National Ignition Facility: Experimental plan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1994-05-01

As part of the Conceptual Design Report (CDR) for the National Ignition Facility (NIF), scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Sandia National Laboratory (SNL), the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics (UR/LLE), and EG&G formed an NIF Target Diagnostics Working Group. The purpose of the Target Diagnostics Working Group is to prepare conceptual designs of target diagnostics for inclusion in the facility CDR and to determine how these specifications impact the CDR. To accomplish this, a subgroup has directed its efforts at constructing an approximate experimental plan for the ignition campaign of the NIF CDR. The results of this effort are contained in this document, the Experimental Plan for achieving fusion ignition in the NIF. This group initially concentrated on the flow-down requirements of the experimental campaign leading to ignition, which will dominate the initial efforts of the NIF. It is envisaged, however, that before ignition, there will be parallel campaigns supporting weapons physics, weapons effects, and other research. This plan was developed by analyzing the sequence of activities required to finally fire the laser at the level of power and precision necessary to achieve the conditions of an ignition hohlraum target, and to then use our experience in activating and running Nova experiments to estimate the rate of completing these activities.

The neutron imaging diagnostic at NIF (invited).

PubMed

Merrill, F E; Bower, D; Buckles, R; Clark, D D; Danly, C R; Drury, O B; Dzenitis, J M; Fatherley, V E; Fittinghoff, D N; Gallegos, R; Grim, G P; Guler, N; Loomis, E N; Lutz, S; Malone, R M; Martinson, D D; Mares, D; Morley, D J; Morgan, G L; Oertel, J A; Tregillis, I L; Volegov, P L; Weiss, P B; Wilde, C H; Wilson, D C

2012-10-01

A neutron imaging diagnostic has recently been commissioned at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). This new system is an important diagnostic tool for inertial fusion studies at the NIF for measuring the size and shape of the burning DT plasma during the ignition stage of Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) implosions. The imaging technique utilizes a pinhole neutron aperture, placed between the neutron source and a neutron detector. The detection system measures the two dimensional distribution of neutrons passing through the pinhole. This diagnostic has been designed to collect two images at two times. The long flight path for this diagnostic, 28 m, results in a chromatic separation of the neutrons, allowing the independently timed images to measure the source distribution for two neutron energies. Typically the first image measures the distribution of the 14 MeV neutrons and the second image of the 6-12 MeV neutrons. The combination of these two images has provided data on the size and shape of the burning plasma within the compressed capsule, as well as a measure of the quantity and spatial distribution of the cold fuel surrounding this core.

A high-speed two-frame, 1-2 ns gated X-ray CMOS imager used as a hohlraum diagnostic on the National Ignition Facility (invited).

PubMed

Chen, Hui; Palmer, N; Dayton, M; Carpenter, A; Schneider, M B; Bell, P M; Bradley, D K; Claus, L D; Fang, L; Hilsabeck, T; Hohenberger, M; Jones, O S; Kilkenny, J D; Kimmel, M W; Robertson, G; Rochau, G; Sanchez, M O; Stahoviak, J W; Trotter, D C; Porter, J L

2016-11-01

A novel x-ray imager, which takes time-resolved gated images along a single line-of-sight, has been successfully implemented at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). This Gated Laser Entrance Hole diagnostic, G-LEH, incorporates a high-speed multi-frame CMOS x-ray imager developed by Sandia National Laboratories to upgrade the existing Static X-ray Imager diagnostic at NIF. The new diagnostic is capable of capturing two laser-entrance-hole images per shot on its 1024 × 448 pixels photo-detector array, with integration times as short as 1.6 ns per frame. Since its implementation on NIF, the G-LEH diagnostic has successfully acquired images from various experimental campaigns, providing critical new information for understanding the hohlraum performance in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments, such as the size of the laser entrance hole vs. time, the growth of the laser-heated gold plasma bubble, the change in brightness of inner beam spots due to time-varying cross beam energy transfer, and plasma instability growth near the hohlraum wall.

NIF Ignition Target 3D Point Design

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jones, O; Marinak, M; Milovich, J

2008-11-05

We have developed an input file for running 3D NIF hohlraums that is optimized such that it can be run in 1-2 days on parallel computers. We have incorporated increasing levels of automation into the 3D input file: (1) Configuration controlled input files; (2) Common file for 2D and 3D, different types of capsules (symcap, etc.); and (3) Can obtain target dimensions, laser pulse, and diagnostics settings automatically from NIF Campaign Management Tool. Using 3D Hydra calculations to investigate different problems: (1) Intrinsic 3D asymmetry; (2) Tolerance to nonideal 3D effects (e.g. laser power balance, pointing errors); and (3) Syntheticmore » diagnostics.« less

Assessment and mitigation of diagnostic-generated electromagnetic interference at the National Ignition Facilitya)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, C. G.; Ayers, J.; Felker, B.; Ferguson, W.; Holder, J. P.; Nagel, S. R.; Piston, K. W.; Simanovskaia, N.; Throop, A. L.; Chung, M.; Hilsabeck, T.

2012-10-01

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is an ever-present challenge at laser facilities such as the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The major source of EMI at such facilities is laser-target interaction that can generate intense electromagnetic fields within, and outside of, the laser target chamber. In addition, the diagnostics themselves can be a source of EMI, even interfering with themselves. In this paper we describe EMI generated by ARIANE and DIXI, present measurements, and discuss effects of the diagnostic-generated EMI on ARIANE's CCD and on a PMT nearby DIXI. Finally we present some of the efforts we have made to mitigate the effects of diagnostic-generated EMI on NIF diagnostics.

A magnetic particle time-of-flight (MagPTOF) diagnostic for measurements of shock- and compression-bang time at the NIF (invited).

PubMed

Rinderknecht, H G; Sio, H; Frenje, J A; Magoon, J; Agliata, A; Shoup, M; Ayers, S; Bailey, C G; Gatu Johnson, M; Zylstra, A B; Sinenian, N; Rosenberg, M J; Li, C K; Sèguin, F H; Petrasso, R D; Rygg, J R; Kimbrough, J R; Mackinnon, A; Bell, P; Bionta, R; Clancy, T; Zacharias, R; House, A; Döppner, T; Park, H S; LePape, S; Landen, O; Meezan, N; Robey, H; Glebov, V U; Hohenberger, M; Stoeckl, C; Sangster, T C; Li, C; Parat, J; Olson, R; Kline, J; Kilkenny, J

2014-11-01

A magnetic particle time-of-flight (MagPTOF) diagnostic has been designed to measure shock- and compression-bang time using D(3)He-fusion protons and DD-fusion neutrons, respectively, at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). This capability, in combination with shock-burn weighted areal density measurements, will significantly constrain the modeling of the implosion dynamics. This design is an upgrade to the existing particle time-of-flight (pTOF) diagnostic, which records bang times using DD or DT neutrons with an accuracy better than ±70 ps [H. G. Rinderknecht et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 83, 10D902 (2012)]. The inclusion of a deflecting magnet will increase D(3)He-proton signal-to-background by a factor of 1000, allowing for the first time simultaneous measurements of shock- and compression-bang times in D(3)He-filled surrogate implosions at the NIF.

Literacy Program. National Issues Forums Special Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Issues Forums, Dayton, OH.

In the spring of 1988, 33 representatives from 20 institutions or organizations sponsoring National Issues Forum (NIF) literacy programs attended a national conference in Washington, D.C. Throughout the conference, representatives from the organizations sponsoring NIF literacy programs made statements on the importance of NIF as a tool for…

Data Analysis of the Gated-LEH X-Ray Imaging Diagnostic at the NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thibodeau, Matthew; Chen, Hui

2017-10-01

The Gated Laser Entrance Hole (G-LEH) x-ray imaging diagnostic in use at the NIF offers a desirable combination of spatial and temporal resolution. By looking inside of NIF hohlraums with time resolution, G-LEH measures target features including LEH size and capsule size. A framework is presented for automated and systematic analysis of G-LEH images that measures several physical parameters of interest and their evolution over time. The results from these analyses enable comparisons with hohlraum models and allow model validation of LEH closure velocity and the extent of capsule blow-off. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Assessment and Mitigation of Diagnostic-Generated Electromagnetic Interference at the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brown, C G; Ayers, M J; Felker, B

2012-04-20

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is an ever-present challenge at laser facilities such as the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The major source of EMI at such facilities is laser-target interaction that can generate intense electromagnetic fields within, and outside of, the laser target chamber. In addition, the diagnostics themselves can be a source of EMI, even interfering with themselves. In this paper we describe EMI generated by ARIANE and DIXI, present measurements, and discuss effects of the diagnostic-generated EMI on ARIANE's CCD and on a PMT nearby DIXI. Finally we present some of the efforts we have made to mitigate the effectsmore » of diagnostic-generated EMI on NIF diagnostics.« less

A recoverable gas-cell diagnostic for the National Ignition Facility.

PubMed

Ratkiewicz, A; Berzak Hopkins, L; Bleuel, D L; Bernstein, L A; van Bibber, K; Cassata, W S; Goldblum, B L; Siem, S; Velsko, C A; Wiedeking, M; Yeamans, C B

2016-11-01

The high-fluence neutron spectrum produced by the National Ignition Facility (NIF) provides an opportunity to measure the activation of materials by fast-spectrum neutrons. A new large-volume gas-cell diagnostic has been designed and qualified to measure the activation of gaseous substances at the NIF. This in-chamber diagnostic is recoverable, reusable and has been successfully fielded. Data from the qualification of the diagnostic have been used to benchmark an Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code simulation describing the downscattered neutron spectrum seen by the gas cell. We present early results from the use of this diagnostic to measure the activation of nat Xe and discuss future work to study the strength of interactions between plasma and nuclei.

Debris and shrapnel assessments for National Ignition Facility targets and diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masters, N. D.; Fisher, A.; Kalantar, D.; Stölken, J.; Smith, C.; Vignes, R.; Burns, S.; Doeppner, T.; Kritcher, A.; Park, H.-S.

2016-05-01

High-energy laser experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) can create debris and shrapnel capable of damaging laser optics and diagnostic instruments. The size, composition and location of target components and sacrificial shielding (e.g., disposable debris shields, or diagnostic filters) and the protection they provide is constrained by many factors, including: chamber and diagnostic geometries, experimental goals and material considerations. An assessment of the generation, nature and velocity of shrapnel and debris and their potential threats is necessary prior to fielding targets or diagnostics. These assessments may influence target and shielding design, filter configurations and diagnostic selection. This paper will outline the approach used to manage the debris and shrapnel risk associated with NIF targets and diagnostics and present some aspects of two such cases: the Material Strength Rayleigh- Taylor campaign and the Mono Angle Crystal Spectrometer (MACS).

Results From the New NIF Gated LEH imager

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Hui; Amendt, P.; Barrios, M.; Bradley, D.; Casey, D.; Hinkel, D.; Berzak Hopkins, L.; Kilkenny, J.; Kritcher, A.; Landen, O.; Jones, O.; Ma, T.; Milovich, J.; Michel, P.; Moody, J.; Ralph, J.; Pak, A.; Palmer, N.; Schneider, M.

2016-10-01

A novel ns-gated Laser Entrance Hole (G-LEH) diagnostic has been successfully implemented at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). This diagnostic has successfully acquired images from various experimental campaigns, providing critical information for inertial confinement fusion experiments. The G-LEH diagnostic which takes time-resolved gated images along a single line-of-sight, incorporates a high-speed multi-frame CMOS x-ray imager developed by Sandia National Laboratories into the existing Static X-ray Imager diagnostic at NIF. It is capable of capturing two laser-entrance-hole images per shot on its 1024x448 pixel photo-detector array, with integration times as short as 2 ns per frame. The results that will be presented include the size of the laser entrance hole vs. time, the growth of the laser-heated gold plasma bubble, the change in brightness of inner beam spots due to time-varying cross beam energy transfer, and plasma instability growth near the hohlraum wall. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by LLNS, LLC, under Contract No. DE-AC52- 07NA27344.

Beamlet diagnostics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Theys, M.

1994-05-06

Beamlet is a high power laser currently being built at Lawrence Livermore National Lab as a proof of concept for the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Beamlet is testing several areas of laser advancements, such as a 37cm Pockels cell, square amplifier, and propagation of a square beam. The diagnostics on beamlet tell the operators how much energy the beam has in different locations, the pulse shape, the energy distribution, and other important information regarding the beam. This information is being used to evaluate new amplifier designs, and extrapolate performance to the NIF laser. In my term at Lawrence Livermore Nationalmore » Laboratory I have designed and built a diagnostic, calibrated instruments used on diagnostics, setup instruments, hooked up communication lines to the instruments, and setup computers to control specific diagnostics.« less

A recoverable gas-cell diagnostic for the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ratkiewicz, A., E-mail: ratkiewicz1@llnl.gov; Berzak Hopkins, L.; Bleuel, D. L.

2016-11-15

The high-fluence neutron spectrum produced by the National Ignition Facility (NIF) provides an opportunity to measure the activation of materials by fast-spectrum neutrons. A new large-volume gas-cell diagnostic has been designed and qualified to measure the activation of gaseous substances at the NIF. This in-chamber diagnostic is recoverable, reusable and has been successfully fielded. Data from the qualification of the diagnostic have been used to benchmark an Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code simulation describing the downscattered neutron spectrum seen by the gas cell. We present early results from the use of this diagnostic to measure the activation of {sup nat}Xemore » and discuss future work to study the strength of interactions between plasma and nuclei.« less

A recoverable gas-cell diagnostic for the National Ignition Facility

DOE PAGES

Ratkiewicz, A.; Hopkins, L. Berzak; Bleuel, D. L.; ...

2016-08-22

Here, the high-fluence neutron spectrum produced by the National Ignition Facility (NIF) provides an opportunity to measure the activation of materials by fast-spectrum neutrons. A new large-volume gas-cell diagnostic has been designed and qualified to measure the activation of gaseous substances at the NIF. This in-chamber diagnostic is recoverable, reusable and has been successfully fielded. Data from the qualification of the diagnostic have been used to benchmark an Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code simulation describing the downscattered neutron spectrum seen by the gas cell. We present early results from the use of this diagnostic to measure the activation of natXemore » and discuss future work to study the strength of interactions between plasma and nuclei.« less

A magnetic particle time-of-flight (MagPTOF) diagnostic for measurements of shock- and compression-bang time at the NIF (invited)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rinderknecht, H. G., E-mail: hgr@mit.edu; Sio, H.; Frenje, J. A.

A magnetic particle time-of-flight (MagPTOF) diagnostic has been designed to measure shock- and compression-bang time using D{sup 3}He-fusion protons and DD-fusion neutrons, respectively, at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). This capability, in combination with shock-burn weighted areal density measurements, will significantly constrain the modeling of the implosion dynamics. This design is an upgrade to the existing particle time-of-flight (pTOF) diagnostic, which records bang times using DD or DT neutrons with an accuracy better than ±70 ps [H. G. Rinderknecht et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 83, 10D902 (2012)]. The inclusion of a deflecting magnet will increase D{sup 3}He-proton signal-to-background by amore » factor of 1000, allowing for the first time simultaneous measurements of shock- and compression-bang times in D{sup 3}He-filled surrogate implosions at the NIF.« less

Using penumbral imaging to measure micrometer size plasma hot spots in Gbar equation of state experiments on the National Ignition Facility.

PubMed

Bachmann, B; Kritcher, A L; Benedetti, L R; Falcone, R W; Glenn, S; Hawreliak, J; Izumi, N; Kraus, D; Landen, O L; Le Pape, S; Ma, T; Pérez, F; Swift, D; Döppner, T

2014-11-01

We have developed an experimental platform for absolute equation of state measurements up to Gbar pressures on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) within the Fundamental Science Program. We use a symmetry-tuned hohlraum drive to launch a spherical shock wave into a solid CH sphere. Streaked radiography is the primary diagnostic to measure the density change at the shock front as the pressure increases towards smaller radii. At shock stagnation in the center of the capsule, we observe a short and bright x-ray self emission from high density (∼50 g/cm(3)) plasma at ∼1 keV. Here, we present results obtained with penumbral imaging which has been carried out to characterize the size of the hot spot emission. This allows extending existing NIF diagnostic capabilities for spatial resolution (currently ∼10 μm) at higher sensitivity. At peak emission we find the hot spot radius to be as small as 5.8 +/- 1 μm, corresponding to a convergence ratio of 200.

Enhanced NIF neutron activation diagnostics.

PubMed

Yeamans, C B; Bleuel, D L; Bernstein, L A

2012-10-01

The NIF neutron activation diagnostic suite relies on removable activation samples, leading to operational inefficiencies and a fundamental lower limit on the half-life of the activated product that can be observed. A neutron diagnostic system measuring activation of permanently installed samples could remove these limitations and significantly enhance overall neutron diagnostic capabilities. The physics and engineering aspects of two proposed systems are considered: one measuring the (89)Zr/(89 m)Zr isomer ratio in the existing Zr activation medium and the other using potassium zirconate as the activation medium. Both proposed systems could improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the current system by at least a factor of 5 and would allow independent measurement of fusion core velocity and fuel areal density.

NIF Operations Management Plan, August 2011

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Van Wonterghem, Bruno M.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a key component of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Stockpile Stewardship Program, whose purpose is to maintain the safety, reliability, and effectiveness of our nation’s nuclear stockpile without underground nuclear testing. The NIF is crucial to the Stockpile Stewardship Program because it is the only facility that can create the conditions of extreme temperature and pressure—conditions that exist only in stars or in exploding nuclear weapons—that are relevant to understanding how our modern nuclear weapons operate. As such, the NIF’s primary mission is to attain fusion ignition in themore » laboratory. Fusion ignition not only supports Stockpile Stewardship needs, but also provides the basis for future decisions about fusion’s potential as a long-term energy source. Additionally, NIF provides scientists with access to high-energy-density regimes that can yield new insight and understanding in the areas of astrophysics, hydrodynamics, material properties, plasma physics, and radiative properties. The use of the NIF to support the Stockpile Stewardship Program and the advancement of basic high-energy-density science understanding is planned and managed through program-level execution plans and NIF directorate-level management teams. An example of a plan is the National Ignition Campaign Execution Plan. The NIF Operations Management Plan provides an overview of the NIF Operations organization and describes how the NIF is supported by the LLNL infrastructure and how it is safely and responsibly managed and operated. Detailed information on NIF management of the organization is found in a series of supporting plans, policies, and procedures. A list of related acronyms can be found in Appendix A of this document. The purpose of this document is to provide a roadmap of how the NIF Operations organization functions. It provides a guide to understanding the requirements, document flow down, organizational vision and mission, performance metrics, and interrelationship of the NIF Operations organization with other directorate and laboratory organizations. This document also provides a listing of roles and responsibilities, core processes, procedures, authority matrices, change control boards, and other information necessary for successfully functioning in the NIF Operations organization. This document, the NIF Shot Operations Plan, and the NIF Maintenance Plan together represent the primary documents satisfying our Conduct of Operations compliance requirement.« less

Multiple Monochromatic Imaging (MMI) Status and Plans for LANL Campaigns on Omega and NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wysocki, F. J.; Hsu, S. C.; Tregillis, I. L.; Schmitt, M. J.; Kyrala, G. A.; Martinson, D. D.; Murphy, T. J.; Mancini, R. C.; Nagayama, T.

2011-10-01

LANL's DIME (Defect Implosion Experiment) campaigns on Omega and NIF are aimed at obtaining improved understanding of defect-induced mix via experiments and simulations of directly driven high-Z doped plastic capsules with DD or DT gas fill. To this end, the MMI diagnostic has been identified as a key diagnostic for providing space and time-resolved density, temperature, and mix profiles. The high Z shell dopants used on Omega are Ti and V, and to be used on NIF are Ge and Se. This poster will discuss the following four areas of MMI-related work at LANL, in collaboration with UNR: (1) data and preliminary analysis of MMI data from FY11 Omega campaigns, (2) development of a capability to generate simulated MMI data from radiation- hydrodynamic simulations of ICF implosions, (3) design of an MMI instrument for NIF that will cover the photon energy range 9.5-16.9 keV which includes the Ge/Se, H- like/He-like, α/ β lines, and (4) the development of MMI data post- processing and spectroscopic analysis tools. Supported by DOE NNSA.

The national ignition facility: path to ignition in the laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moses, E. I.; Bonanno, R. E.; Haynam, C. A.; Kauffman, R. L.; MacGowan, B. J.; Patterson, R. W., Jr.; Sawicki, R. H.; van Wonterghem, B. M.

2007-08-01

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a 192-beam laser facility presently under construction at LLNL. When completed, NIF will be a 1.8-MJ, 500-TW ultraviolet laser system. Its missions are to obtain fusion ignition and to perform high energy density experiments in support of the US nuclear weapons stockpile. Four of the NIF beams have been commissioned to demonstrate laser performance and to commission the target area including target and beam alignment and laser timing. During this time, NIF demonstrated on a single-beam basis that it will meet its performance goals and demonstrated its precision and flexibility for pulse shaping, pointing, timing and beam conditioning. It also performed four important experiments for Inertial Confinement Fusion and High Energy Density Science. Presently, the project is installing production hardware to complete the project in 2009 with the goal to begin ignition experiments in 2010. An integrated plan has been developed including the NIF operations, user equipment such as diagnostics and cryogenic target capability, and experiments and calculations to meet this goal. This talk will provide NIF status, the plan to complete NIF, and the path to ignition.

Dante soft x-ray power diagnostic for National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dewald, E.L.; Campbell, K.M.; Turner, R.E.

2004-10-01

Soft x-ray power diagnostics are essential for measuring the total x-ray flux, radiation temperature, conversion efficiency, and albedo that define the energetics in indirect and direct drive, as well as other types of high temperature laser plasma experiments. A key diagnostic for absolute radiation flux and radiation temperature in hohlraum experiments is the Dante broadband soft x-ray spectrometer. For the extended range of x-ray fluxes predicted for National Ignition Facility (NIF) compared to Omega or Nova hohlraums, the Dante spectrometer for NIF will include more high energy (<2 keV) edge filter band-pass channels and access to an increased dynamic rangemore » using grids and signal division. This will allow measurements of radiation fluxes of between 0.01 to 100 TW/sr, for hohlraum radiation temperatures between 50 eV and 1 keV. The NIF Dante will include a central four-channel imaging line-of-sight to verify the source size, alignment as well as checking for any radiation contributions from unconverted laser light plasmas.« less

Design calculations for a xenon plasma x-ray shield to protect the NIF optical Thomson scattering diagnostic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swadling, G. F.; Ross, J. S.; Datte, P.; Moody, J.; Divol, L.; Jones, O.; Landen, O.

2016-11-01

An Optical Thomson Scattering (OTS) diagnostic is currently being developed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This diagnostic is designed to make measurements of the hohlraum plasma parameters, such as the electron temperature and the density, during inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments. NIF ICF experiments present a very challenging environment for optical measurements; by their very nature, hohlraums produce intense soft x-ray emission, which can cause "blanking" (radiation induced opacity) of the radiation facing optical components. The soft x-ray fluence at the surface of the OTS blast shield, 60 cm from the hohlraum, is estimated to be ˜8 J cm-2. This is significantly above the expected threshold for the onset of "blanking" effects. A novel xenon plasma x-ray shield is proposed to protect the blast shield from x-rays and mitigate "blanking." Estimates suggest that an areal density of 1019 cm-2 Xe atoms will be sufficient to absorb 99.5% of the soft x-ray flux. Two potential designs for this shield are presented.

Design calculations for a xenon plasma x-ray shield to protect the NIF optical Thomson scattering diagnostic.

PubMed

Swadling, G F; Ross, J S; Datte, P; Moody, J; Divol, L; Jones, O; Landen, O

2016-11-01

An Optical Thomson Scattering (OTS) diagnostic is currently being developed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This diagnostic is designed to make measurements of the hohlraum plasma parameters, such as the electron temperature and the density, during inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments. NIF ICF experiments present a very challenging environment for optical measurements; by their very nature, hohlraums produce intense soft x-ray emission, which can cause "blanking" (radiation induced opacity) of the radiation facing optical components. The soft x-ray fluence at the surface of the OTS blast shield, 60 cm from the hohlraum, is estimated to be ∼8 J cm -2 . This is significantly above the expected threshold for the onset of "blanking" effects. A novel xenon plasma x-ray shield is proposed to protect the blast shield from x-rays and mitigate "blanking." Estimates suggest that an areal density of 10 19 cm -2 Xe atoms will be sufficient to absorb 99.5% of the soft x-ray flux. Two potential designs for this shield are presented.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mitrani, J

Bayesian networks (BN) are an excellent tool for modeling uncertainties in systems with several interdependent variables. A BN is a directed acyclic graph, and consists of a structure, or the set of directional links between variables that depend on other variables, and conditional probabilities (CP) for each variable. In this project, we apply BN's to understand uncertainties in NIF ignition experiments. One can represent various physical properties of National Ignition Facility (NIF) capsule implosions as variables in a BN. A dataset containing simulations of NIF capsule implosions was provided. The dataset was generated from a radiation hydrodynamics code, and itmore » contained 120 simulations of 16 variables. Relevant knowledge about the physics of NIF capsule implosions and greedy search algorithms were used to search for hypothetical structures for a BN. Our preliminary results found 6 links between variables in the dataset. However, we thought there should have been more links between the dataset variables based on the physics of NIF capsule implosions. Important reasons for the paucity of links are the relatively small size of the dataset, and the sampling of the values for dataset variables. Another factor that might have caused the paucity of links is the fact that in the dataset, 20% of the simulations represented successful fusion, and 80% didn't, (simulations of unsuccessful fusion are useful for measuring certain diagnostics) which skewed the distributions of several variables, and possibly reduced the number of links. Nevertheless, by illustrating the interdependencies and conditional probabilities of several parameters and diagnostics, an accurate and complete BN built from an appropriate simulation set would provide uncertainty quantification for NIF capsule implosions.« less

An assessment of the 3D geometric surrogacy of shock timing diagnostic techniques for tuning experiments on the NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robey, H. F.; Munro, D. H.; Spears, B. K.; Marinak, M. M.; Jones, O. S.; Patel, M. V.; Haan, S. W.; Salmonson, J. D.; Landen, O. L.; Boehly, T. R.; Nikroo, A.

2008-05-01

Ignition capsule implosions planned for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) require a pulse shape with a carefully designed series of four steps, which launch a corresponding series of shocks through the ablator and DT ice shell. The relative timing of these shocks is critical for maintaining the DT fuel on a low adiabat. The current NIF specification requires that the timing of all four shocks be tuned to an accuracy of <= +/- 100ps. To meet these stringent requirements, dedicated tuning experiments are being planned to measure and adjust the shock timing on NIF. These tuning experiments will be performed in a modified hohlraum geometry, where a re-entrant Au cone is added to the standard NIF hohlraum to provide optical diagnostic (VISAR and SOP) access to the shocks as they break out of the ablator. This modified geometry is referred to as the 'keyhole' hohlraum and introduces a geometric difference between these tuning-experiments and the full ignition geometry. In order to assess the surrogacy of this modified geometry, 3D simulations using HYDRA [1] have been performed. The results from simulations of a quarter of the target geometry are presented. Comparisons of the hohlraum drive conditions and the resulting effect on the shock timing in the keyhole hohlraum are compared with the corresponding results for the standard ignition hohlraum.

The national ignition facility: Path to ignition in the laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moses, E. I.; Bonanno, R. E.; Haynam, C. A.; Kauffman, R. L.; MacGowan, B. J.; Patterson, R. W., Jr.; Sawicki, R. H.; van Wonterghem, B. M.

2006-06-01

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a 192-beam laser facility presently under construction at LLNL. When completed, NIF will be a 1.8-MJ, 500-TW ultraviolet laser system. Its missions are to obtain fusion ignition and to perform high energy density experiments in support of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. Four of the NIF beams have been commissioned to demonstrate laser performance and to commission the target area including target and beam alignment and laser timing. During this time, NIF demonstrated on a single-beam basis that it will meet its performance goals and demonstrated its precision and flexibility for pulse shaping, pointing, timing and beam conditioning. It also performed four important experiments for Inertial Confinement Fusion and High Energy Density Science. Presently, the project is installing production hardware to complete the project in 2009 with the goal to begin ignition experiments in 2010. An integrated plan has been developed including the NIF operations, user equipment such as diagnostics and cryogenic target capability, and experiments and calculations to meet this goal. This talk will provide NIF status, the plan to complete NIF, and the path to ignition.

Pleiades Experiments on the NIF: Phase II-C

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Benstead, James; Morton, John; Guymer, Thomas

2015-06-08

Pleiades was a radiation transport campaign fielded at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) between 2011 and 2014. The primary goals of the campaign were to develop and characterise a reproducible ~350eV x-ray drive and to constrain a number of material data properties required to successfully model the propagation of radiation through two low-density foam materials. A further goal involved the development and qualification of diagnostics for future radiation transport experiments at NIF. Pleiades was a collaborative campaign involving teams from both AWE and the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

Soft x-ray power diagnostic improvements at the Omega Laser Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sorce, C.; Schein, J.; Weber, F.

2006-10-15

Soft x-ray power diagnostics are essential for evaluating high temperature laser plasma experiments. The Dante soft x-ray spectrometer, a core diagnostic for radiation flux and temperature measurements of Hohlraums, installed on the Omega Laser Facility at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics has recently undergone a series of upgrades. Work performed at Brookhaven National Laboratory for the development of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) Dante spectrometer enables the Omega Dante to offer a total of 18 absolutely calibrated channels in the energy range from 50 eV to 20 keV. This feature provides Dante with the capability to measure higher, NIF relevant,more » radiation temperatures with increased accuracy including a differentiation of higher energy radiation such as the Au M and L bands. Diagnostic monitoring using experimental data from directly driven Au spherical shots is discussed.« less

Design calculations for a xenon plasma x-ray shield to protect the NIF optical Thomson scattering diagnostic

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Swadling, G. F.; Ross, J. S.; Datte, P.

An Optical Thomson Scattering (OTS) diagnostic is currently being developed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This diagnostic is designed to make measurements of the hohlraum plasma parameters, such as the electron temperature and the density, during inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments. NIF ICF experiments present a very challenging environment for optical measurements; by their very nature, hohlraums produce intense soft x-ray emission, which can cause “blanking” (radiation induced opacity) of the radiation facing optical components. The soft x-ray fluence at the surface of the OTS blast shield, 60 cm from the hohlraum, is estimatedmore » to be ∼8 J cm{sup −2}. This is significantly above the expected threshold for the onset of “blanking” effects. A novel xenon plasma x-ray shield is proposed to protect the blast shield from x-rays and mitigate “blanking.” Estimates suggest that an areal density of 10{sup 19} cm{sup −2} Xe atoms will be sufficient to absorb 99.5% of the soft x-ray flux. Two potential designs for this shield are presented.« less

Design calculations for a xenon plasma x-ray shield to protect the NIF optical Thomson scattering diagnostic

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Swadling, G. F.; Ross, J. S.; Datte, P.

An Optical Thomson Scattering (OTS) diagnostic is currently being developed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Labs (LLNL). This diagnostic is designed to make measurements of hohlraum plasma parameters, such as the electron temperature and density, during inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments. NIF ICF experiments present a very challenging environment for optical measurements; by their very nature hohlraums produce intense soft x-ray emission, which can cause “blanking” (radiation induced opacity) of the radiation facing optical components. The soft x-ray fluence at the surface of the OTS blast shield, 60 cm from the hohlraum, is estimated tomore » be ~ 8 J cm -2. This is then significantly above the expected threshold for the onset of “blanking” effects. A novel Xenon Plasma X-ray Shield (XPXS) has been proposed to protect the blast shield from x-rays and mitigate “blanking”. Finally, these estimates suggest that an areal density of 10 19 cm -2 Xe atoms will be sufficient to absorb 99.5% the soft x-ray flux. Two potential designs for this shield are presented.« less

Design calculations for a xenon plasma x-ray shield to protect the NIF optical Thomson scattering diagnostic

DOE PAGES

Swadling, G. F.; Ross, J. S.; Datte, P.; ...

2016-07-21

An Optical Thomson Scattering (OTS) diagnostic is currently being developed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Labs (LLNL). This diagnostic is designed to make measurements of hohlraum plasma parameters, such as the electron temperature and density, during inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments. NIF ICF experiments present a very challenging environment for optical measurements; by their very nature hohlraums produce intense soft x-ray emission, which can cause “blanking” (radiation induced opacity) of the radiation facing optical components. The soft x-ray fluence at the surface of the OTS blast shield, 60 cm from the hohlraum, is estimated tomore » be ~ 8 J cm -2. This is then significantly above the expected threshold for the onset of “blanking” effects. A novel Xenon Plasma X-ray Shield (XPXS) has been proposed to protect the blast shield from x-rays and mitigate “blanking”. Finally, these estimates suggest that an areal density of 10 19 cm -2 Xe atoms will be sufficient to absorb 99.5% the soft x-ray flux. Two potential designs for this shield are presented.« less

Charged-particle spectroscopy for diagnosing shock ρR and strength in NIF implosions.

PubMed

Zylstra, A B; Frenje, J A; Séguin, F H; Rosenberg, M J; Rinderknecht, H G; Johnson, M Gatu; Casey, D T; Sinenian, N; Manuel, M J-E; Waugh, C J; Sio, H W; Li, C K; Petrasso, R D; Friedrich, S; Knittel, K; Bionta, R; McKernan, M; Callahan, D; Collins, G W; Dewald, E; Döppner, T; Edwards, M J; Glenzer, S; Hicks, D G; Landen, O L; London, R; Mackinnon, A; Meezan, N; Prasad, R R; Ralph, J; Richardson, M; Rygg, J R; Sepke, S; Weber, S; Zacharias, R; Moses, E; Kilkenny, J; Nikroo, A; Sangster, T C; Glebov, V; Stoeckl, C; Olson, R; Leeper, R J; Kline, J; Kyrala, G; Wilson, D

2012-10-01

The compact Wedge Range Filter (WRF) proton spectrometer was developed for OMEGA and transferred to the National Ignition Facility (NIF) as a National Ignition Campaign diagnostic. The WRF measures the spectrum of protons from D-(3)He reactions in tuning-campaign implosions containing D and (3)He gas; in this work we report on the first proton spectroscopy measurement on the NIF using WRFs. The energy downshift of the 14.7-MeV proton is directly related to the total ρR through the plasma stopping power. Additionally, the shock proton yield is measured, which is a metric of the final merged shock strength.

Design calculations for NIF convergent ablator experiments.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Callahan, Debra; Leeper, Ramon Joe; Spears, B. K.

2010-11-01

Design calculations for NIF convergent ablator experiments will be described. The convergent ablator experiments measure the implosion trajectory, velocity, and ablation rate of an x-ray driven capsule and are a important component of the U. S. National Ignition Campaign at NIF. The design calculations are post-processed to provide simulations of the key diagnostics: (1) Dante measurements of hohlraum x-ray flux and spectrum, (2) streaked radiographs of the imploding ablator shell, (3) wedge range filter measurements of D-He3 proton output spectra, and (4) GXD measurements of the imploded core. The simulated diagnostics will be compared to the experimental measurements to providemore » an assessment of the accuracy of the design code predictions of hohlraum radiation temperature, capsule ablation rate, implosion velocity, shock flash areal density, and x-ray bang time. Post-shot versions of the design calculations are used to enhance the understanding of the experimental measurements and will assist in choosing parameters for subsequent shots and the path towards optimal ignition capsule tuning.« less

Implementation of the next-generation Gas Cherenkov Detector at the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrera, J. A.; Herrmann, H. W.; Khater, H. Y.; Carpenter, A. C.; Beeman, B. V.; Hernandez, J. E.; Sitaraman, S.; Lopez, F. E.; Zylstra, A. B.; Griego, J. R.; Kim, Y. H.; Gales, S. A.; Horsfield, C. J.; Milnes, J. S.; Hares, J. D.

2017-08-01

The newest Gas Cherenkov Detector (GCD-3) diagnostic has completed its Phase I commissioning/milestone at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). GCD-3 was fielded for several years at the Omega Laser Facility in its initial configuration, before being moved to the NIF. Installation at the NIF involved optimization of GCD-3 for the higher background environment and designing a new insertion carrier assembly. GCD-3 serves as the initial phase towards the implementation of the "Super GCD" (SGCD) at the NIF. During this phase of development GCD-3 took measurements from a re-entrant well, 3.9 meters from target chamber center (TCC). Plans to insert GCD-3 within 20 cm of TCC with a Target and Diagnostic Manipulator (TANDM) will be discussed. Data was collected using a Photomultiplier Tube (PMT) in combination with a Mach-Zehnder based recording system. These measurements were used to aid in shielding analysis, validate MCNP models, and fuel design efforts for the SGCD. Findings from the initial data will be covered extensively, including an in-depth look into sources of background and possible mitigation strategies. Ongoing development of phase two, the addition of an ultra-high bandwidth Pulse Dilatation Photomultiplier Tube (PD-PMT), will also be presented.

Near-infrared fluorescence imaging and photodynamic therapy with indocyanine green lactosome has antineoplastic effects for hepatocellular carcinoma.

PubMed

Tsuda, Takumi; Kaibori, Masaki; Hishikawa, Hidehiko; Nakatake, Richi; Okumura, Tadayoshi; Ozeki, Eiichi; Hara, Isao; Morimoto, Yuji; Yoshii, Kengo; Kon, Masanori

2017-01-01

Anticancer agents and operating procedures have been developed for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, but their prognosis remains poor. It is necessary to develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for HCC to improve its prognosis. Lactosome is a core-shell-type polymeric micelle, and enclosing labeling or anticancer agents into this micelle enables drug delivery. In this study, we investigated the diagnostic and therapeutic efficacies of indocyanine green (ICG)-loaded lactosome for near-infrared fluorescence (NIF) imaging and photodynamic therapy (PDT) for HCC. The human HCC cell line HuH-7 was treated with ICG or ICG-lactosome, followed by PDT, and the cell viabilities were measured (in vitro PDT efficiency). For NIF imaging, HuH-7 cells were subcutaneously transplanted into BALB/c nude mice, followed by intravenous administration of ICG or ICG-lactosome. The transplanted animals were treated with PDT, and the antineoplastic effects were analyzed (in vivo PDT efficiency). PDT had toxic effects on HuH-7 cells treated with ICG-lactosome, but not ICG alone. NIF imaging revealed that the fluorescence of tumor areas in ICG-lactosome-treated animals was higher than that of contralateral regions at 24 h after injection and thereafter. PDT exerted immediate and continuous phototoxic effects in the transplanted mice treated with ICG-lactosome. Our results demonstrate that ICG-lactosome accumulated in xenograft tumors, and that PDT had antineoplastic effects on these malignant implants. NIF imaging and PDT with ICG-lactosome could be useful diagnostic and/or therapeutic strategies for HCC.

Prediction of scaling physics laws for proton acceleration with extended parameter space of the NIF ARC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhutwala, Krish; Beg, Farhat; Mariscal, Derek; Wilks, Scott; Ma, Tammy

2017-10-01

The Advanced Radiographic Capability (ARC) laser at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is the world's most energetic short-pulse laser. It comprises four beamlets, each of substantial energy ( 1.5 kJ), extended short-pulse duration (10-30 ps), and large focal spot (>=50% of energy in 150 µm spot). This allows ARC to achieve proton and light ion acceleration via the Target Normal Sheath Acceleration (TNSA) mechanism, but it is yet unknown how proton beam characteristics scale with ARC-regime laser parameters. As theory has also not yet been validated for laser-generated protons at ARC-regime laser parameters, we attempt to formulate the scaling physics of proton beam characteristics as a function of laser energy, intensity, focal spot size, pulse length, target geometry, etc. through a review of relevant proton acceleration experiments from laser facilities across the world. These predicted scaling laws should then guide target design and future diagnostics for desired proton beam experiments on the NIF ARC. This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344 and funded by the LLNL LDRD program under tracking code 17-ERD-039.

Environment-Dependent Distribution of the Sediment nifH-Harboring Microbiota in the Northern South China Sea

PubMed Central

Yang, Jinying; Li, Jing; Luan, Xiwu; Zhang, Yunbo; Gu, Guizhou; Xue, Rongrong; Zong, Mingyue; Klotz, Martin G.

2013-01-01

The South China Sea (SCS), the largest marginal sea in the Western Pacific Ocean, is a huge oligotrophic water body with very limited influx of nitrogenous nutrients. This suggests that sediment microbial N2 fixation plays an important role in the production of bioavailable nitrogen. To test the molecular underpinning of this hypothesis, the diversity, abundance, biogeographical distribution, and community structure of the sediment diazotrophic microbiota were investigated at 12 sampling sites, including estuarine, coastal, offshore, deep-sea, and methane hydrate reservoirs or their prospective areas by targeting nifH and some other functional biomarker genes. Diverse and novel nifH sequences were obtained, significantly extending the evolutionary complexity of extant nifH genes. Statistical analyses indicate that sediment in situ temperature is the most significant environmental factor influencing the abundance, community structure, and spatial distribution of the sediment nifH-harboring microbial assemblages in the northern SCS (nSCS). The significantly positive correlation of the sediment pore water NH4+ concentration with the nifH gene abundance suggests that the nSCS sediment nifH-harboring microbiota is active in N2 fixation and NH4+ production. Several other environmental factors, including sediment pore water PO43− concentration, sediment organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus levels, etc., are also important in influencing the community structure, spatial distribution, or abundance of the nifH-harboring microbial assemblages. We also confirmed that the nifH genes encoded by archaeal diazotrophs in the ANME-2c subgroup occur exclusively in the deep-sea methane seep areas, providing for the possibility to develop ANME-2c nifH genes as a diagnostic tool for deep-sea methane hydrate reservoir discovery. PMID:23064334

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kilkenny, J.; Richau, G.; Sangster, C.

A major goal of the Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP) is to deliver validated numerical models, benchmarked against experiments that address relevant and important issues and provide data that stress the codes and our understanding. DOENNSA has made significant investments in major facilities and high-performance computing to successfully execute the SSP. The more information obtained about the physical state of the plasmas produced, the more stringent the test of theories, models, and codes can be, leading to increased confidence in our predictive capability. To fully exploit the world-leading capabilities of the ICF program, a multi-year program to develop and deploy advancedmore » diagnostics has been developed by the expert scientific community. To formalize these activities NNSA’s Acting Director for the Inertial Confinement Fusion Program directed the formation and duties of the National Diagnostics Working Group (NDWG) in a Memorandum 11/3/16 (Appendix A). The NDWG identified eight transformational diagnostics, shown in Table 1, that will provide unprecedented information from experiments in support of the SSP at NIF, Z and OMEGA. Table 1 shows how the missions of the SSP experiments including materials, complex hydrodynamics, radiation flow and effects and thermo-nuclear burn and boost will produce new observables, which will be measured using a variety of largely new diagnostic technologies used in the eight transformational diagnostics. The data provided by these diagnostics will validate and improve the physics contained within the SSP’s simulations and both uncover and quantify important phenomena that lie beyond our present understanding.« less

The National Issues Forums: Promoting Democracy in Libraries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castelli, Jim

1992-01-01

Explains the National Issues Forums (NIF), a nonpartisan program of public-issue discussions designed to enable citizens to have a more effective voice in U.S. politics. The role of libraries in the NIF is discussed; resources the NIF provides are described; and public relations benefits to libraries that participate are considered. (LRW)

Imaging of high-energy x-ray emission from cryogenic thermonuclear fuel implosions on the NIF.

PubMed

Ma, T; Izumi, N; Tommasini, R; Bradley, D K; Bell, P; Cerjan, C J; Dixit, S; Döppner, T; Jones, O; Kline, J L; Kyrala, G; Landen, O L; LePape, S; Mackinnon, A J; Park, H-S; Patel, P K; Prasad, R R; Ralph, J; Regan, S P; Smalyuk, V A; Springer, P T; Suter, L; Town, R P J; Weber, S V; Glenzer, S H

2012-10-01

Accurately assessing and optimizing the implosion performance of inertial confinement fusion capsules is a crucial step to achieving ignition on the NIF. We have applied differential filtering (matched Ross filter pairs) to provide broadband time-integrated absolute x-ray self-emission images of the imploded core of cryogenic layered implosions. This diagnostic measures the temperature- and density-sensitive bremsstrahlung emission and provides estimates of hot spot mass, mix mass, and pressure.

The national ignition facility and atomic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crandall, David H.

1998-07-01

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is under construction, capping over 25 years of development of the inertial confinement fusion concept by providing the facility to obtain fusion ignition in the laboratory for the first time. The NIF is a 192 beam glass laser to provide energy controlled in space and time so that a millimeter-scale capsule containing deuterium and tritium can be compressed to fusion conditions. Light transport, conversion of light in frequency, interaction of light with matter in solid and plasma forms, and diagnostics of extreme material conditions on small scale all use atomic data in preparing for use of the NIF. The NIF will provide opportunity to make measurements of atomic data in extreme physical environments related to fusion energy, nuclear weapon detonation, and astrophysics. The first laser beams of NIF should be operational in 2001 and the full facility completed at the end of 2003. NIF is to provide 1.8 megajoule of blue light on fusion targets and is intended to achieve fusion ignition by about the end of 2007. Today's inertial fusion development activities use atomic data to design and predict fusion capsule performance and in non-fusion applications to analyze radiation transport and radiation effects on matter. Conditions investigated involve radiation temperature of hundreds of eV, pressures up to gigabars and time scales of femptoseconds.

Report on the B-Fields at NIF Workshop Held at LLNL October 12-13, 2015

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fournier, K. B.; Moody, J. D.

2015-12-13

A national ICF laboratory workshop on requirements for a magnetized target capability on NIF was held by NIF at LLNL on October 12 and 13, attended by experts from LLNL, SNL, LLE, LANL, GA, and NRL. Advocates for indirect drive (LLNL), magnetic (Z) drive (SNL), polar direct drive (LLE), and basic science needing applied B (many institutions) presented and discussed requirements for the magnetized target capabilities they would like to see. 30T capability was most frequently requested. A phased operation increasing the field in steps experimentally can be envisioned. The NIF management will take the inputs from the scientific communitymore » represented at the workshop and recommend pulse-powered magnet parameters for NIF that best meet the collective user requests. In parallel, LLNL will continue investigating magnets for future generations that might be powered by compact laser-B-field generators (Moody, Fujioka, Santos, Woolsey, Pollock). The NIF facility engineers will start to analyze compatibility of the recommended pulsed magnet parameters (size, field, rise time, materials) with NIF chamber constraints, diagnostic access, and final optics protection against debris in FY16. The objective of this assessment will be to develop a schedule for achieving an initial Bfield capability. Based on an initial assessment, room temperature magnetized gas capsules will be fielded on NIF first. Magnetized cryo-ice-layered targets will take longer (more compatibility issues). Magnetized wetted foam DT targets (Olson) may have somewhat fewer compatibility issues making them a more likely choice for the first cryo-ice-layered target fielded with applied Bz.« less

NIF unconverted light and its influence on DANTE measurements

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Girard, Frederic; Suter, Larry; Landen, Otto

2009-06-15

NIF laser facility produces 1053 nm light and a fundamental requirement for NIF is to give up to 1.8 MJ of 351 nm light for target physics experiments. The 351 nm light is provided by frequency tripling the 1053 nm light in nonlinear crystals in the final optics assembly, just before the laser light enters the target chamber. Since this tripling process is not 100% efficient, unconverted light from the conversion process also enters the chamber. This unconverted light does not directly hit the target but it can strike target support structures at average intensities of few TW/cm{sup 2} wheremore » it can generate unwanted, background soft x-rays that are measured by the soft x-ray diagnostic DANTE installed on the NIF target chamber. This diagnostic quantifies the x-radiation intensity inside the hohlraum by measuring the x-ray flux coming from the target's laser entrance hole. Due to its centimeter wide field of view, it integrates x-ray emission from both the flux exiting a hohlraum laser entrance hole and from the target support structure irradiated by residual 1{omega} and 2{omega} unconverted light. This work gives quantitative evaluations of the unconverted light for the first time and the effects on DANTE measurements for the future NIF tuning experiment called ''Shock timing.'' Emission spectra are significantly modified leading to an overestimation of radiative temperature during the foot of the laser pulse since background x-rays are predominant in first two DANTE channel measurements. Mitigations of these effects by coating silicon paddle with plastic, using a smaller collimator to reduce DANTE field of view or eliminating DANTE channels in the analysis have been investigated.« less

NIF unconverted light and its influence on DANTE measurements.

