.0% (w/v) NaCl. The phylogenetic trees based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain OITF-22T fell within the clade comprising the type strains of Polaribacter species. Strain OITF-22T exhibited 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values of 97.2–99.4% to the type strains of Polaribacter vadi, P. haliotis, P. atrinae, P. dokdonensis, P. litorisediminis, P. reichenbachii, P. irgensii and P. marinaquae, and of 93.0–96.9% to the type strains of the other Polaribacter species. Strain OITF-22T contained MK-6 as the predominant menaquinone and iso-C15 : 0 and iso-C15 : 0 3-OH as the major fatty acids. The major polar lipids detected in strain OITF-22T were phosphatidylethanolamine and one unidentified lipid. The DNA G+C content of strain OITF-22T was 32.3 mol% and its DNA–DNA relatedness values with the type strains of the eight phylogenetically most closely related Polaribacter species were 9–32 %. Differential phenotypic properties, together with phylogenetic and genetic distinctiveness, revealed that strain OITF-22T is separated from recognized species of the genus Polaribacter. On the basis of the data presented, strain OITF-22T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Polaribacter, for which the name Polaribacter insulae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is OITF-22T (=KCTC 52658T=NBRC 112706T).

Description: Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile and ovoid or rod-shaped bacterial strain, designated OITF-11T, was isolated from a tidal flat in Oido, an island of South Korea, and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. Strain OITF-11T grew optimally at 25°C, at pH 7.0–8.0 and in the presence of 2.0% (w/v) NaCl. The phylogenetic trees based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain OITF-11T belonged to the genus Polaribacter. Strain OITF-11T exhibited 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values of 97.4–98.1% to Polaribacter haliotis RA4-7T, Polaribacter atrinae KACC 17473T, Polaribacter dokdonensis DSW-5T and Polaribacter marinaquae KCTC 42664T, and of 94.1–96.9% to the type strains of the other Polaribacter species. Strain OITF-11T contained menaquinone MK-6 as the predominant menaquinone and iso-C15 : 0, iso-C15 : 1 G, iso-C15 : 0 3-OH, iso-C17 : 0 3-OH and C15 : 1!6c as the major fatty acids. The major polar lipids detected in strain OITF-11T were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine and one unidentified lipid. The DNA G+C content of strain OITF-11T was 32.2 mol% and its DNA–DNA relatedness values with the type strains of P. haliotis, P. atrinae, P. dokdonensis and P. marinaquae were 14–33 %. Differential phenotypic properties, together with its phylogenetic and genetic distinctiveness, revealed that strain OITF-11T is separated from recognized species of the genus Polaribacter. On the basis of the data presented, strain OITF-11T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Polaribacter, for which the name Polaribacter litorisediminis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is OITF-11T (=KCTC 52500T=NBRC 112457T).

Description: Understanding ecological complexity has stymied scientists for decades. Recent elucidation of the famously coined "devious strategies for stability in enduring natural systems" has opened up a new field of computational analyses of complex ecological networks where the nonlinear dynamics of many interacting species can be more realistically mod-eled and understood. Here, we describe the first extension of this field to include coupled human-natural systems. This extension elucidates new strategies for sustaining extraction of biomass (e.g., fish, forests, fiber) from ecosystems that account for ecological complexity and can pursue multiple goals such as maximizing economic profit, employment and carbon sequestration by ecosystems. Our more realistic modeling of ecosystems helps explain why simpler "maxi-mum sustainable yield" bioeconomic models underpinning much natural resource extraction policy leads to less profit, biomass, and biodiversity than predicted by those simple models. Current research directions of this integrated natu-ral and social science include applying artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and multiplayer online games.

Description: The multigrid method has been applied to an existing three-dimensional compressible Euler solver to accelerate the convergence of the implicit symmetric relaxation scheme. This lower-upper symmetric Gauss-Seidel implicit scheme is shown to be an effective multigrid driver in three dimensions. A grid refinement study is performed including the effects of large cell aspect ratio meshes. Performance figures of the present multigrid code on Cray computers including the new C90 are presented. A reduction of three orders of magnitude in the residual for a three-dimensional transonic inviscid flow using 920 k grid points is obtained in less than 4 min on a Cray C90.

Description: Rejection characteristics of organic and inorganic compounds were examined for six reverse osmosis (RO) membranes and two nanofiltration (NF) membranes that are commercially available. A batch stirred-cell was employed to determine the membrane flux and the solute rejection for solutions at various concentrations and different pH conditions. The results show that for ionic solutes the degree of separation is influenced mainly by electrostatic exclusion, while for organic solutes the removal depends mainly upon the solute radius and molecular structure. In order to provide a better understanding of rejection mechanisms for the RO and NF membranes, the ratio of solute radius (r(i,s)) to effective membrane pore radius (r(p)) was employed to compare rejections. An empirical relation for the dependence of the rejection of organic compounds on the ratio r(i,s)/r(p) is presented. The rejection for organic compounds is over 75% when r(i,s)/r(p) is greater than 0.8. In addition, the rejection of organic compounds is examined using the extended Nernst-Planck equation coupled with a steric hindrance model. The transport of organic solutes is controlled mainly by diffusion for the compounds that have a high r(i,s)/r(p) ratio, while convection is dominant for compounds that have a small r(i,s)/r(p) ratio. c2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Description: This paper describes the results of the first field-scale demonstration conducted to evaluate the performance of nanoscale emulsified zero-valent iron (EZVI) injected into the saturated zone to enhance in situ dehalogenation of dense, nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) containing trichloroethene (TCE). EZVI is an innovative and emerging remediation technology. EZVI is a surfactant-stabilized, biodegradable emulsion that forms emulsion droplets consisting of an oil-liquid membrane surrounding zero-valent iron (ZVI) particles in water. EZVI was injected over a five day period into eight wells in a demonstration test area within a larger DNAPL source area at NASA's Launch Complex 34 (LC34) using a pressure pulse injection method. Soil and groundwater samples were collected before and after treatment and analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to evaluate the changes in VOC mass, concentration and mass flux. Significant reductions in TCE soil concentrations (〉80%) were observed at four of the six soil sampling locations within 90 days of EZVI injection. Somewhat lower reductions were observed at the other two soil sampling locations where visual observations suggest that most of the EZVI migrated up above the target treatment depth. Significant reductions in TCE groundwater concentrations (57 to 100%) were observed at all depths targeted with EZVI. Groundwater samples from the treatment area also showed significant increases in the concentrations of cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cDCE), vinyl chloride (VC) and ethene. The decrease in concentrations of TCE in soil and groundwater samples following treatment with EZVI is believed to be due to abiotic degradation associated with the ZVI as well as biodegradation enhanced by the presence of the oil and surfactant in the EZVI emulsion.