PubMed

Girard, Frederic; Suter, Larry; Landen, Otto; Munro, Dave; Regan, Sean; Kline, John

2009-06-01

NIF laser facility produces 1053 nm light and a fundamental requirement for NIF is to give up to 1.8 MJ of 351 nm light for target physics experiments. The 351 nm light is provided by frequency tripling the 1053 nm light in nonlinear crystals in the final optics assembly, just before the laser light enters the target chamber. Since this tripling process is not 100% efficient, unconverted light from the conversion process also enters the chamber. This unconverted light does not directly hit the target but it can strike target support structures at average intensities of few TW/cm2 where it can generate unwanted, background soft x-rays that are measured by the soft x-ray diagnostic DANTE installed on the NIF target chamber. This diagnostic quantifies the x-radiation intensity inside the hohlraum by measuring the x-ray flux coming from the target's laser entrance hole. Due to its centimeter wide field of view, it integrates x-ray emission from both the flux exiting a hohlraum laser entrance hole and from the target support structure irradiated by residual 1omega and 2omega unconverted light. This work gives quantitative evaluations of the unconverted light for the first time and the effects on DANTE measurements for the future NIF tuning experiment called "Shock timing." Emission spectra are significantly modified leading to an overestimation of radiative temperature during the foot of the laser pulse since background x-rays are predominant in first two DANTE channel measurements. Mitigations of these effects by coating silicon paddle with plastic, using a smaller collimator to reduce DANTE field of view or eliminating DANTE channels in the analysis have been investigated.

Polarimetry of uncoupled light on the NIF.

PubMed

Turnbull, D; Moody, J D; Michel, P; Ralph, J E; Divol, L

2014-11-01

Polarimetry has been added to the full aperture backscatter diagnostic on the NIF. Wollaston prisms are used to sample a small region of a beam's backscatter, effectively separating it into two linear polarizations, one of which is parallel to the incident beam. A time-averaged measurement of each polarization is obtained by imaging the separated spots off of a scatter plate. Results have improved understanding of crossed beam energy transfer, glint, and sidescatter, and motivated plans to upgrade to a time-resolved polarimeter measuring the full Stokes vector.

Hohlraum glint and laser pre-pulse detector for NIF experiments using velocity interferometer system for any reflector.

PubMed

Moody, J D; Clancy, T J; Frieders, G; Celliers, P M; Ralph, J; Turnbull, D P

2014-11-01

Laser pre-pulse and early-time laser reflection from the hohlraum wall onto the capsule (termed "glint") can cause capsule imprint and unwanted early-time shocks on indirect drive implosion experiments. In a minor modification to the existing velocity interferometer system for any reflector diagnostic on NIF a fast-response vacuum photodiode was added to detect this light. The measurements show evidence of laser pre-pulse and possible light reflection off the hohlraum wall and onto the capsule.

Sensitivity of chemical vapor deposition diamonds to DD and DT neutrons at OMEGA and the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kabadi, N. V.; Sio, H.; Glebov, V.; Gatu Johnson, M.; MacPhee, A.; Frenje, J. A.; Li, C. K.; Seguin, F.; Petrasso, R.; Forrest, C.; Knauer, J.; Rinderknecht, H. G.

2016-11-01

The particle-time-of-flight (pTOF) detector at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is used routinely to measure nuclear bang-times in inertial confinement fusion implosions. The active detector medium in pTOF is a chemical vapor deposition diamond. Calibration of the detectors sensitivity to neutrons and protons would allow measurement of nuclear bang times and hot spot areal density (ρR) on a single diagnostic. This study utilizes data collected at both NIF and Omega in an attempt to determine pTOF's absolute sensitivity to neutrons. At Omega pTOF's sensitivity to DT-n is found to be stable to within 8% at different bias voltages. At the NIF pTOF's sensitivity to DD-n varies by up to 59%. This variability must be decreased substantially for pTOF to function as a neutron yield detector at the NIF. Some possible causes of this variability are ruled out.

Sensitivity of chemical vapor deposition diamonds to DD and DT neutrons at OMEGA and the National Ignition Facility

DOE PAGES

Kabadi, N. V.; Sio, H.; Glebov, V.; ...

2016-08-09

The particle-time-of-flight (pTOF) detector at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is used routinely to measure nuclear bang-times in inertial confinement fusion implosions. The active detector medium in pTOF is a chemical vapor deposition diamond. Calibration of the detectors sensitivity to neutrons and protons would allow measurement of nuclear bang times and hot spot areal density (ρR) on a single diagnostic. This study utilizes data collected at both NIF and Omega in an attempt to determine pTOF’s absolute sensitivity to neutrons. At Omega pTOF’s sensitivity to DT-n is found to be stable to within 8% at different bias voltages. At themore » NIF pTOF’s sensitivity to DD-n varies by up to 59%. This variability must be decreased substantially for pTOF to function as a neutron yield detector at the NIF. As a result, some possible causes of this variability are ruled out.« less

Sensitivity of chemical vapor deposition diamonds to DD and DT neutrons at OMEGA and the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kabadi, N. V.; Sio, H.; Glebov, V.

The particle-time-of-flight (pTOF) detector at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is used routinely to measure nuclear bang-times in inertial confinement fusion implosions. The active detector medium in pTOF is a chemical vapor deposition diamond. Calibration of the detectors sensitivity to neutrons and protons would allow measurement of nuclear bang times and hot spot areal density (ρR) on a single diagnostic. This study utilizes data collected at both NIF and Omega in an attempt to determine pTOF’s absolute sensitivity to neutrons. At Omega pTOF’s sensitivity to DT-n is found to be stable to within 8% at different bias voltages. At themore » NIF pTOF’s sensitivity to DD-n varies by up to 59%. This variability must be decreased substantially for pTOF to function as a neutron yield detector at the NIF. As a result, some possible causes of this variability are ruled out.« less

X-Ray Diffraction on NIF

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eggert, J H; Wark, J

2012-02-15

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is currently a 192 beam, 1.6 MJ laser. NIF Ramp-Compression Experiments have already made the relevant exo-planet pressure range from 1 to 50 Mbar accessible. We Proposed to Study Carbon Phases by X-Ray Diffraction on NIF. Just a few years ago, ultra-high pressure phase diagrams for materials were very 'simple'. New experiments and theories point out surprising and decidedly complex behavior at the highest pressures considered. High pressures phases of aluminum are also predicted to be complex. Recent metadynamics survey of carbon proposed a dynamic pathway among multiple phases. We need to develop diagnostics andmore » techniques to explore this new regime of highly compressed matter science. X-Ray Diffraction - Understand the phase diagram/EOS/strength/texture of materials to 10's of Mbar. Strategy and physics goals: (1) Powder diffraction; (2) Begin with diamond; (3) Continue with metals etc.; (4) Explore phase diagrams; (5) Develop liquid diffraction; and (6) Reduce background/improve resolution.« less

Sensitivity of chemical vapor deposition diamonds to DD and DT neutrons at OMEGA and the National Ignition Facility.

PubMed

Kabadi, N V; Sio, H; Glebov, V; Gatu Johnson, M; MacPhee, A; Frenje, J A; Li, C K; Seguin, F; Petrasso, R; Forrest, C; Knauer, J; Rinderknecht, H G

2016-11-01

The particle-time-of-flight (pTOF) detector at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is used routinely to measure nuclear bang-times in inertial confinement fusion implosions. The active detector medium in pTOF is a chemical vapor deposition diamond. Calibration of the detectors sensitivity to neutrons and protons would allow measurement of nuclear bang times and hot spot areal density (ρR) on a single diagnostic. This study utilizes data collected at both NIF and Omega in an attempt to determine pTOF's absolute sensitivity to neutrons. At Omega pTOF's sensitivity to DT-n is found to be stable to within 8% at different bias voltages. At the NIF pTOF's sensitivity to DD-n varies by up to 59%. This variability must be decreased substantially for pTOF to function as a neutron yield detector at the NIF. Some possible causes of this variability are ruled out.

The shock/shear platform for planar radiation-hydrodynamics experiments on the National Ignition Facility

DOE PAGES

Doss, F. W.; Kline, J. L.; Flippo, K. A.; ...

2015-04-17

An indirectly-driven shock tube experiment fielded on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) was used to create a high-energy-density hydrodynamics platform at unprecedented scale. Scaling up a shear-induced mixing experiment previously fielded at OMEGA, the NIF shear platform drives 130 μm/ns shocks into a CH foam-filled shock tube (~ 60 mg/cc) with interior dimensions of 1.5 mm diameter and 5 mm length. The pulse-shaping capabilities of the NIF are used to extend the drive for >10 ns, and the large interior tube volumes are used to isolate physics-altering edge effects from the region of interest. The scaling of the experiment tomore » the NIF allows for considerable improvement in maximum driving time of hydrodynamics, in fidelity of physics under examination, and in diagnostic clarity. Details of the experimental platform and post-shot simulations used in the analysis of the platform-qualifying data are presented. Hydrodynamic scaling is used to compare shear data from OMEGA with that from NIF, suggesting a possible change in the dimensionality of the instability at late times from one platform to the other.« less

Use of d-3He proton spectroscopy as a diagnostic of shell rho r in capsule implosion experiments with approximately 0.2 NIF scale high temperature Hohlraums at Omega.

PubMed

Delamater, N D; Wilson, D C; Kyrala, G A; Seifter, A; Hoffman, N M; Dodd, E; Singleton, R; Glebov, V; Stoeckl, C; Li, C K; Petrasso, R; Frenje, J

2008-10-01

We present the calculations and preliminary results from experiments on the Omega laser facility using d-(3)He filled plastic capsule implosions in gold Hohlraums. These experiments aim to develop a technique to measure shell rho r and capsule unablated mass with proton spectroscopy and will be applied to future National Ignition Facility (NIF) experiments with ignition scale capsules. The Omega Hohlraums are 1900 microm length x 1200 microm diameter and have a 70% laser entrance hole. This is approximately a 0.2 NIF scale ignition Hohlraum and reaches temperatures of 265-275 eV similar to those during the peak of the NIF drive. These capsules can be used as a diagnostic of shell rho r, since the d-(3)He gas fill produces 14.7 MeV protons in the implosion, which escape through the shell and produce a proton spectrum that depends on the integrated rho r of the remaining shell mass. The neutron yield, proton yield, and spectra change with capsule shell thickness as the unablated mass or remaining capsule rho r changes. Proton stopping models are used to infer shell unablated mass and shell rho r from the proton spectra measured with different filter thicknesses. The experiment is well modeled with respect to Hohlraum energetics, neutron yields, and x-ray imploded core image size, but there are discrepancies between the observed and simulated proton spectra.

On krypton-doped capsule implosion experiments at the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Hui; Ma, T.; Nora, R.; Barrios, M. A.; Scott, H. A.; Schneider, M. B.; Berzak Hopkins, L.; Casey, D. T.; Hammel, B. A.; Jarrott, L. C.; Landen, O. L.; Patel, P. K.; Rosenberg, M. J.; Spears, B. K.

2017-07-01

This paper presents the spectroscopic aspects of using Krypton as a dopant in NIF capsule implosions through simulation studies and the first set of NIF experiments. Using a combination of 2D hohlraum and 1D capsule simulations with comprehensive spectroscopic modeling, the calculations focused on the effect of dopant concentration on the implosion, and the impact of gradients in the electron density and temperature to the Kr line features and plasma opacity. Experimental data were obtained from three NIF Kr-dopant experiments, performed with varying Kr dopant concentrations between 0.01% and 0.03%. The implosion performance, hotspot images, and detailed Kr spectral analysis are summarized relative to the predictions. Data show that fuel-dopant spectroscopy can serve as a powerful and viable diagnostic for inertial confinement fusion implosions.

The National Ignition Facility Status and Plans for Laser Fusion and High Energy Density Experimental Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wuest, Craig R.

2001-03-01

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) currently under construction at the University of California Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is 192-beam, 1.8 Megajoule, 500 Terawatt, 351 nm laser for inertial confinement fusion and high energy density experimental studies. NIF is being built by the Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Agency to provide an experimental test bed for the US Stockpile Stewardship Program to ensure the country’s nuclear deterrent without underground nuclear testing. The experimental program for NIF will encompass a wide range of physical phenomena from fusion energy production to materials science. Of the roughly 700 shots available per year, about 10% of the shots will be dedicated to basic science research. Additionally, most of the shots on NIF will be conducted in unclassified configurations that will allow participation from the greater scientific community in planned applied physics experiments. This presentation will provide a look at the status of the construction project as well as a description of the scientific uses of NIF. NIF is currently scheduled to provide first light in 2004 and will be completed in 2008. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by University of California Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract No. W-7405-Eng-48.

A platform for detecting material melting from shock compression using the NIF x-ray diffraction diagnostic TARDIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wehrenberg, Christopher; Kraus, Richard; Braun, Dave; Rygg, Ryan; Coppari, Federica; Lazicki, Amy; McNaney, James; Eggert, Jon

2016-10-01

A series of experiments were performed on NIF to develop a platform to detect material melting during shock compression using x-ray diffraction. The unique pulse shaping on NIF can be utilized to directly-drive a steady shock into an ablator and material sample while simultaneously creating an x-ray source to probe the material state. Sharp diffraction lines are observed when the material is in the solid state, while broad diffuse lines are seen when in the liquid state, providing an unambiguous signal for shock driven melting. Several shots were performed in which a shock of 50-80 GPa was driven into a Pb sample while a Ge foil was used as an x-ray source probe. Laser conditions were varied to create a suitable x-ray source that provides a short, bright burst of He-alpha emission from the Ge while maintaining a low background level on the image plates contained in the TARDIS diagnostic. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Upgrade of the MIT Linear Electrostatic Ion Accelerator (LEIA) for nuclear diagnostics development for Omega, Z and the NIF.

PubMed

Sinenian, N; Manuel, M J-E; Zylstra, A B; Rosenberg, M; Waugh, C J; Rinderknecht, H G; Casey, D T; Sio, H; Ruszczynski, J K; Zhou, L; Gatu Johnson, M; Frenje, J A; Séguin, F H; Li, C K; Petrasso, R D; Ruiz, C L; Leeper, R J

2012-04-01

The MIT Linear Electrostatic Ion Accelerator (LEIA) generates DD and D(3)He fusion products for the development of nuclear diagnostics for Omega, Z, and the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Significant improvements to the system in recent years are presented. Fusion reaction rates, as high as 10(7) s(-1) and 10(6) s(-1) for DD and D(3)He, respectively, are now well regulated with a new ion source and electronic gas control system. Charged fusion products are more accurately characterized, which allows for better calibration of existing nuclear diagnostics. In addition, in situ measurements of the on-target beam profile, made with a CCD camera, are used to determine the metrology of the fusion-product source for particle-counting applications. Finally, neutron diagnostics development has been facilitated by detailed Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport (MCNP) modeling of neutrons in the accelerator target chamber, which is used to correct for scattering within the system. These recent improvements have resulted in a versatile platform, which continues to support the existing nuclear diagnostics while simultaneously facilitating the development of new diagnostics in aid of the National Ignition Campaign at the National Ignition Facility. © 2012 American Institute of Physics

Upgrade of the MIT Linear Electrostatic Ion Accelerator (LEIA) for nuclear diagnostics development for Omega, Z and the NIF

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sinenian, N.; Manuel, M. J.-E.; Zylstra, A. B.

2012-04-15

The MIT Linear Electrostatic Ion Accelerator (LEIA) generates DD and D{sup 3}He fusion products for the development of nuclear diagnostics for Omega, Z, and the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Significant improvements to the system in recent years are presented. Fusion reaction rates, as high as 10{sup 7} s{sup -1} and 10{sup 6} s{sup -1} for DD and D{sup 3}He, respectively, are now well regulated with a new ion source and electronic gas control system. Charged fusion products are more accurately characterized, which allows for better calibration of existing nuclear diagnostics. In addition, in situ measurements of the on-target beam profile,more » made with a CCD camera, are used to determine the metrology of the fusion-product source for particle-counting applications. Finally, neutron diagnostics development has been facilitated by detailed Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport (MCNP) modeling of neutrons in the accelerator target chamber, which is used to correct for scattering within the system. These recent improvements have resulted in a versatile platform, which continues to support the existing nuclear diagnostics while simultaneously facilitating the development of new diagnostics in aid of the National Ignition Campaign at the National Ignition Facility.« less

A novel particle time of flight diagnostic for measurements of shock- and compression-bang times in D3He and DT implosions at the NIF.

PubMed

Rinderknecht, H G; Johnson, M Gatu; Zylstra, A B; Sinenian, N; Rosenberg, M J; Frenje, J A; Waugh, C J; Li, C K; Sèguin, F H; Petrasso, R D; Rygg, J R; Kimbrough, J R; MacPhee, A; Collins, G W; Hicks, D; Mackinnon, A; Bell, P; Bionta, R; Clancy, T; Zacharias, R; Döppner, T; Park, H S; LePape, S; Landen, O; Meezan, N; Moses, E I; Glebov, V U; Stoeckl, C; Sangster, T C; Olson, R; Kline, J; Kilkenny, J

2012-10-01

The particle-time-of-flight (pTOF) diagnostic, fielded alongside a wedge range-filter (WRF) proton spectrometer, will provide an absolute timing for the shock-burn weighted ρR measurements that will validate the modeling of implosion dynamics at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). In the first phase of the project, pTOF has recorded accurate bang times in cryogenic DT, DT exploding pusher, and D(3)He implosions using DD or DT neutrons with an accuracy better than ±70 ps. In the second phase of the project, a deflecting magnet will be incorporated into the pTOF design for simultaneous measurements of shock- and compression-bang times in D(3)He-filled surrogate implosions using D(3)He protons and DD-neutrons, respectively.

Cherenkov radiation conversion and collection considerations for a gamma bang time/reaction history diagnostic for the NIF.

PubMed

Herrmann, Hans W; Mack, Joseph M; Young, Carlton S; Malone, Robert M; Stoeffl, Wolfgang; Horsfield, Colin J

2008-10-01

Bang time and reaction history measurements are fundamental components of diagnosing inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosions and will be essential contributors to diagnosing attempts at ignition on the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Fusion gammas provide a direct measure of fusion interaction rate without being compromised by Doppler spreading. Gamma-based gas Cherenkov detectors that convert fusion gamma rays to optical Cherenkov photons for collection by fast recording systems have been developed and fielded at Omega. These systems have established their usefulness in illuminating ICF physics in several experimental campaigns. Bang time precision better than 25 ps has been demonstrated, well below the 50 ps accuracy requirement defined by the NIF system design requirements. A comprehensive, validated numerical study of candidate systems is providing essential information needed to make a down selection based on optimization of sensitivity, bandwidth, dynamic range, cost, and NIF logistics. This paper presents basic design considerations arising from the two-step conversion process from gamma rays to relativistic electrons to UV/visible Cherenkov radiation.

Precision Neutron Time-of-Flight Detectors Provide Insight into NIF Implosion Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlossberg, David; Eckart, M. J.; Grim, G. P.; Hartouni, E. P.; Hatarik, R.; Moore, A. S.; Waltz, C. S.

2017-10-01

During inertial confinement fusion, higher-order moments of neutron time-of-flight (nToF) spectra can provide essential information for optimizing implosions. The nToF diagnostic suite at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) was recently upgraded to include novel, quartz Cherenkov detectors. These detectors exploit the rapid Cherenkov radiation process, in contrast with conventional scintillator decay times, to provide high temporal-precision measurements that support higher-order moment analyses. Preliminary measurements have been made on the NIF during several implosions and initial results are presented here. Measured line-of-sight asymmetries, for example in ion temperatures, will be discussed. Finally, advanced detector optimization is shown to advance accessible physics, with possibilities for energy discrimination, gamma source identification, and further reduction in quartz response times. Work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Gamma Ray Imaging of Inertial Confinement Fusion Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilde, Carl; Volegov, Petr; Geppert-Kleinrath, Verena; Danly, Christopher; Merrill, Frank; Simpson, Raspberry; Fittinghoff, David; Grim, Gary; NIF Nuclear Diagnostic Team Team; Advanced Imaging Team Team

2016-10-01

Experiments consisting of an ablatively driven plastic (CH) shell surrounding a deuterium tritium (DT) fuel region are routinely performed at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Neutrons produced in the burning fuel in-elastically scatter with carbon atoms in the plastic shell producing 4.4 MeV gamma rays. Providing a spatially resolved distribution of the origin of these gammas can inform models of ablator physics and also provide a bounding volume for the cold fuel (un-burned DT fuel) region. Using the NIF neutron imaging system hardware, initial studies have been performed of the feasibility of imaging these gamma rays. A model of the system has been developed to inform under which experimental conditions this measurement can be made. Presented here is an analysis of the prospects for this diagnostic probe and a proposed set of modifications to the NIF neutron imaging line-of-site to efficiently enable this measurement.

Design of the optical backscatter diagnostic for laser plasma interaction measurements on NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moody, J. D.; Datte, P.; Ng, E.; Maitland, K.; Hsing, W.; MacGowan, B. J.; Froula, D. H.; Neumayer, P.; Sutter, L.; Meezan, N.; Glenzer, S. H.; Kirkwood, R. K.; Divol, L.; Andrews, S.; Jackson, J.; MacKinnon, A.; Jovanovic, I.; Beeler, R.; Bertolini, L.; Landon, M.; Alvarez, S.; Lee, T.; Watts, P.

2007-11-01

We describe the design of the backscatter diagnostic for NIF laser-plasma interaction (LPI) studies. It will initially be used to validate the 280 eV point design hohlraum and select phase plates for the ignition experiments. Backscatter measurements are planned for two separate groups of 4 beams (a quad). One quad is 30^o from the hohlraum axis and the other at 50^o. The backscatter measurement utilizes 2 instruments for each beam quad. The full aperture backscatter system (FABS) measures light backscattered into the final focus lens of each beam in the quad. The near backscatter imager (NBI) measures light backscattered outside of the beam quad. Both instruments must work in conjunction to provide spectrally and temporally resolved backscatter power. We describe the design of the diagnostic and its capabilities as well as plans for calibrating it and analyzing the resulting data. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by University of California, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract W-7405-Eng-48.

The National Ignition Facility: Transition to a User Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moses, E. I.; Atherton, J.; Lagin, L.; Larson, D.; Keane, C.; MacGowan, B.; Patterson, R.; Spaeth, M.; Van Wonterghem, B.; Wegner, P.; Kauffman, R.

2016-03-01

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has been operational since March 2009 and has been transitioning to a user facility supporting ignition science, high energy density science (HEDS), national security applications, and fundamental science. The facility has achieved its design goal of 1.8 MJ and 500 TW of 3ω light on target, and has performed target experiments with 1.9 MJ at peak powers of 410 TW. The facility is on track to perform over 200 target shots this year in support of all of its user communities. The facility has nearly 60 diagnostic systems operational and has shown flexibility in laser pulse shape and performance to meet the requirements of its multiple users. Progress continues on its goal of demonstrating thermonuclear burn in the laboratory. It has performed over 40 indirect-drive experiments with cryogenic-layered capsules. New platforms are being developed for HEDS and fundamental science. Equation-of-state and material strength experiments have been done on a number of materials with pressures of over 50 MBars obtained in diamond, conditions never previously encountered in the laboratory and similar to those found in planetary interiors. Experiments are also in progress investigating radiation transport, hydrodynamic instabilities, and direct drive implosions. NIF continues to develop as an experimental facility. Advanced Radiographic Capability (ARC) is now being installed on NIF for producing high-energy radiographs of the imploded cores of ignition targets and for short pulse laser-plasma interaction experiments. One NIF beam is planned for conversion to two picosecond beams in 2014. Other new diagnostics such as x-ray Thomson scattering, low energy neutron spectrometer, and multi-layer reflecting x-ray optics are also planned. Incremental improvements in laser performance such as improved optics damage performance, beam balance, and back reflection control are being pursued.

ICF quarterly report January - March 1997 volume 7, number 3

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Murray, J

The National Ignition Facility Project The mission of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is to produce ignition and modest energy gain in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) targets. Achieving these goals will maintain U.S. world leadership in ICF and will directly benefit the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) missions in national security, science and technology, energy resources, and industrial competitiveness. Development and operation of the NIF are consistent with DOE goals for environmental quality, openness to the community, and nuclear nonproliferation and arms control. Although the primary mission of inertial fusion is for defense applications, inertial fusion research will provide criticalmore » information for the development of inertial fusion energy. The NIF, under construction at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), is a cornerstone of the DOE's science-based Stockpile Stewardship Program for addressing high-energy-density physics issues in the absence of nuclear weapons testing. In pursuit of this mission, the DOE's Defense Programs has developed a state-of-the-art capability with the NIF to investigate high-energy-density physics in the laboratory with a microfusion capability for defense and energy applications. As a Strategic System Acquisition, the NIF Project has a separate and disciplined reporting chain to DOE as shown below.« less

Large Area Solid Radiochemistry (LASR) collector at the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waltz, Cory; Gharibyan, Narek; Hardy, Mike; Shaughnessy, Dawn; Jedlovec, Don; Smith, Cal

2017-08-01

The flux of neutrons and charged particles produced from inertial confinement fusion experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) induces measurable concentrations of nuclear reaction products in various target materials. The collection and radiochemical analysis of the post-shot debris can be utilized as an implosion diagnostic to obtain information regarding fuel areal density and ablator-fuel mixing. Furthermore, assessment of the debris from specially designed targets, material doped in capsules or mounted on the external surface of the target assembly, can support experiments relevant to nuclear forensic research. To collect the shot debris, we have deployed the Large Area Solid Radiochemistry Collector (LASR) at NIF. LASR uses a main collector plate that contains a large collection foil with an exposed 20 cm diameter surface located ˜50 cm from the NIF target. This covers ˜0.12 steradians, or about 1% of the total solid angle. We will describe the design, analysis, and operation of this experimental platform as well as the initial results. To speed up the design process 3-dimensional printing was utilized. Design analysis includes the dynamic loading of the NIF target vaporized mass, which was modeled using LS-DYNA.

Improving the off-axis spatial resolution and dynamic range of the NIF X-ray streak cameras (invited)

DOE PAGES

MacPhee, A. G.; Dymoke-Bradshaw, A. K. L.; Hares, J. D.; ...

2016-08-08

Here, we report simulationsand experiments that demonstrate an increasein spatial resolution ofthe NIF core diagnostic x-ray streak camerasby a factor of two, especially off axis. A designwas achieved by usinga corrector electron optic to flatten the field curvature at the detector planeand corroborated by measurement. In addition, particle in cell simulations were performed to identify theregions in the streak camera that contribute most to space charge blurring. Our simulations provide a tool for convolving syntheticpre-shot spectra with the instrument functionso signal levels can be set to maximize dynamic range for the relevant part of the streak record.

NIF featured on BBC "Horizon"

ScienceCinema

Brian Cox

2017-12-09

The National Ignition Facility, the world's largest laser system, located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, was featured in the BBC broadcast "Horizon" hosted by physicist Brian Cox. Here is the NIF portion of the program, which was entitled "Can We Make A Star On Earth?" This video is used with the express permission of the BBC.

NIF featured on BBC "Horizon"

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brian Cox

2010-01-12

The National Ignition Facility, the world's largest laser system, located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, was featured in the BBC broadcast "Horizon" hosted by physicist Brian Cox. Here is the NIF portion of the program, which was entitled "Can We Make A Star On Earth?" This video is used with the express permission of the BBC.

The Aims, Methods, and Effects of Deliberative Civic Education through the National Issues Forums.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gastil, John; Dillard, James P.

1999-01-01

Examines the goals, methods, and effects of four current deliberative civic education programs, with an in-depth analysis of one: the National Issues Forums (NIF). Shows that NIF can bolster participants' political self-efficacy, refine their political judgments, broaden their political conversation networks, and reduce their conversational…

A Platform for X-Ray Thomson Scattering Measurements of Radiation Hydrodynamics Experiments on the NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lefevre, Heath; Ma, Kevin; Belancourt, Patrick; MacDonald, Michael; Doeppner, Tilo; Keiter, Paul; Kuranz, Carolyn

2017-10-01

A recent experiment on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) radiographed the evolution of the Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability under high and low drive cases. This experiment showed that under a high drive the growth rate of the RT instability is reduced relative to the low drive case. The high drive launches a radiative shock, increases the temperature of the post-shock region, and ablates the spikes, which reduces the RT growth rate. The plasma parameters must be measured to validate this claim. We present a target design for making X-Ray Thomson Scattering (XRTS) measurements on radiation hydrodynamics experiments on NIF to measure the electron temperature of the shocked region in the above cases. Specifically, we show that a previously fielded NIF radiation hydrodynamics platform can be modified to allow sufficient signal and temperature resolution for XRTS measurements. This work is funded by the NNSA-DS and SC-OFES Joint Program in High-Energy-Density Laboratory Plasmas, Grant Number DE-NA0002956 and the National Science Foundation through the Basic Plasma Science and Engineering program.

Crystal and source characterization for the Crystal Backlighter Imager capability at the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krauland, C. M.; Hall, G. N.; Buscho, J. G.; Hibbard, R.; McCarville, T. J.; Lowe-Webb, R.; Ayers, S. L.; Kalantar, D.; Kohut, T.; Kemp, G. E.; Bradley, D. K.; Bell, P.; Landen, O. L.; Brewster, T. N.; Piston, K.

2017-10-01

The Crystal Backlighter Imager (CBI) is a very narrow bandwidth ( 10 eV) x-ray radiography system that uses Bragg reflection from a spherically-curved crystal at near normal incidence. This diagnostic has the capability to image late in an ICF implosion because it only requires the brightness of the backlighter to be larger than the capsule self-emission in that narrow bandwidth. While the limited bandwidth is advantageous for this reason, it also requires that the effective energy of the backlighter atomic line is known to 1 eV accuracy for proper crystal alignment. Any Doppler shift in the line energy must be understood for the imaging system to work. The work presented details characterization experiments done at the Jupiter Laser Facility with a Si (8 6 2) crystal that will be used with a Selenium backlighter in the NIF CBI diagnostic. We used the spherically-bent crystals to image a small ( 200 µm) He α source generated by the Janus laser on a Se foil. Scanning Bragg angles over multiple shots allowed us to map out the spectral line intensity distribution for optimal alignment in NIF. A subsequent Doppler shift measurement using CBI on NIF will also be presented with complementary HYDRA modeling for both experiments. Prepared by LLNL under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344 and by General Atomics under Contract DE-NA0001808.

Non-LTE modeling for the National Ignition Facility (and beyond)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scott, H. A.; Hammel, B. A.; Hansen, S. B.

2012-05-01

Considerable progress has been made in the last year in the study of laser-driven inertial confinement fusion at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Experiments have demonstrated symmetric capsule implosions with plasma conditions approaching those required for ignition. Improvements in computational models - in large part due to advances in non-LTE modeling - have resulted in simulations that match experimental results quite well for the X-ray drive, implosion symmetry and total wall emission [1]. Non-LTE modeling is a key part of the NIF simulation effort, affecting several aspects of experimental design and diagnostics. The X-rays that drive the capsule arise from high-Z material ablated off the hohlraum wall. Current capsule designs avoid excessive preheat from high-energy X-rays by shielding the fuel with a mid-Z dopant, which affects the capsule dynamics. The dopant also mixes into the hot spot through hydrodynamic instabilities, providing diagnostic possibilities but potentially impacting the energy balance of the capsule [2]. Looking beyond the NIF, a proposed design for a fusion reactor chamber depends on lowdensity high-Z gas absorbing X-rays and particles to protect the first wall [3]. These situations encompass a large range of temperatures, densities and spatial scales. They each emphasize different aspects of atomic physics and present a variety of challenges for non-LTE modeling. We discuss the relevant issues and summarize the current state of the modeling effort for these applications.

Pulsed Magnetic Field System for Magnetized Target Experiments at the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rhodes, M. A.; Solberg, J. M.; Logan, B. G.; Perkins, L. J.

2014-10-01

High-magnitude magnetic fields applied to inertially confined targets may improve fusion yield and enable basic science applications. We discuss the development of a pulsed magnetic field system for NIF with the goal of applying 10--70 T to various NIF targets. While the driver may be little more than a spark-gap switched capacitor, numerous complex challenges exist in fielding such a system on NIF. The coil surrounding the metallic hohlraum drives induced current in the hohlraum wall. Both the coil and hohlraum wall must survive ohmic heating and J × B forces for several microseconds. Pulsed power must couple to the coil in the NIF environment. The system must not cause late-time optics damage due to debris. There is very limited volume for the driver in a NIF Diagnostic Instrument Manipulator (DIM). We are modeling the coil and hohlraum MHD effects with the LLNL code, ALE3D. However, the simulations lack complete and accurate data for all the required thermo-physical material properties over the expected range of temperatures (below vaporization) and pressures. Therefore, substantial experimental development is planned in the coming year. We present coil and hohlraum simulations results, overall system design, and progress towards an operational prototype test-stand. LLNL is operated by LLNS, LLC, for the U.S. D.O.E., NNSA under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. This work was supported by LLNL LDRD 14-ER-028.

The National Ignition Facility: an experimental platform for studying behavior of matter under extreme conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moses, Edward

2011-11-01

The National Ignition Facility (NIF), a 192-beam Nd-glass laser facility capable of producing 1.8 MJ and 500 TW of ultraviolet light, is now operational at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). As the world's largest and most energetic laser system, NIF serves as the national center for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security Administration to achieve thermonuclear burn in the laboratory and to explore the behavior of matter at extreme temperatures and energy densities. By concentrating the energy from all of its 192 extremely energetic laser beams into a mm3-sized target, NIF can reach the conditions required to initiate fusion reactions. NIF can also provide access to extreme scientific environments: temperatures about 100 million K, densities of 1,000 g/cm3, and pressures 100 billion times atmospheric pressure. These conditions have never been created before in a laboratory and exist naturally only in interiors of the planetary and stellar environments as well as in nuclear weapons. Since August 2009, the NIF team has been conducting experiments in support of the National Ignition Campaign (NIC)—a partnership among LLNL, Los Alamos National Laboratory, General Atomics, the University of Rochester, Sandia National Laboratories, as well as a number of universities and international collaborators. The results from these initial experiments show promise for the relatively near-term achievement of ignition. Capsule implosion experiments at energies up to 1.2 MJ have demonstrated laser energetics, radiation temperatures, and symmetry control that scale to ignition conditions. Of particular importance is the demonstration of peak hohlraum temperatures near 300 eV with overall backscatter less than 10%. Cryogenic target capability and additional diagnostics are being installed in preparation for layered target deuterium-tritium implosions to be conducted later in 2010. Important national security and basic science experiments have also been conducted on NIF. This paper describes the unprecedented experimental capabilities of NIF and the results achieved so far on the path toward ignition, for stockpile stewardship, and the beginning of frontier science experiments. The paper will also address our plans to transition NIF to a national user facility, providing access to NIF for researchers from the DOE laboratories, as well as the national and international academic and fusion energy communities.

Neutron Radiation Shielding For The NIF Streaked X-Ray Detector (SXD) Diagnostic

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Song, P; Holder, J; Young, B

2006-11-02

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is preparing for the National Ignition Campaign (NIC) scheduled in 2010. The NIC is comprised of several ''tuning'' physics subcampaigns leading up to a demonstration of Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) ignition. In some of these experiments, time-resolved x-ray imaging of the imploding capsule may be required to measure capsule trajectory (shock timing) or x-ray ''bang-time''. A capsule fueled with pure tritium (T) instead of a deutriun-tritium (DT) mixture is thought to offer useful physics surrogacy, with reduced yields of up to 5e14 neutrons. These measurements will require the usemore » of the NIF streak x-ray detector (SXD). The resulting prompt neutron fluence at the planned SXD location ({approx}1.7 m from the target) would be {approx}1.4e9/cm{sup 2}. Previous measurements suggest the onset of significant background at a neutron fluence of {approx} 1e8/cm{sup 2}. The radiation damage and operational upsets which starts at {approx}1e8 rad-Si/sec must be factored into an integrated experimental campaign plan. Monte Carlo analyses were performed to predict the neutron and gamma/x-ray fluences and radiation doses for the proposed diagnostic configuration. A possible shielding configuration is proposed to mitigate radiation effects. The primary component of this shielding is an 80 cm thickness of Polyethylene (PE) between target chamber center (TCC) and the SXD diagnostic. Additionally, 6-8 cm of PE around the detector provide from the large number of neutrons that scatter off the inside of the target chamber. This proposed shielding configuration reduces the high-energy neutron fluence at the SXD by approximately a factor {approx}50.« less

Inferences of Shell Asymmetry in ICF Implosions using Fluence Compensated Neutron Images at the NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casey, D.; Fittinghoff, D.; Bionta, R.; Smalyuk, V.; Grim, G.; Munro, D.; Spears, B.; Raman, K.; Clark, D.; Kritcher, A.; Hinkel, D.; Hurricane, O.; Callahan, D.; Döppner, T.; Landen, O.; Ma, T.; Le Pape, S.; Ross, S.; Meezan, N.; Pak, A.; Park, H.-S.; Volegov, P.; Merill, F.

2016-10-01

In ICF experiments, a dense shell is imploded and used to compress and heat a hotspot of DT fuel. Controlling the symmetry of this process is both important and challenging. It is therefore important to observe the symmetry of the stagnated shell assembly. The Neutron Imaging System at the NIF is used to observe the primary 14 MeV neutrons from the hotspot and the down-scattered neutrons (6-12 MeV), from the assembled shell but with a strong imprint from the primary-neutron fluence. Using a characteristic scattering angle approximation, we have compensated the image for this fluence effect, revealing information about shell asymmetry that is otherwise difficult to extract without models. Preliminary observations with NIF data show asymmetries in imploded shell, which will be compared with other nuclear diagnostics and postshot simulations. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Determining hot spot motion using a multi line-of-sight nToF analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hatarik, Robert; Nora, Ryan; Spears, Brian; Eckart, Mark; Hartouni, Edward; Grim, Gary; Moore, Alastair; Schlossberg, David

2017-10-01

An important diagnostic value of a shot at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is the resultant center-of mass motion of the imploding capsule as it contributes to the efficiency of converting LASER energy into plasma temperature. In the past the projection of this velocity onto a line-of-sight (LOS) for a given detector was determined by using a temperature model to determine the mean nergy of the emitted neutrons. With the addition of a fourth neutron time-of-flight LOS at the NIF, it is possible to determine a hot spot vector and mean velocity of the emitted neutron distribution. This entails analyzing all four LOS simultaneously and has the advantage of not relying on a temperature model. Results from recent NIF shots comparing this method with the traditional method will be presented. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

The MIT HEDP Accelerator Facility for education and advanced diagnostics development for OMEGA, Z and the NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrasso, R.; Gatu Johnson, M.; Armstrong, E.; Han, H. W.; Kabadi, N.; Lahmann, B.; Orozco, D.; Rojas Herrera, J.; Sio, H.; Sutcliffe, G.; Frenje, J.; Li, C. K.; Séguin, F. H.; Leeper, R.; Ruiz, C. L.; Sangster, T. C.

2015-11-01

The MIT HEDP Accelerator Facility utilizes a 135-keV linear electrostatic ion accelerator, a D-T neutron source and two x-ray sources for development and characterization of nuclear diagnostics for OMEGA, Z, and the NIF. The ion accelerator generates D-D and D-3He fusion products through acceleration of D ions onto a 3He-doped Erbium-Deuteride target. Fusion reaction rates around 106 s-1 are routinely achieved, and fluence and energy of the fusion products have been accurately characterized. The D-T neutron source generates up to 6 × 108 neutrons/s. The two x-ray generators produce spectra with peak energies of 35 keV and 225 keV and maximum dose rates of 0.5 Gy/min and 12 Gy/min, respectively. Diagnostics developed and calibrated at this facility include CR-39 based charged-particle spectrometers, neutron detectors, and the particle Time-Of-Flight (pTOF) and Magnetic PTOF CVD-diamond-based bang time detectors. The accelerator is also a vital tool in the education of graduate and undergraduate students at MIT. This work was supported in part by SNL, DOE, LLE and LLNL.

A Computational Study of Re-emission Balls Proposed for the NIF Ignition Symmetry Campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meeker, D. J.; Amendt, P.; Dewald, E.; Edwards, M. J.; Milovich, J.; Suter, L.

2006-10-01

Re-emission balls are high-Z spheres used as surrogates for ICF ignition capsules to detect and correct early-time asymmetries of radiation flux at the target. Emission from these balls mimics the incoming flux due to their high albedo, providing a useful symmetry diagnostic. Experiments on Nova by LANL [1] and LLNL used bismuth (Bi) as the surrogate, selected for its high albedo and insensitivity to the fluorescence of the gold hohlraum wall. We are studying the applicability of these capsules to the NIF symmetry campaign as a potential tuning mechanism to achieve the accuracies required for symmetric implosions. We will describe 2-D simulations that predict the emission of the Bi ball as a function of time, frequency, and spatial distribution, as well as quantifying surrogacy of re- emission balls. Using several tuning examples, we will show the resolution expected from this diagnostic. Suggestions for extending this technique to longer times will be discussed as well as describing 3-D effects from diagnostic viewing ports and an opposing hole to eliminate competing wall emission. [1] Delamater, Phys. Rev. E 53, 5240 (1996), Magelssen, Phys. Rev. E 57, 4663 (1998)

Detecting fiducials affected by trombone delay in ARC and the main laser alignment at the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Awwal, Abdul A. S.; Bliss, Erlan S.; Miller Kamm, Victoria; Leach, Richard R.; Roberts, Randy; Rushford, Michael C.; Lowe-Webb, Roger; Wilhelmsen, Karl

2015-09-01

Four of the 192 beams of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) are currently being diverted into the Advanced Radiographic Capability (ARC) system to generate a sequence of short (1-50 picoseconds) 1053 nm laser pulses. When focused onto high Z wires in vacuum, these pulses create high energy x-ray pulses capable of penetrating the dense, imploding fusion fuel plasma during ignition scale experiments. The transmitted x-rays imaged with x-ray diagnostics can create movie radiographs that are expected to provide unprecedented insight into the implosion dynamics. The resulting images will serve as a diagnostic for tuning the experimental parameters towards successful fusion reactions. Beam delays introduced into the ARC pulses via independent, free-space optical trombones create the desired x-ray image sequence, or movie. However, these beam delays cause optical distortion of various alignment fiducials viewed by alignment sensors in the NIF and ARC beamlines. This work describes how the position of circular alignment fiducials is estimated in the presence of distortion.

AXIS: an instrument for imaging Compton radiographs using the Advanced Radiography Capability on the NIF.

PubMed

Hall, G N; Izumi, N; Tommasini, R; Carpenter, A C; Palmer, N E; Zacharias, R; Felker, B; Holder, J P; Allen, F V; Bell, P M; Bradley, D; Montesanti, R; Landen, O L

2014-11-01

Compton radiography is an important diagnostic for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF), as it provides a means to measure the density and asymmetries of the DT fuel in an ICF capsule near the time of peak compression. The AXIS instrument (ARC (Advanced Radiography Capability) X-ray Imaging System) is a gated detector in development for the National Ignition Facility (NIF), and will initially be capable of recording two Compton radiographs during a single NIF shot. The principal reason for the development of AXIS is the requirement for significantly improved detection quantum efficiency (DQE) at high x-ray energies. AXIS will be the detector for Compton radiography driven by the ARC laser, which will be used to produce Bremsstrahlung X-ray backlighter sources over the range of 50 keV-200 keV for this purpose. It is expected that AXIS will be capable of recording these high-energy x-rays with a DQE several times greater than other X-ray cameras at NIF, as well as providing a much larger field of view of the imploded capsule. AXIS will therefore provide an image with larger signal-to-noise that will allow the density and distribution of the compressed DT fuel to be measured with significantly greater accuracy as ICF experiments are tuned for ignition.

Ignition and Inertial Confinement Fusion at The National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moses, Edward I.

2016-10-01

The National Ignition Facility (NIF), the world's largest and most powerful laser system for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and for studying high-energy-density (HED) science, is now operational at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The NIF is now conducting experiments to commission the laser drive, the hohlraum and the capsule and to develop the infrastructure needed to begin the first ignition experiments in FY 2010. Demonstration of ignition and thermonuclear bum in the laboratory is a major NIF goal. NIF will achieve this by concentrating the energy from the 192 beams into a mm3-sized target and igniting a deuterium-tritium mix, liberating more energy than is required to initiate the fusion reaction. NIP's ignition program is a national effort managed via the National Ignition Campaign (NIC). The NIC has two major goals: execution of DT ignition experiments starting in FY20l0 with the goal of demonstrating ignition and a reliable, repeatable ignition platform by the conclusion of the NIC at the end of FY2012. The NIC will also develop the infrastructure and the processes required to operate NIF as a national user facility. The achievement of ignition at NIF will demonstrate the scientific feasibility of ICF and focus worldwide attention on laser fusion as a viable energy option. A laser fusion-based energy concept that builds on NIF, known as LIFE (Laser Inertial Fusion Energy), is currently under development. LIFE is inherently safe and can provide a global carbon-free energy generation solution in the 21st century. This paper describes recent progress on NIF, NIC, and the LIFE concept.

NIF Discovery Science Eagle Nebula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kane, Jave; Martinez, David; Pound, Marc; Heeter, Robert; Casner, Alexis; Villette, Bruno; Mancini, Roberto

2017-10-01

The University of Maryland and and LLNL are investigating the origin and dynamics of the famous Pillars of the Eagle Nebula and similar parsec-scale structures at the boundaries of HII regions in molecular hydrogen clouds. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) Discovery Science program Eagle Nebula has performed NIF shots to study models of pillar formation. The shots feature a new long-duration x-ray source, in which multiple hohlraums mimicking a cluster of stars are driven with UV light in series for 10 to 15 ns each to create a 30 to 60 ns output x-ray pulse. The source generates deeply nonlinear hydrodynamics in the Eagle science package, a structure of dense plastic and foam mocking up a molecular cloud containing a dense core. Omega EP and NIF shots have validated the source concept, showing that earlier hohlraums do not compromise later ones by preheat or by ejecting ablated plumes that deflect later beams. The NIF shots generated radiographs of shadowing-model pillars, and also showed evidence that cometary structures can be generated. The velocity and column density profiles of the NIF shadowing and cometary pillars have been compared with observations of the Eagle Pillars made at the millimeter-wave BIMA and CARMA observatories. Prepared by LLNL under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

OPTIMIZATION OF EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS BY INCORPORATING NIF FACILITY IMPACTS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eder, D C; Whitman, P K; Koniges, A E

2005-08-31

For experimental campaigns on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to be successful, they must obtain useful data without causing unacceptable impact on the facility. Of particular concern is excessive damage to optics and diagnostic components. There are 192 fused silica main debris shields (MDS) exposed to the potentially hostile target chamber environment on each shot. Damage in these optics results either from the interaction of laser light with contamination and pre-existing imperfections on the optic surface or from the impact of shrapnel fragments. Mitigation of this second damage source is possible by identifying shrapnel sources and shielding optics from them.more » It was recently demonstrated that the addition of 1.1-mm thick borosilicate disposable debris shields (DDS) block the majority of debris and shrapnel fragments from reaching the relatively expensive MDS's. However, DDS's cannot stop large, faster moving fragments. We have experimentally demonstrated one shrapnel mitigation technique showing that it is possible to direct fast moving fragments by changing the source orientation, in this case a Ta pinhole array. Another mitigation method is to change the source material to one that produces smaller fragments. Simulations and validating experiments are necessary to determine which fragments can penetrate or break 1-3 mm thick DDS's. Three-dimensional modeling of complex target-diagnostic configurations is necessary to predict the size, velocity, and spatial distribution of shrapnel fragments. The tools we are developing will be used to set the allowed level of debris and shrapnel generation for all NIF experimental campaigns.« less

Spectroscopic diagnostics of NIF ICF implosions using line ratios of Kr dopant in the ignition capsule

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dasgupta, Arati; Ouart, Nicholas; Giuiani, John; Clark, Robert; Schneider, Marilyn; Scott, Howard; Chen, Hui; Ma, Tammy

2017-10-01

X ray spectroscopy is used on the NIF to diagnose the plasma conditions in the ignition target in indirect drive ICF implosions. A platform is being developed at NIF where small traces of krypton are used as a dopant to the fuel gas for spectroscopic diagnostics using krypton line emissions. The fraction of krypton dopant was varied in the experiments and was selected so as not to perturb the implosion. Our goal is to use X-ray spectroscopy of dopant line ratios produced by the hot core that can provide a precise measurement of electron temperature. Simulations of the krypton spectra using a 1 in 104 atomic fraction of krypton in direct-drive exploding pusher with a range of electron temperatures and densities show discrepancies when different atomic models are used. We use our non-LTE atomic model with a detailed fine-structure level atomic structure and collisional-radiative rates to investigate the krypton spectra at the same conditions. Synthetic spectra are generated with a detailed multi-frequency radiation transport scheme from the emission regions of interest to analyze the experimental data with 0.02% Kr concentration and compare and contrast with the existing simulations at LLNL. Work supported by DOE/NNSA; Part of this work was also done under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC52-07NA27344.

The genome of Paenibacillus sabinae T27 provides insight into evolution, organization and functional elucidation of nif and nif-like genes.

PubMed

Li, Xinxin; Deng, Zhiping; Liu, Zhanzhi; Yan, Yongliang; Wang, Tianshu; Xie, Jianbo; Lin, Min; Cheng, Qi; Chen, Sanfeng

2014-08-27

Most biological nitrogen fixation is catalyzed by the molybdenum nitrogenase. This enzyme is a complex which contains the MoFe protein encoded by nifDK and the Fe protein encoded by nifH. In addition to nifHDK, nifHDK-like genes were found in some Archaea and Firmicutes, but their function is unclear. We sequenced the genome of Paenibacillus sabinae T27. A total of 4,793 open reading frames were predicted from its 5.27 Mb genome. The genome of P. sabinae T27 contains fifteen nitrogen fixation (nif) genes, including three nifH, one nifD, one nifK, four nifB, two nifE, two nifN, one nifX and one nifV. Of the 15 nif genes, eight nif genes (nifB, nifH, nifD, nifK, nifE, nifN, nifX and nifV) and two non-nif genes (orf1 and hesA) form a complete nif gene cluster. In addition to the nif genes, there are nitrogenase-like genes, including two nifH-like genes and five pairs of nifDK-like genes. IS elements on the flanking regions of nif and nif-like genes imply that these genes might have been obtained by horizontal gene transfer. Phylogenies of the concatenated 8 nif gene (nifB, nifH, nifD, nifK, nifE, nifN, nifX and nifV) products suggest that P. sabinae T27 is closely related to Frankia. RT-PCR analysis showed that the complete nif gene cluster is organized as an operon. We demonstrated that the complete nif gene cluster under the control of σ70-dependent promoter enabled Escherichia coli JM109 to fix nitrogen. Also, here for the first time we demonstrated that unlike nif genes, the transcriptions of nifHDK-like genes were not regulated by ammonium and oxygen, and nifH-like or nifD-like gene could not restore the nitrogenase activity of Klebsiella pneumonia nifH- and nifD- mutant strains, respectively, suggesting that nifHDK-like genes were not involved in nitrogen fixation. Our data and analysis reveal the contents and distribution of nif and nif-like genes and contribute to the study of evolutionary history of nitrogen fixation in Paenibacillus. For the first time we demonstrated that the transcriptions of nifHDK-like genes were not regulated by ammonium and oxygen and nifHDK-like genes were not involved in nitrogen fixation.

Neutron activation analyses and half-life measurements at the usgs triga reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larson, Robert E.

Neutron activation of materials followed by gamma spectroscopy using high-purity germanium detectors is an effective method for making measurements of nuclear beta decay half-lives and for detecting trace amounts of elements present in materials. This research explores applications of neutron activation analysis (NAA) in two parts. Part 1. High Precision Methods for Measuring Decay Half-Lives, Chapters 1 through 8 Part one develops research methods and data analysis techniques for making high precision measurements of nuclear beta decay half-lives. The change in the electron capture half-life of 51Cr in pure chromium versus chromium mixed in a gold lattice structure is explored, and the 97Ru electron capture decay half-life are compared for ruthenium in a pure crystal versus ruthenium in a rutile oxide state, RuO2. In addition, the beta-minus decay half-life of 71mZn is measured and compared with new high precision findings. Density Functional Theory is used to explain the measured magnitude of changes in electron capture half-life from changes in the surrounding lattice electron configuration. Part 2. Debris Collection Nuclear Diagnostic at the National Ignition Facility, Chapters 9 through 11 Part two explores the design and development of a solid debris collector for use as a diagnostic tool at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). NAA measurements are performed on NIF post-shot debris collected on witness plates in the NIF chamber. In this application NAA is used to detect and quantify the amount of trace amounts of gold from the hohlraum and germanium from the pellet present in the debris collected after a NIF shot. The design of a solid debris collector based on material x-ray ablation properties is given, and calculations are done to predict performance and results for the collection and measurements of trace amounts of gold and germanium from dissociated hohlraum debris.

Optics Recycle Loop Strategy for NIF Operations above UV Laser-Induced Damage Threshold

DOE PAGES

Spaeth, M. L.; Wegner, P. J.; Suratwala, T. I.; ...

2017-03-23

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) houses the world’s largest laser system, composed of 192 individual, 40-cm-aperture beamlines. The NIF laser routinely operates at ultraviolet (UV) fluences above 8 J/cm 2, more than twice the (3ω only) damage threshold of commercially available UV-grade fused silica. NIF is able to maintain such high fluence operation by using an optics recycling loop strategy. Successful operation of the loop relies on a number of technologies specifically developed for NIF. One of the most important is the capability developed by LLNL and their vendors for producing highly damage-resistant optics.more » Other technologies developed for the optics recycle loop raise the operating point of NIF by keeping damage growth in check. LLNL has demonstrated the capability to sustain UV fused silica optic recycling rates of up to 40 optics per week. The optics are ready for reinstallation after a 3-week trip through a recycle loop where the damage state of each optic is assessed and repaired. The impact of the optics recycle loop has been profound, allowing the experimental program to routinely employ energies and fluences that would otherwise have been unachievable. Without the recycle loop, it is likely that the NIF fluence would need to be kept below the UV threshold for damage growth, ~4 J/cm 2, thus keeping the energy delivered to the target significantly below 1 MJ. With the recycle loop implemented during the National Ignition Campaign, NIF can routinely deliver >1.8 MJ on target, an increase in operational capability of more than 100%. Finally, in this paper, the enabling technological advances, optical performance, and operational capability implications of the optics recycle loop are discussed.« less

Optics Recycle Loop Strategy for NIF Operations above UV Laser-Induced Damage Threshold

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Spaeth, M. L.; Wegner, P. J.; Suratwala, T. I.

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) houses the world’s largest laser system, composed of 192 individual, 40-cm-aperture beamlines. The NIF laser routinely operates at ultraviolet (UV) fluences above 8 J/cm 2, more than twice the (3ω only) damage threshold of commercially available UV-grade fused silica. NIF is able to maintain such high fluence operation by using an optics recycling loop strategy. Successful operation of the loop relies on a number of technologies specifically developed for NIF. One of the most important is the capability developed by LLNL and their vendors for producing highly damage-resistant optics.more » Other technologies developed for the optics recycle loop raise the operating point of NIF by keeping damage growth in check. LLNL has demonstrated the capability to sustain UV fused silica optic recycling rates of up to 40 optics per week. The optics are ready for reinstallation after a 3-week trip through a recycle loop where the damage state of each optic is assessed and repaired. The impact of the optics recycle loop has been profound, allowing the experimental program to routinely employ energies and fluences that would otherwise have been unachievable. Without the recycle loop, it is likely that the NIF fluence would need to be kept below the UV threshold for damage growth, ~4 J/cm 2, thus keeping the energy delivered to the target significantly below 1 MJ. With the recycle loop implemented during the National Ignition Campaign, NIF can routinely deliver >1.8 MJ on target, an increase in operational capability of more than 100%. Finally, in this paper, the enabling technological advances, optical performance, and operational capability implications of the optics recycle loop are discussed.« less

Evaluation of observed blast loading effects on NIF x-ray diagnostic collimators.

PubMed

Masters, N D; Fisher, A; Kalantar, D; Prasad, R; Stölken, J S; Wlodarczyk, C

2014-11-01

We present the "debris wind" models used to estimate the impulsive load to which x-ray diagnostics and other structures are subject during National Ignition Facility experiments. These models are used as part of the engineering design process. Isotropic models, based on simulations or simplified "expanding shell" models, are augmented by debris wind multipliers to account for directional anisotropy. We present improvements to these multipliers based on measurements of the permanent deflections of diagnostic components: 4× for the polar direction and 2× within the equatorial plane-the latter relaxing the previous heuristic debris wind multiplier.

Molecular evolution of the nif gene cluster carrying nifI1 and nifI2 genes in the Gram-positive phototrophic bacterium Heliobacterium chlorum.

PubMed

Enkh-Amgalan, Jigjiddorj; Kawasaki, Hiroko; Seki, Tatsuji

2006-01-01

A major nif cluster was detected in the strictly anaerobic, Gram-positive phototrophic bacterium Heliobacterium chlorum. The cluster consisted of 11 genes arranged within a 10 kb region in the order nifI1, nifI2, nifH, nifD, nifK, nifE, nifN, nifX, fdx, nifB and nifV. The phylogenetic position of Hbt. chlorum was the same in the NifH, NifD, NifK, NifE and NifN trees; Hbt. chlorum formed a cluster with Desulfitobacterium hafniense, the closest neighbour of heliobacteria based on the 16S rRNA phylogeny, and two species of the genus Geobacter belonging to the Deltaproteobacteria. Two nifI genes, known to occur in the nif clusters of methanogenic archaea between nifH and nifD, were found upstream of the nifH gene of Hbt. chlorum. The organization of the nif operon and the phylogeny of individual and concatenated gene products showed that the Hbt. chlorum nif operon carrying nifI genes upstream of the nifH gene was an intermediate between the nif operon with nifI downstream of nifH (group II and III of the nitrogenase classification) and the nif operon lacking nifI (group I). Thus, the phylogenetic position of Hbt. chlorum nitrogenase may reflect an evolutionary stage of a divergence of the two nitrogenase groups, with group I consisting of the aerobic diazotrophs and group II consisting of strictly anaerobic prokaryotes.

Improving the off-axis spatial resolution and dynamic range of the NIF X-ray streak cameras (invited)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

MacPhee, A. G., E-mail: macphee2@llnl.gov; Hatch, B. W.; Bell, P. M.

2016-11-15

We report simulations and experiments that demonstrate an increase in spatial resolution of the NIF core diagnostic x-ray streak cameras by at least a factor of two, especially off axis. A design was achieved by using a corrector electron optic to flatten the field curvature at the detector plane and corroborated by measurement. In addition, particle in cell simulations were performed to identify the regions in the streak camera that contribute the most to space charge blurring. These simulations provide a tool for convolving synthetic pre-shot spectra with the instrument function so signal levels can be set to maximize dynamicmore » range for the relevant part of the streak record.« less

Improving the off-axis spatial resolution and dynamic range of the NIF X-ray streak cameras (invited).

PubMed

MacPhee, A G; Dymoke-Bradshaw, A K L; Hares, J D; Hassett, J; Hatch, B W; Meadowcroft, A L; Bell, P M; Bradley, D K; Datte, P S; Landen, O L; Palmer, N E; Piston, K W; Rekow, V V; Hilsabeck, T J; Kilkenny, J D

2016-11-01

We report simulations and experiments that demonstrate an increase in spatial resolution of the NIF core diagnostic x-ray streak cameras by at least a factor of two, especially off axis. A design was achieved by using a corrector electron optic to flatten the field curvature at the detector plane and corroborated by measurement. In addition, particle in cell simulations were performed to identify the regions in the streak camera that contribute the most to space charge blurring. These simulations provide a tool for convolving synthetic pre-shot spectra with the instrument function so signal levels can be set to maximize dynamic range for the relevant part of the streak record.

Conceptual design of the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paisner, Jeffrey A.; Boyes, John D.; Kumpan, Steven A.; Lowdermilk, W. Howard; Sorem, Michael S.

1995-12-01

The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) commissioned a conceptual design report (CDR) for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in January 1993 as part of a key decision zero (KD0), justification of mission need. Motivated by the progress to date by the inertial confinement fusion (ICF) program in meeting the Nova technical contract goals established by the National Academy of Sciences in 1989, the Secretary requested a design using a solid-state laser driver operating at the third harmonic (0.35 micrometer) of neodymium (Nd) glass. The participating ICF laboratories signed a memorandum of agreement in August 1993, and established a project organization, including a technical team from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and the Laboratory for Laser Energetics at the University of Rochester. Since then, we completed the NIF conceptual design, based on standard construction at a generic DOE defense program's site, and issued a 7,000-page, 27-volume CDR in May 1994. Over the course of the conceptual design study, several other key documents were generated, including a facilities requirements document, a conceptual design scope and plan, a target physics design document, a laser design cost basis document, a functional requirements document, an experimental plan for indirect drive ignition, and a preliminary hazards analysis (PHA) document. DOE used the PHA to categorize the NIF as a low-hazard, non-nuclear facility. On October 21, 1994 the Secretary of Energy issued a key decision one (KD1) for the NIF, which approved the project and authorized DOE to request Office of Management and Budget-approval for congressional line-item FY 1996 NIF funding for preliminary engineering design and for National Environmental Policy Act activities. In addition, the Secretary declared Livermore as the preferred site for constructing the NIF. In February 1995, the NIF Project was formally submitted to Congress as part of the President's FY 1996 budget. If funded as planned, the Project will cost approximately $1.1 billion and will be completed at the end of FY 2002.

The MIT HEDP Accelerator Facility for Diagnostic Development for OMEGA, Z, and the NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parker, C. E.; Gatu Johnson, M.; Birkel, A.; Kabadi, N. V.; Lahmann, B.; Milanese, L. M.; Simpson, R. A.; Sio, H.; Sutcliffe, G. D.; Wink, C.; Frenje, J. A.; Li, C. K.; Seguin, F. H.; Petrasso, R. D.; Leeper, R.; Ruiz, C. L.; Sangster, T. C.

2016-10-01

The MIT HEDP Accelerator Facility utilizes a 135-keV linear electrostatic ion accelerator, DT and DD neutron sources, and two x-ray sources for development and characterization of nuclear diagnostics for OMEGA, Z, and the NIF. The accelerator generates DD and D3He fusion products through the acceleration of D+ ions onto a 3He-doped Erbium-Deuteride target. Accurately characterized fusion product rates of around 106 s-1 are routinely achieved. The DT and DD neutron sources generate up to 6x108, and 1x107 neutrons/s, respectively. One x-ray generator is a thick-target W source with a peak energy of 225 keV and a maximum dose rate of 12 Gy/min; the other uses Cu, Mo, or Ti elemental tubes to generate x-rays with a maximum energy of 40 keV. Diagnostics developed and calibrated at this facility include CR-39-based charged-particle spectrometers, neutron detectors, and the particle Time-Of-Flight (pTOF) and Magnetic PTOF CVD-diamond-based bang time detectors. The accelerator is also a valuable hands-on tool for graduate and undergraduate education at MIT. This work was supported in part by the U.S. DoE, SNL, LLE and LLNL.

The MIT HEDP Accelerator Facility for Diagnostic Development for OMEGA, Z, and the NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sio, H.; Gatu Johnson, M.; Birkel, A.; Doeg, E.; Frankel, R.; Kabadi, N. V.; Lahmann, B.; Manzin, M.; Simpson, R. A.; Parker, C. E.; Sutcliffe, G. D.; Wink, C.; Frenje, J. A.; Li, C. K.; Seguin, F. H.; Petrasso, R. D.; Leeper, R.; Hahn, K.; Ruiz, C. L.; Sangster, T. C.; Hilsabeck, T.

2017-10-01

The MIT HEDP Accelerator Facility utilizes a 135-keV, linear electrostatic ion accelerator; DT and DD neutron sources; and two x-ray sources for development and characterization of nuclear diagnostics for OMEGA, Z, and the NIF. The accelerator generates DD and D3He fusion products through the acceleration of D+ ions onto a 3He-doped Erbium-Deuteride target. Accurately characterized fusion product rates of around 106 s- 1 are routinely achieved. The DT and DD neutron sources generate up to 6×108 and 1×107 neutrons/s, respectively. One x-ray generator is a thick-target W source with a peak energy of 225 keV and a maximum dose rate of 12 Gy/min; the other uses Cu, Mo, or Ti elemental tubes to generate x-rays with a maximum energy of 40 keV. Diagnostics developed and calibrated at this facility include CR-39-based charged-particle spectrometers, neutron detectors, and the particle Time-Of-Flight (pTOF) and Magnetic PTOF CVD-diamond-based bang time detectors. The accelerator is also a valuable hands-on tool for graduate and undergraduate education at MIT. This work was supported in part by the U.S. DoE, SNL, LLE and LLNL.

AXIS: An instrument for imaging Compton radiographs using the Advanced Radiography Capability on the NIF

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hall, G. N., E-mail: hall98@llnl.gov; Izumi, N.; Tommasini, R.

2014-11-15

Compton radiography is an important diagnostic for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF), as it provides a means to measure the density and asymmetries of the DT fuel in an ICF capsule near the time of peak compression. The AXIS instrument (ARC (Advanced Radiography Capability) X-ray Imaging System) is a gated detector in development for the National Ignition Facility (NIF), and will initially be capable of recording two Compton radiographs during a single NIF shot. The principal reason for the development of AXIS is the requirement for significantly improved detection quantum efficiency (DQE) at high x-ray energies. AXIS will be the detectormore » for Compton radiography driven by the ARC laser, which will be used to produce Bremsstrahlung X-ray backlighter sources over the range of 50 keV–200 keV for this purpose. It is expected that AXIS will be capable of recording these high-energy x-rays with a DQE several times greater than other X-ray cameras at NIF, as well as providing a much larger field of view of the imploded capsule. AXIS will therefore provide an image with larger signal-to-noise that will allow the density and distribution of the compressed DT fuel to be measured with significantly greater accuracy as ICF experiments are tuned for ignition.« less

Challenges to develop nitrogen-fixing cereals by direct nif-gene transfer.

PubMed

Curatti, Leonardo; Rubio, Luis M

2014-08-01

Some regions of the developing world suffer low cereal production yields due to low fertilizer inputs, among other factors. Biological N2 fixation, catalyzed by the prokaryotic enzyme nitrogenase, is an alternative to the use of synthetic N fertilizers. The molybdenum nitrogenase is an O2-labile metalloenzyme composed of the NifDK and NifH proteins, which biosyntheses require a number of nif gene products. A challenging strategy to increase cereal crop productivity in a scenario of low N fertilization is the direct transfer of nif genes into cereals. The sensitivity of nitrogenase to O2 and the apparent complexity of nitrogenase biosynthesis are the main barriers identified so far. Expression of active NifH requires the products of nifM, nifH, and possibly nifU and nifS, whereas active NifDK requires the products of nifH, nifD, nifK, nifB, nifE, nifN, and possibly nifU, nifS, nifQ, nifV, nafY, nifW and nifZ. Plastids and mitochondria are potential subcellular locations for nitrogenase. Both could provide the ATP and electrons required for nitrogenase to function but they differ in their internal O2 levels and their ability to incorporate ammonium into amino acids. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Three-dimensional simulations of National Ignition Facility implosions: Insight into experimental observablesa)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spears, Brian K.; Munro, David H.; Sepke, Scott; Caggiano, Joseph; Clark, Daniel; Hatarik, Robert; Kritcher, Andrea; Sayre, Daniel; Yeamans, Charles; Knauer, James; Hilsabeck, Terry; Kilkenny, Joe

2015-05-01

We simulate in 3D both the hydrodynamics and, simultaneously, the X-ray and neutron diagnostic signatures of National Ignition Facility (NIF) implosions. We apply asymmetric radiation drive to study the impact of low mode asymmetry on diagnostic observables. We examine X-ray and neutron images as well as neutron spectra for these perturbed implosions. The X-ray images show hot spot evolution on small length scales and short time scales, reflecting the incomplete stagnation seen in the simulation. The neutron images show surprising differences from the X-ray images. The neutron spectra provide additional measures of implosion asymmetry. Flow in the hot spot alters the neutron spectral peak, namely, the peak location and width. The changes in the width lead to a variation in the apparent temperature with viewing angle that signals underlying hot spot asymmetry. We compare our new expectations based on the simulated data with NIF data. We find that some recent cryogenic layered experiments show appreciable temperature anisotropy indicating residual flow in the hot spot. We also find some trends in the data that do not reflect our simulation and theoretical understanding.

Electron temperature from x-ray continuum measurements on the NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jarrott, Leonard; Bachmann, Benjamin; Benedetti, Robin; Izumi, Nobuhiko; Khan, Shahab; Landen, Otto; Ma, Tammy; Nagel, Sabrina; Pak, Arthur; Patel, Prav; Schneider, Marilyn; Springer, Paul; LLNL Collaboration

2017-10-01

We report on measurements of the electron temperature within the hot spot of inertially confined, layered implosions on the NIF using a titanium differential filtering x-ray diagnostic. The electron temperature from x-ray emission is insensitive to non-thermal velocity flows as is the case with ion temperature measurements and is thus a critical parameter in interpreting stagnated hot spot conditions. Here we discuss measurements using titanium filters ranging from 10 μm to 1mm in thickness with a sensitivity band of 10-30keV coupled with penumbral pinholes. The use of larger pinhole diameters increases x-ray fluence improving sensitivity of photon energies with minimal attenuation from the compressed fuel/shell. This diagnostic has been fielded on a series of cryogenic shots with DT ion temperatures ranging from 2-5keV. Analysis of the measurement will be presented along with a comparison against simulated electron temperatures and x-ray spectra as well as a comparison to DT ion temperature measurements. This work was performed under the auspices of U.S. DoE by LLNL under Contract No. DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Synthetic Pulse Dilation - PMT Model for high bandwidth gamma measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geppert-Kleinrath, H.; Herrmann, H. W.; Kim, Y. H.; Zylstra, A. B.; Meaney, K. D.; Lopez, F. E.; Khater, H.; Horsfield, C. J.; Gales, S.; Leatherland, A.; Hilsabeck, T.; Kilkenny, J. D.; Hares, J. D.; Dymoke-Bradshaw, T.; Milnes, J.

2017-10-01

The Cherenkov mechanism used in Gas Cherenkov Detectors (GCD) is exceptionally fast. However, the temporal resolution of GCDs, such as the Gamma Reaction History diagnostic (GRH), is limited by the current state-of-the-art photomultiplier tube (PMT) to 100 ps. The new pulse dilation - PMT (PD-PMT) for NIF allows for a temporal resolution comparable to that of the gas cell, or of 10ps. Enhanced resolution will contribute to the quest for ignition in a crucial way through precision measurement of reaction history and areal density (ρ R) history, leading to better constrained models. Features such as onset of alpha heating, shock reverberations and burn truncation due to dynamically evolving failure modes will become visible for the first time. PD-PMT will be deployed on GCD-3 at NIF in 2018. Our synthetic PD-PMT model evaluates the capabilities of these future measurements, as well as minimum yield requirements for measurements performed in a well at 3.9 m from target chamber center (TCC), and within a diagnostic inserter at 0.2m from TCC.

Impulse responses of visible phototubes used in National Ignition Facility neutron time of flight diagnostics.

PubMed

Datte, P S; Eckart, M; Moore, A S; Thompson, W; Vergel de Dios, G

2016-11-01

Neutron-induced visible scintillation in neutron time of flight (NToF) diagnostics at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is measured with 40 mm single stage micro-channel plate photomultipliers and a 40 mm vacuum photodiode, outside the neutron line of sight. In NIF experiments with 14 MeV neutron yields above Y > 10 × 10 15 these tubes are configured to deliver of order 1 nC of charge in the nominally 5 ns NToF into a 50 Ω load. We have examined a number of 40 mm tubes manufactured by Photek Ltd. of St. Leonards on Sea, UK, to determine possible changes in the instrument impulse response as a function of signal charge delivered in 1 ns. Precision NToF measurements at approximately 20 m require that we characterize changes in the impulse response moments to <40 ps for the first central moment and ∼2% rms for the square root of the second central moment with ∼500 ps value. Detailed results are presented for three different diode configurations.

The NCSS Public Issues Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McFarland, Mary

1989-01-01

Describes programs sponsored by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) to promote civic participation. The programs are National Issues Forums (NIF) in the Classroom; Jefferson Meetings; Great Decisions; Public Issues Series; and C-SPAN in the Classroom. (SLM)

A new gated x-ray detector for the Orion laser facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, David D.; Aragonez, Robert; Archuleta, Thomas; Fatherley, Valerie; Hsu, Albert; Jorgenson, Justin; Mares, Danielle; Oertel, John; Oades, Kevin; Kemshall, Paul; Thomas, Phillip; Young, Trevor; Pederson, Neal

2012-10-01

Gated X-Ray Detectors (GXD) are considered the work-horse target diagnostic of the laser based inertial confinement fusion (ICF) program. Recently, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has constructed three new GXDs for the Orion laser facility at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in the United Kingdom. What sets these three new instruments apart from what has previously been constructed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is: improvements in detector head microwave transmission lines, solid state embedded hard drive and updated control software, and lighter air box design and other incremental mechanical improvements. In this paper we will present the latest GXD design enhancements and sample calibration data taken on the Trident laser facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory using the newly constructed instruments.

Study of high resolution x-ray spectrometer concepts for NIF experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, K. W.; Bitter, M.; Delgado-Aparicio, L.; Efthimion, P.; Gao, L.; Maddox, J.; Pablant, N. A.; Beiersdorfer, P.; Chen, H.; Coppari, F.; Ma, T.; Nora, R.; Scott, H.; Schneider, M.; Mancini, R.

2015-11-01

Options have been investigated for DIM-insertable (Diagnostic Instrument Manipulator) high resolution (E/ ΔE ~ 3000 - 5000) Bragg crystal x-ray spectrometers for experiments on the NIF. Of interest are time integrated Cu K- and Ta L-edge absorption spectra and time resolved Kr He- β emission from compressed symcaps for inference of electron temperature from dielectronic satellites and electron density from Stark broadening. Cylindrical and conical von Hamos, Johann, and advanced high throughput designs have been studied. Predicted x-ray intensities, spectrometer throughputs, spectral resolution, and spatial focusing properties, as well as lab evaluations of some spectrometer candidates will be presented. Performed under the auspices of the US DOE by PPPL under contract DE-AC02-09CH11466 and by LLNL under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

National Ignition Facility Construction Safety Management Review

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Warner, B.E.

2000-02-01

An accident occurred at the NIF construction site on January 13, 2000, in which a worker sustained a serious injury when a 42-inch-diameter duct fell during installation. Following the accident, NIF Project Management chartered two review teams: (1) an Incident Analysis Team to independently assess the direct and root causes of the accident, and (2) a Management Review Team to review the roles and responsibilities of the line, support, and construction management organizations involved. This report provides a discussion of the information gathered by the Management Review Team and provides a list of observations and recommendations based on an analysismore » of the information. The Management Review Team includes senior managers who represent several Directorates within LLNL and DOE OAK: Dick Billia representing Engineering; Dave Leary representing Business Services and Public Affairs; Jim Jackson representing Hazards Control; Chuck Taylor representing DOE OAK; Arnie Clobes representing the ICF/NIF Program; and Jon Yatabe and Bruce Warner (Chairperson) representing the NIF Project. The attached letter from the NIF Project Manager, Ed Moses, to the Management Review Team contains the team's Charter. The team was asked to evaluate the effectiveness of the line management and its supporting safety functions in managing safety during NIF construction. The evaluation was to include the current conventional facility construction, which is 85% complete, and upcoming activities such as Beampath Infrastructure System installation, which will begin in the next six months and which represents a significant amount of work over the next two to three years. The remainder of this document describes the Management Review Team's review process (Section 2), its observations gathered during the review (Section 3), and its recommendations to the NIF Project Manager based on those observations (Section 4).« less

Dante Soft X-ray Power Diagnostic for NIF

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dewald, E; Campbell, K; Turner, R

2004-04-15

Soft x-ray power diagnostics are essential for measuring spectrally resolved the total x-ray flux, radiation temperature, conversion efficiency and albedo that are important quantities for the energetics of indirect drive hohlraums. At the Nova or Omega Laser Facilities, these measurements are performed mainly with Dante, but also with DMX and photo-conductive detectors (PCD's). The Dante broadband spectrometer is a collection of absolute calibrated vacuum x-ray diodes, thin filters and x-ray mirrors used to measure the soft x-ray emission for photon energies above 50 eV.

Open reading frame 5 (ORF5), encoding a ferredoxinlike protein, and nifQ are cotranscribed with nifE, nifN, nifX, and ORF4 in Rhodobacter capsulatus.

PubMed Central

Moreno-Vivian, C; Hennecke, S; Pühler, A; Klipp, W

1989-01-01

DNA sequence analysis of a 1,600-base-pair fragment located downstream of nifENX in nif region A of Rhodobacter capsulatus revealed two additional open reading frames (ORFs): ORF5, encoding a ferredoxinlike protein, and nifQ. The ferredoxinlike gene product contained two cysteine motifs, typical of ferredoxins coordinating two 4Fe-4S clusters, but the distance between these two motifs was unusual for low-molecular-weight ferredoxins. The R. capsulatus nifQ gene product shared a high degree of homology with Klebsiella pneumoniae and Azotobacter vinelandii NifQ, including a typical cysteine motif located in the C-terminal part. nifQ insertion mutants and also an ORF5-nifQ double deletion mutant showed normal diazotrophic growth only in the presence of high concentrations of molybdate. This demonstrated that the gene encoding the ferredoxinlike protein is not essential for nitrogen fixation. No NifA-activated consensus promoter could be found in the intergenic region between nifENX-ORF4 and ORF5-nifQ. Analyses of a nifQ-lacZYA fusion revealed that transcription of nifQ was initiated at a promoter in front of nifE. In contrast to other nitrogen-fixing organisms, R. capsulatus nifE, nifN, nifX, ORF4, ORF5, and nifQ were organized in one transcriptional unit. PMID:2708314

Sequencing and functional analysis of the nifENXorf1orf2 gene cluster of Herbaspirillum seropedicae.

PubMed

Klassen, G; Pedrosa, F O; Souza, E M; Yates, M G; Rigo, L U

1999-12-01

A 5.1-kb DNA fragment from the nifHDK region of H. seropedicae was isolated and sequenced. Sequence analysis showed the presence of nifENXorf1orf2 but nifTY were not present. No nif or consensus promoter was identified. Furthermore, orf1 expression occurred only under nitrogen-fixing conditions and no promoter activity was detected between nifK and nifE, suggesting that these genes are expressed from the upstream nifH promoter and are parts of a unique nif operon. Mutagenesis studies indicate that nifN was essential for nitrogenase activity whereas nifXorf1orf2 were not. High homology between the C-terminal region of the NifX and NifB proteins from H. seropedicae was observed. Since the NifX and NifY proteins are important for FeMo cofactor (FeMoco) synthesis, we propose that alternative proteins with similar activities exist in H. seropedicae.

Functional organization of a single nif cluster in the mesophilic archaeon Methanosarcina mazei strain Gö1

PubMed Central

Ehlers, Claudia; Veit, Katharina; Gottschalk, Gerhard; Schmitz, Ruth A.

2002-01-01

The mesophilic methanogenic archaeon Methanosarcina mazei strain Gö1 is able to utilize molecular nitrogen (N2) as its sole nitrogen source. We have identified and characterized a single nitrogen fixation (nif) gene cluster in M. mazei Gö1 with an approximate length of 9 kbp. Sequence analysis revealed seven genes with sequence similarities to nifH, nifI1, nifI2, nifD, nifK, nifE and nifN, similar to other diazotrophic methanogens and certain bacteria such as Clostridium acetobutylicum, with the two glnB-like genes (nifI1 and nifI2) located between nifH and nifD. Phylogenetic analysis of deduced amino acid sequences for the nitrogenase structural genes of M. mazei Gö1 showed that they are most closely related to Methanosarcina barkeri nif2 genes, and also closely resemble those for the corresponding nif products of the gram-positive bacterium C. acetobutylicum. Northern blot analysis and reverse transcription PCR analysis demonstrated that the M. mazei nif genes constitute an operon transcribed only under nitrogen starvation as a single 8 kb transcript. Sequence analysis revealed a palindromic sequence at the transcriptional start site in front of the M. mazei nifH gene, which may have a function in transcriptional regulation of the nif operon. PMID:15803652

Direct NMR Monitoring of Phase Separation Behavior of Highly Supersaturated Nifedipine Solution Stabilized with Hypromellose Derivatives.

PubMed

Ueda, Keisuke; Higashi, Kenjirou; Moribe, Kunikazu

2017-07-03

We investigated the phase separation behavior and maintenance mechanism of the supersaturated state of poorly water-soluble nifedipine (NIF) in hypromellose (HPMC) derivative solutions. Highly supersaturated NIF formed NIF-rich nanodroplets through phase separation from aqueous solution containing HPMC derivative. Dissolvable NIF concentration in the bulk water phase was limited by the phase separation of NIF from the aqueous solution. HPMC derivatives stabilized the NIF-rich nanodroplets and maintained the NIF supersaturation with phase-separated NIF for several hours. The size of the NIF-rich phase was different depending on the HPMC derivatives dissolved in aqueous solution, although the droplet size had no correlation with the time for which NIF supersaturation was maintained without NIF crystallization. HPMC acetate and HPMC acetate succinate (HPMC-AS) effectively maintained the NIF supersaturation containing phase-separated NIF compared with HPMC. Furthermore, HPMC-AS stabilized NIF supersaturation more effectively in acidic conditions. Solution 1 H NMR measurements of NIF-supersaturated solution revealed that HPMC derivatives distributed into the NIF-rich phase during the phase separation of NIF from the aqueous solution. The hydrophobicity of HPMC derivative strongly affected its distribution into the NIF-rich phase. Moreover, the distribution of HPMC-AS into the NIF-rich phase was promoted at lower pH due to the lower aqueous solubility of HPMC-AS. The distribution of a large amount of HPMC derivatives into NIF-rich phase induced the strong inhibition of NIF crystallization from the NIF-rich phase. Polymer distribution into the drug-rich phase directly monitored by solution NMR technique can be a useful index for the stabilization efficiency of drug-supersaturated solution containing a drug-rich phase.

A Minimal Nitrogen Fixation Gene Cluster from Paenibacillus sp. WLY78 Enables Expression of Active Nitrogenase in Escherichia coli

PubMed Central

Zhao, Dehua; Liu, Xiaomeng; Zhang, Bo; Xie, Jianbo; Hong, Yuanyuan; Li, Pengfei; Chen, Sanfeng; Dixon, Ray; Li, Jilun

2013-01-01

Most biological nitrogen fixation is catalyzed by molybdenum-dependent nitrogenase, an enzyme complex comprising two component proteins that contains three different metalloclusters. Diazotrophs contain a common core of nitrogen fixation nif genes that encode the structural subunits of the enzyme and components required to synthesize the metalloclusters. However, the complement of nif genes required to enable diazotrophic growth varies significantly amongst nitrogen fixing bacteria and archaea. In this study, we identified a minimal nif gene cluster consisting of nine nif genes in the genome of Paenibacillus sp. WLY78, a gram-positive, facultative anaerobe isolated from the rhizosphere of bamboo. We demonstrate that the nif genes in this organism are organized as an operon comprising nifB, nifH, nifD, nifK, nifE, nifN, nifX, hesA and nifV and that the nif cluster is under the control of a σ70 (σA)-dependent promoter located upstream of nifB. To investigate genetic requirements for diazotrophy, we transferred the Paenibacillus nif cluster to Escherichia coli. The minimal nif gene cluster enables synthesis of catalytically active nitrogenase in this host, when expressed either from the native nifB promoter or from the T7 promoter. Deletion analysis indicates that in addition to the core nif genes, hesA plays an important role in nitrogen fixation and is responsive to the availability of molybdenum. Whereas nif transcription in Paenibacillus is regulated in response to nitrogen availability and by the external oxygen concentration, transcription from the nifB promoter is constitutive in E. coli, indicating that negative regulation of nif transcription is bypassed in the heterologous host. This study demonstrates the potential for engineering nitrogen fixation in a non-nitrogen fixing organism with a minimum set of nine nif genes. PMID:24146630

NifX and NifEN exchange NifB cofactor and the VK-cluster, a newly isolated intermediate of the iron-molybdenum cofactor biosynthetic pathway.

PubMed

Hernandez, Jose A; Igarashi, Robert Y; Soboh, Basem; Curatti, Leonardo; Dean, Dennis R; Ludden, Paul W; Rubio, Luis M

2007-01-01

The iron-molybdenum cofactor of nitrogenase (FeMo-co) is synthesized in a multistep process catalysed by several Nif proteins and is finally inserted into a pre-synthesized apo-dinitrogenase to generate mature dinitrogenase protein. The NifEN complex serves as scaffold for some steps of this synthesis, while NifX belongs to a family of small proteins that bind either FeMo-co precursors or FeMo-co during cofactor synthesis. In this work, the binding of FeMo-co precursors and their transfer between purified Azotobacter vinelandii NifX and NifEN proteins was studied to shed light on the role of NifX on FeMo-co synthesis. Purified NifX binds NifB cofactor (NifB-co), a precursor to FeMo-co, with high affinity and is able to transfer it to the NifEN complex. In addition, NifEN and NifX exchange another [Fe-S] cluster that serves as a FeMo-co precursor, and we have designated it as the VK-cluster. In contrast to NifB-co, the VK-cluster is electronic paramagnetic resonance (EPR)-active in the reduced and the oxidized states. The NifX/VK-cluster complex is unable to support in vitro FeMo-co synthesis in the absence of NifEN because further processing of the VK-cluster into FeMo-co requires the simultaneous activities of NifEN and NifH. Our in vitro studies suggest that the role of NifX in vivo is to serve as transient reservoir of FeMo-co precursors and thus help control their flux during FeMo-co synthesis.

The expression of nifB gene from Herbaspirillum seropedicae is dependent upon the NifA and RpoN proteins.

PubMed

Rego, Fabiane G M; Pedrosa, Fábio O; Chubatsu, Leda S; Yates, M Geoffrey; Wassem, Roseli; Steffens, Maria B R; Rigo, Liu U; Souza, Emanuel M

2006-12-01

The putative nifB promoter region of Herbaspirillum seropedicae contained two sequences homologous to NifA-binding site and a -24/-12 type promoter. A nifB::lacZ fusion was assayed in the backgrounds of both Escherichia coli and H. seropedicae. In E. coli, the expression of nifB::lacZ occurred only in the presence of functional rpoN and Klebsiella pneumoniae nifA genes. In addition, the integration host factor (IHF) stimulated the expression of the nifB::lacZ fusion in this background. In H. seropedicae, nifB expression occurred only in the absence of ammonium and under low levels of oxygen, and it was shown to be strictly dependent on NifA. DNA band shift experiments showed that purified K. pneumoniae RpoN and E. coli IHF proteins were capable of binding to the nifB promoter region, and in vivo dimethylsulfate footprinting showed that NifA binds to both NifA-binding sites. These results strongly suggest that the expression of the nifB promoter of H. seropedicae is dependent on the NifA and RpoN proteins and that the IHF protein stimulates NifA activation of nifB promoter.

Radiation-driven hydrodynamics of long pulse hohlraums on the National Ignition Facility*,**

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewald, Eduard

2005-10-01

The first hohlraum experiments have been performed at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in support of indirect drive Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) and High Energy Density Physics. Vacuum hohlraums have been irradiated with laser powers up to 8 TW, 1-9 ns pulse lengths and energies up to 17 kJ to activate several hohlraum drive diagnostics, to study the radiation temperature scaling with the laser power and hohlraum size, and to make contact with hohlraum experiments performed at the NOVA and Omega laser facilities. The vacuum hohlraums yield low laser backscattering and hot electron fractions, and the hohlraum radiation temperature measured with a newly activated 18 channel Dante soft x-ray power diagnostic agrees well with two-dimensional LASNEX calculations. Using the unique feature of NIF to deliver long steady laser drives, these hohlraum experiments have also validated analytical models and LASNEX calculations of hohlraum plasma filling as evidenced by time-resolved hard x-ray imaging and coronal hohlraum radiation production measured by Dante. Analytical modeling used to estimate hohlraum radiation limits due to plasma filling is in agreement with measurements and predicts for full NIF system with peak powers up to 500 TW peak radiation temperatures that are considerably higher than required in ICF designs. * Work performed in collaboration with L.J. Suter, O.L. Landen, J. Schein, K. Campbell, M.S. Schneider, J. Holder, S.H. Glenzer, J.W. McDonald, C. Niemann, A.J. Mackinnon, D.H. Kalantar, C. Haynam, S. Dixit **This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by the University of California, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. W-7405-ENG-48.

Recent Developments in the VISRAD 3-D Target Design and Radiation Simulation Code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macfarlane, Joseph; Golovkin, Igor; Sebald, James

2017-10-01

The 3-D view factor code VISRAD is widely used in designing HEDP experiments at major laser and pulsed-power facilities, including NIF, OMEGA, OMEGA-EP, ORION, Z, and LMJ. It simulates target designs by generating a 3-D grid of surface elements, utilizing a variety of 3-D primitives and surface removal algorithms, and can be used to compute the radiation flux throughout the surface element grid by computing element-to-element view factors and solving power balance equations. Target set-up and beam pointing are facilitated by allowing users to specify positions and angular orientations using a variety of coordinates systems (e.g., that of any laser beam, target component, or diagnostic port). Analytic modeling for laser beam spatial profiles for OMEGA DPPs and NIF CPPs is used to compute laser intensity profiles throughout the grid of surface elements. VISRAD includes a variety of user-friendly graphics for setting up targets and displaying results, can readily display views from any point in space, and can be used to generate image sequences for animations. We will discuss recent improvements to conveniently assess beam capture on target and beam clearance of diagnostic components, as well as plans for future developments.

High Resolution Integrated Hohlraum-Capsule Simulations for Virtual NIF Ignition Campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, O. S.; Marinak, M. M.; Cerjan, C. J.; Clark, D. S.; Edwards, M. J.; Haan, S. W.; Langer, S. H.; Salmonson, J. D.

2009-11-01

We have undertaken a virtual campaign to assess the viability of the sequence of NIF experiments planned for 2010 that will experimentally tune the shock timing, symmetry, and ablator thickness of a cryogenic ignition capsule prior to the first ignition attempt. The virtual campaign consists of two teams. The ``red team'' creates realistic simulated diagnostic data for a given experiment from the output of a detailed radiation hydrodynamics calculation that has physics models that have been altered in a way that is consistent with probable physics uncertainties. The ``blue team'' executes a series of virtual experiments and interprets the simulated diagnostic data from those virtual experiments. To support this effort we have developed a capability to do very high spatial resolution integrated hohlraum-capsule simulations using the Hydra code. Surface perturbations for all ablator layer surfaces and the DT ice layer are calculated explicitly through mode 30. The effects of the fill tube, cracks in the ice layer, and defects in the ablator are included in models extracted from higher resolution calculations. Very high wave number mix is included through a mix model. We will show results from these calculations in the context of the ongoing virtual campaign.

EBIT spectroscopy of highly charged heavy ions relevant to hot plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakamura, Nobuyuki

2013-05-01

An electron beam ion trap (EBIT) is a versatile device for studying highly charged ions. We have been using two types of EBITs for the spectroscopic studies of highly charged ions. One is a high-energy device called the Tokyo-EBIT, and another is a compact low-energy device called CoBIT. Complementary use of them enables us to obtain spectroscopic data for ions over a wide charge-state range interacting with electrons over a wide energy range. In this talk, we present EBIT spectra of highly charged ions for tungsten, iron, bismuth, etc., which are relevant to hot plasmas. Tungsten is considered to be the main impurity in the ITER (the next generation nuclear fusion reactor) plasma, and thus its emission lines are important for diagnosing and controlling the ITER plasma. We have observed many previously unreported lines to supply the lack of spectroscopic data of tungsten ions. Iron is one of the main components of the solar corona, and its spectra are used to diagnose temperature, density, etc. The diagnostics is usually done by comparing observed spectra with model calculations. An EBIT can provide spectra under a well-defined condition; they are thus useful to test the model calculations. Laser-produced bismuth plasma is one of the candidates for a soft x-ray source in the water window region. An EBIT has a narrow charge state distribution; it is thus useful to disentangle the spectra of laser-produced plasma containing ions with a wide charge-state range. Performed with the support and under the auspices of the NIFS Collaboration Research program (NIFS09KOAJ003) and JSPS KAKENHI Number 23246165, and partly supported by the JSPS-NRF-NSFC A3 Foresight Program in the field of Plasma Physics.

Recent results of the Defect-Induced Mix Experiments (DIME) on NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmitt, M. J.; Bradley, P. A.; Cobble, J. A.; Hakel, P.; Hsu, S. C.; Krasheninnikova, N. S.; Kyrala, G. A.; Murphy, T. J.; Obrey, K. A.; Shah, R. C.; Tregillis, I. L.; Craxton, S. C.; McKenty, P. W.; Mancini, R. C.; Johns, H. M.; Joshi, Tirtha; Mayes, Daniel

2012-10-01

Investigations of directly driven implosions have been performed including experiments on Omega, and more recently NIF, to deduce the extent and uniformity of 4π and defect-induced mix near the shell/gas interface of plastic (CH) capsules filled with 5 atm D2 gas. Imaging diagnostics are used to measure the spatial variation of mix caused by the growth of non-uniformities in both capsule and laser drive characteristics. Thin (2μm) layers containing 1-2% (atomic) mid-Z dopants are imaged spectrally at late time in the implosion using multiple monochromatic imaging of H-like and He-like atomic line emission. Areal image backlighting of the capsules provides both r(t) and the symmetry of the implosion. Recent results will be shown including inferred 4π mix width, laser imprint induced mix, and mix from capsule variations.

Application of Solid-State NMR Relaxometry for Characterization and Formulation Optimization of Grinding-Induced Drug Nanoparticle.

PubMed

Ueda, Keisuke; Higashi, Kenjirou; Moribe, Kunikazu

2016-03-07

The formation mechanism of drug nanoparticles was investigated using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques for the efficient discovery of an optimized nanoparticle formulation. The cogrinding of nifedipine (NIF) with polymers, including hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was performed to prepare the NIF nanoparticle formulations. Then, solid-state NMR relaxometry was used for the nanometer-order characterization of NIF in the polymer matrix. Solid-state NMR measurements revealed that the crystal size of NIF was reduced to several tens of nanometers with amorphization of NIF by cogrinding with HPMC and SDS for 100 min. Similarly, the size of the NIF crystal was reduced to less than 90 nm in the 40 min ground mixture of NIF/PVP/SDS. Furthermore, 100 min grinding of NIF/PVP/SDS induced amorphization of almost all the NIF crystals followed by nanosizing. The hydrogen bond between NIF and PVP led to the efficient amorphization of NIF in the NIF/PVP/SDS system compared with NIF/HPMC/SDS system. The efficient nanosizing of the NIF crystal in the solid state, revealed by the solid-state NMR relaxation time measurements, enabled the formation of large amounts of NIF nanoparticles in water followed by the polymer dissolution. In contrast, excess amorphization of the NIF crystals failed to efficiently prepare the NIF nanoparticles. The solid-state characterization of the crystalline NIF revealed good correlation with the NIF nanoparticles formation during aqueous dispersion. Furthermore, the solid-state NMR measurements including relaxometry successfully elucidated the nanometer-order dispersion state of NIF in polymer matrix, leading to the discovery of optimized conditions for the preparation of suitable drug nanoparticles.

Effect of Naturally Occurring nif Reiterations on Symbiotic Effectiveness in Rhizobium phaseoli

PubMed Central

Romero, David; Singleton, Paul W.; Segovia, Lorenzo; Morett, Enrique; Bohlool, B. Ben; Palacios, Rafael; Dávila, Guillermo

1988-01-01

Most naturally occurring strains of Rhizobium phaseoli possess reiteration of the nif genes. Three regions contain nitrogenase structural genes in strain CFN42. Two of these regions (a and b) have copies of nifH, nifD, and nifK, whereas the third region (c) contains only nifH. Strains containing mutations in either nif region a or nif region b had significantly diminished symbiotic effectiveness compared with the wild-type strain on the basis of nodule mass, total nitrogenase activity per plant, nitrogenase specific activity, total nitrogen in the shoot, and percentage of nitrogen. A strain containing mutations in both nif region a and nif region b was totally ineffective. These data indicate that both nif region a and nif region b are needed for full symbiotic effectiveness in R. phaseoli. PMID:16347593

Oxygen control of nif gene expression in Klebsiella pneumoniae depends on NifL reduction at the cytoplasmic membrane by electrons derived from the reduced quinone pool.

PubMed

Grabbe, Roman; Schmitz, Ruth A

2003-04-01

In Klebsiella pneumoniae, the flavoprotein, NifL regulates NifA mediated transcriptional activation of the N2-fixation (nif) genes in response to molecular O2 and ammonium. We investigated the influence of membrane-bound oxidoreductases on nif-regulation by biochemical analysis of purified NifL and by monitoring NifA-mediated expression of nifH'-'lacZ reporter fusions in different mutant backgrounds. NifL-bound FAD-cofactor was reduced by NADH only in the presence of a redox-mediator or inside-out vesicles derived from anaerobically grown K. pneumoniae cells, indicating that in vivo NifL is reduced by electrons derived from membrane-bound oxidoreductases of the anaerobic respiratory chain. This mechanism is further supported by three lines of evidence: First, K. pneumoniae strains carrying null mutations of fdnG or nuoCD showed significantly reduced nif-induction under derepressing conditions, indicating that NifL inhibition of NifA was not relieved in the absence of formate dehydrogenase-N or NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase. The same effect was observed in a heterologous Escherichia coli system carrying a ndh null allele (coding for NADH dehydrogenaseII). Second, studying nif-induction in K. pneumoniae revealed that during anaerobic growth in glycerol, under nitrogen-limitation, the presence of the terminal electron acceptor nitrate resulted in a significant decrease of nif-induction. The final line of evidence is that reduced quinone derivatives, dimethylnaphthoquinol and menadiol, are able to transfer electrons to the FAD-moiety of purified NifL. On the basis of these data, we postulate that under anaerobic and nitrogen-limited conditions, NifL inhibition of NifA activity is relieved by reduction of the FAD-cofactor by electrons derived from the reduced quinone pool, generated by anaerobic respiration, that favours membrane association of NifL. We further hypothesize that the quinol/quinone ratio is important for providing the signal to NifL.

NIF-type iron-sulfur cluster assembly system is duplicated and distributed in the mitochondria and cytosol of Mastigamoeba balamuthi.

PubMed

Nývltová, Eva; Šuták, Robert; Harant, Karel; Šedinová, Miroslava; Hrdy, Ivan; Paces, Jan; Vlček, Čestmír; Tachezy, Jan

2013-04-30

In most eukaryotes, the mitochondrion is the main organelle for the formation of iron-sulfur (FeS) clusters. This function is mediated through the iron-sulfur cluster assembly machinery, which was inherited from the α-proteobacterial ancestor of mitochondria. In Archamoebae, including pathogenic Entamoeba histolytica and free-living Mastigamoeba balamuthi, the complex iron-sulfur cluster machinery has been replaced by an ε-proteobacterial nitrogen fixation (NIF) system consisting of two components: NifS (cysteine desulfurase) and NifU (scaffold protein). However, the cellular localization of the NIF system and the involvement of mitochondria in archamoebal FeS assembly are controversial. Here, we show that the genes for both NIF components are duplicated within the M. balamuthi genome. One paralog of each protein contains an amino-terminal extension that targets proteins to mitochondria (NifS-M and NifU-M), and the second paralog lacks a targeting signal, thereby reflecting the cytosolic form of the NIF machinery (NifS-C and NifU-C). The dual localization of the NIF system corresponds to the presence of FeS proteins in both cellular compartments, including detectable hydrogenase activity in Mastigamoeba cytosol and mitochondria. In contrast, E. histolytica possesses only single genes encoding NifS and NifU, respectively, and there is no evidence for the presence of the NIF machinery in its reduced mitochondria. Thus, M. balamuthi is unique among eukaryotes in that its FeS cluster formation is mediated through two most likely independent NIF machineries present in two cellular compartments.

NIF-type iron-sulfur cluster assembly system is duplicated and distributed in the mitochondria and cytosol of Mastigamoeba balamuthi

PubMed Central

Nývltová, Eva; Šuták, Robert; Harant, Karel; Šedinová, Miroslava; Hrdý, Ivan; Pačes, Jan; Vlček, Čestmír; Tachezy, Jan

2013-01-01

In most eukaryotes, the mitochondrion is the main organelle for the formation of iron-sulfur (FeS) clusters. This function is mediated through the iron-sulfur cluster assembly machinery, which was inherited from the α-proteobacterial ancestor of mitochondria. In Archamoebae, including pathogenic Entamoeba histolytica and free-living Mastigamoeba balamuthi, the complex iron-sulfur cluster machinery has been replaced by an ε-proteobacterial nitrogen fixation (NIF) system consisting of two components: NifS (cysteine desulfurase) and NifU (scaffold protein). However, the cellular localization of the NIF system and the involvement of mitochondria in archamoebal FeS assembly are controversial. Here, we show that the genes for both NIF components are duplicated within the M. balamuthi genome. One paralog of each protein contains an amino-terminal extension that targets proteins to mitochondria (NifS-M and NifU-M), and the second paralog lacks a targeting signal, thereby reflecting the cytosolic form of the NIF machinery (NifS-C and NifU-C). The dual localization of the NIF system corresponds to the presence of FeS proteins in both cellular compartments, including detectable hydrogenase activity in Mastigamoeba cytosol and mitochondria. In contrast, E. histolytica possesses only single genes encoding NifS and NifU, respectively, and there is no evidence for the presence of the NIF machinery in its reduced mitochondria. Thus, M. balamuthi is unique among eukaryotes in that its FeS cluster formation is mediated through two most likely independent NIF machineries present in two cellular compartments. PMID:23589868

Flat Field Anomalies in an X-ray CCD Camera Measured Using a Manson X-ray Source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

M. J. Haugh and M. B. Schneider

2008-10-31

The Static X-ray Imager (SXI) is a diagnostic used at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to measure the position of the X-rays produced by lasers hitting a gold foil target. The intensity distribution taken by the SXI camera during a NIF shot is used to determine how accurately NIF can aim laser beams. This is critical to proper NIF operation. Imagers are located at the top and the bottom of the NIF target chamber. The CCD chip is an X-ray sensitive silicon sensor, with a large format array (2k x 2k), 24 μm square pixels, and 15 μm thick. Amore » multi-anode Manson X-ray source, operating up to 10kV and 10W, was used to characterize and calibrate the imagers. The output beam is heavily filtered to narrow the spectral beam width, giving a typical resolution E/ΔE≈10. The X-ray beam intensity was measured using an absolute photodiode that has accuracy better than 1% up to the Si K edge and better than 5% at higher energies. The X-ray beam provides full CCD illumination and is flat, within ±1% maximum to minimum. The spectral efficiency was measured at 10 energy bands ranging from 930 eV to 8470 eV. We observed an energy dependent pixel sensitivity variation that showed continuous change over a large portion of the CCD. The maximum sensitivity variation occurred at 8470 eV. The geometric pattern did not change at lower energies, but the maximum contrast decreased and was not observable below 4 keV. We were also able to observe debris, damage, and surface defects on the CCD chip. The Manson source is a powerful tool for characterizing the imaging errors of an X-ray CCD imager. These errors are quite different from those found in a visible CCD imager.« less

Flat field anomalies in an x-ray charge coupled device camera measured using a Manson x-ray source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Haugh, M. J.; Schneider, M. B.

2008-10-15

The static x-ray imager (SXI) is a diagnostic used at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to measure the position of the x rays produced by lasers hitting a gold foil target. The intensity distribution taken by the SXI camera during a NIF shot is used to determine how accurately NIF can aim laser beams. This is critical to proper NIF operation. Imagers are located at the top and the bottom of the NIF target chamber. The charge coupled device (CCD) chip is an x-ray sensitive silicon sensor, with a large format array (2kx2k), 24 {mu}m square pixels, and 15 {mu}mmore » thick. A multianode Manson x-ray source, operating up to 10 kV and 10 W, was used to characterize and calibrate the imagers. The output beam is heavily filtered to narrow the spectral beam width, giving a typical resolution E/{delta}E{approx_equal}10. The x-ray beam intensity was measured using an x-ray photodiode that has an accuracy better than 1% up to the Si K edge and better than 5% at higher energies. The x-ray beam provides full CCD illumination and is flat, within {+-}1% maximum to minimum. The spectral efficiency was measured at ten energy bands ranging from 930 to 8470 eV. We observed an energy dependent pixel sensitivity variation that showed continuous change over a large portion of the CCD. The maximum sensitivity variation occurred at 8470 eV. The geometric pattern did not change at lower energies, but the maximum contrast decreased and was not observable below 4 keV. We were also able to observe debris, damage, and surface defects on the CCD chip. The Manson source is a powerful tool for characterizing the imaging errors of an x-ray CCD imager. These errors are quite different from those found in a visible CCD imager.« less

Progress towards ignition on the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Edwards, M. J.; Patel, P. K.; Lindl, J. D.

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory includes a precision laser system now capable of delivering 1.8 MJ at 500 TW of 0.35-μm light to a target. NIF has been operational since March 2009. A variety of experiments have been completed in support of NIF's mission areas: national security, fundamental science, and inertial fusion energy. NIF capabilities and infrastructure are in place to support its missions with nearly 60 X-ray, optical, and nuclear diagnostic systems. A primary goal of the National Ignition Campaign (NIC) on the NIF was to implode a low-Z capsule filled with ∼0.2 mgmore » of deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel via laser indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion and demonstrate fusion ignition and propagating thermonuclear burn with a net energy gain of ∼5–10 (fusion yield/input laser energy). This requires assembling the DT fuel into a dense shell of ∼1000 g/cm{sup 3} with an areal density (ρR) of ∼1.5 g/cm{sup 2}, surrounding a lower density hot spot with a temperature of ∼10 keV and a ρR ∼0.3 g/cm{sup 2}, or approximately an α-particle range. Achieving these conditions demand precise control of laser and target parameters to allow a low adiabat, high convergence implosion with low ablator fuel mix. We have demonstrated implosion and compressed fuel conditions at ∼80–90% for most point design values independently, but not at the same time. The nuclear yield is a factor of ∼3–10× below the simulated values and a similar factor below the alpha dominated regime. This paper will discuss the experimental trends, the possible causes of the degraded performance (the off-set from the simulations), and the plan to understand and resolve the underlying physics issues.« less

Magnetic Fields on the National Ignition Facility (MagNIF)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mason, D.; Folta, J.

2016-08-12

A magnetized target capability on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has been investigated. Stakeholders’ needs and project feasibility analysis were considered in order to down-select from a wide variety of different potential magnetic field magnitudes and volumes. From the large range of different target platforms, laser configurations, and diagnostics configurations of interest to the stakeholders, the gas-pipe platform has been selected for the first round of magnetized target experiments. Gas pipe targets are routinely shot on the NIF and provide unique value for external collaborators. High-level project goals have been established including an experimentallymore » relevant 20Tesla magnetic field magnitude. The field will be achieved using pulsed power-driven coils. A system architecture has been proposed. The pulsed power drive system will be located in the NIF target bay. This decision provides improved maintainability and mitigates equipment safety risks associated with explosive failure of the drive capacitor. High-level and first-level subsystem requirements have been established. Requirements have been included for two distinct coil designs – full solenoid and quasi-Helmholtz. A Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) has been performed and documented. Additional requirements have been derived from the mitigations included in the FMEA document. A project plan is proposed. The plan includes a first phase of electromagnetic simulations to assess whether the design will meet performance requirements, then a second phase of risk mitigation projects to address the areas of highest technical risk. The duration from project kickoff to the first magnetized target shot is approximately 29 months.« less

Large optics for the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baisden, P.

2015-01-12

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser with its 192 independent laser beams is not only the world’s largest laser, it is also the largest optical system ever built. With its 192 independent laser beams, the NIF requires a total of 7648 large-aperture (meter-sized) optics. One of the many challenges in designing and building NIF has been to carry out the research and development on optical materials, optics design, and optics manufacturing and metrology technologies needed to achieve NIF’s high output energies and precision beam quality. This paper describes the multiyear, multi-supplier, development effort that was undertaken to develop the advancedmore » optical materials, coatings, fabrication technologies, and associated process improvements necessary to manufacture the wide range of NIF optics. The optics include neodymium-doped phosphate glass laser amplifiers; fused silica lenses, windows, and phase plates; mirrors and polarizers with multi-layer, high-reflectivity dielectric coatings deposited on BK7 substrates; and potassium di-hydrogen phosphate crystal optics for fast optical switches, frequency conversion, and polarization rotation. Also included is a discussion of optical specifications and custom metrology and quality-assurance tools designed, built, and fielded at supplier sites to verify compliance with the stringent NIF specifications. In addition, a brief description of the ongoing program to improve the operational lifetime (i.e., damage resistance) of optics exposed to high fluence in the 351-nm (3ω) is provided.« less

February 2017 - NIF Highlights

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fournier, K. B.

2017-03-13

February was a very productive month with only 20 shot days on the calendar. There were 41 target shots performed for the HED, ICF, and the Discovery Science (DS) program. The DS program had a week dedicated to their experiments that was extraordinarily fruitful: 14 target shots were performed for five independent teams, each of whom had a unique experimental platform to field. The teams and the facility worked extraordinarily well to pull off this feat! Additionally, the facility developed high-energy laser operations on a demonstration quad to investigate taking NIF to a new level of performance, and the ICFmore » program demonstrated a 40% increase in the yield from a capsule that had a new, 5-μm-diameter fill tube that apparently mitigates some of the issues that have affected implosions to date. Details follow below.« less

Metal trafficking for nitrogen fixation: NifQ donates molybdenum to NifEN/NifH for the biosynthesis of the nitrogenase FeMo-cofactor

PubMed Central

Hernandez, Jose A.; Curatti, Leonardo; Aznar, Constantino P.; Perova, Zinaida; Britt, R. David; Rubio, Luis M.

2008-01-01

The molybdenum nitrogenase, present in a diverse group of bacteria and archea, is the major contributor to biological nitrogen fixation. The nitrogenase active site contains an iron–molybdenum cofactor (FeMo-co) composed of 7Fe, 9S, 1Mo, one unidentified light atom, and homocitrate. The nifQ gene was known to be involved in the incorporation of molybdenum into nitrogenase. Here we show direct biochemical evidence for the role of NifQ in FeMo-co biosynthesis. As-isolated NifQ was found to carry a molybdenum–iron–sulfur cluster that serves as a specific molybdenum donor for FeMo-co biosynthesis. Purified NifQ supported in vitro FeMo-co synthesis in the absence of an additional molybdenum source. The mobilization of molybdenum from NifQ required the simultaneous participation of NifH and NifEN in the in vitro FeMo-co synthesis assay, suggesting that NifQ would be the physiological molybdenum donor to a hypothetical NifEN/NifH complex. PMID:18697927

Empowering Adult Learners. NIF Literacy Program Helps ABE Accomplish Human Development Mission.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hurley, Mary E.

1991-01-01

The National Issues Forum's Literacy Program uses study circles and group discussion to promote empowerment and enhance adult literacy through civic education. The program has helped the Westonka (Minnesota) Adult Basic Education project accomplish its mission and has expanded the staff's view of adult learning. (SK)

Identification and functional characterization of NifA variants that are independent of GlnB activation in the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodospirillum rubrum.

PubMed

Zou, Xiaoxiao; Zhu, Yu; Pohlmann, Edward L; Li, Jilun; Zhang, Yaoping; Roberts, Gary P

2008-09-01

The activity of NifA, the transcriptional activator of the nitrogen fixation (nif) gene, is tightly regulated in response to ammonium and oxygen. However, the mechanisms for the regulation of NifA activity are quite different among various nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Unlike the well-studied NifL-NifA regulatory systems in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Azotobacter vinelandii, in Rhodospirillum rubrum NifA is activated by a direct protein-protein interaction with the uridylylated form of GlnB, which in turn causes a conformational change in NifA. We report the identification of several substitutions in the N-terminal GAF domain of R. rubrum NifA that allow NifA to be activated in the absence of GlnB. Presumably these substitutions cause conformational changes in NifA necessary for activation, without interaction with GlnB. We also found that wild-type NifA can be activated in a GlnB-independent manner under certain growth conditions, suggesting that some other effector(s) can also activate NifA. An attempt to use Tn5 mutagenesis to obtain mutants that altered the pool of these presumptive effector(s) failed, though much rarer spontaneous mutations in nifA were detected. This suggests that the necessary alteration of the pool of effector(s) for NifA activation cannot be obtained by knockout mutations.

Expression of the nifBfdxNnifOQ region of Azotobacter vinelandii and its role in nitrogenase activity.

PubMed Central

Rodríguez-Quiñones, F; Bosch, R; Imperial, J

1993-01-01

The nifBQ transcriptional unit of Azotobacter vinelandii has been previously shown to be required for activity of the three nitrogenase systems, Mo nitrogenase, V nitrogenase, and Fe nitrogenase, present in this organism. We studied regulation of expression and the role of the nifBQ region by means of translational beta-galactosidase fusions to each of the five open reading frames: nifB, orf2 (fdxN), orf3 (nifO), nifQ, and orf5. Expression of the first three open reading frames was observed under all three diazotrophic conditions; expression of orf5 was never observed. Genes nifB and fdxN were expressed at similar levels. With Mo, expression of nifO and nifQ was approximately 20- and approximately 400-fold lower than that of fdxN, respectively. Without Mo, expression of nifB dropped three- to fourfold and that of nifQ dropped to the detection limit. However, expression of nifO increased threefold. The products of nifB, fdxN, nifO, and nifQ have been visualized in A. vinelandii as beta-galactosidase fusion proteins with the expected molecular masses. The NifB- fusion lacked activity for any of the three nitrogenase systems and showed an iron-molybdenum cofactor-deficient phenotype in the presence of Mo. The FdxN- mutation resulted in reduced nitrogenase activities, especially when V was present. Dinitrogenase activity in extracts was similarly affected, suggesting a role of FdxN in iron-molybdenum cofactor synthesis. The NifO(-)-producing mutation did not affect any of the nitrogenases under standard diazotrophic conditions. The NifQ(-)-producing mutation resulted in an increased (approximately 1,000-fold) Mo requirement for Mo nitrogenase activity, a phenotype already observed with Klebsiella pneumoniae. No effect of the NifQ(-)-producing mutation on V or Fe nitrogenase was found; this is consistent with its very low expression under those conditions. Mutations in orf5 had no effect on nitrogenase activity. Images PMID:8491713

Three-dimensional reconstruction of neutron, gamma-ray, and x-ray sources using spherical harmonic decomposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volegov, P. L.; Danly, C. R.; Fittinghoff, D.; Geppert-Kleinrath, V.; Grim, G.; Merrill, F. E.; Wilde, C. H.

2017-11-01

Neutron, gamma-ray, and x-ray imaging are important diagnostic tools at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) for measuring the two-dimensional (2D) size and shape of the neutron producing region, for probing the remaining ablator and measuring the extent of the DT plasmas during the stagnation phase of Inertial Confinement Fusion implosions. Due to the difficulty and expense of building these imagers, at most only a few two-dimensional projections images will be available to reconstruct the three-dimensional (3D) sources. In this paper, we present a technique that has been developed for the 3D reconstruction of neutron, gamma-ray, and x-ray sources from a minimal number of 2D projections using spherical harmonics decomposition. We present the detailed algorithms used for this characterization and the results of reconstructed sources from experimental neutron and x-ray data collected at OMEGA and NIF.

High-resolution spectroscopy for Doppler-broadening ion temperature measurements of implosions at the National Ignition Facility.

PubMed

Koch, J A; Stewart, R E; Beiersdorfer, P; Shepherd, R; Schneider, M B; Miles, A R; Scott, H A; Smalyuk, V A; Hsing, W W

2012-10-01

Future implosion experiments at the national ignition facility (NIF) will endeavor to simultaneously measure electron and ion temperatures with temporal and spatial resolution in order to explore non-equilibrium temperature distributions and their relaxation toward equilibrium. In anticipation of these experiments, and with understanding of the constraints of the NIF facility environment, we have explored the use of Doppler broadening of mid-Z dopant emission lines, such as krypton He-α at 13 keV, as a diagnostic of time- and potentially space-resolved ion temperature. We have investigated a number of options analytically and with numerical raytracing, and we have identified several promising candidate spectrometer designs that meet the expected requirements of spectral and temporal resolution and data signal-to-noise ratio for gas-filled exploding pusher implosions, while providing maximum flexibility for use on a variety of experiments that potentially include burning plasma.

Extended performance gas Cherenkov detector for gamma-ray detection in high-energy density experiments.

PubMed

Herrmann, H W; Kim, Y H; Young, C S; Fatherley, V E; Lopez, F E; Oertel, J A; Malone, R M; Rubery, M S; Horsfield, C J; Stoeffl, W; Zylstra, A B; Shmayda, W T; Batha, S H

2014-11-01

A new Gas Cherenkov Detector (GCD) with low-energy threshold and high sensitivity, currently known as Super GCD (or GCD-3 at OMEGA), is being developed for use at the OMEGA Laser Facility and the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Super GCD is designed to be pressurized to ≤400 psi (absolute) and uses all metal seals to allow the use of fluorinated gases inside the target chamber. This will allow the gamma energy threshold to be run as low at 1.8 MeV with 400 psi (absolute) of C2F6, opening up a new portion of the gamma ray spectrum. Super GCD operating at 20 cm from TCC will be ∼400 × more efficient at detecting DT fusion gammas at 16.7 MeV than the Gamma Reaction History diagnostic at NIF (GRH-6m) when operated at their minimum thresholds.

Calibration of a High Resolution X-ray Spectrometer for High-Energy-Density Plasmas on NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kraus, B.; Gao, L.; Hill, K. W.; Bitter, M.; Efthimion, P.; Schneider, M. B.; Chen, H.; Ayers, J.; Beiersdorfer, P.; Liedahl, D.; Macphee, A. G.; Thorn, D. B.; Bettencourt, R.; Kauffman, R.; Le, H.; Nelson, D.

2017-10-01

A high-resolution, DIM-based (Diagnostic Instrument Manipulator) x-ray crystal spectrometer has been calibrated for and deployed at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to diagnose plasma conditions and mix in ignition capsules near stagnation times. Two conical crystals in the Hall geometry focus rays from the Kr He- α, Ly- α, and He- β complexes onto a streak camera for time-resolved spectra, in order to measure electron density and temperature by observing Stark broadening and relative intensities of dielectronic satellites. Signals from these two crystals are correlated with a third crystal that time-integrates the intervening energy range. The spectrometer has been absolutely calibrated using a microfocus x-ray source, an array of CCD and single-photon-counting detectors, and K- and L-absorption edge filters. Measurements of the integrated reflectivity, energy range, and energy resolution for each crystal will be presented. The implications of the calibration on signal levels from NIF implosions and x-ray filter choices will be discussed. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. DoE by Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory under contract DE-AC02-09CH11466 and by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Software solutions manage the definition, operation, maintenance and configuration control of the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dobson, D; Churby, A; Krieger, E

2011-07-25

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is the world's largest laser composed of millions of individual parts brought together to form one massive assembly. Maintaining control of the physical definition, status and configuration of this structure is a monumental undertaking yet critical to the validity of the shot experiment data and the safe operation of the facility. The NIF business application suite of software provides the means to effectively manage the definition, build, operation, maintenance and configuration control of all components of the National Ignition Facility. State of the art Computer Aided Design software applications are used to generate a virtualmore » model and assemblies. Engineering bills of material are controlled through the Enterprise Configuration Management System. This data structure is passed to the Enterprise Resource Planning system to create a manufacturing bill of material. Specific parts are serialized then tracked along their entire lifecycle providing visibility to the location and status of optical, target and diagnostic components that are key to assessing pre-shot machine readiness. Nearly forty thousand items requiring preventive, reactive and calibration maintenance are tracked through the System Maintenance & Reliability Tracking application to ensure proper operation. Radiological tracking applications ensure proper stewardship of radiological and hazardous materials and help provide a safe working environment for NIF personnel.« less

Expression, purification, and functional analysis of the C-terminal domain of Herbaspirillum seropedicae NifA protein.

PubMed

Monteiro, Rose A; Souza, Emanuel M; Geoffrey Yates, M; Steffens, M Berenice R; Pedrosa, Fábio O; Chubatsu, Leda S

2003-02-01

The Herbaspirillum seropedicae NifA protein is responsible for nif gene expression. The C-terminal domain of the H. seropedicae NifA protein, fused to a His-Tag sequence (His-Tag-C-terminal), was over-expressed and purified by metal-affinity chromatography to yield a highly purified and active protein. Band-shift assays showed that the NifA His-Tag-C-terminal bound specifically to the H. seropedicae nifB promoter region in vitro. In vivo analysis showed that this protein inhibited the Central + C-terminal domains of NifA protein from activating the nifH promoter of K. pneumoniae in Escherichia coli, indicating that the protein must be bound to the NifA-binding site (UAS site) at the nifH promoter region to activate transcription. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science (USA)

Aerosol-Assisted Solid Debris Collection for the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nelson, S L; Shaughnessy, D A; Moody, K J

2010-05-21

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) has been completed and has made its first shots on-target. While upcoming experiments will be focused on achieving ignition, a variety of subsequent experiments are planned for the facility, including measurement of cross sections, astrophysical measurements, and investigation of hydrodynamic instability in the target capsule. In order to successfully execute several of these planned experiments, the ability to collect solid debris following a NIF capsule shot will be required. The ability to collect and analyze solid debris generated in a shot at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) will greatly expand the number of nuclear reactionsmore » studied for diagnostic purposes. Currently, reactions are limited to only those producing noble gases for cryogenic collection and counting with the Radchem Apparatus for Gas Sampling (RAGS). The radchem solid collection diagnostic has already been identified by NIF to be valuable for the determination and understanding of mix generated in the target capsule's ablation. LLNL is currently developing this solid debris collection capability at NIF, and is in the stage of testing credible designs. Some of these designs explore the use of x-ray generated aerosols to assist in collection of solid debris. However, the variety of harsh experimental conditions this solid collection device will encounter in NIF are challenging to replicate. Experiments performed by Gary Grim et al. at Sandia National Laboratory's RHEPP1 facility have shown that ablation causes a cloud of material removed from an exposed surface to move normal to and away from the surface. This ablation is certain to be a concern in the NIF target chamber from the prompt x-rays, gamma rays, etc. generated in the shot. The cloud of ablated material could interfere with the collection of the desired reaction debris by slowing down the debris so that the kinetic energy is too low to allow implantation, or by stopping the debris from reaching the collection device entirely. Our goal is to use this primary ablation wave to our advantage, by the creation of ionized alkali metal halide salt aerosols. This technique is similar to that used by many particle accelerator groups for gas-jet transport. Ideally the salt would be ablated from a substrate, encounter the reaction debris, agglomerate, and be collected for further study. We have done studies at laser and pulsed-power facilities (Titan laser at LLNL, Trident laser at LANL, Zebra z-pinch at Nevada Terawatt Facility) evaluating the hardiness of materials for placement in the NIF target chamber, as well as testing aerosol generation by the incident x-rays generated in device shots. To test this method's potential success in the NIF environment, we have tested KCl, KI, RbI, and CsI films of 1 and 2 um linear thickness on aluminum and silicon wafer substrates in these aforementioned facilities, at varied distances. These salts do ablate in the presence of sufficient x-ray fluence. Further analysis to quantify the final ablation depth as a function of x-ray fluence is ongoing. Half of each sample was masked with a thick tungsten foil for photon opacity. KCl was the most difficult salt to ablate, from comparing the tungsten-masked side of the samples to the unmasked side of the samples. This is likely due to KCl's absorbance peak being at lower wavelengths than that of KI, {approx}160 nm vs. {approx}220 nm, respectively. Samples with and without collimation were tested to identify if any condensation of these ablated salts occurred after ablation. Visual inspection of the silicon wafer witness plates placed parallel to the direction of the incident photons showed that a vapor was deposited on the wafers next to the collimators. Further analysis with EDS in the case of the collimated samples conclusively identified the vapor as CsI. We also intend to examine samples of bare substrate exposed to the same experimental conditions for post-shot change via SEM images, optical microscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Furthermore, tests with separated isotopes may be done to reduce background contamination. When sample optimization is complete, we plan to develop a 'catcher' device for these desorbed aerosols. Current ideas include biased grids to either attract the ionized particles to the grid, or repel them towards a collection device.« less

VTVH-MCD study of the Delta nifB Delta nifZ MoFe protein from Azotobacter vinelandii.

PubMed

Cotton, Marcia S; Rupnik, Kresimir; Broach, Robyn B; Hu, Yilin; Fay, Aaron W; Ribbe, Markus W; Hales, Brian J

2009-04-08

NifZ is a member of a series of proteins associated with the maturation of the nitrogenase MoFe protein. An MCD spectroscopic study was undertaken on the Delta nifB Delta nifZ MoFe protein generated in the absence of both NifZ and NifB (deletion of NifB generates an apo-MoFe protein lacking the FeMo cofactor). Results presented here show that, in the absence of NifZ, only one of the two P-clusters of the MoFe protein is matured to the ultimate [8Fe-7S] structure. The other P-cluster site in the protein contains a [4Fe-4S] cluster pair, representing a P-cluster precursor that is electronically identical to the analogous clusters observed in the Delta nifH MoFe protein. These results suggest that the MoFe protein is synthesized in a stepwise fashion where NifZ is specifically required for the formation of the second P-cluster.

Inertial Fusion and High-Energy-Density Science in the United States

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tarter, C B

2001-09-06

Inertial fusion and high-energy density science worldwide is poised to take a great leap forward. In the US, programs at the University of Rochester, Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the Naval Research Laboratory, and many smaller laboratories have laid the groundwork for building a facility in which fusion ignition can be studied in the laboratory for the first time. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is being built by the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Agency to provide an experimental test bed for the US Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP) to ensure the dependabilitymore » of the country's nuclear deterrent without underground nuclear testing. NIF and other large laser systems being planned such as the Laser MegaJoule (LMJ) in France will also make important contributions to basic science, the development of inertial fusion energy, and other scientific and technological endeavors. NIF will be able to produce extreme temperatures and pressures in matter. This will allow simulating astrophysical phenomena (on a tiny scale) and measuring the equation of state of material under conditions that exist in planetary cores.« less

National Ignition Facility project acquisition plan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Callaghan, R.W.

The purpose of this National Ignition Facility Acquisition Plan is to describe the overall procurement strategy planned for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) Project. The scope of the plan describes the procurement activities and acquisition strategy for the following phases of the NIF Project, each of which receives either plant and capital equipment (PACE) or other project cost (OPC) funds: Title 1 and 2 design and Title 3 engineering (PACE); Optics manufacturing facilitization and pilot production (OPC); Convention facility construction (PACE); Procurement, installation, and acceptance testing of equipment (PACE); and Start-up (OPC). Activities that are part of the base Inertialmore » Confinement Fusion (ICF) Program are not included in this plan. The University of California (UC), operating Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Lockheed-Martin, which operates Sandia National Laboratory (SNL) and the University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics (UR-LLE), will conduct the acquisition of needed products and services in support of their assigned responsibilities within the NIF Project structure in accordance with their prime contracts with the Department of Energy (DOE). LLNL, designated as the lead Laboratory, will have responsibility for all procurements required for construction, installation, activation, and startup of the NIF.« less

Regulation of nif expression in Methanococcus maripaludis: roles of the euryarchaeal repressor NrpR, 2-oxoglutarate, and two operators.

PubMed

Lie, Thomas J; Wood, Gwendolyn E; Leigh, John A

2005-02-18

The methanogenic archaean Methanococcus maripaludis can use ammonia, alanine, or dinitrogen as a nitrogen source for growth. The euryarchaeal nitrogen repressor NrpR controls the expression of the nif (nitrogen fixation) operon, resulting in full repression with ammonia, intermediate repression with alanine, and derepression with dinitrogen. NrpR binds to two tandem operators in the nif promoter region, nifOR(1) and nifOR(2). Here we have undertaken both in vivo and in vitro approaches to study the way in which NrpR, nifOR(1), nifOR(2), and the effector 2-oxoglutarate (2OG) combine to regulate nif expression, leading to a comprehensive understanding of this archaeal regulatory system. We show that NrpR binds as a dimer to nifOR(1) and cooperatively as two dimers to both operators. Cooperative binding occurs only with both operators present. nifOR(1) has stronger binding and by itself can mediate the repression of nif transcription during growth on ammonia, unlike the weakly binding nifOR(2). However, nifOR(2) in combination with nifOR(1) is critical for intermediate repression during growth on alanine. Accordingly, NrpR binds to both operators together with higher affinity than to nifOR(1) alone. NrpR responds directly to 2OG, which weakens its binding to the operators. Hence, 2OG is an intracellular indicator of nitrogen deficiency and acts as an inducer of nif transcription via NrpR. This model is upheld by the recent finding (J. A. Dodsworth and J. A. Leigh, submitted for publication) in our laboratory that 2OG levels in M. maripaludis vary with growth on different nitrogen sources.

Techniques: Integrating the National Issues Forums into ABE Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colhapp, Barbara Jones

1989-01-01

This article discusses the National Issues Forum (NIF), a national, nonpartisan program designed to encourage citizen discussion of important public issues. The programs try to recreate the town meeting concept of reaching consensus on public issues. Short workbooks are available on two reading levels for issues such as the superpowers, crime,…

Managing NIF safety equipment in a high neutron and gamma radiation environment.

PubMed

Datte, Philip; Eckart, Mark; Jackson, Mark; Khater, Hesham; Manuel, Stacie; Newton, Mark

2013-06-01

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a 192 laser beam facility that supports the Inertial Confinement Fusion program. During the ignition experimental campaign, the NIF is expected to perform shots with varying fusion yield producing 14 MeV neutrons up to 20 MJ or 7.1 × 10(18) neutrons per shot and a maximum annual yield of 1,200 MJ. Several infrastructure support systems will be exposed to varying high yield shots over the facility's 30-y life span. In response to this potential exposure, analysis and testing of several facility safety systems have been conducted. A detailed MCNP (Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code) model has been developed for the NIF facility, and it includes most of the major structures inside the Target Bay. The model has been used in the simulation of expected neutron and gamma fluences throughout the Target Bay. Radiation susceptible components were identified and tested to fluences greater than 10(13) (n cm(-2)) for 14 MeV neutrons and γ-ray equivalent. The testing includes component irradiation using a 60Co gamma source and accelerator-based irradiation using 4- and 14- MeV neutron sources. The subsystem implementation in the facility is based on the fluence estimates after shielding and survivability guidelines derived from the dose maps and component tests results. This paper reports on the evaluation and implementation of mitigations for several infrastructure safety support systems, including video, oxygen monitoring, pressure monitors, water sensing systems, and access control interfaces found at the NIF.

"Defense-in-Depth" Laser Safety and the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

King, J J

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is the largest and most energetic laser in the world contained in a complex the size of a football stadium. From the initial laser pulse, provided by telecommunication style infrared nanoJoule pulsed lasers, to the final 192 laser beams (1.8 Mega Joules total energy in the ultraviolet) converging on a target the size of a pencil eraser, laser safety is of paramount concern. In addition to this, there are numerous high-powered (Class 3B and 4) diagnostic lasers in use that can potentially send their laser radiation travelling throughout the facility. With individual beam paths ofmore » up to 1500 meters and a workforce of more than one thousand, the potential for exposure is significant. Simple laser safety practices utilized in typical laser labs just don't apply. To mitigate these hazards, NIF incorporates a multi layered approach to laser safety or 'Defense in Depth.' Most typical high-powered laser operations are contained and controlled within a single room using relatively simplistic controls to protect both the worker and the public. Laser workers are trained, use a standard operating procedure, and are required to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as Laser Protective Eyewear (LPE) if the system is not fully enclosed. Non-workers are protected by means of posting the room with a warning sign and a flashing light. In the best of cases, a Safety Interlock System (SIS) will be employed which will 'safe' the laser in the case of unauthorized access. This type of laser operation is relatively easy to employ and manage. As the operation becomes more complex, higher levels of control are required to ensure personnel safety. Examples requiring enhanced controls are outdoor and multi-room laser operations. At the NIF there are 192 beam lines and numerous other Class 4 diagnostic lasers that can potentially deliver their hazardous energy to locations far from the laser source. This presents a serious and complex potential hazard to personnel. Because of this, a multilayered approach to safety is taken. This paper presents the philosophy and approach taken at the NIF in the multi-layered 'defense-in-depth' approach to laser safety.« less

The Crystal Backlighter Imager: a spherically-bent crystal imager for radiography on the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall, Gareth; Krauland, Christine; Buscho, Justin; Hibbard, Robin; McCarville, Thomas; Lowe-Webb, Roger; Ayers, Shannon; Kalantar, Daniel; Kohut, Thomas; Kemp, G. Elijah; Bradley, David; Bell, Perry; Landen, Otto; Brewster, Nathaniel; Piston, Kenneth

2017-10-01

The Crystal Backlighter Imager (CBI) is a quasi-monochromatic, near-normal incidence, spherically-bent crystal imager being developed for the NIF, which will allow ICF capsule implosions to be radiographed close to stagnation for the first time. This has not been possible using the previous pinhole-based area-backlighter configuration, as the self-emission from the capsule hotspot overwhelms the backlighter in the final stages of the implosion. CBI mitigates the broadband self-emission from the capsule hot spot by using the extremely narrow bandwidth (a few eV) inherent to imagers based on near-normal-incidence Bragg x-ray optics. The development of a diagnostic with the capability to image the capsule during the final stages of the implosion (r less than 200um) is important, as it will allow the shape, integrity and density of the shell to be measured, and will allow the evolution of features, such as the fill tube and capsule support structure, to be imaged close to bang time. The concept and operation of the 11.6keV CBI diagnostic will be discussed, and the first results from experiments on the NIF will be presented. Prepared by LLNL under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Expression of the nifA gene of Herbaspirillum seropedicae: role of the NtrC and NifA binding sites and of the -24/-12 promoter element.

PubMed

Souza, E M; Pedrosa, F O; Rigo, L U; Machado, H B; Yates, M G

2000-06-01

The nifA promoter of Herbaspirillum seropedicae contains potential NtrC, NifA and IHF binding sites together with a -12/-24 sigma(N)-dependent promoter. This region has now been investigated by deletion mutagenesis for the effect of NtrC and NifA on the expression of a nifA::lacZ fusion. A 5' end to the RNA was identified at position 641, 12 bp downstream from the -12/-24 promoter. Footprinting experiments showed that the G residues at positions -26 and -9 are hypermethylated, and that the region from -10 to +10 is partially melted under nitrogen-fixing conditions, confirming that this is the active nifA promoter. In H. seropedicae nifA expression from the sigma(N)-dependent promoter is repressed by fixed nitrogen but not by oxygen and is probably activated by the NtrC protein. NifA protein is apparently not essential for nifA expression but it can still bind the NifA upstream activating sequence.

The nif Gene Operon of the Methanogenic Archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis

PubMed Central

Kessler, Peter S.; Blank, Carrine; Leigh, John A.

1998-01-01

Nitrogen fixation occurs in two domains, Archaea and Bacteria. We have characterized a nif (nitrogen fixation) gene cluster in the methanogenic archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis. Sequence analysis revealed eight genes, six with sequence similarity to known nif genes and two with sequence similarity to glnB. The gene order, nifH, ORF105 (similar to glnB), ORF121 (similar to glnB), nifD, nifK, nifE, nifN, and nifX, was the same as that found in part in other diazotrophic methanogens and except for the presence of the glnB-like genes, also resembled the order found in many members of the Bacteria. Using transposon insertion mutagenesis, we determined that an 8-kb region required for nitrogen fixation corresponded to the nif gene cluster. Northern analysis revealed the presence of either a single 7.6-kb nif mRNA transcript or 10 smaller mRNA species containing portions of the large transcript. Polar effects of transposon insertions demonstrated that all of these mRNAs arose from a single promoter region, where transcription initiated 80 bp 5′ to nifH. Distinctive features of the nif gene cluster include the presence of the six primary nif genes in a single operon, the placement of the two glnB-like genes within the cluster, the apparent physical separation of the cluster from any other nif genes that might be in the genome, the fragmentation pattern of the mRNA, and the regulation of expression by a repression mechanism described previously. Our study and others with methanogenic archaea reporting multiple mRNAs arising from gene clusters with only a single putative promoter sequence suggest that mRNA processing following transcription may be a common occurrence in methanogens. PMID:9515920

Enhanced oxygen consumption in Herbaspirillum seropedicae fnr mutants leads to increased NifA mediated transcriptional activation.

PubMed

Batista, Marcelo Bueno; Wassem, Roseli; Pedrosa, Fábio de Oliveira; de Souza, Emanuel Maltempi; Dixon, Ray; Monteiro, Rose Adele

2015-05-07

Orthologous proteins of the Crp/Fnr family have been previously implicated in controlling expression and/or activity of the NifA transcriptional activator in some diazotrophs. This study aimed to address the role of three Fnr-like proteins from H. seropedicae SmR1 in controlling NifA activity and consequent NifA-mediated transcription activation. The activity of NifA-dependent transcriptional fusions (nifA::lacZ and nifB::lacZ) was analysed in a series of H. seropedicae fnr deletion mutant backgrounds. We found that combined deletions in both the fnr1 and fnr3 genes lead to higher expression of both the nifA and nifB genes and also an increased level of nifH transcripts. Expression profiles of nifB under different oxygen concentrations, together with oxygen consumption measurements suggest that the triple fnr mutant has higher respiratory activity when compared to the wild type, which we believe to be responsible for greater stability of the oxygen sensitive NifA protein. This conclusion was further substantiated by measuring the levels of NifA protein and its activity in fnr deletion strains in comparison with the wild-type. Fnr proteins are indirectly involved in controlling the activity of NifA in H. seropedicae, probably as a consequence of their influence on respiratory activity in relation to oxygen availability. Additionally we can suggest that there is some redundancy in the physiological function of the three Fnr paralogs in this organism, since altered respiration and effects on NifA activity are only observed in deletion strains lacking both fnr1 and fnr3.

Nuclear Diagnostics at the National Ignition Facility, 2013-2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeamans, C. B.; Cassata, W. S.; Church, J. A.; Fittinghoff, D. N.; Gatu Johnson, M.; Gharibyan, N.; Határik, R.; Sayre, D. B.; Sio, H. W.; Bionta, R. M.; Bleuel, D. L.; Caggiano, J. A.; Cerjan, C. J.; Cooper, G. W.; Eckart, M. J.; Edwards, E. R.; Faye, S. A.; Forrest, C. J.; Frenje, J. A.; Glebov, V. Yu; Grant, P. M.; Grim, G. P.; Hartouni, E. P.; Herrmann, H. W.; Kilkenny, J. D.; Knauer, J. P.; Mackinnon, A. J.; Merrill, F. E.; Moody, K. J.; Moran, M. J.; Petrasso, R. D.; Phillips, T. W.; Rinderknecht, H. G.; Schneider, D. H. G.; Sepke, S. M.; Shaughnessy, D. A.; Stoeffl, W.; Velsko, C. A.; Volegov, P.

2016-05-01

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) relies on a suite of nuclear diagnostics to measure the neutronic output of experiments. Neutron time-of-flight (NTOF) and neutron activation diagnostics (NAD) provide performance metrics of absolute neutron yield and neutron spectral content: spectral width and non-thermal content, from which implosion physical quantities of temperature and scattering mass are inferred. Spatially-distributed flange- mounted NADs (FNAD) measure, with nearly identical systematic uncertainties, primary DT neutron emission to infer a whole-sky neutron field. An automated FNAD system is being developed. A magnetic recoil spectrometer (MRS) shares few systematics with comparable NTOF and NAD devices, and as such is deployed for independent measurement of the primary neutronic quantities. The gas-Cherenkov Gamma Reaction History (GRH) instrument records four energy channels of time-resolved gamma emission to measure nuclear bang time and burn width, as well as to infer carbon areal density in experiments utilizing plastic or diamond capsules. A neutron imaging system (NIS) takes two images of the neutron source, typically gated to create coregistered 13-15 MeV primary and 6-12 MeV downscattered images. The radiochemical analysis of gaseous samples (RAGS) instrument pumps target chamber gas to a chemical reaction and fractionation system configured with gamma counters, allowing measurement of radionuclides with half-lives as short as 8 seconds. Solid radiochemistry collectors (SRC) with backing NAD foils collect target debris, where activated materials from the target assembly are used as indicators of neutron spectrum content, and also serve as the primary diagnostic for nuclear forensic science experiments. Particle time-of-flight (PTOF) measures compression-bang time using DT- or DD-neutrons, as well as shock bang-time using D3He-protons for implosions with lower x-ray background. In concert, these diagnostics serve to measure the basic and advanced quantities required to understand NIF experimental results.

The NifA-RpoN Regulon of Mesorhizobium loti Strain R7A and Its Symbiotic Activation by a Novel LacI/GalR-Family Regulator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sullivan, John T.; Brown, Steven D.; Ronson, Clive W.

Mesorhizobium loti is the microsymbiont of Lotus species, including the model legume L. japonicus. M. loti differs from other rhizobia in that it contains two copies of the key nitrogen fixation regulatory gene nifA, nifA1 and nifA2, both of which are located on the symbiosis island ICEMlSymR7A. M. loti R7A also contains two rpoN genes, rpoN1 located on the chromosome outside of ICEMlSymR7A and rpoN2 that is located on ICEMlSymR7A. The aims of the current work were to establish how nifA expression was activated in M. loti and to characterise the NifA-RpoN regulon. The nifA2 and rpoN2 genes were essentialmore » for nitrogen fixation whereas nifA1 and rpoN1 were dispensable. Expression of nifA2 was activated, possibly in response to an inositol derivative, by a novel regulator of the LacI/GalR family encoded by the fixV gene located upstream of nifA2. Other than the well-characterized nif/fix genes, most NifA2-regulated genes were not required for nitrogen fixation although they were strongly expressed in nodules. The NifA-regulated nifZ and fixU genes, along with nifQ which was not NifA-regulated, were required in M. loti for a fully effective symbiosis although they are not present in some other rhizobia. The NifA-regulated gene msi158 that encodes a porin was also required for a fully effective symbiosis. Several metabolic genes that lacked NifA-regulated promoters were strongly expressed in nodules in a NifA2-dependent manner but again mutants did not have an overt symbiotic phenotype. In summary, many genes encoded on ICEMlSymR7A were strongly expressed in nodules but not free-living rhizobia, but were not essential for symbiotic nitrogen fixation. It seems likely that some of these genes have functional homologues elsewhere in the genome and that bacteroid metabolism may be sufficiently plastic to adapt to loss of certain enzymatic functions.« less

The NifA-RpoN Regulon of Mesorhizobium loti Strain R7A and Its Symbiotic Activation by a Novel LacI/GalR-Family Regulator

PubMed Central

Sullivan, John T.; Brown, Steven D.; Ronson, Clive W.

2013-01-01

Mesorhizobium loti is the microsymbiont of Lotus species, including the model legume L. japonicus. M. loti differs from other rhizobia in that it contains two copies of the key nitrogen fixation regulatory gene nifA, nifA1 and nifA2, both of which are located on the symbiosis island ICEMlSymR7A. M. loti R7A also contains two rpoN genes, rpoN1 located on the chromosome outside of ICEMlSymR7A and rpoN2 that is located on ICEMlSymR7A. The aims of the current work were to establish how nifA expression was activated in M. loti and to characterise the NifA-RpoN regulon. The nifA2 and rpoN2 genes were essential for nitrogen fixation whereas nifA1 and rpoN1 were dispensable. Expression of nifA2 was activated, possibly in response to an inositol derivative, by a novel regulator of the LacI/GalR family encoded by the fixV gene located upstream of nifA2. Other than the well-characterized nif/fix genes, most NifA2-regulated genes were not required for nitrogen fixation although they were strongly expressed in nodules. The NifA-regulated nifZ and fixU genes, along with nifQ which was not NifA-regulated, were required in M. loti for a fully effective symbiosis although they are not present in some other rhizobia. The NifA-regulated gene msi158 that encodes a porin was also required for a fully effective symbiosis. Several metabolic genes that lacked NifA-regulated promoters were strongly expressed in nodules in a NifA2-dependent manner but again mutants did not have an overt symbiotic phenotype. In summary, many genes encoded on ICEMlSymR7A were strongly expressed in nodules but not free-living rhizobia, but were not essential for symbiotic nitrogen fixation. It seems likely that some of these genes have functional homologues elsewhere in the genome and that bacteroid metabolism may be sufficiently plastic to adapt to loss of certain enzymatic functions. PMID:23308282

Role of conserved cysteine residues in Herbaspirillum seropedicae NifA activity.

PubMed

Oliveira, Marco A S; Baura, Valter A; Aquino, Bruno; Huergo, Luciano F; Kadowaki, Marco A S; Chubatsu, Leda S; Souza, Emanuel M; Dixon, Ray; Pedrosa, Fábio O; Wassem, Roseli; Monteiro, Rose A

2009-01-01

Herbaspirillum seropedicae is an endophytic diazotrophic bacterium that associates with economically important crops. NifA protein, the transcriptional activator of nif genes in H. seropedicae, binds to nif promoters and, together with RNA polymerase-sigma(54) holoenzyme, catalyzes the formation of open complexes to allow transcription initiation. The activity of H. seropedicae NifA is controlled by ammonium and oxygen levels, but the mechanisms of such control are unknown. Oxygen sensitivity is attributed to a conserved motif of cysteine residues in NifA that spans the central AAA+ domain and the interdomain linker that connects the AAA+ domain to the C-terminal DNA binding domain. Here we mutagenized this conserved motif of cysteines and assayed the activity of mutant proteins in vivo. We also purified the mutant variants of NifA and tested their capacity to bind to the nifB promoter region. Chimeric proteins between H. seropedicae NifA, an oxygen-sensitive protein, and Azotobacter vinelandii NifA, an oxygen-tolerant protein, were constructed and showed that the oxygen response is conferred by the central AAA+ and C-terminal DNA binding domains of H. seropedicae NifA. We conclude that the conserved cysteine motif is essential for NifA activity, although single cysteine-to-serine mutants are still competent at binding DNA.

Cluster assembly in nitrogenase.

PubMed

Sickerman, Nathaniel S; Rettberg, Lee A; Lee, Chi Chung; Hu, Yilin; Ribbe, Markus W

2017-05-09

The versatile enzyme system nitrogenase accomplishes the challenging reduction of N 2 and other substrates through the use of two main metalloclusters. For molybdenum nitrogenase, the catalytic component NifDK contains the [Fe 8 S 7 ]-core P-cluster and a [MoFe 7 S 9 C-homocitrate] cofactor called the M-cluster. These chemically unprecedented metalloclusters play a critical role in the reduction of N 2 , and both originate from [Fe 4 S 4 ] clusters produced by the actions of NifS and NifU. Maturation of P-cluster begins with a pair of these [Fe 4 S 4 ] clusters on NifDK called the P*-cluster. An accessory protein NifZ aids in P-cluster fusion, and reductive coupling is facilitated by NifH in a stepwise manner to form P-cluster on each half of NifDK. For M-cluster biosynthesis, two [Fe 4 S 4 ] clusters on NifB are coupled with a carbon atom in a radical-SAM dependent process, and concomitant addition of a 'ninth' sulfur atom generates the [Fe 8 S 9 C]-core L-cluster. On the scaffold protein NifEN, L-cluster is matured to M-cluster by the addition of Mo and homocitrate provided by NifH. Finally, matured M-cluster in NifEN is directly transferred to NifDK, where a conformational change locks the cofactor in place. Mechanistic insights into these fascinating biosynthetic processes are detailed in this chapter. © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society.

Interaction of GlnK with the GAF domain of Herbaspirillum seropedicae NifA mediates NH₄⁺-regulation.

PubMed

Oliveira, Marco A S; Aquino, Bruno; Bonatto, Ana Claudia; Huergo, Luciano F; Chubatsu, Leda S; Pedrosa, Fábio O; Souza, Emanuel M; Dixon, Ray; Monteiro, Rose A

2012-04-01

Nitrogen fixation in Herbaspirillum seropedicae is transcriptionally regulated by NifA, a σ(54) transcriptional activator with three structural domains: an N-terminal GAF domain, a catalytic AAA+ domain and a C-terminal DNA-binding domain. NifA is only active in H. seropedicae when cultures are grown in the absence of fixed nitrogen and at low oxygen tensions. There is evidence that the inactivation of NifA in response to fixed nitrogen is mediated by the regulatory GAF domain. However, the mechanism of NifA repression by the GAF domain, as well as the transduction of nitrogen status to NifA, is not understood. In order to study the regulation of NifA activity by fixed nitrogen independently of oxygen regulation, we constructed a chimeric protein containing the GAF domain of H. seropedicae NifA fused to the AAA+ and C-terminal domains of Azotobacter vinelandii NifA. This chimeric protein (NifAQ1) lacks the cysteine motif found in oxygen sensitive NifA proteins and is not oxygen responsive in vivo. Our results demonstrate that NifAQ1 responds to fixed nitrogen and requires GlnK protein for activity, a behavior similar to H. seropedicae NifA. In addition, protein footprinting analysis indicates that this response probably involves a protein-protein contact between the GAF domain and the GlnK protein. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

The Role of Oxygen in the Evolution of Molybdenum Nitrogenase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peters, J.; Boyd, E. S.; Hamilton, T. L.

2012-12-01

Since early in Earth's history, the supply of nitrogen (N) into the biosphere has been controlled by the activity of nitrogenase, an oxygen sensitive enzyme that catalyzes the reduction of dinitrogen gas (N2) to bioavailable ammonia. The most common form of nitrogenase harbors a complex molybdenum (Mo) cofactor at its active site [Mo-nitrogenase (Nif)], although other phylogenetically related (alternative) forms of nitrogenase that differ in their active-site metal composition also likely contribute NH3 in environments that are limiting in Mo. The solubility of Mo is significantly influenced by redox and this fact has been used to argue that that the iron (Fe)-dependent nitrogenase (Anf) was predominant prior to ~ 2.5 Ga because oceans were depleted in Mo and rich in Fe. This hypothesis, however, is inconsistent with recent phylogenetic data which strongly suggest that Anf is derived from Nif. Here, we examine the evolutionary history of the Nif enzyme complex in reference to the physiological, biochemical, and morphological strategies for reducing damage by molecular oxygen. A total of 189 nif operons were characterized and quantitatively mapped on a NifHDK concatenated phylogenetic tree. An overlay of the primary mode of metabolism, as defined as either anaerobic (AN) or aerobic/facultative aerobic (AFA), on the NifHDK tree indicates that Nif originated in an anoxic environment and was first acquired in an AFA lineage within the actinobacteria. The complexity of nif operons increased during the evolutionary history of Nif, with a pronounced increase observed during the transition from AN to AFA modes of metabolism. This increase in operon complexity is accompanied by a number of gene loss (nifI1 and nifI2) and gene acquisition (nifW, nifT, nifZ, nifQ) events, with variation in the overall composition of nif operons attributable to adaptations that mediated the toxicity of O2. Collectively, these results underscore the role of O2 in shaping the evolutionary history of Nif, presumably through selection to evolve regulatory and/or protective mechanisms to temporally or spatially decouple N2 fixation from aerobic metabolism.

The Azotobacter vinelandii NifEN complex contains two identical [4Fe-4S] clusters.

PubMed

Goodwin, P J; Agar, J N; Roll, J T; Roberts, G P; Johnson, M K; Dean, D R

1998-07-21

The nifE and nifN gene products from Azotobacter vinelandii form an alpha2beta2 tetramer (NifEN complex) that is required for the biosynthesis of the nitrogenase FeMo cofactor. In the current model for NifEN complex organization and function, the complex is structurally analogous to the nitrogenase MoFe protein and provides an assembly site for a portion of FeMo cofactor biosynthesis. In this work, gene fusion and immobilized metal-affinity chromatography strategies were used to elevate the in vivo production of the NifEN complex and to facilitate its rapid and efficient purification. The NifEN complex produced and purified in this way exhibits an FeMo cofactor biosynthetic activity similar to that previously described for the NifEN complex purified by traditional chromatography methods. UV-visible, EPR, variable-temperature magnetic circular dichroism, and resonance Raman spectroscopies were used to show that the NifEN complex contains two identical [4Fe-4S]2+ clusters. These clusters have a predominantly S = 1/2 ground state in the reduced form, exhibit a reduction potential of -350 mV, and are likely to be coordinated entirely by cysteinyl residues on the basis of spectroscopic properties and sequence comparisons. A model is proposed where each NifEN complex [4Fe-4S] cluster is bridged between a NifE-NifN subunit interface at a position analogous to that occupied by the P clusters in the nitrogenase MoFe protein. In contrast to the MoFe protein P clusters, the NifEN complex [4Fe-4S] clusters are proposed to be asymmetrically coordinated to the NifEN complex where NifE cysteines-37, -62, and -124 and NifN cysteine-44 are the coordinating ligands. On the basis of a homology model of the three-dimensional structure of the NifEN complex, the [4Fe-4S] cluster sites are likely to be remote from the proposed FeMo cofactor assembly site and are unlikely to become incorporated into the FeMo cofactor during its assembly.

Comparative Genomic Analysis of N2-Fixing and Non-N2-Fixing Paenibacillus spp.: Organization, Evolution and Expression of the Nitrogen Fixation Genes

PubMed Central

Xie, Jian-Bo; Du, Zhenglin; Bai, Lanqing; Tian, Changfu; Zhang, Yunzhi; Xie, Jiu-Yan; Wang, Tianshu; Liu, Xiaomeng; Chen, Xi; Cheng, Qi; Chen, Sanfeng; Li, Jilun

2014-01-01

We provide here a comparative genome analysis of 31 strains within the genus Paenibacillus including 11 new genomic sequences of N2-fixing strains. The heterogeneity of the 31 genomes (15 N2-fixing and 16 non-N2-fixing Paenibacillus strains) was reflected in the large size of the shell genome, which makes up approximately 65.2% of the genes in pan genome. Large numbers of transposable elements might be related to the heterogeneity. We discovered that a minimal and compact nif cluster comprising nine genes nifB, nifH, nifD, nifK, nifE, nifN, nifX, hesA and nifV encoding Mo-nitrogenase is conserved in the 15 N2-fixing strains. The nif cluster is under control of a σ70-depedent promoter and possesses a GlnR/TnrA-binding site in the promoter. Suf system encoding [Fe–S] cluster is highly conserved in N2-fixing and non-N2-fixing strains. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the nif cluster enabled Escherichia coli JM109 to fix nitrogen. Phylogeny of the concatenated NifHDK sequences indicates that Paenibacillus and Frankia are sister groups. Phylogeny of the concatenated 275 single-copy core genes suggests that the ancestral Paenibacillus did not fix nitrogen. The N2-fixing Paenibacillus strains were generated by acquiring the nif cluster via horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from a source related to Frankia. During the history of evolution, the nif cluster was lost, producing some non-N2-fixing strains, and vnf encoding V-nitrogenase or anf encoding Fe-nitrogenase was acquired, causing further diversification of some strains. In addition, some N2-fixing strains have additional nif and nif-like genes which may result from gene duplications. The evolution of nitrogen fixation in Paenibacillus involves a mix of gain, loss, HGT and duplication of nif/anf/vnf genes. This study not only reveals the organization and distribution of nitrogen fixation genes in Paenibacillus, but also provides insight into the complex evolutionary history of nitrogen fixation. PMID:24651173

The US ICF Ignition Program and the Inertial Fusion Program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lindl, J D; Hammel, B A; Logan, B G

2003-07-02

There has been rapid progress in inertial fusion in the past few years. This progress spans the construction of ignition facilities, a wide range of target concepts, and the pursuit of integrated programs to develop fusion energy using lasers, ion beams and z-pinches. Two ignition facilities are under construction (NIF in the U.S. and LMJ in France) and both projects are progressing toward an initial experimental capability. The LIL prototype beamline for LMJ and the first 4 beams of NIF will be available for experiments in 2003. The full 192 beam capability of NIF will be available in 2009 andmore » ignition experiments are expected to begin shortly after that time. There is steady progress in the target science and target fabrication in preparation for indirect drive ignition experiments on NIF. Advanced target designs may lead to 5-10 times more yield than initial target designs. There has also been excellent progress on the science of ion beam and z-pinch driven indirect drive targets. Excellent progress on direct-drive targets has been obtained on the Omega laser at the University of Rochester. This includes improved performance of targets with a pulse shape predicted to result in reduced hydrodynamic instability. Rochester has also obtained encouraging results from initial cryogenic implosions. There is widespread interest in the science of fast ignition because of its potential for achieving higher target gain with lower driver energy and relaxed target fabrication requirements. Researchers from Osaka have achieved outstanding implosion and heating results from the Gekko XII Petawatt facility and implosions suitable for fast ignition have been tested on the Omega laser. A broad based program to develop lasers and ions beams for IFE is under way with excellent progress in drivers, chambers, target fabrication and target injection. KrF and Diode Pumped Solid-State lasers (DPSSL) are being developed in conjunction with drywall chambers and direct drive targets. Induction accelerators for heavy ions are being developed in conjunction with thick-liquid protected wall chambers and indirect-drive targets.« less

Effect of surfactant concentration on nifedipine crystal habit and its related pharmaceutical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Dinesh; Thipparaboina, Rajesh; Modi, Sameer R.; Bansal, Arvind K.; Shastri, Nalini R.

2015-07-01

Crystallization in the presence of Polysorbate-80 (T-80), a non-ionic surfactant was explored for crystal habit modification of nifedipine polymorph I (Nif). A concentration dependent reduction in aspect ratio was observed with T-80. Generation of any new solvates/polymorphs was ruled out by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, powder X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis, while the absence of T-80 on the surface or bulk of the recrystallized samples was established by liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy. The dissolution rate order of the re-crystallized Nif habits was in the order of; Nif-D (Nif with 0.6%v/v T-80)>Nif-C (Nif with 0.4% v/v T-80)>Nif-B (Nif with 0.2% v/v T-80)>Nif-A (plain Nif). Wetting ability and surface free energy determination from contact angle measurements were used to explain the order of dissolution rate. The consequences of varying concentration of T-80 on Nif crystal habit was supported by means of molecular dynamics (MD) which was executed using COMPASS force field while modified attachment energy was computed to acquire the absolute morphology. The mechanism for alteration in the morphology was suggested based on the computed crystal surface chemistry. Nif-D crystal habit was nearly iso-diametric with majority of facets occupied by polar dominant surfaces {0 1 1} and {0 0 2} which ultimately resulted in higher dissolution rate. In Nif-B and Nif-C the dissolution rate was dependent on the proportion of polar and non-polar facet area. The methodology used in this study could be an influential tool for selection of concentration of habit-modifying additives in other crystallization studies.

A comprehensive aligned nifH gene database: a multipurpose tool for studies of nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

PubMed

Gaby, John Christian; Buckley, Daniel H

2014-01-01

We describe a nitrogenase gene sequence database that facilitates analysis of the evolution and ecology of nitrogen-fixing organisms. The database contains 32 954 aligned nitrogenase nifH sequences linked to phylogenetic trees and associated sequence metadata. The database includes 185 linked multigene entries including full-length nifH, nifD, nifK and 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequences. Evolutionary analyses enabled by the multigene entries support an ancient horizontal transfer of nitrogenase genes between Archaea and Bacteria and provide evidence that nifH has a different history of horizontal gene transfer from the nifDK enzyme core. Further analyses show that lineages in nitrogenase cluster I and cluster III have different rates of substitution within nifD, suggesting that nifD is under different selection pressure in these two lineages. Finally, we find that that the genetic divergence of nifH and 16S rRNA genes does not correlate well at sequence dissimilarity values used commonly to define microbial species, as stains having <3% sequence dissimilarity in their 16S rRNA genes can have up to 23% dissimilarity in nifH. The nifH database has a number of uses including phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses, the design and assessment of primers/probes and the evaluation of nitrogenase sequence diversity. Database URL: http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/buckley/nifh.htm.

Comparison of flowrates and voided volumes during non-instrumented uroflowmetry and pressure-flow studies in women with stress incontinence.

PubMed

Mueller, Elizabeth R; Litman, Heather; Rickey, Leslie R; Sirls, Larry; Norton, Peggy; Wilson, Tracey; Moalli, Pamela; Albo, Michael; Zimmern, Philippe

2015-08-01

The Blaivas-Groutz nomogram defines voiding obstruction in women using Qmax from the NIF and the maximum detrusor pressure (Pdetmax ) from the PFS. The aim of this study was to understand the relationship between NIF and PFS maximum flow rates in women with stress incontinence. We analyzed the UDS of 597 women with stress-dominant urinary incontinence. Each subject underwent a NIF and then a PFS. Mixed model was used to test the hypothesis that the relationship between flow rates and voided volume (VV) were similar for NIF and PFS. There were 452 subjects with both NIF and PFS studies that met the inclusion criteria and had max flow rate (Qmax ) for both NIF and PFS. The mean age was 53. Overall, higher VV were observed during PFS compared to NIF and subjects had higher Qmax with NIF compared to PFS. The relationship between Qmax and VV was significantly different between NIF and PFS (P < 0.004). At 200 ml, NIF Qmax was 14% higher than PFS Qmax and this difference increased to 30% at 700 ml. The difference between PFS Qmax and NIF Qmax increases as VV increase. As a result, values from PFS and NIF cannot be used interchangeably as has been suggested in the Blaivas-Groutz nomogram for obstruction in women. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

COMPARISON OF FLOWRATES AND VOIDED VOLUMES DURING NON-INSTRUMENTED UROFLOWMETRY AND PRESSURE-FLOW STUDIES IN WOMEN WITH STRESS INCONTINENCE

PubMed Central

Mueller, ER; Litman, H; Rickey, LR; Sirls, L; Norton, P; Wilson, T; Moalli, P; Albo, M; Zimmern, P

2014-01-01

Aims The Blaivas-Groutz nomogram defines voiding obstruction in women using Qmax from the NIF and the maximum detrusor pressure (Pdetmax) from the PFS. The aim of this study was to understand the relationship between NIF and PFS maximum flow rates in women with stress incontinence. Methods We analyzed the UDS of 597 women with stress-dominant urinary incontinence. Each subject underwent a NIF and then a PFS. Mixed model was used to test the hypothesis that the relationship between flow rates and voided volume were similar for NIF and PFS. Results There were 452 subjects with both NIF and PFS studies that met the inclusion criteria and had max flow rate (Qmax) for both NIF and PFS. The mean age was 53. Overall, higher voided volumes were observed during PFS compared to NIF and subjects had higher Qmax with NIF compared to PFS. The relationship between Qmax and VV was significantly different between NIF and PFS (p < 0.004). At 200 mL, NIF Qmax was 14% higher than PFS Qmax and this difference increased to 30% at 700mL. Conclusion The difference between PFS Qmax and NIF Qmax increases as voided volumes increase. As a result, values from PFS and NIF cannot be used interchangeably as has been suggested in the Blaivas-Groutz nomogram for obstruction in women. PMID:24797058

A comprehensive aligned nifH gene database: a multipurpose tool for studies of nitrogen-fixing bacteria

PubMed Central

Gaby, John Christian; Buckley, Daniel H.

2014-01-01

We describe a nitrogenase gene sequence database that facilitates analysis of the evolution and ecology of nitrogen-fixing organisms. The database contains 32 954 aligned nitrogenase nifH sequences linked to phylogenetic trees and associated sequence metadata. The database includes 185 linked multigene entries including full-length nifH, nifD, nifK and 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequences. Evolutionary analyses enabled by the multigene entries support an ancient horizontal transfer of nitrogenase genes between Archaea and Bacteria and provide evidence that nifH has a different history of horizontal gene transfer from the nifDK enzyme core. Further analyses show that lineages in nitrogenase cluster I and cluster III have different rates of substitution within nifD, suggesting that nifD is under different selection pressure in these two lineages. Finally, we find that that the genetic divergence of nifH and 16S rRNA genes does not correlate well at sequence dissimilarity values used commonly to define microbial species, as stains having <3% sequence dissimilarity in their 16S rRNA genes can have up to 23% dissimilarity in nifH. The nifH database has a number of uses including phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses, the design and assessment of primers/probes and the evaluation of nitrogenase sequence diversity. Database URL: http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/buckley/nifh.htm PMID:24501396

Investigation of the possibility of gamma-ray diagnostic imaging of target compression at NIF

PubMed Central

Lemieux, Daniel A.; Baudet, Camille; Grim, Gary P.; Barber, H. Bradford; Miller, Brian W.; Fasje, David; Furenlid, Lars R.

2013-01-01

The National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is the world’s leading facility to study the physics of igniting plasmas. Plasmas of hot deuterium and tritium, undergo d(t,n)α reactions that produce a 14.1 MeV neutron and 3.5 MeV a particle, in the center of mass. As these neutrons pass through the materials surrounding the hot core, they may undergo subsequent (n,x) reactions. For example, 12C(n,n’γ)12C reactions occur in remnant debris from the polymer ablator resulting in a significant fluence of 4.44 MeV gamma-rays. Imaging of these gammas will enable the determination of the volumetric size and symmetry of the ablation; large size and high asymmetry is expected to correlate with poor compression and lower fusion yield. Results from a gamma-ray imaging system are expected to be complimentary to a neutron imaging diagnostic system already in place at the NIF. This paper describes initial efforts to design a gamma-ray imaging system for the NIF using the existing neutron imaging system as a baseline for study. Due to the cross-section and expected range of ablator areal densities, the gamma flux should be approximately 10−3 of the neutron flux. For this reason, care must be taken to maximize the efficiency of the gamma-ray imaging system because it will be gamma starved. As with the neutron imager, use of pinholes and/or coded apertures are anticipated. Along with aperture and detector design, the selection of an appropriate scintillator is discussed. The volume of energy deposition of the interacting 4.44 MeV gamma-rays is a critical parameter limiting the imaging system spatial resolution. The volume of energy deposition is simulated with GEANT4, and plans to measure the volume of energy deposition experimentally are described. Results of tests on a pixellated LYSO scintillator are also presented. PMID:23420688

Investigation of the possibility of gamma-ray diagnostic imaging of target compression at NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lemieux, Daniel A.; Baudet, Camille; Grim, Gary P.; Barber, H. Bradford; Miller, Brian W.; Fasje, David; Furenlid, Lars R.

2011-09-01

The National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is the world's leading facility to study the physics of igniting plasmas. Plasmas of hot deuterium and tritium, undergo d(t,n)α reactions that produce a 14.1 MeV neutron and 3.5 MeV a particle, in the center of mass. As these neutrons pass through the materials surrounding the hot core, they may undergo subsequent (n,x) reactions. For example, 12C(n,n'γ)12C reactions occur in remnant debris from the polymer ablator resulting in a significant fluence of 4.44 MeV gamma-rays. Imaging of these gammas will enable the determination of the volumetric size and symmetry of the ablation; large size and high asymmetry is expected to correlate with poor compression and lower fusion yield. Results from a gamma-ray imaging system are expected to be complimentary to a neutron imaging diagnostic system already in place at the NIF. This paper describes initial efforts to design a gamma-ray imaging system for the NIF using the existing neutron imaging system as a baseline for study. Due to the cross-section and expected range of ablator areal densities, the gamma flux should be approximately 10-3 of the neutron flux. For this reason, care must be taken to maximize the efficiency of the gamma-ray imaging system because it will be gamma starved. As with the neutron imager, use of pinholes and/or coded apertures are anticipated. Along with aperture and detector design, the selection of an appropriate scintillator is discussed. The volume of energy deposition of the interacting 4.44 MeV gamma-rays is a critical parameter limiting the imaging system spatial resolution. The volume of energy deposition is simulated with GEANT4, and plans to measure the volume of energy deposition experimentally are described. Results of tests on a pixellated LYSO scintillator are also presented.

Investigation of the possibility of gamma-ray diagnostic imaging of target compression at NIF.

PubMed

Lemieux, Daniel A; Baudet, Camille; Grim, Gary P; Barber, H Bradford; Miller, Brian W; Fasje, David; Furenlid, Lars R

2011-09-23

The National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is the world's leading facility to study the physics of igniting plasmas. Plasmas of hot deuterium and tritium, undergo d(t,n)α reactions that produce a 14.1 MeV neutron and 3.5 MeV a particle, in the center of mass. As these neutrons pass through the materials surrounding the hot core, they may undergo subsequent (n,x) reactions. For example, (12)C(n,n'γ)(12)C reactions occur in remnant debris from the polymer ablator resulting in a significant fluence of 4.44 MeV gamma-rays. Imaging of these gammas will enable the determination of the volumetric size and symmetry of the ablation; large size and high asymmetry is expected to correlate with poor compression and lower fusion yield. Results from a gamma-ray imaging system are expected to be complimentary to a neutron imaging diagnostic system already in place at the NIF. This paper describes initial efforts to design a gamma-ray imaging system for the NIF using the existing neutron imaging system as a baseline for study. Due to the cross-section and expected range of ablator areal densities, the gamma flux should be approximately 10(-3) of the neutron flux. For this reason, care must be taken to maximize the efficiency of the gamma-ray imaging system because it will be gamma starved. As with the neutron imager, use of pinholes and/or coded apertures are anticipated. Along with aperture and detector design, the selection of an appropriate scintillator is discussed. The volume of energy deposition of the interacting 4.44 MeV gamma-rays is a critical parameter limiting the imaging system spatial resolution. The volume of energy deposition is simulated with GEANT4, and plans to measure the volume of energy deposition experimentally are described. Results of tests on a pixellated LYSO scintillator are also presented.

Towards understanding the nitrogen signal transduction for nif gene expression in Klebsiella pneumoniae.

PubMed

Glöer, Jens; Thummer, Robert; Ullrich, Heike; Schmitz, Ruth A

2008-12-01

In the diazotroph Klebsiella pneumoniae, the nitrogen sensory protein GlnK mediates the cellular nitrogen status towards the NifL/NifA system that regulates transcription of the nitrogen fixation genes in response to ammonium and molecular oxygen. To identify amino acids of GlnK essential for this signal transduction by protein-protein interaction, we performed random point mutagenesis by PCR amplification under conditions of reduced Taq polymerase fidelity. Three thousand two hundred mutated glnK genes were screened to identify those that would no longer complement a K. pneumoniaeDeltaglnK strain for growth under nitrogen fixing conditions. Twenty-four candidates resulting in a Nif(-) phenotype were identified, carrying 1-11 amino acid changes in GlnK. Based on these findings, as well as structural data, several single mutations were introduced into glnK by site-directed mutagenesis, and the Nif phenotype and the respective effects on NifA-mediated nif gene induction was monitored in K. pneumoniae using a chromosomal nifK'-'lacZ fusion. Single amino acid changes resulting in significant nif gene inhibition under nitrogen limiting conditions were located within the highly conserved T-loop (A43G, A49T and N54D), the body of the protein (G87V and K79E) and in the C-terminal region (I100M, R103S, E106Q and D108G). Complex formation analyses between GlnK (wild-type or derivatives) and NifL or NifA in response to 2-oxoglutarate indicated that: (a) besides the T-loop, the C-terminal region of GlnK is essential for the interaction with NifL and NifA and (b) GlnK binds both proteins in the absence of 2-oxoglutarate, whereas, in the presence of 2-oxoglutarate, NifA is released but NifL remains bound to GlnK.

Control of autogenous activation of Herbaspirillum seropedicae nifA promoter by the IHF protein.

PubMed

Wassem, Roseli; Pedrosa, Fábio O; Yates, Marshall G; Rego, Fabiane G M; Chubatsu, Leda S; Rigo, Liu U; Souza, Emanuel M

2002-07-02

Analysis of the expression of the Herbaspirillum seropedicae nifA promoter in Escherichia coli and Herbaspirillum seropedicae, showed that nifA expression is primarily dependent on NtrC but also required NifA for maximal expression under nitrogen-fixing conditions. Deletion of the IHF (integration host factor)-binding site produced a promoter with two-fold higher activity than the native promoter in the H. seropedicae wild-type strain but not in a nifA strain, indicating that IHF controls NifA auto-activation. IHF is apparently required to prevent overexpression of the NifA protein via auto-activation under nitrogen-fixing conditions in H. seropedicae.

Symmetry Tuning with Cone Powers for Defect Induced Mix Experiment Implosions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krasheninnikova, N.; Schmitt, M.; Murphy, T.; Cobble, J.; Tregillis, I.; Kyrala, G.; Bradley, P.; Hakel, P.; Hsu, S.; Kanzleiter, R.; Obrey, K.; Baumgaertel, J.; Batha, S.; DIME Team

2013-10-01

Recent DIME campaigns have demonstrated the effectiveness of cone power tuning to control the implosion symmetry in PDD configuration. DIME aims to assess the effects of mix on thermonuclear burn during a thin-shell capsule implosion. Plastic shell capsules doped with mid-Z material and filled with 5 atm of DD, are ablatively driven in a PDD laser configuration to a CR of ~7. Time-gated, spectrally and spatially resolved, dopant emission images characterize mix and temperature morphology during the implosion, while neutron diagnostics concurrently give the information about burn. Symmetry should be maintained throughout the implosions to achieve high neutron yield and optimum spectroscopic signal. 2D and 3D computer simulations using code HYDRA were performed to validate and optimize implosion symmetry using cone power tuning. In particular, Omega campaign confirmed P2 tunability with cone powers while experiments on NIF demonstrated that by reducing the energy in polar cones P2 was reduced to <1%. However, during NIF campaigns, self-emission images revealed a complex internal structure around the equator, which was not seen in HYDRA simulations and could be attributed to LPI effects. Subsequent DIME campaigns on NIF were able to eliminate this equatorial feature by reducing the laser drive substantiating the LPI hypothesis. Work performed by LANL under contract DE-AC52-06NA25396 for the National Nuclear Security Administration of the USDoE.

Evolution of Molybdenum Nitrogenase during the Transition from Anaerobic to Aerobic Metabolism

PubMed Central

Boyd, Eric S.; Costas, Amaya M. Garcia; Hamilton, Trinity L.; Mus, Florence

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT Molybdenum nitrogenase (Nif), which catalyzes the reduction of dinitrogen to ammonium, has modulated the availability of fixed nitrogen in the biosphere since early in Earth's history. Phylogenetic evidence indicates that oxygen (O2)-sensitive Nif emerged in an anaerobic archaeon and later diversified into an aerobic bacterium. Aerobic bacteria that fix N2 have adapted a number of strategies to protect Nif from inactivation by O2, including spatial and temporal segregation of Nif from O2 and respiratory consumption of O2. Here we report the complement of Nif-encoding genes in 189 diazotrophic genomes. We show that the evolution of Nif during the transition from anaerobic to aerobic metabolism was accompanied by both gene recruitment and loss, resulting in a substantial increase in the number of nif genes. While the observed increase in the number of nif genes and their phylogenetic distribution are strongly correlated with adaptation to utilize O2 in metabolism, the increase is not correlated with any of the known O2 protection mechanisms. Rather, gene recruitment appears to have been in response to selective pressure to optimize Nif synthesis to meet fixed N demands associated with aerobic productivity and to more efficiently regulate Nif under oxic conditions that favor protein turnover. Consistent with this hypothesis, the transition of Nif from anoxic to oxic environments is associated with a shift from posttranslational regulation in anaerobes to transcriptional regulation in obligate aerobes and facultative anaerobes. Given that fixed nitrogen typically limits ecosystem productivity, our observations further underscore the dynamic interplay between the evolution of Earth's oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon biogeochemical cycles. IMPORTANCE Molybdenum nitrogenase (Nif), which catalyzes the reduction of dinitrogen to ammonium, has modulated the availability of fixed nitrogen in the biosphere since early in Earth's history. Nif emerged in an anaerobe and later diversified into aerobes. Here we show that the transition of Nif from anaerobic to aerobic metabolism was accompanied by both gene recruitment and gene loss, resulting in a substantial increase in the number of nif genes. While the observed increase in the number of nif genes is strongly correlated with adaptation to utilize O2 in metabolism, the increase is not correlated with any of the known O2 protective mechanisms. Rather, gene recruitment was likely a response to more efficiently regulate Nif under oxic conditions that favor protein turnover. PMID:25733617

Identification of nitrogen-fixing genes and gene clusters from metagenomic library of acid mine drainage.

PubMed

Dai, Zhimin; Guo, Xue; Yin, Huaqun; Liang, Yili; Cong, Jing; Liu, Xueduan

2014-01-01

Biological nitrogen fixation is an essential function of acid mine drainage (AMD) microbial communities. However, most acidophiles in AMD environments are uncultured microorganisms and little is known about the diversity of nitrogen-fixing genes and structure of nif gene cluster in AMD microbial communities. In this study, we used metagenomic sequencing to isolate nif genes in the AMD microbial community from Dexing Copper Mine, China. Meanwhile, a metagenome microarray containing 7,776 large-insertion fosmids was constructed to screen novel nif gene clusters. Metagenomic analyses revealed that 742 sequences were identified as nif genes including structural subunit genes nifH, nifD, nifK and various additional genes. The AMD community is massively dominated by the genus Acidithiobacillus. However, the phylogenetic diversity of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms is much higher than previously thought in the AMD community. Furthermore, a 32.5-kb genomic sequence harboring nif, fix and associated genes was screened by metagenome microarray. Comparative genome analysis indicated that most nif genes in this cluster are most similar to those of Herbaspirillum seropedicae, but the organization of the nif gene cluster had significant differences from H. seropedicae. Sequence analysis and reverse transcription PCR also suggested that distinct transcription units of nif genes exist in this gene cluster. nifQ gene falls into the same transcription unit with fixABCX genes, which have not been reported in other diazotrophs before. All of these results indicated that more novel diazotrophs survive in the AMD community.

Identification of Nitrogen-Fixing Genes and Gene Clusters from Metagenomic Library of Acid Mine Drainage

PubMed Central

Yin, Huaqun; Liang, Yili; Cong, Jing; Liu, Xueduan

2014-01-01

Biological nitrogen fixation is an essential function of acid mine drainage (AMD) microbial communities. However, most acidophiles in AMD environments are uncultured microorganisms and little is known about the diversity of nitrogen-fixing genes and structure of nif gene cluster in AMD microbial communities. In this study, we used metagenomic sequencing to isolate nif genes in the AMD microbial community from Dexing Copper Mine, China. Meanwhile, a metagenome microarray containing 7,776 large-insertion fosmids was constructed to screen novel nif gene clusters. Metagenomic analyses revealed that 742 sequences were identified as nif genes including structural subunit genes nifH, nifD, nifK and various additional genes. The AMD community is massively dominated by the genus Acidithiobacillus. However, the phylogenetic diversity of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms is much higher than previously thought in the AMD community. Furthermore, a 32.5-kb genomic sequence harboring nif, fix and associated genes was screened by metagenome microarray. Comparative genome analysis indicated that most nif genes in this cluster are most similar to those of Herbaspirillum seropedicae, but the organization of the nif gene cluster had significant differences from H. seropedicae. Sequence analysis and reverse transcription PCR also suggested that distinct transcription units of nif genes exist in this gene cluster. nifQ gene falls into the same transcription unit with fixABCX genes, which have not been reported in other diazotrophs before. All of these results indicated that more novel diazotrophs survive in the AMD community. PMID:24498417

Origin and Evolution of Nitrogen Fixation Genes on Symbiosis Islands and Plasmid in Bradyrhizobium

PubMed Central

Okubo, Takashi; Piromyou, Pongdet; Tittabutr, Panlada; Teaumroong, Neung; Minamisawa, Kiwamu

2016-01-01

The nitrogen fixation (nif) genes of nodule-forming Bradyrhizobium strains are generally located on symbiosis islands or symbiosis plasmids, suggesting that these genes have been transferred laterally. The nif genes of rhizobial and non-rhizobial Bradyrhizobium strains were compared in order to infer the evolutionary histories of nif genes. Based on all codon positions, the phylogenetic tree of concatenated nifD and nifK sequences showed that nifDK on symbiosis islands formed a different clade from nifDK on non-symbiotic loci (located outside of symbiosis islands and plasmids) with elongated branches; however, these genes were located in close proximity, when only the 1st and 2nd codon positions were analyzed. The guanine (G) and cytosine (C) content of the 3rd codon position of nifDK on symbiosis islands was lower than that on non-symbiotic loci. These results suggest that nif genes on symbiosis islands were derived from the non-symbiotic loci of Bradyrhizobium or closely related strains and have evolved toward a lower GC content with a higher substitution rate than the ancestral state. Meanwhile, nifDK on symbiosis plasmids clustered with nifDK on non-symbiotic loci in the tree representing all codon positions, and the GC content of symbiotic and non-symbiotic loci were similar. These results suggest that nif genes on symbiosis plasmids were derived from the non-symbiotic loci of Bradyrhizobium and have evolved with a similar evolutionary pattern and rate as the ancestral state. PMID:27431195

Simulation study of core heating properties for recent FIREX-I experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johzaki, Tomoyuki; Kai, Yusuke; Endo, Takuma; Nagatomo, Hideo; Sunahara, Atsushi; Sentoku, Yasuhiko; Taguchi, Toshihiro; Fujioka, Shinsuke; Shiraga, Hiroyuki; Azechi, Hiroshi; Firex Project Team

2016-10-01

The demonstration of efficient core heating is the main purpose of FIREX-I project, where Au cone-attached solid ball CD target is used. For the guiding of fast electron beam generated by relativistic laser plasma interactions, the kilo-Tesla-class longitudinal magnetic field is applied by a capacitor-coil target and kJ-class ns-durration high power laser. In addition, to reduce the collisional effect (energy loss and scattering of fast electrons) during propagation in the Au cone tip, we introduced opened-tip cone (tipless cone). To evaluate the core heating properties, we carried out the integrated simulations, which shows the enhancement of core heating efficiency due to the magnetic guiding and opened-tip cone by a factor of three. These simulation results will be shown and be compared with the experimental results. JSPS KAKENHI (26400532, 15H03758, 16H02245, 15K21767), NIFS Collaboration Research program (NIFS12KUGK05, NIFS14KNSS054), and FIREX project.

National Ignition Facility, High-Energy-Density and Inertial Confinement Fusion, Peer-Review Panel (PRP) Final Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Keane, C. J.

2014-01-28

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is operated as a National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) user facility in accordance with Department of Energy (DOE) best practices, including peer-reviewed experiments, regular external reviews of performance, and the use of a management structure that facilitates user and stakeholder feedback. NIF facility time is managed using processes similar to those in other DOE science facilities and is tailored to meet the mix of missions and customers that NIF supports. The NIF Governance Plan describes the process for allocating facility time on NIF and for creating the shot schedule.more » It also includes the flow of responsibility from entity to entity. The plan works to ensure that NIF meets its mission goals using the principles of scientific peer review, including transparency and cooperation among the sponsor, the NIF staff, and the various user communities. The NIF Governance Plan, dated September 28, 2012, was accepted and signed by LLNL Director Parney Albright, NIF Director Ed Moses, and Don Cook and Thomas D’Agostino of NNSA. Figure 1 shows the organizational structure for NIF Governance.« less

Host-guest complexes of 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin/β-cyclodextrin and nifedipine: 1H NMR, molecular modeling, and dissolution studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Araújo, Márcia Valéria Gaspar; Vieira, João Victor Francisco; da Silva, Caroline W. P.; Barison, Andersson; Andrade, George Ricardo Santana; da Costa, Nivan Bezerra; Barboza, Fernanda Malaquias; Nadal, Jessica Mendes; Novatski, Andressa; Farago, Paulo Vitor; Zawadzki, Sônia Faria

2017-12-01

Nifedipine (NIF) is a hydrophobic drug widely used for treating cardiovascular diseases. This calcium channel blocker can present a higher apparent solubility by its inclusion into different cyclodextrins (CDs) as host-guest complexes. This paper focused on the structural investigation and dissolution behavior of inclusion complexes prepared with 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) or β-cyclodextrin (βCD) and NIF. Drug amorphization was observed for HPβCD/NIF and βCD/NIF inclusion complexes by X-ray diffractometry (XRD). The sharp endothermic peak of NIF was not observed for these both host-guest complexes by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). These results of XRD and DSC provide evidences of complexation between drug and the investigated CDs. 1H and saturation transfer difference nuclear magnetic resonance studies revealed the enhancement in the signal at 2.27 ppm for HPβCD/NIF and βCD/NIF inclusion complexes that corresponded to the methyl groups of NIF from the non-aromatic ring. This result suggested that non-aromatic ring of NIF was inserted into HPβCD and βCD cavities. Considering the mathematical simulations, it was observed that the inclusion process can occur in the both NH-in or NH-out forms. However, since it was used aqueous medium, it is possible to indicate that the obtained host-guest complexes HPβCD/NIF and βCD/NIF are in NH-in form which corresponded to the previous results obtained by 1H NMR experiments. Dissolution assays demonstrated that NIF inclusion complexes improved the drug release nevertheless without changing its biexponential release behavior. These host-guest complexes can be further used as feasible NIF carriers in solid dosage forms.

Analysis of phylogeny and codon usage bias and relationship of GC content, amino acid composition with expression of the structural nif genes.

PubMed

Mondal, Sunil Kanti; Kundu, Sudip; Das, Rabindranath; Roy, Sujit

2016-08-01

Bacteria and archaea have evolved with the ability to fix atmospheric dinitrogen in the form of ammonia, catalyzed by the nitrogenase enzyme complex which comprises three structural genes nifK, nifD and nifH. The nifK and nifD encodes for the beta and alpha subunits, respectively, of component 1, while nifH encodes for component 2 of nitrogenase. Phylogeny based on nifDHK have indicated that Cyanobacteria is closer to Proteobacteria alpha and gamma but not supported by the tree based on 16SrRNA. The evolutionary ancestor for the different trees was also different. The GC1 and GC2% analysis showed more consistency than GC3% which appeared to below for Firmicutes, Cyanobacteria and Euarchaeota while highest in Proteobacteria beta and clearly showed the proportional effect on the codon usage with a few exceptions. Few genes from Firmicutes, Euryarchaeota, Proteobacteria alpha and delta were found under mutational pressure. These nif genes with low and high GC3% from different classes of organisms showed similar expected number of codons. Distribution of the genes and codons, based on codon usage demonstrated opposite pattern for different orientation of mirror plane when compared with each other. Overall our results provide a comprehensive analysis on the evolutionary relationship of the three structural nif genes, nifK, nifD and nifH, respectively, in the context of codon usage bias, GC content relationship and amino acid composition of the encoded proteins and exploration of crucial statistical method for the analysis of positive data with non-constant variance to identify the shape factors of codon adaptation index.

Controlled expression of nif and isc iron-sulfur protein maturation components reveals target specificity and limited functional replacement between the two systems.

PubMed

Dos Santos, Patricia C; Johnson, Deborah C; Ragle, Brook E; Unciuleac, Mihaela-Carmen; Dean, Dennis R

2007-04-01

The nitrogen-fixing organism Azotobacter vinelandii contains at least two systems that catalyze formation of [Fe-S] clusters. One of these systems is encoded by nif genes, whose products supply [Fe-S] clusters required for maturation of nitrogenase. The other system is encoded by isc genes, whose products are required for maturation of [Fe-S] proteins that participate in general metabolic processes. The two systems are similar in that they include an enzyme for the mobilization of sulfur (NifS or IscS) and an assembly scaffold (NifU or IscU) upon which [Fe-S] clusters are formed. Normal cellular levels of the Nif system, which supplies [Fe-S] clusters for the maturation of nitrogenase, cannot also supply [Fe-S] clusters for the maturation of other cellular [Fe-S] proteins. Conversely, when produced at the normal physiological levels, the Isc system cannot supply [Fe-S] clusters for the maturation of nitrogenase. In the present work we found that such target specificity for IscU can be overcome by elevated production of NifU. We also found that NifU, when expressed at normal levels, is able to partially replace the function of IscU if cells are cultured under low-oxygen-availability conditions. In contrast to the situation with IscU, we could not establish conditions in which the function of IscS could be replaced by NifS. We also found that elevated expression of the Isc components, as a result of deletion of the regulatory iscR gene, improved the capacity for nitrogen-fixing growth of strains deficient in either NifU or NifS.

PLA/CS/Nifedipine Nanocomposite Films: Properties and the In Vitro Release of Nifedipine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trang, Nguyen Thi Thu; Chinh, Nguyen Thuy; Giang, Nguyen Vu; Thanh, Dinh Thi Mai; Lam, Tran Dai; Hoang, Thai

2016-07-01

The polylactic acid (PLA)/chitosan (CS) films containing a drug, nifedipine (NIF), in the presence of polyethylene oxide (PEO) as a compatibilizer were prepared by the solution method. This method has not been used to form films containing four components (PLA, CS, NIF, PEO) up to now. The CS, PEO, and NIF contents are 25 wt.%, 6-8 wt.%, and 10-50 wt.% in comparison with PLA weight, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) were used to characterize the interactions, properties, and morphology of the PLA/CS/PEO/NIF films. The FTIR, TGA, and DSC results show that NIF carried by PLA/CS/PEO films and PLA, CS, NIF had better interaction and were more compatible when using PEO. The surface morphology of PLA/CS/PEO/NIF films was similar to that of PLA/CS/PEO films. Moreover, this was the first time drug loading and NIF release content from PLA/CS/PEO films were determined by the ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy method. The drug loading of PLA/CS/PEO/NIF films was from 80.99% to 93.61%. The in vitro NIF release studies were carried out in pH 2, 6.8, and 7.4 solutions corresponding to the pH of stomach, colon, and duodenum regions in the human body, respectively. The NIF release content in different pH solutions is in the order: pH 2 > pH 6.8 > pH 7.4 and increases when there is increasing NIF loading. The PLA/CS/PEO films are potential materials to apply for long-circulating systems for NIF delivery.

Nitrogenase activity of Herbaspirillum seropedicae grown under low iron levels requires the products of nifXorf1 genes.

PubMed

Klassen, Giseli; de Oliveira Pedrosa, Fábio; de Souza, Emanuel M; Yates, M Geoffrey; Rigo, Liu Un

2003-07-29

Herbaspirillum seropedicae strains mutated in the nifX or orf1 genes showed 90% or 50% reduction in nitrogenase activity under low levels of iron or molybdenum respectively. Mutations in nifX or orf1 genes did not affect nif gene expression since a nifH::lacZ fusion was fully active in both mutants. nifX and the contiguous gene orf1 are essential for maximum nitrogen fixation under iron limitation and are probably involved in synthesis of nitrogenase iron or iron-molybdenum clusters.

The Defect Induced Mix Experiment (DIME) for NIF

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schmitt, Mark J; Bradley, Paul A; Cobble, James A

2012-06-18

LANL will perform two Defect Induced Mix Experiment (DIME) implosion campaigns on NIF in July and September, 2012. This presentation describes the goals for these shots and the experimental configuration and diagnostic set up to collect the appropriate data. The first two-shot campaign will focus on executing polar direct drive (PDD) implosions of plastic CH capsules filled with deuterium gas. Gas filling will be performed through a fill tube at target chamber center. A vanadium backligher foil will provide x-rays to radiograph the last half of the implosion to compare the implosion trajectory with modeling predictions. An equatorial groove inmore » one of the capsules will be present to determine its effect on implosion dynamics. The second DIME campaign will commission and use a spectral imager (MMI) to examine the evolution of thin capsule layers doped with either Ge or Ga at 1.85%. Spectral line emission from these layers will quantify the mix width at the inner shell radius and near an equatorial groove feature.« less

X-ray penumbral imaging diagnostic developments at the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bachmann, B.; Abu-Shawareb, H.; Alexander, N.; Ayers, J.; Bailey, C. G.; Bell, P.; Benedetti, L. R.; Bradley, D.; Collins, G.; Divol, L.; Döppner, T.; Felker, S.; Field, J.; Forsman, A.; Galbraith, J. D.; Hardy, C. M.; Hilsabeck, T.; Izumi, N.; Jarrot, C.; Kilkenny, J.; Kramer, S.; Landen, O. L.; Ma, T.; MacPhee, A.; Masters, N.; Nagel, S. R.; Pak, A.; Patel, P.; Pickworth, L. A.; Ralph, J. E.; Reed, C.; Rygg, J. R.; Thorn, D. B.

2017-08-01

X-ray penumbral imaging has been successfully fielded on a variety of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) capsule implosion experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF). We have demonstrated sub-5 μm resolution imaging of stagnated plasma cores (hot spots) at x-ray energies from 6 to 30 keV. These measurements are crucial for improving our understanding of the hot deuterium-tritium fuel assembly, which can be affected by various mechanisms, including complex 3-D perturbations caused by the support tent, fill tube or capsule surface roughness. Here we present the progress on several approaches to improve x-ray penumbral imaging experiments on the NIF. We will discuss experimental setups that include penumbral imaging from multiple lines-of-sight, target mounted penumbral apertures and variably filtered penumbral images. Such setups will improve the signal-to-noise ratio and the spatial imaging resolution, with the goal of enabling spatially resolved measurements of the hot spot electron temperature and material mix in ICF implosions.

A compact proton spectrometer for measurement of the absolute DD proton spectrum from which yield and ρR are determined in thin-shell inertial-confinement-fusion implosions.

PubMed

Rosenberg, M J; Zylstra, A B; Frenje, J A; Rinderknecht, H G; Johnson, M Gatu; Waugh, C J; Séguin, F H; Sio, H; Sinenian, N; Li, C K; Petrasso, R D; Glebov, V Yu; Hohenberger, M; Stoeckl, C; Sangster, T C; Yeamans, C B; LePape, S; Mackinnon, A J; Bionta, R M; Talison, B; Casey, D T; Landen, O L; Moran, M J; Zacharias, R A; Kilkenny, J D; Nikroo, A

2014-10-01

A compact, step range filter proton spectrometer has been developed for the measurement of the absolute DD proton spectrum, from which yield and areal density (ρR) are inferred for deuterium-filled thin-shell inertial confinement fusion implosions. This spectrometer, which is based on tantalum step-range filters, is sensitive to protons in the energy range 1-9 MeV and can be used to measure proton spectra at mean energies of ∼1-3 MeV. It has been developed and implemented using a linear accelerator and applied to experiments at the OMEGA laser facility and the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Modeling of the proton slowing in the filters is necessary to construct the spectrum, and the yield and energy uncertainties are ±<10% in yield and ±120 keV, respectively. This spectrometer can be used for in situ calibration of DD-neutron yield diagnostics at the NIF.

A compact proton spectrometer for measurement of the absolute DD proton spectrum from which yield and ρR are determined in thin-shell inertial-confinement-fusion implosions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rosenberg, M. J., E-mail: mrosenbe@mit.edu; Zylstra, A. B.; Frenje, J. A.

2014-10-01

A compact, step range filter proton spectrometer has been developed for the measurement of the absolute DD proton spectrum, from which yield and areal density (ρR) are inferred for deuterium-filled thin-shell inertial confinement fusion implosions. This spectrometer, which is based on tantalum step-range filters, is sensitive to protons in the energy range 1-9 MeV and can be used to measure proton spectra at mean energies of ~1-3 MeV. It has been developed and implemented using a linear accelerator and applied to experiments at the OMEGA laser facility and the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Modeling of the proton slowing in themore » filters is necessary to construct the spectrum, and the yield and energy uncertainties are ±<10% in yield and ±120 keV, respectively. This spectrometer can be used for in situ calibration of DD-neutron yield diagnostics at the NIF.« less

Using Secondary Nuclear Reaction Products to Infer the Fuel Areal Density, Convergence, and Electron Temperatures of Imploding D2 and D3 He Filled Capsules on the NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lahmann, B.; Frenje, J. A.; Gatu Johnson, M.; Seguin, F. H.; Li, C. K.; Petrasso, R. D.; Hartouni, E. P.; Yeamans, C. B.; Rinderknecht, H. G.; Sayre, D. B.; Grim, G.; Baker, K.; Casey, D. T.; Dewald, E.; Goyon, C.; Jarrott, L. C.; Khan, S.; Lepape, S.; Ma, T.; Pickworth, L.; Shah, R.; Kline, J. L.; Perry, T.; Zylstra, A.; Yi, S. A.

2017-10-01

In deuterium-filled inertial confinement fusion implosions, 0.82 MeV 3He and 1.01 MeV T (generated by the primary DD reaction branches) can undergo fusion reactions with the thermal deuterium plasma to create secondary D3He protons and DT neutrons, respectively. In regimes of moderate fuel areal density (ρR 5 - 100 mg/cm2) the ratio of both of these secondary yields to the primary yield can be used to infer the fuel ρR, convergence ratio (CR), and an electron temperature (Te) . This technique has been used on a myriad of deuterium filled capsule implosion experiments on the NIF using the neutron time of flight (nTOF) diagnostics to measure the yield of secondary DT neutrons and CR-39 based wedge range filters (WRFs) to measure the yield of secondary D3He protons. This work is supported in part by the U.S. DoE and LLNL.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Klem, Michael

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory seeks to achieve thermonuclear ignition through inertial confinement fusion. The accurate assessment of the performance of each implosion experiment is a crucial step. Here we report on work to derive a reliable electron temperature for the cryogenic deuteriumtritium implosions completed on the NIF using the xray signal from the Ross filter diagnostic. These Xrays are dominated by bremsstrahlung emission. By fitting the xray signal measured through each of the individual Ross filters, the source bremsstrahlung spectrum can be inferred, and an electron temperature of the implosion hot spot inferred.more » Currently, each filter is weighted equally in this analysis. We present work quantifying the errors with such a technique and the results from investigating the contribution of each filter to the overall accuracy of the temperature inference. Using this research, we also compare the inferred electron temperature against other measured implosion quantities to develop a more complete understanding of the hotspot physics.« less

Dynamic high energy density plasma environments at the National Ignition Facility for nuclear science research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cerjan, Ch J.; Bernstein, L.; Berzak Hopkins, L.; Bionta, R. M.; Bleuel, D. L.; Caggiano, J. A.; Cassata, W. S.; Brune, C. R.; Frenje, J.; Gatu-Johnson, M.; Gharibyan, N.; Grim, G.; Hagmann, Chr; Hamza, A.; Hatarik, R.; Hartouni, E. P.; Henry, E. A.; Herrmann, H.; Izumi, N.; Kalantar, D. H.; Khater, H. Y.; Kim, Y.; Kritcher, A.; Litvinov, Yu A.; Merrill, F.; Moody, K.; Neumayer, P.; Ratkiewicz, A.; Rinderknecht, H. G.; Sayre, D.; Shaughnessy, D.; Spears, B.; Stoeffl, W.; Tommasini, R.; Yeamans, Ch; Velsko, C.; Wiescher, M.; Couder, M.; Zylstra, A.; Schneider, D.

2018-03-01

The generation of dynamic high energy density plasmas in the pico- to nano-second time domain at high-energy laser facilities affords unprecedented nuclear science research possibilities. At the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the primary goal of inertial confinement fusion research has led to the synergistic development of a unique high brightness neutron source, sophisticated nuclear diagnostic instrumentation, and versatile experimental platforms. These novel experimental capabilities provide a new path to investigate nuclear processes and structural effects in the time, mass and energy density domains relevant to astrophysical phenomena in a unique terrestrial environment. Some immediate applications include neutron capture cross-section evaluation, fission fragment production, and ion energy loss measurement in electron-degenerate plasmas. More generally, the NIF conditions provide a singular environment to investigate the interplay of atomic and nuclear processes such as plasma screening effects upon thermonuclear reactivity. Achieving enhanced understanding of many of these effects will also significantly advance fusion energy research and challenge existing theoretical models.

Using VISAR to assess the M-band isotropy in hohlraums

DOE PAGES

Lanier, Nicholas Edward; Kline, John L.; Morton, John

2016-09-27

In laser based radiation flow experiments, drive variability can often overwhelm the physics sensitivity that one seeks to quantify. Hohlraums can help by providing a more symmetrized, Planckian-like source. However, at higher temperatures, the hohlraum’s actual emission can deviate significantly from a truly blackbody, Lambertian source. At the National Ignition Facility (NIF), Dante provides the best quantification of hohlraum output. Unfortunately, limited diagnostic access coupled with NIF’s natural symmetry does not allow for Dante measurements at more than two angles. As part of the CEPHEUS campaign on NIF, proof-of-principle experiments to better quantify the gold M-band isotropy were conducted. Thesemore » experiments positioned beryllium/aluminum mirrors at differing angles, offset from the hohlraum. Filtering removes the thermal emission of the hohlraum and the remaining M-band radiation is preferentially absorbed in the aluminum layer. The subsequent hydrodynamic motion is measured via VISAR. Although indirect, this M-band measurement can be made at any angle.« less

Application of spatially resolved high resolution crystal spectrometry to inertial confinement fusion plasmas.

PubMed

Hill, K W; Bitter, M; Delgado-Aparacio, L; Pablant, N A; Beiersdorfer, P; Schneider, M; Widmann, K; Sanchez del Rio, M; Zhang, L

2012-10-01

High resolution (λ∕Δλ ∼ 10 000) 1D imaging x-ray spectroscopy using a spherically bent crystal and a 2D hybrid pixel array detector is used world wide for Doppler measurements of ion-temperature and plasma flow-velocity profiles in magnetic confinement fusion plasmas. Meter sized plasmas are diagnosed with cm spatial resolution and 10 ms time resolution. This concept can also be used as a diagnostic of small sources, such as inertial confinement fusion plasmas and targets on x-ray light source beam lines, with spatial resolution of micrometers, as demonstrated by laboratory experiments using a 250-μm (55)Fe source, and by ray-tracing calculations. Throughput calculations agree with measurements, and predict detector counts in the range 10(-8)-10(-6) times source x-rays, depending on crystal reflectivity and spectrometer geometry. Results of the lab demonstrations, application of the technique to the National Ignition Facility (NIF), and predictions of performance on NIF will be presented.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rozanov, V. B., E-mail: rozanov@sci.lebedev.ru; Vergunova, G. A., E-mail: verg@sci.lebedev.ru

The main parameters of compression of a target and tendencies at change in the irradiation conditions are determined by analyzing the published results of experiments at the megajoule National Ignition Facility (NIF) on the compression of capsules in indirect-irradiation targets by means of the one-dimensional RADIAN program in the spherical geometry. A possible version of the “failure of ignition” of an indirect-irradiation target under the NIF conditions is attributed to radiation transfer. The application of onedimensional model to analyze the National Ignition Campaign (NIC) experiments allows identifying conditions corresponding to the future ignition regime and distinguishing them from conditions undermore » which ignition does not occur.« less

Formation of Nitrogenase NifDK Tetramers in the Mitochondria of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Transferring the prokaryotic enzyme nitrogenase into a eukaryotic host with the final aim of developing N2 fixing cereal crops would revolutionize agricultural systems worldwide. Targeting it to mitochondria has potential advantages because of the organelle’s high O2 consumption and the presence of bacterial-type iron–sulfur cluster biosynthetic machinery. In this study, we constructed 96 strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in which transcriptional units comprising nine Azotobacter vinelandii nif genes (nifHDKUSMBEN) were integrated into the genome. Two combinatorial libraries of nif gene clusters were constructed: a library of mitochondrial leading sequences consisting of 24 clusters within four subsets of nif gene expression strength, and an expression library of 72 clusters with fixed mitochondrial leading sequences and nif expression levels assigned according to factorial design. In total, 29 promoters and 18 terminators were combined to adjust nif gene expression levels. Expression and mitochondrial targeting was confirmed at the protein level as immunoblot analysis showed that Nif proteins could be efficiently accumulated in mitochondria. NifDK tetramer formation, an essential step of nitrogenase assembly, was experimentally proven both in cell-free extracts and in purified NifDK preparations. This work represents a first step toward obtaining functional nitrogenase in the mitochondria of a eukaryotic cell. PMID:28221768

Inter-domain cross-talk controls the NifA protein activity of Herbaspirillum seropedicae.

PubMed

Monteiro, R A; de Souza, E M; Wassem, R; Yates, M G; Pedrosa, F O; Chubatsu, L S

2001-11-09

Herbaspirillum seropedicae is an endophytic diazotroph, which colonizes sugar cane, wheat, rice and maize. The activity of NifA, a transcriptional activator of nif genes in H. seropedicae, is controlled by ammonium ions through a mechanism involving its N-terminal domain. Here we show that this domain interacts specifically in vitro with the N-truncated NifA protein, as revealed by protection against proteolysis, and this interaction caused an inhibitory effect on both the ATPase and DNA-binding activities of the N-truncated NifA protein. We suggest that the N-terminal domain inhibits NifA-dependent transcriptional activation by an inter-domain cross-talk between the catalytic domain of the NifA protein and its regulatory N-terminal domain in response to fixed nitrogen.

The physics basis for ignition using indirect-drive targets on the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindl, John D.; Amendt, Peter; Berger, Richard L.; Glendinning, S. Gail; Glenzer, Siegfried H.; Haan, Steven W.; Kauffman, Robert L.; Landen, Otto L.; Suter, Laurence J.

2004-02-01

The 1990 National Academy of Science final report of its review of the Inertial Confinement Fusion Program recommended completion of a series of target physics objectives on the 10-beam Nova laser at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as the highest-priority prerequisite for proceeding with construction of an ignition-scale laser facility, now called the National Ignition Facility (NIF). These objectives were chosen to demonstrate that there was sufficient understanding of the physics of ignition targets that the laser requirements for laboratory ignition could be accurately specified. This research on Nova, as well as additional research on the Omega laser at the University of Rochester, is the subject of this review. The objectives of the U.S. indirect-drive target physics program have been to experimentally demonstrate and predictively model hohlraum characteristics, as well as capsule performance in targets that have been scaled in key physics variables from NIF targets. To address the hohlraum and hydrodynamic constraints on indirect-drive ignition, the target physics program was divided into the Hohlraum and Laser-Plasma Physics (HLP) program and the Hydrodynamically Equivalent Physics (HEP) program. The HLP program addresses laser-plasma coupling, x-ray generation and transport, and the development of energy-efficient hohlraums that provide the appropriate spectral, temporal, and spatial x-ray drive. The HEP experiments address the issues of hydrodynamic instability and mix, as well as the effects of flux asymmetry on capsules that are scaled as closely as possible to ignition capsules (hydrodynamic equivalence). The HEP program also addresses other capsule physics issues associated with ignition, such as energy gain and energy loss to the fuel during implosion in the absence of alpha-particle deposition. The results from the Nova and Omega experiments approach the NIF requirements for most of the important ignition capsule parameters, including drive temperature, drive symmetry, and hydrodynamic instability. This paper starts with a review of the NIF target designs that have formed the motivation for the goals of the target physics program. Following that are theoretical and experimental results from Nova and Omega relevant to the requirements of those targets. Some elements of this work were covered in a 1995 review of indirect-drive [J. D. Lindl, ``Development of the indirect-drive approach to inertial confinement fusion and the target physics basis for ignition and gain,'' Phys. Plasmas 2, 3933 (1995)]. In order to present as complete a picture as possible of the research that has been carried out on indirect drive, key elements of that earlier review are also covered here, along with a review of work carried out since 1995.

Inertial Confinement Fusion Quarterly Report: April--June 1993. Volume 3, Number 3

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

MacGowan, B.J.; Kotowski, M.; Schleich, D.

1993-11-01

This issue of the ICF Quarterly contains six articles describing recent advances in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory`s inertial confinement fusion (ICF) program. The current emphasis of the ICF program is in support of DOE`s National Ignition Facility (NIF) initiative for demonstrating ignition and gain with a 1-2 MJ glass laser. The articles describe recent Nova experiments and investigations tailored towards enhancing understanding of the key physics and technological issues for the NIF. Titles of the articles are: development of large-aperture KDP crystals; inner-shell photo-ionized X-ray lasers; X-ray radiographic measurements of radiation-driven shock and interface motion in solid density materials; themore » role of nodule defects in laser-induced damage of multilayer optical coatings; techniques for Mbar to near-Gbar equation-of-state measurements with the Nova laser; parametric instabilities and laser-beam smoothing.« less

At the interface of the auditory and vocal motor systems: NIf and its role in vocal processing, production and learning.

PubMed

Lewandowski, Brian; Vyssotski, Alexei; Hahnloser, Richard H R; Schmidt, Marc

2013-06-01

Communication between auditory and vocal motor nuclei is essential for vocal learning. In songbirds, the nucleus interfacialis of the nidopallium (NIf) is part of a sensorimotor loop, along with auditory nucleus avalanche (Av) and song system nucleus HVC, that links the auditory and song systems. Most of the auditory information comes through this sensorimotor loop, with the projection from NIf to HVC representing the largest single source of auditory information to the song system. In addition to providing the majority of HVC's auditory input, NIf is also the primary driver of spontaneous activity and premotor-like bursting during sleep in HVC. Like HVC and RA, two nuclei critical for song learning and production, NIf exhibits behavioral-state dependent auditory responses and strong motor bursts that precede song output. NIf also exhibits extended periods of fast gamma oscillations following vocal production. Based on the converging evidence from studies of physiology and functional connectivity it would be reasonable to expect NIf to play an important role in the learning, maintenance, and production of song. Surprisingly, however, lesions of NIf in adult zebra finches have no effect on song production or maintenance. Only the plastic song produced by juvenile zebra finches during the sensorimotor phase of song learning is affected by NIf lesions. In this review, we carefully examine what is known about NIf at the anatomical, physiological, and behavioral levels. We reexamine conclusions drawn from previous studies in the light of our current understanding of the song system, and establish what can be said with certainty about NIf's involvement in song learning, maintenance, and production. Finally, we review recent theories of song learning integrating possible roles for NIf within these frameworks and suggest possible parallels between NIf and sensorimotor areas that form part of the neural circuitry for speech processing in humans. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Implementation of ISO 10110 optics drawing standards for the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, David Y.; English, R. Edward, Jr.; Aikens, David M.

1999-11-01

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) project elected to implement ISO 10110 standard for the specifications of NIF optics drawings in 1996. More than 7,000 NIF large optics and 20,000 NIF small optics will be manufactured based on ISO 10110 indications. ISO 10110 standard meets many of the needs of the NIF optics specifications. It allows the optical engineer to quantify and clearly communicate the desired optical specifications. While no single drawing standard specifies all the requirements of high energy laser system, a combination of ISO 10110 standard with detailed notes make it possible to apply international drawing standards to the NIF laser system. This paper will briefly describe LLNL's interpretation and implementation of the ISO 10110 drawing standard, present some examples of NIF optics drawings, and discuss pros and cons of the indications from the perspective of this application. Emphasis will be given to the surface imperfection specifications, known as 5/, for the NIF optics.

Summary of Blast Shield and Material Testing for Development of Solid Debris Collection at the National Ignition Facility (NIF)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shaughnessy, D A; Gostic, J M; Moody, K J

2011-11-21

The ability to collect solid debris from the target chamber following a NIF shot has application for both capsule diagnostics, particularly for fuel-ablator mix, and measuring cross sections relevant to the Stockpile Stewardship program and nuclear astrophysics. Simulations have shown that doping the capsule with up to 10{sup 15} atoms of an impurity not otherwise found in the capsule does not affect its performance. The dopant is an element that will undergo nuclear activations during the NIF implosion, forming radioactive species that can be collected and measured after extraction from the target chamber. For diagnostics, deuteron or alpha induced reactionsmore » can be used to probe the fuel-ablator mix. For measuring neutron cross sections, the dopant should be something that is sensitive to the 14 MeV neutrons produced through the fusion of deuterium and tritium. Developing the collector is a challenge due to the extreme environment of the NIF chamber. The collector surface is exposed to a large photon flux from x-rays and unconverted laser light before it is exposed to a debris wind that is formed from vaporized material from the target chamber center. The photons will ablate the collector surface to some extent, possibly impeding the debris from reaching the collector and sticking. In addition, the collector itself must be mechanically strong enough to withstand the large amount of energy it will be exposed to, and it should be something that will be easy to count and chemically process. In order to select the best material for the collector, a variety of different metals have been tested in the NIF chamber. They were exposed to high-energy laser shots in order to evaluate their postshot surface characterization, morphology, degree of melt, and their ability to retain debris from the chamber center. The first set of samples consisted of 1 mm thick pieces of aluminum that had been fielded in the chamber as blast shields protecting the neutron activation diagnostic. Ten of these pieces were fielded at the equator and one was fielded on the pole. The shields were analyzed using a combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), x-ray fluorescence (XRF), neutron activation analysis (NAA) and chemical leaching followed by mass spectrometry. On each shield, gold debris originating from the gold hohlraum was observed, as well as large quantities of debris that were present in the center of the target chamber at the time of the shot (i.e., stainless steel, indium, copper, etc.) Debris was visible in the SEM as large blobs or splats of material that had encountered the surface of the aluminum and stuck. The aluminum itself had obviously melted and condensed, and some of the large debris splats arrived after the surface had already hardened. Melt depth was determined by cross sectioning the pieces and measuring the melted surface layers via SEM. After the SEM analysis was completed, the pieces were sent for NAA at the USGS reactor and were analyzed by U. Greife at the Colorado School of Mines. The NAA showed that the majority of gold mass present on the shields was not in the form of large blobs and splats, but was present as small particulates that had most likely formed as condensed vapor. Further analysis showed that the gold was entrained in the melted aluminum surface layers and did not extend down into the bulk of the aluminum. Once the gold mass was accounted for from the NAA, it was determined that the aluminum fielded at the equator was collecting a fraction of the total gold hohlraum mass equivalent to 120% {+-} 10% of the solid angle subtended by the shield. The attached presentation has more information on the results of the aluminum blast shield analysis. In addition to the information given in the presentation, the surfaces of the shields have been chemically leached and submitted for mass spectrometric analysis. The results from that analysis are expected to arrive after the due date of this report and will be written up at a later time. Based on the results of the aluminum blast shield analysis, it was determined that additional materials needed to be tested as potential collectors in the NIF chamber. 1-2 mm thick pieces of tantalum, niobium, vanadium, silver, titanium, molybdenum, and graphite foil were fielded in the Wedge Range Filter (WRF) mount at a distance of 50 cm from target chamber center during the shock timing campaign. The pieces were subsequently removed and analyzed in a similar fashion to the aluminum shields. As of this writing, the pieces are still under analysis, but initial results indicate that gold debris was collected on the various materials. Currently, the pieces are being cross-sectioned so that the melt depths of each material can be compared. In addition, NAA and/or mass spectrometry will be performed in order to determine the total gold mass that was collected on each surface.« less

Plasma kinetic effects on atomistic mix in one dimension and at structured interfaces (II)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albright, Brian; Yin, Lin; Cooley, James; Haack, Jeffrey; Douglas, Melissa

2017-10-01

The Marble campaign seeks to develop a platform for studying mix evolution in turbulent, inhomogeneous, high-energy-density plasmas at the NIF. Marble capsules contain engineered CD foams, the pores of which are filled with hydrogen and tritium. During implosion, hydrodynamic stirring and plasma diffusivity mix tritium fuel into the surrounding CD plasma, leading to both DD and DT fusion neutron production. In this presentation, building upon prior work, kinetic particle-in-cell simulations using the VPIC code are used to examine kinetic effects on thermonuclear burn in Marble-like settings. Departures from Maxwellian distributions are observed near the interface and TN burn rates and inferred temperatures from synthetic neutron time of flight diagnostics are compared with those from treating the background species as Maxwellian. Work performed under the auspices of the U.S. DOE by the Los Alamos National Security, LLC Los Alamos National Laboratory and supported by the ASC and Science programs.

Shielding Design for the South Pole nToF Diagnostic at the NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khater, Hesham; Sitaraman, Shiva; Hall, James; Hatarik, Robert; Caggiano, Joseph; Waltz, Cory

2017-09-01

Neutron time of flight (nToF) detectors are fielded at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to measure neutron yield, ion temperature, and downscattering in the cold fuel for D-T implosions. Anisotropically assembled cold fuel may generate different nToF data when measured by detectors located at the Target Chamber equator and poles. A collimated nToF line of sight has been fielded near the Target Chamber South Pole (SP) to examine any possible anisotropy in the cold fuel. The SP nToF detector is located in the lowest floor level of the NIF's Target Bay and at a distance of 18 m from the Target Chamber Center. The detector utilizes a solid bibenzyl scintillator and four photomultiplier tubes. The line of sight includes a port collimator that is attached to the Target Chamber and a bore hole collimator in the concrete floor above the detector. In addition, a beam line get lost hole is constructed in the Target Bay floor to minimize the backscattered radiation at the detector location. Initial measurements indicated the need for installation of additional shielding to eliminate gamma background during the period before arrival of the 14.1 MeV neutrons to the detector. A set of MCNP Monte Carlo simulations with the full Target Bay model were conducted to provide an estimate of the expected neutron and gamma backgrounds during D-T shots. A new shielding scheme is designed to reduce the gamma background by an order of magnitude.

Neutron Spectroscopy on the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knauer, J. P.

2012-10-01

The performance of cryogenic fuel implosion experiments in progress at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is measured by an experimental threshold factorfootnotetextM. J. Edwards et al., Phys. Plasmas 18, 051003 (2011). (ITFX) and a generalized Lawson Criterion.footnotetextC. D. Zhou and R. Betti, Phys. Plasmas 15, 102707 (2008); P. Y. Chang et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 135002 (2010); and R. Betti et al., Phys. Plasmas 17, 058102 (2010). The ITFX metric is determined by the fusion yield and the areal density of an assembled deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel mass. Typical neutron yields from NIF implosions are greater than 10^14 allowing the neutron energy spectrum to be measured with unprecedented precision. A NIF spectrum is composed of neutrons created by fusion (DT, DD, and TT reactions) and neutrons scattered by the dense, cold fuel layer. Neutron scattering is used to determine the areal density of a NIF implosion and is measured along four lines of sight by two neutron time-of-flight detectors, a neutron imaging system, and the magnetic recoil spectrometer. An accurate measurement of the instrument response function for these detectors allows for the routine production of neutron spectra showing DT fuel areal densities up to 1.3 g/cm^2. Spectra over neutron energies of 10 to 17 MeV show areal-density asymmetries of 20% that are inconsistent with simulations. New calibrations and analyses have expended the spectral coverage down to energies less than the deuterium backscatter edge (1.5 MeV for 14 MeV neutrons). These data and analyses are presented along with a compilation of other nuclear diagnostic data that show a larger-than-expected variation in the areal density over the cold fuel mass. This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Inertial Confinement Fusion under Cooperative Agreement No DE-FC52-08NA28302. In collaboration with NIC.

Cryogenic target system for hydrogen layering

DOE PAGES

Parham, T.; Kozioziemski, B.; Atkinson, D.; ...

2015-11-24

Here, a cryogenic target positioning system was designed and installed on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) target chamber. This instrument incorporates the ability to fill, form, and characterize the NIF targets with hydrogen isotopes needed for ignition experiments inside the NIF target bay then transport and position them in the target chamber. This effort brought to fruition years of research in growing and metrologizing high-quality hydrogen fuel layers and landed it in an especially demanding operations environment in the NIF facility. D-T (deuterium-tritium) layers for NIF ignition experiments have extremely tight specifications and must be grown in a very highlymore » constrained environment: a NIF ignition target inside a cryogenic target positioner inside the NIF target bay. Exquisite control of temperature, pressure, contaminant level, and thermal uniformity are necessary throughout seed formation and layer growth to create an essentially-groove-free single crystal layer.« less

A Neural Code That Is Isometric to Vocal Output and Correlates with Its Sensory Consequences

PubMed Central

Vyssotski, Alexei L.; Stepien, Anna E.; Keller, Georg B.; Hahnloser, Richard H. R.

2016-01-01

What cortical inputs are provided to motor control areas while they drive complex learned behaviors? We study this question in the nucleus interface of the nidopallium (NIf), which is required for normal birdsong production and provides the main source of auditory input to HVC, the driver of adult song. In juvenile and adult zebra finches, we find that spikes in NIf projection neurons precede vocalizations by several tens of milliseconds and are insensitive to distortions of auditory feedback. We identify a local isometry between NIf output and vocalizations: quasi-identical notes produced in different syllables are preceded by highly similar NIf spike patterns. NIf multiunit firing during song precedes responses in auditory cortical neurons by about 50 ms, revealing delayed congruence between NIf spiking and a neural representation of auditory feedback. Our findings suggest that NIf codes for imminent acoustic events within vocal performance. PMID:27723764

[Effects of rice straw returning on the community structure and diversity of nitrogen-fixing gene (nifH) in paddy soil].

PubMed

Zhang, Miao-miao; Liu, Yi; Sheng, Rong; Qin, Hong-ling; Wu, Yan-zheng; Wei, Wen-xue

2013-08-01

Taking a long-term fertilization experiment in Taoyuan Agro-ecosystem Research Station under Chinese Academy of Sciences as the platform, and selecting four treatments (no fertilization, CK; rice straw returning, C; nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilization, NPK; and NPK+C) as the objects, soil samples were collected at the tillering, booting and maturing stages of rice, and the abundance, composition and diversity of nifH-containing bacterial community were measured by real-time quantitative PCR and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP), aimed to understand the effects of rice straw returning on the nifH-containing bacterial community in paddy soil. Compared with CK, treatments NPK+C and NPK increased the abundance of nifH-containing microorganisms significantly (except at tillering stage), and NPK+C had the highest abundance of nifH-containing microorganisms. Under the effects of long-term fertilization, the composition of nifH gene community in CK differed obviously from that in the other three treatments. The nifH composition had definite difference between C and NPK, but less difference between NPK and NPK+C. Long-term fertilization did not induce significant changes in nifH diversity. Therefore, long-term rice straw returning not only induced the changes of nifH gene community composition, but also resulted in a significant increase in the abundance of nifH-containing community, and hence, the increase of soil nitrogen fixing capacity.

Song decrystallization in adult zebra finches does not require the song nucleus NIf.

PubMed

Roy, Arani; Mooney, Richard

2009-08-01

In adult male zebra finches, transecting the vocal nerve causes previously stable (i.e., crystallized) song to slowly degrade, presumably because of the resulting distortion in auditory feedback. How and where distorted feedback interacts with song motor networks to induce this process of song decrystallization remains unknown. The song premotor nucleus HVC is a potential site where auditory feedback signals could interact with song motor commands. Although the forebrain nucleus interface of the nidopallium (NIf) appears to be the primary auditory input to HVC, NIf lesions made in adult zebra finches do not trigger song decrystallization. One possibility is that NIf lesions do not interfere with song maintenance, but do compromise the adult zebra finch's ability to express renewed vocal plasticity in response to feedback perturbations. To test this idea, we bilaterally lesioned NIf and then transected the vocal nerve in adult male zebra finches. We found that bilateral NIf lesions did not prevent nerve section-induced song decrystallization. To test the extent to which the NIf lesions disrupted auditory processing in the song system, we made in vivo extracellular recordings in HVC and a downstream anterior forebrain pathway (AFP) in NIf-lesioned birds. We found strong and selective auditory responses to the playback of the birds' own song persisted in HVC and the AFP following NIf lesions. These findings suggest that auditory inputs to the song system other than NIf, such as the caudal mesopallium, could act as a source of auditory feedback signals to the song motor network.

Expression and characterization of an N-truncated form of the NifA protein of Azospirillum brasilense.

PubMed

Nishikawa, C Y; Araújo, L M; Kadowaki, M A S; Monteiro, R A; Steffens, M B R; Pedrosa, F O; Souza, E M; Chubatsu, L S

2012-02-01

Azospirillum brasilense is a nitrogen-fixing bacterium associated with important agricultural crops such as rice, wheat and maize. The expression of genes responsible for nitrogen fixation (nif genes) in this bacterium is dependent on the transcriptional activator NifA. This protein contains three structural domains: the N-terminal domain is responsible for the negative control by fixed nitrogen; the central domain interacts with the RNA polymerase σ(54) co-factor and the C-terminal domain is involved in DNA binding. The central and C-terminal domains are linked by the interdomain linker (IDL). A conserved four-cysteine motif encompassing the end of the central domain and the IDL is probably involved in the oxygen-sensitivity of NifA. In the present study, we have expressed, purified and characterized an N-truncated form of A. brasilense NifA. The protein expression was carried out in Escherichia coli and the N-truncated NifA protein was purified by chromatography using an affinity metal-chelating resin followed by a heparin-bound resin. Protein homogeneity was determined by densitometric analysis. The N-truncated protein activated in vivo nifH::lacZ transcription regardless of fixed nitrogen concentration (absence or presence of 20 mM NH(4)Cl) but only under low oxygen levels. On the other hand, the aerobically purified N-truncated NifA protein bound to the nifB promoter, as demonstrated by an electrophoretic mobility shift assay, implying that DNA-binding activity is not strictly controlled by oxygen levels. Our data show that, while the N-truncated NifA is inactive in vivo under aerobic conditions, it still retains DNA-binding activity, suggesting that the oxidized form of NifA bound to DNA is not competent to activate transcription.

Expression and characterization of an N-truncated form of the NifA protein of Azospirillum brasilense

PubMed Central

Nishikawa, C.Y.; Araújo, L.M.; Kadowaki, M.A.S.; Monteiro, R.A.; Steffens, M.B.R.; Pedrosa, F.O.; Souza, E.M.; Chubatsu, L.S.

2012-01-01

Azospirillum brasilense is a nitrogen-fixing bacterium associated with important agricultural crops such as rice, wheat and maize. The expression of genes responsible for nitrogen fixation (nif genes) in this bacterium is dependent on the transcriptional activator NifA. This protein contains three structural domains: the N-terminal domain is responsible for the negative control by fixed nitrogen; the central domain interacts with the RNA polymerase σ54 factor and the C-terminal domain is involved in DNA binding. The central and C-terminal domains are linked by the interdomain linker (IDL). A conserved four-cysteine motif encompassing the end of the central domain and the IDL is probably involved in the oxygen-sensitivity of NifA. In the present study, we have expressed, purified and characterized an N-truncated form of A. brasilense NifA. The protein expression was carried out in Escherichia coli and the N-truncated NifA protein was purified by chromatography using an affinity metal-chelating resin followed by a heparin-bound resin. Protein homogeneity was determined by densitometric analysis. The N-truncated protein activated in vivo nifH::lacZ transcription regardless of fixed nitrogen concentration (absence or presence of 20 mM NH4Cl) but only under low oxygen levels. On the other hand, the aerobically purified N-truncated NifA protein bound to the nifB promoter, as demonstrated by an electrophoretic mobility shift assay, implying that DNA-binding activity is not strictly controlled by oxygen levels. Our data show that, while the N-truncated NifA is inactive in vivo under aerobic conditions, it still retains DNA-binding activity, suggesting that the oxidized form of NifA bound to DNA is not competent to activate transcription. PMID:22267004

At the interface of the auditory and vocal motor systems: NIf and its role in vocal processing, production and learning

PubMed Central

Lewandowski, Brian; Vyssotski, Alexei; Hahnloser, Richard H.R.; Schmidt, Marc

2015-01-01

Communication between auditory and vocal motor nuclei is essential for vocal learning. In songbirds, the nucleus interfacialis of the nidopallium (NIf) is part of a sensorimotor loop, along with auditory nucleus avalanche (Av) and song system nucleus HVC, that links the auditory and song systems. Most of the auditory information comes through this sensorimotor loop, with the projection from NIf to HVC representing the largest single source of auditory information to the song system. In addition to providing the majority of HVC’s auditory input, NIf is also the primary driver of spontaneous activity and premotor-like bursting during sleep in HVC. Like HVC and RA, two nuclei critical for song learning and production, NIf exhibits behavioral-state dependent auditory responses and strong motor bursts that precede song output. NIf also exhibits extended periods of fast gamma oscillations following vocal production. Based on the converging evidence from studies of physiology and functional connectivity it would be reasonable to expect NIf to play an important role in the learning, maintenance, and production of song. Surprisingly, however, lesions of NIf in adult zebra finches have no effect on song production or maintenance. Only the plastic song produced by juvenile zebra finches during the sensorimotor phase of song learning is affected by NIf lesions. In this review, we carefully examine what is known about NIf at the anatomical, physiological, and behavioral levels. We reexamine conclusions drawn from previous studies in the light of our current understanding of the song system, and establish what can be said with certainty about NIf’s involvement in song learning, maintenance, and production. Finally, we review recent theories of song learning integrating possible roles for NIf within these frameworks and suggest possible parallels between NIf and sensorimotor areas that form part of the neural circuitry for speech processing in humans. PMID:23603062

Electron cyclotron heating/current-drive system using high power tubes for QUEST spherical tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Onchi, Takumi; Idei, H.; Hasegawa, M.; Nagata, T.; Kuroda, K.; Hanada, K.; Kariya, T.; Kubo, S.; Tsujimura, T. I.; Kobayashi, S.; Quest Team

2017-10-01

Electron cyclotron heating (ECH) is the primary method to ramp up plasma current non-inductively in QUEST spherical tokamak. A 28 GHz gyrotron is employed for short pulses, where the radio frequency (RF) power is about 300 kW. Current ramp-up efficiency of 0.5 A/W has been obtained with focused beam of the second harmonic X-mode. A quasi-optical polarizer unit has been newly installed to avoid arcing events. For steady-state tokamak operation, 8.56 GHz klystron with power of 200 kW is used as the CW-RF source. The high voltage power supply (54 kV/13 A) for the klystron has been built recently, and initial bench test of the CW-ECH system is starting. The array of insulated-gate bipolar transistor works to quickly cut off the input power for protecting the klystron. This work is supported by JSPS KAKENHI (15H04231), NIFS Collaboration Research program (NIFS13KUTR085, NIFS17KUTR128), and through MEXT funding for young scientists associated with active promotion of national university reforms.

NIF laboratory astrophysics simulations investigating the effects of a radiative shock on hydrodynamic instabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Angulo, A. A.; Kuranz, C. C.; Drake, R. P.; Huntington, C. M.; Park, H.-S.; Remington, B. A.; Kalantar, D.; MacLaren, S.; Raman, K.; Miles, A.; Trantham, Matthew; Kline, J. L.; Flippo, K.; Doss, F. W.; Shvarts, D.

2016-10-01

This poster will describe simulations based on results from ongoing laboratory astrophysics experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) relevant to the effects of radiative shock on hydrodynamically unstable surfaces. The experiments performed on NIF uniquely provide the necessary conditions required to emulate radiative shock that occurs in astrophysical systems. The core-collapse explosions of red supergiant stars is such an example wherein the interaction between the supernova ejecta and the circumstellar medium creates a region susceptible to Rayleigh-Taylor (R-T) instabilities. Radiative and nonradiative experiments were performed to show that R-T growth should be reduced by the effects of the radiative shocks that occur during this core-collapse. Simulations were performed using the radiation hydrodynamics code Hyades using the experimental conditions to find the mean interface acceleration of the instability and then further analyzed in the buoyancy drag model to observe how the material expansion contributes to the mix-layer growth. This work is funded by the NNSA-DS and SC-OFES Joint Program in High-Energy-Density Laboratory Plasmas under Grant Number DE-FG52-09NA29548.

Enhanced hydrogen storage properties of MgH2 co-catalyzed with K2NiF6 and CNTs.

PubMed

Sulaiman, N N; Ismail, M

2016-12-06

The composite of MgH 2 /K 2 NiF 6 /carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is prepared by ball milling, and its hydrogenation properties are studied for the first time. MgH 2 co-catalyzed with K 2 NiF 6 and CNTs exhibited an improvement in the onset dehydrogenation temperature and isothermal de/rehydrogenation kinetics compared with the MgH 2 -K 2 NiF 6 composite. The onset dehydrogenation temperature of MgH 2 doped with 10 wt% K 2 NiF 6 and 5 wt% CNTs is 245 °C, which demonstrated a reduction of 25 °C compared with the MgH 2 + 10 wt% K 2 NiF 6 composite. In terms of rehydrogenation kinetics, MgH 2 doped with 10 wt% K 2 NiF 6 and 5 wt% CNTs samples absorbed 3.4 wt% of hydrogen in 1 min at 320 °C, whereas the MgH 2 + 10 wt% K 2 NiF 6 sample absorbed 2.6 wt% of hydrogen under the same conditions. For dehydrogenation kinetics at 320 °C, the MgH 2 + 10 wt% K 2 NiF 6 + 5 wt% CNTs sample released 3.3 wt% hydrogen after 5 min of dehydrogenation. By contrast, MgH 2 doped with 10 wt% K 2 NiF 6 released 3.0 wt% hydrogen in the same time period. The apparent activation energy, E a , for the dehydrogenation of MgH 2 doped with 10 wt% K 2 NiF 6 reduced from 100.0 kJ mol -1 to 70.0 kJ mol -1 after MgH 2 was co-doped with 10 wt% K 2 NiF 6 and 5 wt% CNTs. Based on the experimental results, the hydrogen storage properties of the MgH 2 /K 2 NiF 6 /CNTs composite is enhanced because of the catalytic effects of the active species of KF, KH and Mg 2 Ni that are formed in situ during dehydrogenation, as well as the unique structure of CNTs.

Genome-wide transcriptome profiling of nitrogen fixation in Paenibacillus sp. WLY78.

PubMed

Shi, Hao-wen; Wang, Li-ying; Li, Xin-xin; Liu, Xiao-meng; Hao, Tian-yi; He, Xiao-juan; Chen, San-feng

2016-03-01

Diazotrophic (nitrogen-fixing) Gram-positive and endospore-formed Paenibacillus spp. have potential uses as a bacterial fertilizer in agriculture. The transcriptional analysis of nitrogen fixation in Paenibacillus is lacking, although regulation mechanisms of nitrogen fixation have been well studied in Gram-negative diazotrophs. Here we report a global transcriptional profiling analysis of nitrogen fixation in Paenibacillus sp. WLY78 cultured under N2-fixing condition (without O2 and NH4(+)) and non-N2-fixing condition (air and 100 mM NH4(+)). The nif (nitrogen fixation) gene operon composed of 9 genes (nifBHDKENXhesAnifV) in this bacterium was significantly up-regulated in N2-fixing condition compared to non-N2-fixing condition, indicating that nif gene transcription is strictly controlled by NH4(+) and O2. qRT-PCR confirmed that these nif genes were differently expressed. Non-nif genes specifically required in nitrogen fixation, such as mod, feoAB and cys encoding transporters of Mo, Fe and S atoms, were coordinately transcribed with nif genes in N2-fixing condition. The transcript abundance of suf operon specific for synthesis of Fe-S cluster was up-regulated in N2-fixing condition, suggesting that Sul system, which takes place of nifS and nifU, plays important role in the synthesis of nitrogenase. We discover potential specific electron transporters which might provide electron from Fe protein to MoFe protein of nitrogenase. The glnR whose predicted protein might mediate nif transcription regulation by NH4(+) is significantly up-regulated in N2-fixing condition. The transcription levels of nitrogen metabolism and anaerobic respiration were also analyzed. The nif gene operon (nifBHDKENXhesAnifV) in Paenibacillus sp. WLY78 is significantly up-regulated in N2-fixing condition compared to non-N2-fixing condition. Non-nif genes specifically required in nitrogen fixation were also significantly up-regulated in N2-fixing condition. Fur and Fnr which are involved in anaerobic regulation and GlnR which might mediate nif gene transcription regulation by NH4(+) were significantly up-regulated in N2-fixing condition. This study provides valuable insights into nitrogen fixation process and regulation in Gram-positive firmicutes.

Evaluation of Primers Targeting the Diazotroph Functional Gene and Development of NifMAP – A Bioinformatics Pipeline for Analyzing nifH Amplicon Data

PubMed Central

Angel, Roey; Nepel, Maximilian; Panhölzl, Christopher; Schmidt, Hannes; Herbold, Craig W.; Eichorst, Stephanie A.; Woebken, Dagmar

2018-01-01

Diazotrophic microorganisms introduce biologically available nitrogen (N) to the global N cycle through the activity of the nitrogenase enzyme. The genetically conserved dinitrogenase reductase (nifH) gene is phylogenetically distributed across four clusters (I–IV) and is widely used as a marker gene for N2 fixation, permitting investigators to study the genetic diversity of diazotrophs in nature and target potential participants in N2 fixation. To date there have been limited, standardized pipelines for analyzing the nifH functional gene, which is in stark contrast to the 16S rRNA gene. Here we present a bioinformatics pipeline for processing nifH amplicon datasets – NifMAP (“NifH MiSeq Illumina Amplicon Analysis Pipeline”), which as a novel aspect uses Hidden-Markov Models to filter out homologous genes to nifH. By using this pipeline, we evaluated the broadly inclusive primer pairs (Ueda19F–R6, IGK3–DVV, and F2–R6) that target the nifH gene. To evaluate any systematic biases, the nifH gene was amplified with the aforementioned primer pairs in a diverse collection of environmental samples (soils, rhizosphere and roots samples, biological soil crusts and estuarine samples), in addition to a nifH mock community consisting of six phylogenetically diverse members. We noted that all primer pairs co-amplified nifH homologs to varying degrees; up to 90% of the amplicons were nifH homologs with IGK3–DVV in some samples (rhizosphere and roots from tall oat-grass). In regards to specificity, we observed some degree of bias across the primer pairs. For example, primer pair F2–R6 discriminated against cyanobacteria (amongst others), yet captured many sequences from subclusters IIIE and IIIL-N. These aforementioned subclusters were largely missing by the primer pair IGK3–DVV, which also tended to discriminate against Alphaproteobacteria, but amplified sequences within clusters IIIC (affiliated with Clostridia) and clusters IVB and IVC. Primer pair Ueda19F–R6 exhibited the least bias and successfully captured diazotrophs in cluster I and subclusters IIIE, IIIL, IIIM, and IIIN, but tended to discriminate against Firmicutes and subcluster IIIC. Taken together, our newly established bioinformatics pipeline, NifMAP, along with our systematic evaluations of nifH primer pairs permit more robust, high-throughput investigations of diazotrophs in diverse environments. PMID:29760683

Evidence for high-temperature in situ nifH transcription in an alkaline hot spring of Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park.

PubMed

Loiacono, Sara T; Meyer-Dombard, D'Arcy R; Havig, Jeff R; Poret-Peterson, Amisha T; Hartnett, Hilairy E; Shock, Everett L

2012-05-01

Genes encoding nitrogenase (nifH) were amplified from sediment and photosynthetic mat samples collected in the outflow channel of Mound Spring, an alkaline thermal feature in Yellowstone National Park. Results indicate the genetic capacity for nitrogen fixation over the entire range of temperatures sampled (57.2°C to 80.2°C). Amplification of environmental nifH transcripts revealed in situ expression of nifH genes at temperatures up to 72.7°C. However, we were unable to amplify transcripts of nifH at the higher-temperature locations (> 72.7°C). These results indicate that microbes at the highest temperature sites contain the genetic capacity to fix nitrogen, yet either do not express nifH or do so only transiently. Field measurements of nitrate and ammonium show fixed nitrogen limitation as temperature decreases along the outflow channel, suggesting nifH expression in response to the downstream decrease in bioavailable nitrogen. Nitrogen stable isotope values of Mound Spring sediment communities further support geochemical and genetic data. DNA and cDNA nifH amplicons form several unique phylogenetic clades, some of which appear to represent novel nifH sequences in both photosynthetic and chemosynthetic microbial communities. This is the first report of in situ nifH expression in strictly chemosynthetic zones of terrestrial (non-marine) hydrothermal systems, and sets a new upper temperature limit (72.7°C) for nitrogen fixation in alkaline, terrestrial hydrothermal environments. © 2012 Society for Applied Microbiology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Song Decrystallization in Adult Zebra Finches Does Not Require the Song Nucleus NIf

PubMed Central

Roy, Arani; Mooney, Richard

2009-01-01

In adult male zebra finches, transecting the vocal nerve causes previously stable (i.e., crystallized) song to slowly degrade, presumably because of the resulting distortion in auditory feedback. How and where distorted feedback interacts with song motor networks to induce this process of song decrystallization remains unknown. The song premotor nucleus HVC is a potential site where auditory feedback signals could interact with song motor commands. Although the forebrain nucleus interface of the nidopallium (NIf) appears to be the primary auditory input to HVC, NIf lesions made in adult zebra finches do not trigger song decrystallization. One possibility is that NIf lesions do not interfere with song maintenance, but do compromise the adult zebra finch's ability to express renewed vocal plasticity in response to feedback perturbations. To test this idea, we bilaterally lesioned NIf and then transected the vocal nerve in adult male zebra finches. We found that bilateral NIf lesions did not prevent nerve section–induced song decrystallization. To test the extent to which the NIf lesions disrupted auditory processing in the song system, we made in vivo extracellular recordings in HVC and a downstream anterior forebrain pathway (AFP) in NIf-lesioned birds. We found strong and selective auditory responses to the playback of the birds' own song persisted in HVC and the AFP following NIf lesions. These findings suggest that auditory inputs to the song system other than NIf, such as the caudal mesopallium, could act as a source of auditory feedback signals to the song motor network. PMID:19515953

Expression of 16 Nitrogenase Proteins within the Plant Mitochondrial Matrix

PubMed Central

Allen, Robert S.; Tilbrook, Kimberley; Warden, Andrew C.; Campbell, Peter C.; Rolland, Vivien; Singh, Surinder P.; Wood, Craig C.

2017-01-01

The industrial production and use of nitrogenous fertilizer involves significant environmental and economic costs. Strategies to reduce fertilizer dependency are required to address the world's increasing demand for sustainable food, fibers, and biofuels. Biological nitrogen fixation, a process unique to diazatrophic bacteria, is catalyzed by the nitrogenase complex, and reconstituting this function in plant cells is an ambitious biotechnological strategy to reduce fertilizer use. Here we establish that the full array of biosynthetic and catalytic nitrogenase (Nif) proteins from the diazotroph Klebsiella pneumoniae can be individually expressed as mitochondrial targeting peptide (MTP)-Nif fusions in Nicotiana benthamiana. We show that these are correctly targeted to the plant mitochondrial matrix, a subcellular location with biochemical and genetic characteristics potentially supportive of nitrogenase function. Although Nif proteins B, D, E, F, H, J, K, M, N, Q, S, U, V, X, Y, and Z were all detectable by Western blot analysis, the NifD catalytic component was the least abundant. To address this problem, a translational fusion between NifD and NifK was designed based on the crystal structure of the nitrogenase MoFe protein heterodimer. This fusion protein enabled equimolar NifD:NifK stoichiometry and improved NifD expression levels in plants. Finally, four MTP-Nif fusion proteins (B, S, H, Y) were successfully co-expressed, demonstrating that multiple components of nitrogenase can be targeted to plant mitochondria. These results establish the feasibility of reconstituting the complete componentry for nitrogenase in plant cells, within an intracellular environment that could support the conversion of nitrogen gas into ammonia. PMID:28316608

Preparation and Evaluation of Solid Dispersion Tablets by a Simple and Manufacturable Wet Granulation Method Using Porous Calcium Silicate.

PubMed

Fujimoto, Yumi; Hirai, Nobuaki; Takatani-Nakase, Tomoka; Takahashi, Koichi

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to prepare and evaluate solid dispersion tablets containing a poorly water-soluble drug using porous calcium silicate (PCS) by a wet granulation method. Nifedipine (NIF) was used as the model poorly water-soluble drug. Solid dispersion tablets were prepared with the wet granulation method using ethanol and water by a high-speed mixer granulator. The binder and disintegrant were selected from 7 and 4 candidates, respectively. The dissolution test was conducted using the JP 16 paddle method. The oral absorption of NIF was studied in fasted rats. Xylitol and crospovidone were selected as the binder and disintegrant, respectively. The dissolution rates of NIF from solid dispersion formulations were markedly enhanced compared with NIF powder and physical mixtures. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) confirmed the reduced crystallinity of NIF in the solid dispersion formulations. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) showed the physical interaction between NIF and PCS in the solid dispersion formulations. NIF is present in an amorphous state in granules prepared by the wet granulation method using water. The area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) and peak concentration (C(max)) values of NIF after dosing rats with the solid dispersion granules were significantly greater than those after dosing with NIF powder. The solid dispersion formulations of NIF prepared with PCS using the wet granulation method exhibited accelerated dissolution rates and superior oral bioavailability. This method is very simple, and may be applicable to the development of other poorly water-soluble drugs.

Structural and phylogenetic analysis of Rhodobacter capsulatus NifF: uncovering general features of nitrogen-fixation (nif)-flavodoxins.

PubMed

Pérez-Dorado, Inmaculada; Bortolotti, Ana; Cortez, Néstor; Hermoso, Juan A

2013-01-09

Analysis of the crystal structure of NifF from Rhodobacter capsulatus and its homologues reported so far reflects the existence of unique structural features in nif flavodoxins: a leucine at the re face of the isoalloxazine, an eight-residue insertion at the C-terminus of the 50's loop and a remarkable difference in the electrostatic potential surface with respect to non-nif flavodoxins. A phylogenetic study on 64 sequences from 52 bacterial species revealed four clusters, including different functional prototypes, correlating the previously defined as "short-chain" with the firmicutes flavodoxins and the "long-chain" with gram-negative species. The comparison of Rhodobacter NifF structure with other bacterial flavodoxin prototypes discloses the concurrence of specific features of these functional electron donors to nitrogenase.

Dynamic high energy density plasma environments at the National Ignition Facility for nuclear science research

DOE PAGES

Cerjan, Ch J.; Bernstein, L.; Hopkins, L. Berzak; ...

2017-08-16

We present the generation of dynamic high energy density plasmas in the pico- to nano-second time domain at high-energy laser facilities affords unprecedented nuclear science research possibilities. At the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the primary goal of inertial confinement fusion research has led to the synergistic development of a unique high brightness neutron source, sophisticated nuclear diagnostic instrumentation, and versatile experimental platforms. These novel experimental capabilities provide a new path to investigate nuclear processes and structural effects in the time, mass and energy density domains relevant to astrophysical phenomena in a unique terrestrial environment. Some immediate applications include neutron capturemore » cross-section evaluation, fission fragment production, and ion energy loss measurement in electron-degenerate plasmas. More generally, the NIF conditions provide a singular environment to investigate the interplay of atomic and nuclear processes such as plasma screening effects upon thermonuclear reactivity. Lastly, achieving enhanced understanding of many of these effects will also significantly advance fusion energy research and challenge existing theoretical models.« less

Using secondary nuclear products for inferring the fuel areal density, convergence, and electron temperatures of deuterium filled implosions on the NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lahmann, B.; Frenje, J. A.; Gatu Johnson, M.; Sio, H.; Kabadi, N. V.; Sutcliffe, G.; Seguin, F. H.; Li, C. K.; Petrasso, R. D.; Hartouni, E. P.; Rinderknecht, H. G.; Sayre, D. B.; Yeamans, C. B.; Khan, S. F.; Kyrala, G. A.; Lepape, S.; Berzak-Hopkins, L.; Meezan, N.; Bionta, R.; Ma, T.

2016-10-01

In deuterium-filled inertial confinement fusion implosions, 0.82 MeV 3He and 1.01 MeV T born from the primary DD reaction branches can undergo fusion reactions with the thermal deuterium plasma to create secondary D3He protons and DT neutrons respectively. In regimes of moderate fuel areal density (ρR 5 - 100 mg/cm2) the ratio of both of these secondary yields to the primary yield can be used to infer the fuel ρR, convergence, and an electron temperature (Te) simultaneously. This technique has been used on a myriad of deuterium filled implosion experiments on the NIF using the nuclear time of flight (NTOF) diagnostics to measure the secondary DT neutrons and CR-39 based wedge range filters (WRFs) to measure the secondary D3He protons. Additionally, a comparative study is conducted between the nuclear inferred convergence and x-ray inferred convergence obtained on these experiments. This work was supported in part by LLE, the U.S. DoE (NNSA, NLUF) and LLNL.

Gamma ray measurements at OMEGA with the newest gas Cherenkov Detector “GCD-3”

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McEvoy, A. M.; Herrmann, H. W.; Kim, Y.

Initial results from the newest Gas Cherenkov Detector (GCD-3) are reported demonstrating improved performance over previous GCD iterations. Increased shielding and lengthening of the Cherenkov photon optical path have resulted in a diminished precursor signal with increased temporal separation between the precursor and the primary DT Cherenkov signal. Design changes resulted in a measured GCD-3 sensitivity comparable to GCD-1 at identical 100 psia CO 2 operation. All metal gasket seals and pressure vessel certification to 400 psia operation allow for a GCD-3 lower Cherenkov threshold of 1.8 MeV using the fluorinated gas C 2F 6 as compared to the 6.3more » MeV lower limit of GCD-1 and GCD-2. Calibration data will be used to benchmark GEANT4 and ACCEPT detector models. Lastly, the GCD-3 acts as a prototype for the Super GCD being fielded at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) as part of the National Diagnostics Plan and will be installed at NIF in early 2016.« less

Gamma ray measurements at OMEGA with the newest gas Cherenkov Detector “GCD-3”

DOE PAGES

McEvoy, A. M.; Herrmann, H. W.; Kim, Y.; ...

2016-05-26

Initial results from the newest Gas Cherenkov Detector (GCD-3) are reported demonstrating improved performance over previous GCD iterations. Increased shielding and lengthening of the Cherenkov photon optical path have resulted in a diminished precursor signal with increased temporal separation between the precursor and the primary DT Cherenkov signal. Design changes resulted in a measured GCD-3 sensitivity comparable to GCD-1 at identical 100 psia CO 2 operation. All metal gasket seals and pressure vessel certification to 400 psia operation allow for a GCD-3 lower Cherenkov threshold of 1.8 MeV using the fluorinated gas C 2F 6 as compared to the 6.3more » MeV lower limit of GCD-1 and GCD-2. Calibration data will be used to benchmark GEANT4 and ACCEPT detector models. Lastly, the GCD-3 acts as a prototype for the Super GCD being fielded at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) as part of the National Diagnostics Plan and will be installed at NIF in early 2016.« less

Simultaneous neutron and x-ray imaging of inertial confinement fusion experiments along a single line of sight at Omega.

PubMed

Danly, C R; Day, T H; Fittinghoff, D N; Herrmann, H; Izumi, N; Kim, Y H; Martinez, J I; Merrill, F E; Schmidt, D W; Simpson, R A; Volegov, P L; Wilde, C H

2015-04-01

Neutron and x-ray imaging provide critical information about the geometry and hydrodynamics of inertial confinement fusion implosions. However, existing diagnostics at Omega and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) cannot produce images in both neutrons and x-rays along the same line of sight. This leads to difficulty comparing these images, which capture different parts of the plasma geometry, for the asymmetric implosions seen in present experiments. Further, even when opposing port neutron and x-ray images are available, they use different detectors and cannot provide positive information about the relative positions of the neutron and x-ray sources. A technique has been demonstrated on implosions at Omega that can capture x-ray images along the same line of sight as the neutron images. The technique is described, and data from a set of experiments are presented, along with a discussion of techniques for coregistration of the various images. It is concluded that the technique is viable and could provide valuable information if implemented on NIF in the near future.

Dynamic high energy density plasma environments at the National Ignition Facility for nuclear science research

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cerjan, Ch J.; Bernstein, L.; Hopkins, L. Berzak

We present the generation of dynamic high energy density plasmas in the pico- to nano-second time domain at high-energy laser facilities affords unprecedented nuclear science research possibilities. At the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the primary goal of inertial confinement fusion research has led to the synergistic development of a unique high brightness neutron source, sophisticated nuclear diagnostic instrumentation, and versatile experimental platforms. These novel experimental capabilities provide a new path to investigate nuclear processes and structural effects in the time, mass and energy density domains relevant to astrophysical phenomena in a unique terrestrial environment. Some immediate applications include neutron capturemore » cross-section evaluation, fission fragment production, and ion energy loss measurement in electron-degenerate plasmas. More generally, the NIF conditions provide a singular environment to investigate the interplay of atomic and nuclear processes such as plasma screening effects upon thermonuclear reactivity. Lastly, achieving enhanced understanding of many of these effects will also significantly advance fusion energy research and challenge existing theoretical models.« less

Overview of Target Fabrication in Support of Sandia National Laboratories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schroen, Diana; Breden, Eric; Florio, Joseph; Grine-Jones, Suzi; Holt, Randy; Krych, Wojtek; Metzler, James; Russell, Chris; Stolp, Justin; Streit, Jonathan; Youngblood, Kelly

2004-11-01

Sandia National Laboratories has succeeded in making its pulsed power driver, the Z machine, a valuable testbed for a great variety of experiments. These experiments include ICF, weapon physics, Equation of State and astrophysics. There are four main target types: Dynamic Hohlraum, Double Pinch, Fast Igniter and EOS. The target sizes are comparable to projected NIF sizes. For example, capsules up to 5 mm have been fielded. This talk will focus on the assembly challenges and the use of foams to create these targets. For many targets, diagnostics and capsules are embedded in the foams, and foam dopants have been added. It is the 14 mg/cc foam target with an embedded capsule (containing deuterium) that has reproducibly produced thermonuclear neutrons. For all target types, the characterization and documentation has had to develop to ensure understanding of target performance. To achieve the required resolution we are using a Nikon automated microscope and a custom OMEGA/NIF target assembly system. Our drive for quality has lead us develop a management system that been registered to ISO 9001.

Simultaneous neutron and x-ray imaging of inertial confinement fusion experiments along a single line of sight at Omega

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Danly, C. R.; Day, T. H.; Fittinghoff, D. N.

Neutron and x-ray imaging provide critical information about the geometry and hydrodynamics of inertial confinement fusion implosions. However, existing diagnostics at Omega and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) cannot produce images in both neutrons and x-rays along the same line of sight. This leads to difficulty comparing these images, which capture different parts of the plasma geometry, for the asymmetric implosions seen in present experiments. Further, even when opposing port neutron and x-ray images are available, they use different detectors and cannot provide positive information about the relative positions of the neutron and x-ray sources. A technique has been demonstratedmore » on implosions at Omega that can capture x-ray images along the same line of sight as the neutron images. Thus, the technique is described, and data from a set of experiments are presented, along with a discussion of techniques for coregistration of the various images. It is concluded that the technique is viable and could provide valuable information if implemented on NIF in the near future.« less

Simultaneous neutron and x-ray imaging of inertial confinement fusion experiments along a single line of sight at Omega

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Danly, C. R.; Day, T. H.; Herrmann, H.

Neutron and x-ray imaging provide critical information about the geometry and hydrodynamics of inertial confinement fusion implosions. However, existing diagnostics at Omega and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) cannot produce images in both neutrons and x-rays along the same line of sight. This leads to difficulty comparing these images, which capture different parts of the plasma geometry, for the asymmetric implosions seen in present experiments. Further, even when opposing port neutron and x-ray images are available, they use different detectors and cannot provide positive information about the relative positions of the neutron and x-ray sources. A technique has been demonstratedmore » on implosions at Omega that can capture x-ray images along the same line of sight as the neutron images. The technique is described, and data from a set of experiments are presented, along with a discussion of techniques for coregistration of the various images. It is concluded that the technique is viable and could provide valuable information if implemented on NIF in the near future.« less

Simultaneous neutron and x-ray imaging of inertial confinement fusion experiments along a single line of sight at Omega

DOE PAGES

Danly, C. R.; Day, T. H.; Fittinghoff, D. N.; ...

2015-04-16

Neutron and x-ray imaging provide critical information about the geometry and hydrodynamics of inertial confinement fusion implosions. However, existing diagnostics at Omega and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) cannot produce images in both neutrons and x-rays along the same line of sight. This leads to difficulty comparing these images, which capture different parts of the plasma geometry, for the asymmetric implosions seen in present experiments. Further, even when opposing port neutron and x-ray images are available, they use different detectors and cannot provide positive information about the relative positions of the neutron and x-ray sources. A technique has been demonstratedmore » on implosions at Omega that can capture x-ray images along the same line of sight as the neutron images. Thus, the technique is described, and data from a set of experiments are presented, along with a discussion of techniques for coregistration of the various images. It is concluded that the technique is viable and could provide valuable information if implemented on NIF in the near future.« less

Self characterization of a coded aperture array for neutron source imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volegov, P. L.; Danly, C. R.; Fittinghoff, D. N.; Guler, N.; Merrill, F. E.; Wilde, C. H.

2014-12-01

The neutron imaging system at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is an important diagnostic tool for measuring the two-dimensional size and shape of the neutrons produced in the burning deuterium-tritium plasma during the stagnation stage of inertial confinement fusion implosions. Since the neutron source is small (˜100 μm) and neutrons are deeply penetrating (>3 cm) in all materials, the apertures used to achieve the desired 10-μm resolution are 20-cm long, triangular tapers machined in gold foils. These gold foils are stacked to form an array of 20 apertures for pinhole imaging and three apertures for penumbral imaging. These apertures must be precisely aligned to accurately place the field of view of each aperture at the design location, or the location of the field of view for each aperture must be measured. In this paper we present a new technique that has been developed for the measurement and characterization of the precise location of each aperture in the array. We present the detailed algorithms used for this characterization and the results of reconstructed sources from inertial confinement fusion implosion experiments at NIF.

Metric Properties of the Neighborhood Inventory for Environmental Typology (NIfETy): An Environmental Assessment Tool for Measuring Indicators of Violence, Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Exposures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furr-Holden, C. D. M.; Campbell, K. D. M.; Milam, A. J.; Smart, M. J.; Ialongo, N. A.; Leaf, P. J.

2010-01-01

Objectives: Establish metric properties of the Neighborhood Inventory for Environmental Typology (NIfETy). Method: A total of 919 residential block faces were assessed by paired raters using the NIfETy. Reliability was evaluated via interrater and internal consistency reliability; validity by comparing NIfETy data with youth self-reported…

Constitutive expression of the nifA gene activates associative nitrogen fixation of Enterobacter gergoviae 57-7, an opportunistic endophytic diazotroph.

PubMed

An, Q; Dong, Y; Wang, W; Li, Y; Li, J

2007-09-01

This study was undertaken to investigate whether a nitrogen-fixing bacterium Enterobacter gergoviae 57-7, which was isolated from surface-sterilized maize (Zea mays L.) roots, can colonize in roots and whether constitutive expression of the nifA gene encoding the transcriptional activator of nitrogenase genes can activate nif gene expression in planta. Maize seedlings grown in an agar medium were inoculated with Ent. gergoviae strains containing the green fluorescent protein reporter gene. Root colonization and expression of the dinitrogenase reductase gene (nifH) by Ent. gergoviae were observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. gfp-tagged Ent. gergoviae was observed to colonize predominantly in cortical aerenchyma of primary and lateral roots and in stellar parenchyma cells and xylem vessels of primary roots. In planta nifH :: gfp expression was not detected but after a constitutively expressed nifA gene was introduced into Ent. gergoviae. Enterobacter gergoviae 57-7 is an opportunistic endophyte because it can live in soil and colonize in maize roots in the gnotobiotic agar culture. In agreement with previous (15)N-dilution evidence that Ent. gergoviae 57-7 did not fix N(2) in association with maize in pots whereas a derivative E7 containing a constitutively expressed nifA gene promoted plant growth partly through associative nitrogen fixation, constitutive expression of the nifA gene can activate bacterial nif gene expression in planta. This study and our previous studies suggest that manipulation of the promoter of the nifA gene in a nitrogen-fixing bacterium having a high colonization competence is a practical and promising approach to achieve a stable associative nitrogen fixation for cereals.

The novel regulatory ncRNA, NfiS, optimizes nitrogen fixation via base pairing with the nitrogenase gene nifK mRNA in Pseudomonas stutzeri A1501

PubMed Central

Zhan, Yuhua; Yan, Yongliang; Deng, Zhiping; Chen, Ming; Lu, Wei; Lu, Chao; Shang, Liguo; Yang, Zhimin; Zhang, Wei; Wang, Wei; Li, Yun; Ke, Qi; Lu, Jiasi; Xu, Yuquan; Zhang, Liwen; Xie, Zhihong; Cheng, Qi; Elmerich, Claudine; Lin, Min

2016-01-01

Unlike most Pseudomonas, the root-associated bacterium Pseudomonas stutzeri A1501 fixes nitrogen after the horizontal acquisition of a nitrogen-fixing (nif) island. A genome-wide search for small noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) in P. stutzeri A1501 identified the novel P. stutzeri-specific ncRNA NfiS in the core genome, whose synthesis was significantly induced under nitrogen fixation or sorbitol stress conditions. The expression of NfiS was RNA chaperone Hfq-dependent and activated by the sigma factor RpoN/global nitrogen activator NtrC/nif-specific activator NifA regulatory cascade. The nfiS-deficient mutant displayed reduced nitrogenase activity, as well as increased sensitivity to multiple stresses, such as osmotic and oxidative stresses. Secondary structure prediction and complementation studies confirmed that a stem-loop structure was essential for NfiS to regulate the nitrogenase gene nifK mRNA synthesis and thus nitrogenase activity. Microscale thermophoresis and physiological analysis showed that NfiS directly pairs with nifK mRNA and ultimately enhances nitrogenase activity by increasing the translation efficiency and the half-life of nifK mRNA. Our data also suggest structural and functional divergence of NfiS evolution in diazotrophic and nondiazotrophic backgrounds. It is proposed that NfiS was recruited by nifK mRNA as a novel regulator to integrate the horizontally acquired nif island into host global networks. PMID:27407147

Nitrosonifedipine Ameliorates the Progression of Type 2 Diabetic Nephropathy by Exerting Antioxidative Effects

PubMed Central

Ishizawa, Keisuke; Izawa-Ishizawa, Yuki; Yamano, Noriko; Urushihara, Maki; Sakurada, Takumi; Imanishi, Masaki; Fujii, Shoko; Nuno, Asami; Miyamoto, Licht; Kihira, Yoshitaka; Ikeda, Yasumasa; Kagami, Shoji; Kobori, Hiroyuki; Tsuchiya, Koichiro; Tamaki, Toshiaki

2014-01-01

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the major cause of end-stage renal failure. Oxidative stress is implicated in the pathogenesis of DN. Nitrosonifedipine (NO-NIF) is a weak calcium channel blocker that is converted from nifedipine under light exposure. Recently, we reported that NO-NIF has potential as a novel antioxidant with radical scavenging abilities and has the capacity to treat vascular dysfunction by exerting an endothelial protective effect. In the present study, we extended these findings by evaluating the efficacy of NO-NIF against DN and by clarifying the mechanisms of its antioxidative effect. In a model of type 2 DN (established in KKAy mice), NO-NIF administration reduced albuminuria and proteinuria as well as glomerular expansion without affecting glucose metabolism or systolic blood pressure. NO-NIF also suppressed renal and systemic oxidative stress and decreased the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1, a marker of endothelial cell injury, in the glomeruli of the KKAy mice. Similarly, NO-NIF reduced albuminuria, oxidative stress, and ICAM-1 expression in endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) knockout mice. Moreover, NO-NIF suppressed urinary angiotensinogen (AGT) excretion and intrarenal AGT protein expression in proximal tubular cells in the KKAy mice. On the other hand, hyperglycemia-induced mitochondrial superoxide production was not attenuated by NO-NIF in cultured endothelial cells. These findings suggest that NO-NIF prevents the progression of type 2 DN associated with endothelial dysfunction through selective antioxidative effects. PMID:24489716

Symbiotic Burkholderia Species Show Diverse Arrangements of nif/fix and nod Genes and Lack Typical High-Affinity Cytochrome cbb3 Oxidase Genes.

PubMed

De Meyer, Sofie E; Briscoe, Leah; Martínez-Hidalgo, Pilar; Agapakis, Christina M; de-Los Santos, Paulina Estrada; Seshadri, Rekha; Reeve, Wayne; Weinstock, George; O'Hara, Graham; Howieson, John G; Hirsch, Ann M

2016-08-01

Genome analysis of fourteen mimosoid and four papilionoid beta-rhizobia together with fourteen reference alpha-rhizobia for both nodulation (nod) and nitrogen-fixing (nif/fix) genes has shown phylogenetic congruence between 16S rRNA/MLSA (combined 16S rRNA gene sequencing and multilocus sequence analysis) and nif/fix genes, indicating a free-living diazotrophic ancestry of the beta-rhizobia. However, deeper genomic analysis revealed a complex symbiosis acquisition history in the beta-rhizobia that clearly separates the mimosoid and papilionoid nodulating groups. Mimosoid-nodulating beta-rhizobia have nod genes tightly clustered in the nodBCIJHASU operon, whereas papilionoid-nodulating Burkholderia have nodUSDABC and nodIJ genes, although their arrangement is not canonical because the nod genes are subdivided by the insertion of nif and other genes. Furthermore, the papilionoid Burkholderia spp. contain duplications of several nod and nif genes. The Burkholderia nifHDKEN and fixABC genes are very closely related to those found in free-living diazotrophs. In contrast, nifA is highly divergent between both groups, but the papilionoid species nifA is more similar to alpha-rhizobia nifA than to other groups. Surprisingly, for all Burkholderia, the fixNOQP and fixGHIS genes required for cbb3 cytochrome oxidase production and assembly are missing. In contrast, symbiotic Cupriavidus strains have fixNOQPGHIS genes, revealing a divergence in the evolution of two distinct electron transport chains required for nitrogen fixation within the beta-rhizobia.

Endophytic Herbaspirillum seropedicae expresses nif genes in gramineous plants.

PubMed

Roncato-Maccari, Lauren D B; Ramos, Humberto J O; Pedrosa, Fabio O; Alquini, Yedo; Chubatsu, Leda S; Yates, Marshall G; Rigo, Liu U; Steffens, Maria Berenice R; Souza, Emanuel M

2003-07-01

Abstract The interactions between maize, sorghum, wheat and rice plants and Herbaspirillum seropedicae were examined microscopically following inoculation with the H. seropedicae LR15 strain, a Nif(+) (Pnif::gusA) mutant obtained by the insertion of a gusA-kanamycin cassette into the nifH gene of the H. seropedicae wild-type strain. The expression of the Pnif::gusA fusion was followed during the association of the diazotroph with the gramineous species. Histochemical analysis of seedlings of maize, sorghum, wheat and rice grown in vermiculite showed that strain LR15 colonized root surfaces and inner tissues. In early steps of the endophytic association, H. seropedicae colonized root exudation sites, such as axils of secondary roots and intercellular spaces of the root cortex; it then occupied the vascular tissue and there expressed nif genes. The expression of nif genes occurred in roots, stems and leaves as detected by the GUS reporter system. The expression of nif genes was also observed in bacterial colonies located in the external mucilaginous root material, 8 days after inoculation. Moreover, the colonization of plant tissue by H. seropedicae did not depend on the nitrogen-fixing ability, since similar numbers of cells were isolated from roots or shoots of the plants inoculated with Nif(+) or Nif(-) strains.

124Xe(n,γ)125Xe and 124Xe(n,2n)123Xe measurements for National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhike, Megha; Ludin, Nurin; Tornow, Werner

2015-05-01

The cross section for the 124Xe(n,γ)125Xe reaction has been measured for the first time for neutron energies above 100 keV. In addition, the 124Xe(n,2n)123Xe reaction has been studied between threshold and 14.8 MeV. The results of these measurements provide sensitive diagnostic tools for investigating properties of the inertial confinement fusion plasma in Deuterium-Tritium (DT) capsules at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Diagnosing radiative shocks from deuterium and tritium implosions on NIF.

PubMed

Pak, A; Divol, L; Weber, S; Döppner, T; Kyrala, G A; Kilne, J; Izumi, N; Glenn, S; Ma, T; Town, R P; Bradley, D K; Glenzer, S H

2012-10-01

During the recent ignition tuning campaign at the National Ignition Facility, layered cryogenic deuterium and tritium capsules were imploded via x-ray driven ablation. The hardened gated x-ray imager diagnostic temporally and spatially resolves the x-ray emission from the core of the capsule implosion at energies above ~8 keV. On multiple implosions, ~200-400 ps after peak compression a spherically expanding radiative shock has been observed. This paper describes the methods used to characterize the radial profile and rate of expansion of the shock induced x-ray emission.

Nucleotide sequence of the gene encoding the nitrogenase iron protein of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pretorius, I.M.; Rawlings, D.E.; O'Neill, E.G.

1987-01-01

The DNA sequence was determined for the cloned Thiobacillus ferrooxidans nifH and part of the nifD genes. The DNA chains were radiolabeled with (..cap alpha..-/sup 32/P)dCTP (3000 Ci/mmol) or (..cap alpha..-/sup 35/S)dCTP (400 Ci/mmol). A putative T. ferrooxidans nifH promoter was identified whose sequences showed perfect consensus with those of the Klebsiella pneumoniae nif promoter. Two putative consensus upstream activator sequences were also identified. The amino acid sequence was deduced from the DNA sequence. In a comparison of nifH DNA sequences from T. ferrooxidans and eight other nitrogen-fixing microbes, a Rhizobium sp. isolated from Parasponia andersonii showed the greatest homologymore » (74%) and Clostridium pasteurianum (nifH1) showed the least homology (54%). In the comparison of the amino acid sequences of the Fe proteins, the Rhizobium sp. and Rhizobium japonicum showed the greatest homology (both 86%) and C. pasteurianum (nifH1 gene product) demonstrated the least homology (56%) to the T. ferrooxidans Fe protein.« less

Organization of nif gene cluster in Frankia sp. EuIK1 strain, a symbiont of Elaeagnus umbellata.

PubMed

Oh, Chang Jae; Kim, Ho Bang; Kim, Jitae; Kim, Won Jin; Lee, Hyoungseok; An, Chung Sun

2012-01-01

The nucleotide sequence of a 20.5-kb genomic region harboring nif genes was determined and analyzed. The fragment was obtained from Frankia sp. EuIK1 strain, an indigenous symbiont of Elaeagnus umbellata. A total of 20 ORFs including 12 nif genes were identified and subjected to comparative analysis with the genome sequences of 3 Frankia strains representing diverse host plant specificities. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences showed highest levels of identity with orthologous genes from an Elaeagnus-infecting strain. The gene organization patterns around the nif gene clusters were well conserved among all 4 Frankia strains. However, characteristic features appeared in the location of the nifV gene for each Frankia strain, depending on the type of host plant. Sequence analysis was performed to determine the transcription units and suggested that there could be an independent operon starting from the nifW gene in the EuIK strain. Considering the organization patterns and their total extensions on the genome, we propose that the nif gene clusters remained stable despite genetic variations occurring in the Frankia genomes.

Species separation and modification of neutron diagnostics in inertial-confinement fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inglebert, A.; Canaud, B.; Larroche, O.

2014-09-01

The different behaviours of deuterium (D) and tritium (T) in the hot spot of marginally igniting cryogenic DT inertial-confinement fusion (ICF) targets are investigated with an ion Fokker-Planck model. With respect to an equivalent single-species model, a higher density and a higher temperature are found for T in the stagnation phase of the target implosion. In addition, the stagnating hot spot is found to be less dense but hotter than in the single-species case. As a result, the fusion reaction yield in the hot spot is significantly increased. Fusion neutron diagnostics of the implosion find a larger ion temperature as deduced from DT reactions than from DD reactions, in good agreement with NIF experimental results. ICF target designs should thus definitely take ion-kinetic effects into account.

An innovative method for the non-destructive identification of photodegradation products in solid state: 1H-14N NMR-NQR and DFT/QTAIM study of photodegradation of nifedipine (anti-hypertensive) to nitrosonifedipine (potential anti-oxidative).

PubMed

Latosińska, J N; Latosińska, M; Seliger, J; Zagar, V

2012-08-30

Stability of the antihypertensive drug nifedipine (NIF) has been studied experimentally in solid state by (1)H-(14)N NMR-NQR double resonance (NQDR) and theoretically by the Density Functional Theory (DFT). Photodegradation of NIF to its metabolite in vivo nitrosonifedipine, NO-NIF (antioxidative agent) upon long term daylight exposure was detected and the changes in the molecular structure of NIF were analysed. The photoconversion of NIF to NO-NIF in solid was found to be accompanied with the electron density redistribution at nitrogen sites (NH to N and NO(2) to NO) and proved to be successfully detected with identification of photoproducts by (1)H-(14)N NQDR and DFT methods. The increase in the e(2)qQ/h and η describing EFG tendency towards non-spherical symmetry was significantly greater upon the reduction of NO(2) site than upon hydrogen abstraction from NH site. The level of sensitivity of detection of the photodegradation product was about 1% of the original sample. The Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) analysis has been found useful in predicting photoreactive sites in the molecules and finding the explanation of differences in reactivity between parent NIF and its photoproduct NO-NIF. Using NIF as a model, this study demonstrates the suitability of NQDR supported by DFT for non-destructive determination of the photodegradation products in solid state. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analysis of a diverse assemblage of diazotrophic bacteria from Spartina alterniflora using DGGE and clone library screening.

PubMed

Lovell, Charles R; Decker, Peter V; Bagwell, Christopher E; Thompson, Shelly; Matsui, George Y

2008-05-01

Methods to assess the diversity of the diazotroph assemblage in the rhizosphere of the salt marsh cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora were examined. The effectiveness of nifH PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) was compared to that of nifH clone library analysis. Seventeen DGGE gel bands were sequenced and yielded 58 nonidentical nifH sequences from a total of 67 sequences determined. A clone library constructed using the GC-clamp nifH primers that were employed in the PCR-DGGE (designated the GC-Library) yielded 83 nonidentical sequences from a total of 257 nifH sequences. A second library constructed using an alternate set of nifH primers (N-Library) yielded 83 nonidentical sequences from a total of 138 nifH sequences. Rarefaction curves for the libraries did not reach saturation, although the GC-Library curve was substantially dampened and appeared to be closer to saturation than the N-Library curve. Phylogenetic analyses showed that DGGE gel band sequencing recovered nifH sequences that were frequently sampled in the GC-Library, as well as sequences that were infrequently sampled, and provided a species composition assessment that was robust, efficient, and relatively inexpensive to obtain. Further, the DGGE method permits a large number of samples to be examined for differences in banding patterns, after which bands of interest can be sampled for sequence determination.

Using Synthetic Biology to Distinguish and Overcome Regulatory and Functional Barriers Related to Nitrogen Fixation

PubMed Central

Wang, Xia; Yang, Jian-Guo; Chen, Li; Wang, Ji-Long; Cheng, Qi; Dixon, Ray; Wang, Yi-Ping

2013-01-01

Biological nitrogen fixation is a complex process requiring multiple genes working in concert. To date, the Klebsiella pneumoniae nif gene cluster, divided into seven operons, is one of the most studied systems. Its nitrogen fixation capacity is subject to complex cascade regulation and physiological limitations. In this report, the entire K. pneumoniae nif gene cluster was reassembled as operon-based BioBrick parts in Escherichia coli. It provided ∼100% activity of native K. pneumoniae system. Based on the expression levels of these BioBrick parts, a T7 RNA polymerase–LacI expression system was used to replace the σ54-dependent promoters located upstream of nif operons. Expression patterns of nif operons were critical for the maximum activity of the recombinant system. By mimicking these expression levels with variable-strength T7-dependent promoters, ∼42% of the nitrogenase activity of the σ54-dependent nif system was achieved in E. coli. When the newly constructed T7-dependent nif system was challenged with different genetic and physiological conditions, it bypassed the original complex regulatory circuits, with minor physiological limitations. Therefore, we have successfully replaced the nif regulatory elements with a simple expression system that may provide the first step for further research of introducing nif genes into eukaryotic organelles, which has considerable potentials in agro-biotechnology. PMID:23935879

Kinetics of nif Gene Expression in a Nitrogen-Fixing Bacterium

PubMed Central

Poza-Carrión, César; Jiménez-Vicente, Emilio; Navarro-Rodríguez, Mónica; Echavarri-Erasun, Carlos

2014-01-01

Nitrogen fixation is a tightly regulated trait. Switching from N2 fixation-repressing conditions to the N2-fixing state is carefully controlled in diazotrophic bacteria mainly because of the high energy demand that it imposes. By using quantitative real-time PCR and quantitative immunoblotting, we show here how nitrogen fixation (nif) gene expression develops in Azotobacter vinelandii upon derepression. Transient expression of the transcriptional activator-encoding gene, nifA, was followed by subsequent, longer-duration waves of expression of the nitrogenase biosynthetic and structural genes. Importantly, expression timing, expression levels, and NifA dependence varied greatly among the nif operons. Moreover, the exact concentrations of Nif proteins and their changes over time were determined for the first time. Nif protein concentrations were exquisitely balanced, with FeMo cofactor biosynthetic proteins accumulating at levels 50- to 100-fold lower than those of the structural proteins. Mutants lacking nitrogenase structural genes or impaired in FeMo cofactor biosynthesis showed overenhanced responses to derepression that were proportional to the degree of nitrogenase activity impairment, consistent with the existence of at least two negative-feedback regulatory mechanisms. The first such mechanism responded to the levels of fixed nitrogen, whereas the second mechanism appeared to respond to the levels of the mature NifDK component. Altogether, these findings provide a framework to engineer N2 fixation in nondiazotrophs. PMID:24244007

Kinetics of Nif gene expression in a nitrogen-fixing bacterium.

PubMed

Poza-Carrión, César; Jiménez-Vicente, Emilio; Navarro-Rodríguez, Mónica; Echavarri-Erasun, Carlos; Rubio, Luis M

2014-02-01

Nitrogen fixation is a tightly regulated trait. Switching from N2 fixation-repressing conditions to the N2-fixing state is carefully controlled in diazotrophic bacteria mainly because of the high energy demand that it imposes. By using quantitative real-time PCR and quantitative immunoblotting, we show here how nitrogen fixation (nif) gene expression develops in Azotobacter vinelandii upon derepression. Transient expression of the transcriptional activator-encoding gene, nifA, was followed by subsequent, longer-duration waves of expression of the nitrogenase biosynthetic and structural genes. Importantly, expression timing, expression levels, and NifA dependence varied greatly among the nif operons. Moreover, the exact concentrations of Nif proteins and their changes over time were determined for the first time. Nif protein concentrations were exquisitely balanced, with FeMo cofactor biosynthetic proteins accumulating at levels 50- to 100-fold lower than those of the structural proteins. Mutants lacking nitrogenase structural genes or impaired in FeMo cofactor biosynthesis showed overenhanced responses to derepression that were proportional to the degree of nitrogenase activity impairment, consistent with the existence of at least two negative-feedback regulatory mechanisms. The first such mechanism responded to the levels of fixed nitrogen, whereas the second mechanism appeared to respond to the levels of the mature NifDK component. Altogether, these findings provide a framework to engineer N2 fixation in nondiazotrophs.

Association of Right Ventricular Pressure and Volume Overload with Non-Ischemic Septal Fibrosis on Cardiac Magnetic Resonance.

PubMed

Kim, Jiwon; Medicherla, Chaitanya B; Ma, Claudia L; Feher, Attila; Kukar, Nina; Geevarghese, Alexi; Goyal, Parag; Horn, Evelyn; Devereux, Richard B; Weinsaft, Jonathan W

2016-01-01

Non-ischemic fibrosis (NIF) on cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) has been linked to poor prognosis, but its association with adverse right ventricular (RV) remodeling is unknown. This study examined a broad cohort of patients with RV dysfunction, so as to identify relationships between NIF and RV remodeling indices, including RV pressure load, volume and wall stress. The population comprised patients with RV dysfunction (EF<50%) undergoing CMR and transthoracic echo within a 14 day (5 ± 3) interval. Cardiac structure, function, and NIF were assessed on CMR. Pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) was measured on echo. 118 patients with RV dysfunction were studied, among whom 47% had NIF. Patients with NIF had lower RVEF (34 ± 10 vs. 39 ± 9%; p = 0.01) but similar LVEF (40 ± 21 vs. 39 ± 18%; p = 0.7) and LV volumes (p = NS). RV wall stress was higher with NIF (17 ± 7 vs. 12 ± 6 kPa; p < 0.001) corresponding to increased RV end-systolic volume (143 ± 79 vs. 110 ± 36 ml; p = 0.006), myocardial mass (60 ± 21 vs. 53 ± 17 gm; p = 0.04), and PASP (52 ± 18 vs. 41 ± 18 mmHg; p = 0.001). NIF was associated with increased wall stress among subgroups with isolated RV (p = 0.005) and both RV and LV dysfunction (p = 0.003). In multivariable analysis, NIF was independently associated with RV volume (OR = 1.17 per 10 ml, [CI 1.04-1.32]; p = 0.01) and PASP (OR = 1.43 per 10 mmHg, [1.14-1.81]; p = 0.002) but not RV mass (OR = 0.91 per 10 gm, [0.69-1.20]; p = 0.5) [model χ2 = 21; p<0.001]. NIF prevalence was higher in relation to PA pressure and RV dilation and was > 6-fold more common in the highest, vs. the lowest, common tertile of PASP and RV size (p<0.001). Among wall stress components, NIF was independently associated with RV chamber dilation and afterload, supporting the concept that NIF is linked to adverse RV chamber remodeling.

Inertial Confinement Fusion Quarterly Report January-March 1999, Volume 9, Number 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Atherton, J.

1999-03-31

This quarterly report covers the following topics: (1) Properties of and Manufacturing Methods for NIF Laser Glasses (J. H. Campbell)--The NIF amplifiers require 3380 Nd-doped laser glass slabs; continuous glass melting methods will be used for the first time to manufacture these slabs. The properties of the laser glasses are summarized and the novel continuous melting method is described. (2) Diffractive Optics for the NIF (J. A. Britten)--We have fabricated demonstration diffractive optics according to the NIF baseline design at full scale, via wet-chemical etching of patterns into fused silica. We have examined the effects of dip-coated sol-gel antireflection coatingsmore » on the performance of these optics, and have concluded that diffractive optics should remain uncoated to minimize laser-induced damage to downstream optics and to maximize environmental stability. We have also demonstrated the feasibility of combining all diffractive structures required by NIF, which vary over orders of magnitude in lateral and vertical scales, onto a single surface. (3) Producing KDP and DKDP Crystals for the NIF Laser (A. K. Burnham)--Rapid-growth KDP has overcome most of the hurdles for production of boules for NIF switch crystals and doublers, but some improvements in process reliability at the tripler's 3{omega} damage threshold are needed. The ability to meet KDP finishing specifications has been demonstrated, and the equipment for efficient NIF production is being built. (4) Engineering High-Damage-Threshold NIF Polarizers and Mirrors (C. J. Stolz)--High-fluence polarizer and mirror coatings for the NIF can be realized by engineering the coating process and design once the laser interaction with coating defects is understood. (5) Improved Antireflection Coatings for the NIF (P. K. Whitman)--We summarize our progress in developing antireflection coatings and applications processes for the NIF laser optics. We describe new materials and coating treatments to minimize the sensitivity of these porous sol-gel coatings to environmental humidity and organic contamination. (6) Developing Optics Finishing Technologies for the National Ignition Facility (T. G. Parham)--Fabrication of the 7500 meter-class lenses and flats for the NIF required extension of finishing technologies to meet cost and schedule targets. Developments at LLNL and our industrial partners are described for improved shaping, grinding, polishing, figuring, and metrology of large optics. (7) Laser-Damage Testing and Modeling Methods for Predicting the Performance of Large-Area NIF Optics (M. R. Kozlowski)--Laser damage to high-quality laser optics is limited by localized, defect-initiated processes. The damage performance of such materials is better described by statistical distributions than by discrete damage thresholds. The prediction of the damage performance of a Beamlet focus lens, based on new statistics-based damage data measurement and analysis techniques, is demonstrated. (8) Development of the NIF Target Chamber First Wall and Beam Dumps (A. K. Burnham)--NIF target designs and target chamber ablations are listed by a 1-nm/shot contamination rate of the final optics debris shield, as determined by transmittance and damage lifetime. This constraint forces a self-cleaning louvre design for the first wall and unconverted-light beam dumps. Nickel-free stainless steel is the cheapest and most practical material.« less

Spectroscopic and functional characterization of iron-sulfur cluster-bound forms of Azotobacter vinelandii (Nif)IscA.

PubMed

Mapolelo, Daphne T; Zhang, Bo; Naik, Sunil G; Huynh, Boi Hanh; Johnson, Michael K

2012-10-16

The mechanism of [4Fe-4S] cluster assembly on A-type Fe-S cluster assembly proteins, in general, and the specific role of (Nif)IscA in the maturation of nitrogen fixation proteins are currently unknown. To address these questions, in vitro spectroscopic studies (UV-visible absorption/CD, resonance Raman and Mössbauer) have been used to investigate the mechanism of [4Fe-4S] cluster assembly on Azotobacter vinelandii(Nif)IscA, and the ability of (Nif)IscA to accept clusters from NifU and to donate clusters to the apo form of the nitrogenase Fe-protein. The results show that (Nif)IscA can rapidly and reversibly cycle between forms containing one [2Fe-2S](2+) and one [4Fe-4S](2+) cluster per homodimer via DTT-induced two-electron reductive coupling of two [2Fe-2S](2+) clusters and O(2)-induced [4Fe-4S](2+) oxidative cleavage. This unique type of cluster interconversion in response to cellular redox status and oxygen levels is likely to be important for the specific role of A-type proteins in the maturation of [4Fe-4S] cluster-containing proteins under aerobic growth or oxidative stress conditions. Only the [4Fe-4S](2+)-(Nif)IscA was competent for rapid activation of apo-nitrogenase Fe protein under anaerobic conditions. Apo-(Nif)IscA was shown to accept clusters from [4Fe-4S] cluster-bound NifU via rapid intact cluster transfer, indicating a potential role as a cluster carrier for delivery of clusters assembled on NifU. Overall the results support the proposal that A-type proteins can function as carrier proteins for clusters assembled on U-type proteins and suggest that they are likely to supply [2Fe-2S] clusters rather than [4Fe-4S] for the maturation of [4Fe-4S] cluster-containing proteins under aerobic or oxidative stress growth conditions.

Spectroscopic and Functional Characterization of Iron-Sulfur Cluster-Bound Forms of Azotobacter vinelandii NifIscA†

PubMed Central

Mapolelo, Daphne T.; Zhang, Bo; Naik, Sunil G.; Huynh, Boi Hanh; Johnson, Michael K.

2012-01-01

The mechanism of [4Fe-4S] cluster assembly on A-type Fe-S cluster assembly proteins, in general, and the specific role of NifIscA in the maturation of nitrogen fixation proteins are currently unknown. To address these questions, in vitro spectroscopic studies (UV–visible absorption/CD, resonance Raman and Mössbauer) have been used to investigate the mechanism of [4Fe-4S] cluster assembly on Azotobacter vinelandii NifIscA, and the ability of NifIscA to accept clusters from NifU and to donate clusters to the apo form of the nitrogenase Fe-protein. The results show that NifIscA can rapidly and reversibly cycle between forms containing one [2Fe-2S]2+ and one [4Fe-4S]2+ cluster per homodimer via DTT-induced two-electron reductive coupling of two [2Fe-2S]2+ clusters and O2-induced [4Fe-4S]2+ oxidative cleavage. This unique type of cluster interconversion in response to cellular redox status and oxygen levels is likely to be important for the specific role of A-type proteins in the maturation of [4Fe-4S] cluster-containing proteins under aerobic growth or oxidative stress conditions. Only the [4Fe-4S]2+-NifIscA was competent for rapid activation of apo-nitrogenase Fe protein under anaerobic conditions. Apo-NifIscA was shown to accept clusters from [4Fe-4S] cluster-bound NifU via rapid intact cluster transfer, indicating a potential role as a cluster carrier for delivery of clusters assembled on NifU. Overall the results support the proposal that A-type proteins can function as carrier proteins for clusters assembled on U-type proteins and suggest that they are likely to supply [2Fe-2S] clusters rather than [4Fe-4S] for the maturation of [4Fe-4S] cluster-containing proteins under aerobic or oxidative stress growth conditions. PMID:23003323

Effect of ATP and 2-oxoglutarate on the in vitro interaction between the NifA GAF domain and the GlnB protein of Azospirillum brasilense

PubMed Central

Sotomaior, P.; Araújo, L.M.; Nishikawa, C.Y.; Huergo, L.F.; Monteiro, R.A.; Pedrosa, F.O.; Chubatsu, L.S.; Souza, E.M.

2012-01-01

Azospirillum brasilense is a diazotroph that associates with important agricultural crops and thus has potential to be a nitrogen biofertilizer. The A. brasilense transcription regulator NifA, which seems to be constitutively expressed, activates the transcription of nitrogen fixation genes. It has been suggested that the nitrogen status-signaling protein GlnB regulates NifA activity by direct interaction with the NifA N-terminal GAF domain, preventing the inhibitory effect of this domain under conditions of nitrogen fixation. In the present study, we show that an N-terminal truncated form of NifA no longer required GlnB for activity and lost regulation by ammonium. On the other hand, in trans co-expression of the N-terminal GAF domain inhibited the N-truncated protein in response to fixed nitrogen levels. We also used pull-down assays to show in vitro interaction between the purified N-terminal GAF domain of NifA and the GlnB protein. The results showed that A. brasilense GlnB interacts directly with the NifA N-terminal domain and this interaction is dependent on the presence of ATP and 2-oxoglutarate. PMID:22983183

Effect of ATP and 2-oxoglutarate on the in vitro interaction between the NifA GAF domain and the GlnB protein of Azospirillum brasilense.

PubMed

Sotomaior, P; Araújo, L M; Nishikawa, C Y; Huergo, L F; Monteiro, R A; Pedrosa, F O; Chubatsu, L S; Souza, E M

2012-12-01

Azospirillum brasilense is a diazotroph that associates with important agricultural crops and thus has potential to be a nitrogen biofertilizer. The A. brasilense transcription regulator NifA, which seems to be constitutively expressed, activates the transcription of nitrogen fixation genes. It has been suggested that the nitrogen status-signaling protein GlnB regulates NifA activity by direct interaction with the NifA N-terminal GAF domain, preventing the inhibitory effect of this domain under conditions of nitrogen fixation. In the present study, we show that an N-terminal truncated form of NifA no longer required GlnB for activity and lost regulation by ammonium. On the other hand, in trans co-expression of the N-terminal GAF domain inhibited the N-truncated protein in response to fixed nitrogen levels. We also used pull-down assays to show in vitro interaction between the purified N-terminal GAF domain of NifA and the GlnB protein. The results showed that A. brasilense GlnB interacts directly with the NifA N-terminal domain and this interaction is dependent on the presence of ATP and 2-oxoglutarate.

Expression of the nifH Gene of a Herbaspirillum Endophyte in Wild Rice Species: Daily Rhythm during the Light-Dark Cycle

PubMed Central

You, Mu; Nishiguchi, Tomohiro; Saito, Asami; Isawa, Tsuyoshi; Mitsui, Hisayuki; Minamisawa, Kiwamu

2005-01-01

The expression of nitrogenase genes of Herbaspirillum sp. B501 associated in shoot (leaf and stem) of wild rice, Oryza officinalis, was studied by means of reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) targeted at the nifH gene. RT-PCR analyses indicate that nifH transcript was detected exclusively from nitrogen-fixing cells of gfp-tagged strain B501gfp1 in both free-living and endophytic states by using a constitutive gfp gene transcript as a positive control. Transcription of nifH and nitrogen fixation in free-living cells were induced maximally at a 2% O2 concentration and repressed in free air (21% O2). nifH transcription was monitored in the endophytic cells by using total RNA extracted from B501gfp1-inoculated wild rice plants during daily light-dark cycles. The level of nifH transcription in planta varied dramatically, with a maximum during the light period. Moreover, the light radiation enhanced nifH expression even in free-living cells grown in culture. These results suggest that in planta nitrogen fixation by the endophyte shows a daily rhythm determined by the plant's light environment. PMID:16332801

Training the Future - Interns Harvesting & Testing Plant Experim

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-19

In the Space Life Sciences Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, student interns are joining agency scientists, contributing in the area of plant growth research for food production in space. The agency attracts its future workforce through the NASA Internship, Fellowships and Scholarships, or NIFS, Program.

Dynamic Symmetry of Indirectly Driven ICF Capsules on NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Town, R. P. J.

2013-10-01

In order to achieve ignition it is important to control the growth of low-mode asymmetries as the capsule is compressed. Understanding the time-dependent evolution of the shape of the imploding capsule, hot spot and surrounding fuel layer is crucial to optimizing implosion performance. A design and experimental campaign to examine the sources of asymmetry and to measure the symmetry throughout the implosion has been developed and executed on the NIF. For the first time on NIF, two-dimensional radiographs of the capsule during its implosion phase have been measured to infer the symmetry of the radiation drive. Time dependent equatorial symmetry has been measured of gas-filled capsules and capsules with cryogenic DT layers. These measurements have been used to modify the hohlraum geometry and the wavelength tuning to improve the inflight implosion symmetry. The technique is being extended to study azimuthal symmetry by imaging along the hohlraum axis. We have also expanded our shock timing measurements by the addition of extra mirrors inside the re-entrant cone to allow the simultaneous measurement of shock symmetry in three locations on a single shot, providing a measurement of asymmetries up to mode 4 in both the equatorial and azimuthal planes. The shape of the hot spot during final stagnation is measured using time-resolved imaging of the self-emission, and information on the shape of the fuel at stagnation can be obtained from Compton radiography using a wire-backlighter. In addition to x-ray diagnostics, a series of neutron and proton measurements of the low-mode areal density of the fuel at peak compression and at shock-flash time have been made. This talk will discuss the new imaging techniques, the results, and the analysis of the experiments done to date and their implication for ignition on NIF. The sensitivity of the in-flight and final implosion symmetry to imposed changes will be presented and compared to model predictions. This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by LLNL under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

NifH-Harboring Bacterial Community Composition across an Alaskan Permafrost Thaw Gradient

PubMed Central

Penton, C. Ryan; Yang, Caiyun; Wu, Liyou; Wang, Qiong; Zhang, Jin; Liu, Feifei; Qin, Yujia; Deng, Ye; Hemme, Christopher L.; Zheng, Tianling; Schuur, Edward A. G.; Tiedje, James; Zhou, Jizhong

2016-01-01

Since nitrogen (N) is often limiting in permafrost soils, we investigated the N2-fixing genetic potential and the inferred taxa harboring those genes by sequencing nifH gene fragments in samples taken along a permafrost thaw gradient in an Alaskan boreal soil. Samples from minimally, moderately and extensively thawed sites were taken to a depth of 79 cm to encompass zones above and below the depth of the water table. NifH reads were translated with frameshift correction and 112,476 sequences were clustered at 5% amino acid dissimilarity resulting in 1,631 OTUs. Sample depth in relation to water table depth was correlated to differences in the NifH sequence classes with those most closely related to group I nifH-harboring Alpha- and Beta-Proteobacteria in higher abundance above water table depth while those related to group III nifH-harboring Delta Proteobacteria more abundant below. The most dominant below water table depth NifH sequences, comprising 1/3 of the total, were distantly related to Verrucomicrobia-Opitutaceae. Overall, these results suggest that permafrost thaw alters the class-level composition of N2-fixing communities in the thawed soil layers and that this distinction corresponds to the depth of the water table. These nifH data were also compared to nifH sequences obtained from a study at an Alaskan taiga site, and to those of other geographically distant, non-permafrost sites. The two Alaska sites were differentiated largely by changes in relative abundances of the same OTUs, whereas the non-Alaska sites were differentiated by the lack of many Alaskan OTUs, and the presence of unique halophilic, sulfate- and iron-reducing taxa in the Alaska sites. PMID:27933054

Modelling nifedipine photodegradation, photostability and actinometric properties.

PubMed

Maafi, Wassila; Maafi, Mounir

2013-11-01

The photodegradation of drugs obeying unimolecular mechanisms such as that of nifedipine (NIF) were usually characterised in the literature by zero-, first- and second-order kinetics. This approach has been met with varying success. This paper addresses this issue and proposes a novel approach for unimolecular photodegradation kinetics. The photodegradation of the cardiovascular drug nifedipine is investigated within this framework. Experimental kinetic data of nifedipine photodegradation were obtained by continuous monochromatic irradiation and DAD analysis. Fourth-order Runge-Kutta calculated kinetic data served for the validation of the new semi-empirical integrated rate-law model proposed in this study. A new model equation has been developed and proposed which faithfully describes the kinetic behaviour of NIF in solution for non-isosbestic irradiations at wavelengths where both NIF and its photoproduct absorb. NIF absolute quantum yield values were determined and found to increase with irradiation wavelength according to a defined sigmoid relationship. The effects of increasing NIF or excipients' concentrations on NIF kinetics were successfully modelled and found to improve NIF photostability. The potential of NIF for actinometry has been explored and evaluated. A new reaction order (the so-called Φ-order) has been identified and specifically proposed for unimolecular photodegradation reactions. The semi-empirical and integrated rate-law models facilitated reliable kinetic studies of NIF photodegradation as an example of AB(1Φ) unimolecular reactions. It allowed filling a gap in kinetic studies of drugs since, thus far, thermal first-order or a combination of first- and zero- order kinetic equations were generally applied for drug photoreactions in the literature. Also, a new reaction order, the "Φ-order", has been evidenced and proposed as a specific alternative for photodegradation kinetics. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

NifH-Harboring Bacterial Community Composition across an Alaskan Permafrost Thaw Gradient

DOE PAGES

Penton, C. Ryan; Yang, Caiyun; Wu, Liyou; ...

2016-11-24

Since nitrogen (N) is often limiting in permafrost soils, we investigated the N 2-fixing genetic potential and the inferred taxa harboring those genes by sequencing nifH gene fragments in samples taken along a permafrost thaw gradient in an Alaskan boreal soil. Samples from minimally, moderately and extensively thawed sites were taken to a depth of 79 cm to encompass zones above and below the depth of the water table. NifH reads were translated with frameshift correction and 112,476 sequences were clustered at 5% amino acid dissimilarity resulting in 1,631 OTUs. Sample depth in relation to water table depth was correlatedmore » to differences in the NifH sequence classes with those most closely related to group I nifH-harboring Alpha- and Beta-Proteobacteria in higher abundance above water table depth while those related to group III nifH-harboring Delta Proteobacteria more abundant below. The most dominant below water table depth NifH sequences, comprising 1/3 of the total, were distantly related to Verrucomicrobia-Opitutaceae. Overall, these results suggest that permafrost thaw alters the class-level composition of N 2-fixing communities in the thawed soil layers and that this distinction corresponds to the depth of the water table. These nifH data were also compared to nifH sequences obtained from a study at an Alaskan taiga site, and to those of other geographically distant, non-permafrost sites. The two Alaska sites were differentiated largely by changes in relative abundances of the same OTUs, whereas the non-Alaska sites were differentiated by the lack of many Alaskan OTUs, and the presence of unique halophilic, sulfate- and iron-reducing taxa in the Alaska sites.« less

Antagonism of CD11b with neutrophil inhibitory factor (NIF) inhibits vascular lesions in diabetic retinopathy.

PubMed

Veenstra, Alexander A; Tang, Jie; Kern, Timothy S

2013-01-01

Leukocytes and proteins that govern leukocyte adhesion to endothelial cells play a causal role in retinal abnormalities characteristic of the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, including diabetes-induced degeneration of retinal capillaries. Leukocyte integrin αmβ2 (CD11b/CD18, MAC1), a protein mediating adhesion, has been shown to mediate damage to endothelial cells by activated leukocytes in vitro. We hypothesized that Neutrophil Inhibitory Factor (NIF), a selective antagonist of integrin αmβ2, would inhibit the diabetes-induced degeneration of retinal capillaries by inhibiting the excessive interaction between leukocytes and retinal endothelial cells in diabetes. Wild type animals and transgenic animals expressing NIF were made diabetic with streptozotocin and assessed for diabetes-induced retinal vascular abnormalities and leukocyte activation. To assess if the leukocyte blocking therapy compromised the immune system, animals were challenged with bacteria. Retinal superoxide production, leukostasis and leukocyte superoxide production were increased in wild type mice diabetic for 10 weeks, as was the ability of leukocytes isolated from diabetic animals to kill retinal endothelial cells in vitro. Retinal capillary degeneration was significantly increased in wild type mice diabetic 40 weeks. In contrast, mice expressing NIF did not develop any of these abnormalities, with the exception that non-diabetic and diabetic mice expressing NIF generated greater amounts of superoxide than did similar mice not expressing NIF. Importantly, NIF did not significantly impair the ability of mice to clear an opportunistic bacterial challenge, suggesting that NIF did not compromise immune surveillance. We conclude that antagonism of CD11b (integrin αmβ2) by NIF is sufficient to inhibit early stages of diabetic retinopathy, while not compromising the basic immune response.

Antagonism of CD11b with Neutrophil Inhibitory Factor (NIF) Inhibits Vascular Lesions in Diabetic Retinopathy

PubMed Central

Veenstra, Alexander A.; Tang, Jie; Kern, Timothy S.

2013-01-01

Leukocytes and proteins that govern leukocyte adhesion to endothelial cells play a causal role in retinal abnormalities characteristic of the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, including diabetes-induced degeneration of retinal capillaries. Leukocyte integrin αmβ2 (CD11b/CD18, MAC1), a protein mediating adhesion, has been shown to mediate damage to endothelial cells by activated leukocytes in vitro. We hypothesized that Neutrophil Inhibitory Factor (NIF), a selective antagonist of integrin αmβ2, would inhibit the diabetes-induced degeneration of retinal capillaries by inhibiting the excessive interaction between leukocytes and retinal endothelial cells in diabetes. Wild type animals and transgenic animals expressing NIF were made diabetic with streptozotocin and assessed for diabetes-induced retinal vascular abnormalities and leukocyte activation. To assess if the leukocyte blocking therapy compromised the immune system, animals were challenged with bacteria. Retinal superoxide production, leukostasis and leukocyte superoxide production were increased in wild type mice diabetic for 10 weeks, as was the ability of leukocytes isolated from diabetic animals to kill retinal endothelial cells in vitro. Retinal capillary degeneration was significantly increased in wild type mice diabetic 40 weeks. In contrast, mice expressing NIF did not develop any of these abnormalities, with the exception that non-diabetic and diabetic mice expressing NIF generated greater amounts of superoxide than did similar mice not expressing NIF. Importantly, NIF did not significantly impair the ability of mice to clear an opportunistic bacterial challenge, suggesting that NIF did not compromise immune surveillance. We conclude that antagonism of CD11b (integrin αmβ2) by NIF is sufficient to inhibit early stages of diabetic retinopathy, while not compromising the basic immune response. PMID:24205223

NifH-Harboring Bacterial Community Composition across an Alaskan Permafrost Thaw Gradient

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Penton, C. Ryan; Yang, Caiyun; Wu, Liyou

Since nitrogen (N) is often limiting in permafrost soils, we investigated the N 2-fixing genetic potential and the inferred taxa harboring those genes by sequencing nifH gene fragments in samples taken along a permafrost thaw gradient in an Alaskan boreal soil. Samples from minimally, moderately and extensively thawed sites were taken to a depth of 79 cm to encompass zones above and below the depth of the water table. NifH reads were translated with frameshift correction and 112,476 sequences were clustered at 5% amino acid dissimilarity resulting in 1,631 OTUs. Sample depth in relation to water table depth was correlatedmore » to differences in the NifH sequence classes with those most closely related to group I nifH-harboring Alpha- and Beta-Proteobacteria in higher abundance above water table depth while those related to group III nifH-harboring Delta Proteobacteria more abundant below. The most dominant below water table depth NifH sequences, comprising 1/3 of the total, were distantly related to Verrucomicrobia-Opitutaceae. Overall, these results suggest that permafrost thaw alters the class-level composition of N 2-fixing communities in the thawed soil layers and that this distinction corresponds to the depth of the water table. These nifH data were also compared to nifH sequences obtained from a study at an Alaskan taiga site, and to those of other geographically distant, non-permafrost sites. The two Alaska sites were differentiated largely by changes in relative abundances of the same OTUs, whereas the non-Alaska sites were differentiated by the lack of many Alaskan OTUs, and the presence of unique halophilic, sulfate- and iron-reducing taxa in the Alaska sites.« less

Nontarget effects of foliar fungicide application on the rhizosphere: diversity of nifH gene and nodulation in chickpea field

PubMed Central

Yang, C; Hamel, C; Vujanovic, V; Gan, Y

2012-01-01

Aims This study explores nontarget effects of fungicide application on field-grown chickpea. Methods and Results Molecular methods were used to test the effects of foliar application of fungicide on the diversity and distribution of nifH genes associated with two chickpea cultivars and their nodulation. Treatments were replicated four times in a split-plot design in the field, in 2008 and 2009. Chemical disease control did not change the richness of the nifH genes associated with chickpea, but selected different dominant nifH gene sequences in 2008, as revealed by correspondence analysis. Disease control strategies had no significant effect on disease severity or nifH gene distribution in 2009. Dry weather conditions rather than disease restricted plant growth that year, suggesting that reduced infection rather than the fungicide is the factor modifying the distribution of nifH gene in chickpea rhizosphere. Reduced nodule size and enhanced N2-fixation in protected plants indicate that disease control affects plant physiology, which may in turn influence rhizosphere bacteria. The genotypes of chickpea also affected the diversity of the nifH gene in the rhizosphere, illustrating the importance of plant selective effects on bacterial communities. Conclusions We conclude that the chemical disease control affects nodulation and the diversity of nifH gene in chickpea rhizosphere, by modifying host plant physiology. A direct effect of fungicide on the bacteria cannot be ruled out, however, as residual amounts of fungicide were found to accumulate in the rhizosphere soil of protected plants. Significance and Impact of the Study Systemic nontarget effect of phytoprotection on nifH gene diversity in chickpea rhizosphere is reported for the first time. This result suggests the possibility of manipulating associative biological nitrogen fixation in the field. PMID:22335393

Effect of point mutations on Herbaspirillum seropedicae NifA activity.

PubMed

Aquino, B; Stefanello, A A; Oliveira, M A S; Pedrosa, F O; Souza, E M; Monteiro, R A; Chubatsu, L S

2015-08-01

NifA is the transcriptional activator of the nif genes in Proteobacteria. It is usually regulated by nitrogen and oxygen, allowing biological nitrogen fixation to occur under appropriate conditions. NifA proteins have a typical three-domain structure, including a regulatory N-terminal GAF domain, which is involved in control by fixed nitrogen and not strictly required for activity, a catalytic AAA+ central domain, which catalyzes open complex formation, and a C-terminal domain involved in DNA-binding. In Herbaspirillum seropedicae, a β-proteobacterium capable of colonizing Graminae of agricultural importance, NifA regulation by ammonium involves its N-terminal GAF domain and the signal transduction protein GlnK. When the GAF domain is removed, the protein can still activate nif genes transcription; however, ammonium regulation is lost. In this work, we generated eight constructs resulting in point mutations in H. seropedicae NifA and analyzed their effect on nifH transcription in Escherichia coli and H. seropedicae. Mutations K22V, T160E, M161V, L172R, and A215D resulted in inactive proteins. Mutations Q216I and S220I produced partially active proteins with activity control similar to wild-type NifA. However, mutation G25E, located in the GAF domain, resulted in an active protein that did not require GlnK for activity and was partially sensitive to ammonium. This suggested that G25E may affect the negative interaction between the N-terminal GAF domain and the catalytic central domain under high ammonium concentrations, thus rendering the protein constitutively active, or that G25E could lead to a conformational change comparable with that when GlnK interacts with the GAF domain.

Effect of point mutations on Herbaspirillum seropedicae NifA activity

PubMed Central

Aquino, B.; Stefanello, A.A.; Oliveira, M.A.S.; Pedrosa, F.O.; Souza, E.M.; Monteiro, R.A.; Chubatsu, L.S.

2015-01-01

NifA is the transcriptional activator of the nif genes in Proteobacteria. It is usually regulated by nitrogen and oxygen, allowing biological nitrogen fixation to occur under appropriate conditions. NifA proteins have a typical three-domain structure, including a regulatory N-terminal GAF domain, which is involved in control by fixed nitrogen and not strictly required for activity, a catalytic AAA+ central domain, which catalyzes open complex formation, and a C-terminal domain involved in DNA-binding. In Herbaspirillum seropedicae, a β-proteobacterium capable of colonizing Graminae of agricultural importance, NifA regulation by ammonium involves its N-terminal GAF domain and the signal transduction protein GlnK. When the GAF domain is removed, the protein can still activate nif genes transcription; however, ammonium regulation is lost. In this work, we generated eight constructs resulting in point mutations in H. seropedicae NifA and analyzed their effect on nifH transcription in Escherichia coli and H. seropedicae. Mutations K22V, T160E, M161V, L172R, and A215D resulted in inactive proteins. Mutations Q216I and S220I produced partially active proteins with activity control similar to wild-type NifA. However, mutation G25E, located in the GAF domain, resulted in an active protein that did not require GlnK for activity and was partially sensitive to ammonium. This suggested that G25E may affect the negative interaction between the N-terminal GAF domain and the catalytic central domain under high ammonium concentrations, thus rendering the protein constitutively active, or that G25E could lead to a conformational change comparable with that when GlnK interacts with the GAF domain. PMID:26176311

Diversity of free-Living nitrogen fixing Streptomyces in soils of the badlands of South Dakota.

PubMed

Dahal, Bibha; NandaKafle, Gitanjali; Perkins, Lora; Brözel, Volker S

2017-01-01

Biological Nitrogen Fixation is critical for ecosystem productivity. Select members of Bacteria and Archaea express a nitrogenase enzyme complex that reduces atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia. Several nitrogen fixing bacteria form symbiotic associations with plants, but free-living diazotrophs also contribute a substantial amount of nitrogen to ecosystems. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize free-living diazotrophs in arid lands of South Dakota Badlands. Samples were obtained from sod tables and the surrounding base in spring and fall. Diazotrophs were isolated on solid nitrogen free medium (NFM) under hypoxic conditions, and their16S rRNA and nifH genes sequenced. nifH was also amplified directly from soil DNA extracts. The 16S rRNA gene data indicated a diversity of putative free-living diazotrophs across 4 phyla (Actinomycetes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes), but ∼50% of these clustered with Streptomyces. These Streptomyces isolates grew in liquid NFM in an ammonia-depleted environment. Only 5 of these yielded a nifH gene product using the PolF/PolR primer set. Four of these aligned with nifH of the cyanobacteria Scytonema and Nostoc, and the other one aligned with nifH of Bradyrhizobium. Six selected Streptomyces isolates, three of which were nifH positive by PCR, all indicated 15 N 2 incorporation, providing strong support of nitrogen fixation. All nifH amplicons from soil DNA extract resembled Cyanobacteria. This is the first known report of diazotrophic Streptomyces, other than the thermophilic, autotrophic S. thermoautotrophicus. nifH genes of these Streptomyces were related to those from Cyanobacteria. It is possible that the cyanobacteria-like nifH amplicons obtained from soil DNA were associated with Streptomyces. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Optimization of the NIF ignition point design hohlraum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Callahan, D. A.; Hinkel, D. E.; Berger, R. L.; Divol, L.; Dixit, S. N.; Edwards, M. J.; Haan, S. W.; Jones, O. S.; Lindl, J. D.; Meezan, N. B.; Michel, P. A.; Pollaine, S. M.; Suter, L. J.; Town, R. P. J.; Bradley, P. A.

2008-05-01

In preparation for the start of NIF ignition experiments, we have designed a porfolio of targets that span the temperature range that is consistent with initial NIF operations: 300 eV, 285 eV, and 270 eV. Because these targets are quite complicated, we have developed a plan for choosing the optimum hohlraum for the first ignition attempt that is based on this portfolio of designs coupled with early NIF experiements using 96 beams. These early experiments will measure the laser plasma instabilities of the candidate designs and will demonstrate our ability to tune symmetry in these designs. These experimental results, coupled with the theory and simulations that went into the designs, will allow us to choose the optimal hohlraum for the first NIF ignition attempt.

Fnr Is Involved in Oxygen Control of Herbaspirillum seropedicae N-Truncated NifA Protein Activity in Escherichia coli

PubMed Central

Monteiro, Rose A.; de Souza, Emanuel M.; Yates, M. Geoffrey; Pedrosa, Fabio O.; Chubatsu, Leda S.

2003-01-01

Herbaspirillum seropedicae is an endophytic diazotroph belonging to the β-subclass of the class Proteobacteria, which colonizes many members of the Gramineae. The activity of the NifA protein, a transcriptional activator of nif genes in H. seropedicae, is controlled by ammonium ions through its N-terminal domain and by oxygen through mechanisms that are not well understood. Here we report that the NifA protein of H. seropedicae is inactive and more susceptible to degradation in an fnr Escherichia coli background. Both effects correlate with oxygen exposure and iron deprivation. Our results suggest that the oxygen sensitivity and iron requirement for H. seropedicae NifA activity involve the Fnr protein. PMID:12620839

Fnr is involved in oxygen control of Herbaspirillum seropedicae N-truncated NifA protein activity in Escherichia coli.

PubMed

Monteiro, Rose A; de Souza, Emanuel M; Yates, M Geoffrey; Pedrosa, Fabio O; Chubatsu, Leda S

2003-03-01

Herbaspirillum seropedicae is an endophytic diazotroph belonging to the beta-subclass of the class Proteobacteria, which colonizes many members of the Gramineae. The activity of the NifA protein, a transcriptional activator of nif genes in H. seropedicae, is controlled by ammonium ions through its N-terminal domain and by oxygen through mechanisms that are not well understood. Here we report that the NifA protein of H. seropedicae is inactive and more susceptible to degradation in an fnr Escherichia coli background. Both effects correlate with oxygen exposure and iron deprivation. Our results suggest that the oxygen sensitivity and iron requirement for H. seropedicae NifA activity involve the Fnr protein.

FY17 NIF Performance Quad Campaign: laser performance results and conclusions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Di Nicola, J. M.; Mennerat, G.; Widmayer, G.

The FY17 NIF Performance Quad Campaign exercised a single quad of NIF (Q45T) at elevated energy to assess the impact of recent improvements to the infrared (1ω) and ultraviolet (3ω) section of the laser on integrated performance.

Issues in the design of a pilot concept-based query interface for the neuroinformatics information framework.

PubMed

Marenco, Luis; Li, Yuli; Martone, Maryann E; Sternberg, Paul W; Shepherd, Gordon M; Miller, Perry L

2008-09-01

This paper describes a pilot query interface that has been constructed to help us explore a "concept-based" approach for searching the Neuroscience Information Framework (NIF). The query interface is concept-based in the sense that the search terms submitted through the interface are selected from a standardized vocabulary of terms (concepts) that are structured in the form of an ontology. The NIF contains three primary resources: the NIF Resource Registry, the NIF Document Archive, and the NIF Database Mediator. These NIF resources are very different in their nature and therefore pose challenges when designing a single interface from which searches can be automatically launched against all three resources simultaneously. The paper first discusses briefly several background issues involving the use of standardized biomedical vocabularies in biomedical information retrieval, and then presents a detailed example that illustrates how the pilot concept-based query interface operates. The paper concludes by discussing certain lessons learned in the development of the current version of the interface.

Issues in the Design of a Pilot Concept-Based Query Interface for the Neuroinformatics Information Framework

PubMed Central

Li, Yuli; Martone, Maryann E.; Sternberg, Paul W.; Shepherd, Gordon M.; Miller, Perry L.

2009-01-01

This paper describes a pilot query interface that has been constructed to help us explore a “concept-based” approach for searching the Neuroscience Information Framework (NIF). The query interface is concept-based in the sense that the search terms submitted through the interface are selected from a standardized vocabulary of terms (concepts) that are structured in the form of an ontology. The NIF contains three primary resources: the NIF Resource Registry, the NIF Document Archive, and the NIF Database Mediator. These NIF resources are very different in their nature and therefore pose challenges when designing a single interface from which searches can be automatically launched against all three resources simultaneously. The paper first discusses briefly several background issues involving the use of standardized biomedical vocabularies in biomedical information retrieval, and then presents a detailed example that illustrates how the pilot concept-based query interface operates. The paper concludes by discussing certain lessons learned in the development of the current version of the interface. PMID:18953674

PRP Comments for ICF Q1/Q2 FY17 Experiments 3/10/16

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kauffman, R.

2016-04-14

The PRP generally endorsed the Program plan during the short time for discussions. We agree that the strategy to develop a hohlraum that is symmetric and has low laser-plasma instabilities and to develop an alternative method for supporting the capsule is the best path forward for making progress in understanding ignition performance. The Program is oriented toward a milestone in 2020 for “determining the efficacy of NIF for ignition and credible physics-scaling to multi-megajoule yields for all ICF approaches.” We are concerned that the time and resources are not sufficient to vet all of the various approaches that are beingmore » pursued to make an informed decision by this date. For NIF to meet this goal, a process will be needed to to select the most promising paths forward. We recommend that the Program develop this process for selecting the path forward to optimize resources. We were glad to see that the direct drive program took our comments under consideration. We think that the proposed experiments have the program headed in a better direction. The PRP had only a short time to discuss the detailed experimental proposals. The following are comments on the detailed proposals. We did not have time to discuss them as a group. They represent individual opinions and provided to you as feedback to your proposals.« less

Federated Access to Heterogeneous Information Resources in the Neuroscience Information Framework (NIF)

PubMed Central

Gupta, Amarnath; Bug, William; Marenco, Luis; Qian, Xufei; Condit, Christopher; Rangarajan, Arun; Müller, Hans Michael; Miller, Perry L.; Sanders, Brian; Grethe, Jeffrey S.; Astakhov, Vadim; Shepherd, Gordon; Sternberg, Paul W.; Martone, Maryann E.

2009-01-01

The overarching goal of the NIF (Neuroscience Information Framework) project is to be a one-stop-shop for Neuroscience. This paper provides a technical overview of how the system is designed. The technical goal of the first version of the NIF system was to develop an information system that a neuroscientist can use to locate relevant information from a wide variety of information sources by simple keyword queries. Although the user would provide only keywords to retrieve information, the NIF system is designed to treat them as concepts whose meanings are interpreted by the system. Thus, a search for term should find a record containing synonyms of the term. The system is targeted to find information from web pages, publications, databases, web sites built upon databases, XML documents and any other modality in which such information may be published. We have designed a system to achieve this functionality. A central element in the system is an ontology called NIFSTD (for NIF Standard) constructed by amalgamating a number of known and newly developed ontologies. NIFSTD is used by our ontology management module, called OntoQuest to perform ontology-based search over data sources. The NIF architecture currently provides three different mechanisms for searching heterogeneous data sources including relational databases, web sites, XML documents and full text of publications. Version 1.0 of the NIF system is currently in beta test and may be accessed through http://nif.nih.gov. PMID:18958629

Federated access to heterogeneous information resources in the Neuroscience Information Framework (NIF).

PubMed

Gupta, Amarnath; Bug, William; Marenco, Luis; Qian, Xufei; Condit, Christopher; Rangarajan, Arun; Müller, Hans Michael; Miller, Perry L; Sanders, Brian; Grethe, Jeffrey S; Astakhov, Vadim; Shepherd, Gordon; Sternberg, Paul W; Martone, Maryann E

2008-09-01

The overarching goal of the NIF (Neuroscience Information Framework) project is to be a one-stop-shop for Neuroscience. This paper provides a technical overview of how the system is designed. The technical goal of the first version of the NIF system was to develop an information system that a neuroscientist can use to locate relevant information from a wide variety of information sources by simple keyword queries. Although the user would provide only keywords to retrieve information, the NIF system is designed to treat them as concepts whose meanings are interpreted by the system. Thus, a search for term should find a record containing synonyms of the term. The system is targeted to find information from web pages, publications, databases, web sites built upon databases, XML documents and any other modality in which such information may be published. We have designed a system to achieve this functionality. A central element in the system is an ontology called NIFSTD (for NIF Standard) constructed by amalgamating a number of known and newly developed ontologies. NIFSTD is used by our ontology management module, called OntoQuest to perform ontology-based search over data sources. The NIF architecture currently provides three different mechanisms for searching heterogeneous data sources including relational databases, web sites, XML documents and full text of publications. Version 1.0 of the NIF system is currently in beta test and may be accessed through http://nif.nih.gov.

A sensorimotor area in the songbird brain is required for production of vocalizations in the song learning period of development.

PubMed

Piristine, Hande C; Choetso, Tenzin; Gobes, Sharon M H

2016-11-01

Sensory feedback is essential for acquiring and maintaining complex motor behaviors, including birdsong. In zebra finches, auditory feedback reaches the song control circuits primarily through the nucleus interfacialis nidopalii (Nif), which provides excitatory input to HVC (proper name)-a premotor region essential for the production of learned vocalizations. Despite being one of the major inputs to the song control pathway, the role of Nif in generating vocalizations is not well understood. To address this, we transiently inactivated Nif in late juvenile zebra finches. Upon Nif inactivation (in both hemispheres or on one side only), birds went from singing stereotyped zebra finch song to uttering highly variable and unstructured vocalizations resembling sub-song, an early juvenile song form driven by a basal ganglia circuit. Simultaneously inactivating Nif and LMAN (lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium), the output nucleus of a basal ganglia circuit, inhibited song production altogether. These results suggest that Nif is required for generating the premotor drive for song. Permanent Nif lesions, in contrast, have only transient effects on vocal production, with song recovering within a day. The sensorimotor nucleus Nif thus produces a premotor drive to the motor pathway that is acutely required for generating learned vocalizations, but once permanently removed, the song system can compensate for its absence. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 76: 1213-1225, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Demonstration of x-ray Thomson scattering using picosecond K-α x-ray sources in the characterization of dense heated matter

DOE PAGES

Kritcher, A. L.; Neumayer, P.; Lee, H. J.; ...

2008-10-31

Here, we present K-α x-ray Thomson scattering from shock compressed matter for use as a diagnostic in determining the temperature, density, and ionization state with picosecond resolution. The development of this source as a diagnostic as well as stringent requirements for successful K-α x-ray Thomson scattering are addressed. Here, the first elastic and inelastic scattering measurements on a medium size laser facility have been observed. We present scattering data from solid density carbon plasmas with >1X 10 5 photons in the elastic peak that validate the capability of single shot characterization of warm dense matter and the ability to usemore » this scattering source at future free electron lasers and for fusion experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), LLNL.« less

The Effect of Special Reduction Procedures of IFU Observations from Gemini-NIFS on Dynamical Measurements of Nearby AGN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pope, Crystal L.; Crenshaw, D. Michael; Fischer, Travis C.

2016-01-01

We present a preliminary analysis of the inflows and outflows in the narrow-line regions of nearby (z<0.1) AGN using observations from the Gemini-North telescope's Near-Infared Integral Field Spectrograph (NIFS). In addition to the standard reduction procedure for NIFS data cubes, these observations were treated for multiple sources of noise and artifacts from the adaptive optics observations and the NIFS instrument. This procedure included the following steps: correction of the differential atmospheric refraction, spatial resampling, low-pass Butterworth spatial filtering, removal of the "instrumental fingerprint", and the Richardson-Lucy deconvolution. We compare measurements from NIFS data cubes with and without the additional correction procedures to determine the effect of this data treatment on our scientific results.

Sensorimotor nucleus NIf is necessary for auditory processing but not vocal motor output in the avian song system.

PubMed

Cardin, Jessica A; Raksin, Jonathan N; Schmidt, Marc F

2005-04-01

Sensorimotor integration in the avian song system is crucial for both learning and maintenance of song, a vocal motor behavior. Although a number of song system areas demonstrate both sensory and motor characteristics, their exact roles in auditory and premotor processing are unclear. In particular, it is unknown whether input from the forebrain nucleus interface of the nidopallium (NIf), which exhibits both sensory and premotor activity, is necessary for both auditory and premotor processing in its target, HVC. Here we show that bilateral NIf lesions result in long-term loss of HVC auditory activity but do not impair song production. NIf is thus a major source of auditory input to HVC, but an intact NIf is not necessary for motor output in adult zebra finches.

Ghost analysis visualization techniques for complex systems: examples from the NIF Final Optics Assembly

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beer, G K; Hendrix, J L; Rowe, J

1998-06-26

The stray light or "ghost" analysis of the National Ignition Facility's (NIP) Final Optics Assembly (FOA) has proved to be one of the most complex ghost analyses ever attempted. The NIF FOA consists of a bundle of four beam lines that: 1) provides the vacuum seal to the target chamber, 2) converts 1ω to 3ω light, 3) focuses the light on the target, 4) separates a fraction of the 3ω beam for energy diagnostics, 5) separates the three wavelengths to diffract unwanted 1ω & 2ω light away from the target, 6) provides spatial beam smoothing, and 7) provides a debrismore » barrier between the target chamber and the switchyard mirrors. The three wavelengths of light and seven optical elements with three diffractive optic surfaces generate three million ghosts through 4 th order. Approximately 24,000 of these ghosts have peak fluence exceeding 1 J/cm 2. The shear number of ghost paths requires a visualization method that allows overlapping ghosts on optics and mechanical components to be summed and then mapped to the optical and mechanical component surfaces in 3D space. This paper addresses the following aspects of the NIF Final Optics Ghost analysis: 1) materials issues for stray light mitigation, 2) limitations of current software tools (especially in modeling diffractive optics), 3) computer resource limitations affecting automated coherent raytracing, 4) folding the stray light analysis into the opto-mechanical design process, 5) analysis and visualization tools from simple hand calculations to specialized stray light analysis computer codes, and 6) attempts at visualizing these ghosts using a CAD model and another using a high end data visualization software approach.« less

Effect of oral ketoconazole on first-pass effect of nifedipine after oral administration in dogs.

PubMed

Kuroha, Masanori; Kayaba, Hideki; Kishimoto, Shizuka; Khalil, Waleed F; Shimoda, Minoru; Kokue, Eiichi

2002-03-01

The long-term oral ketoconazole (KTZ) treatment extensively inhibits hepatic CYP3A activity. We investigated the effect of the KTZ treatment on hepatic and intestinal extraction of nifedipine (NIF) using beagle dogs. Four dogs were given orally KTZ for 20 days (200 mg, bid). NIF was administered either intravenously (0.5 mg/kg) or orally (20 mg) 10 and 20 days before the KTZ treatment and 10 and 20 days after start of KTZ treatment. CLtot of NIF after intravenous administration decreased to about 50% during the KTZ treatment. C(max) and AUC after oral administration increased to 2.5-fold and fourfold, respectively, by the KTZ treatment. The hepatic extraction ratio of NIF decreased to about a half by KTZ. A significant decrease in intestinal extraction ratio was not observed. In conclusion, the KTZ treatment inhibits hepatic extraction more profoundly than intestinal extraction of NIF. Therefore, inhibition of hepatic extraction of NIF by the KTZ treatment mainly results in substantial increase in systemic bioavailability in dogs. Because KTZ inhibits human CYP3A activities similar to canine CYP3A activities, the long-term oral KTZ treatment may dramatically increase bioavailability of NIF or other CYP3A substrates in humans. Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmaceutical Association.

Nifedipine-induced gingival overgrowth in rats: brief review and experimental study.

PubMed

Fu, E; Nieh, S; Hsiao, C T; Hsieh, Y D; Wikesjö, U M; Shen, E C

1998-07-01

The first case report of gingival overgrowth induced by nifedipine (NIF), a calcium-beta blocker, was in 1984. However, the association between gingival alterations and the drug therapy of sodium diphenyl hydantoinate was initially described in 1939. The purpose of the experimental study was to examine the effect of NIF on gingival morphology in an animal model. Forty-five male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups. Animals in each group daily received NIF in dimethyl sulfoxide by gastric feeding at a dosage of 0 (control), 30, or 50 mg/kg body weight for 9 weeks. Gingival gross morphology was assessed tri-weekly from stone models obtained from the mandibular incisal region. Animals were sacrificed at the end of study and tissue blocks were processed for histopathologic and histometric evaluation. Histometric analysis was performed at 5 selected tissue levels. Macro- and microscopic significantly increased gingival dimensions were demonstrated in NIF-treated animals compared to control. Although a fibrovascular tissue was observed in the tooth-gingiva interface for both NIF-treated and control animals, it was thicker and appeared earlier in NIF-treated animals. The results of the present study suggest that gingival overgrowth can be induced by NIF in rats and that the gingival overgrowth appears dose dependent.

Association of Right Ventricular Pressure and Volume Overload with Non-Ischemic Septal Fibrosis on Cardiac Magnetic Resonance

PubMed Central

Kim, Jiwon; Medicherla, Chaitanya B.; Ma, Claudia L.; Feher, Attila; Kukar, Nina; Geevarghese, Alexi; Goyal, Parag; Horn, Evelyn; Devereux, Richard B.; Weinsaft, Jonathan W.

2016-01-01

Background Non-ischemic fibrosis (NIF) on cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) has been linked to poor prognosis, but its association with adverse right ventricular (RV) remodeling is unknown. This study examined a broad cohort of patients with RV dysfunction, so as to identify relationships between NIF and RV remodeling indices, including RV pressure load, volume and wall stress. Methods and Results The population comprised patients with RV dysfunction (EF<50%) undergoing CMR and transthoracic echo within a 14 day (5±3) interval. Cardiac structure, function, and NIF were assessed on CMR. Pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) was measured on echo. 118 patients with RV dysfunction were studied, among whom 47% had NIF. Patients with NIF had lower RVEF (34±10 vs. 39±9%; p = 0.01) but similar LVEF (40±21 vs. 39±18%; p = 0.7) and LV volumes (p = NS). RV wall stress was higher with NIF (17±7 vs. 12±6 kPa; p<0.001) corresponding to increased RV end-systolic volume (143±79 vs. 110±36 ml; p = 0.006), myocardial mass (60±21 vs. 53±17 gm; p = 0.04), and PASP (52±18 vs. 41±18 mmHg; p = 0.001). NIF was associated with increased wall stress among subgroups with isolated RV (p = 0.005) and both RV and LV dysfunction (p = 0.003). In multivariable analysis, NIF was independently associated with RV volume (OR = 1.17 per 10 ml, [CI 1.04–1.32]; p = 0.01) and PASP (OR = 1.43 per 10 mmHg, [1.14–1.81]; p = 0.002) but not RV mass (OR = 0.91 per 10 gm, [0.69–1.20]; p = 0.5) [model χ2 = 21; p<0.001]. NIF prevalence was higher in relation to PA pressure and RV dilation and was > 6-fold more common in the highest, vs. the lowest, common tertile of PASP and RV size (p<0.001). Conclusion Among wall stress components, NIF was independently associated with RV chamber dilation and afterload, supporting the concept that NIF is linked to adverse RV chamber remodeling. PMID:26799498

Self characterization of a coded aperture array for neutron source imaging

DOE PAGES

Volegov, P. L.; Danly, C. R.; Fittinghoff, D. N.; ...

2014-12-15

The neutron imaging system at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is an important diagnostic tool for measuring the two-dimensional size and shape of the neutrons produced in the burning DT plasma during the stagnation stage of ICF implosions. Since the neutron source is small (~100 μm) and neutrons are deeply penetrating (>3 cm) in all materials, the apertures used to achieve the desired 10-μm resolution are 20-cm long, triangular tapers machined in gold foils. These gold foils are stacked to form an array of 20 apertures for pinhole imaging and three apertures for penumbral imaging. These apertures must be preciselymore » aligned to accurately place the field of view of each aperture at the design location, or the location of the field of view for each aperture must be measured. In this paper we present a new technique that has been developed for the measurement and characterization of the precise location of each aperture in the array. We present the detailed algorithms used for this characterization and the results of reconstructed sources from inertial confinement fusion implosion experiments at NIF.« less

Shock timing experiments on the National Ignition Facility: Initial results and comparison with simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robey, H. F.; Boehly, T. R.; Celliers, P. M.; Eggert, J. H.; Hicks, D.; Smith, R. F.; Collins, R.; Bowers, M. W.; Krauter, K. G.; Datte, P. S.; Munro, D. H.; Milovich, J. L.; Jones, O. S.; Michel, P. A.; Thomas, C. A.; Olson, R. E.; Pollaine, S.; Town, R. P. J.; Haan, S.; Callahan, D.; Clark, D.; Edwards, J.; Kline, J. L.; Dixit, S.; Schneider, M. B.; Dewald, E. L.; Widmann, K.; Moody, J. D.; Döppner, T.; Radousky, H. B.; Throop, A.; Kalantar, D.; DiNicola, P.; Nikroo, A.; Kroll, J. J.; Hamza, A. V.; Horner, J. B.; Bhandarkar, S. D.; Dzenitis, E.; Alger, E.; Giraldez, E.; Castro, C.; Moreno, K.; Haynam, C.; LaFortune, K. N.; Widmayer, C.; Shaw, M.; Jancaitis, K.; Parham, T.; Holunga, D. M.; Walters, C. F.; Haid, B.; Mapoles, E. R.; Sater, J.; Gibson, C. R.; Malsbury, T.; Fair, J.; Trummer, D.; Coffee, K. R.; Burr, B.; Berzins, L. V.; Choate, C.; Brereton, S. J.; Azevedo, S.; Chandrasekaran, H.; Eder, D. C.; Masters, N. D.; Fisher, A. C.; Sterne, P. A.; Young, B. K.; Landen, O. L.; Van Wonterghem, B. M.; MacGowan, B. J.; Atherton, J.; Lindl, J. D.; Meyerhofer, D. D.; Moses, E.

2012-04-01

Capsule implosions on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) [Lindl et al., Phys. Plasmas 11, 339 (2004)] are underway with the goal of compressing deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel to a sufficiently high areal density (ρR) to sustain a self-propagating burn wave required for fusion power gain greater than unity. These implosions are driven with a carefully tailored sequence of four shock waves that must be timed to very high precision in order to keep the DT fuel on a low adiabat. Initial experiments to measure the strength and relative timing of these shocks have been conducted on NIF in a specially designed surrogate target platform known as the keyhole target. This target geometry and the associated diagnostics are described in detail. The initial data are presented and compared with numerical simulations. As the primary goal of these experiments is to assess and minimize the adiabat in related DT implosions, a methodology is described for quantifying the adiabat from the shock velocity measurements. Results are contrasted between early experiments that exhibited very poor shock timing and subsequent experiments where a modified target geometry demonstrated significant improvement.

Multiple Experimental Platform Consistency at NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benedetti, L. R.; Barrios, M. A.; Bradley, D. K.; Eder, D. C.; Khan, S. F.; Izumi, N.; Jones, O. S.; Ma, T.; Nagel, S. R.; Peterson, J. L.; Rygg, J. R.; Spears, B. K.; Town, R. P.

2013-10-01

ICF experiments at NIF utilize several platforms to assess different metrics of implosion quality. In addition to the point design-a target capsule of DT ice inside a thin plastic ablator-notable platforms include: (i) Symmetry Capsules(SymCaps), mass-adjusted CH capsules filled with DT gas for similar hydrodynamic performance without the need for a DT crystal; (ii) D:3He filled SymCaps, designed for low neutron yield implosions to accommodate a variety of x-ray and optical diagnostics; and (iii) Convergent Ablators, SymCaps coupled with x-radiography to assess in-flight velocity and symmetry of the implosion over ~1 ns before stagnation and burn. These platforms are expected to be good surrogates for one another, and their hohlraum and implosion performance variations have been simulated in detail. By comparing results of similar experiments, we isolate platform-specific variations. We focus on the symmetry, convergence, and timing of x-ray emission as observed in each platform as this can be used to infer stagnation pressure and temperature. This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Dept. of Energy by LLNL under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. LLNL-ABS-640865.

Aperture tolerances for neutron-imaging systems in inertial confinement fusion.

PubMed

Ghilea, M C; Sangster, T C; Meyerhofer, D D; Lerche, R A; Disdier, L

2008-02-01

Neutron-imaging systems are being considered as an ignition diagnostic for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) [Hogan et al., Nucl. Fusion 41, 567 (2001)]. Given the importance of these systems, a neutron-imaging design tool is being used to quantify the effects of aperture fabrication and alignment tolerances on reconstructed neutron images for inertial confinement fusion. The simulations indicate that alignment tolerances of more than 1 mrad would introduce measurable features in a reconstructed image for both pinholes and penumbral aperture systems. These simulations further show that penumbral apertures are several times less sensitive to fabrication errors than pinhole apertures.

Impact of research investment on scientific productivity of junior researchers.

PubMed

Farrokhyar, Forough; Bianco, Daniela; Dao, Dyda; Ghert, Michelle; Andruszkiewicz, Nicole; Sussman, Jonathan; Ginsberg, Jeffrey S

2016-12-01

There is a demand for providing evidence on the effectiveness of research investments on the promotion of novice researchers' scientific productivity and production of research with new initiatives and innovations. We used a mixed method approach to evaluate the funding effect of the New Investigator Fund (NIF) by comparing scientific productivity between award recipients and non-recipients. We reviewed NIF grant applications submitted from 2004 to 2013. Scientific productivity was assessed by confirming the publication of the NIF-submitted application. Online databases were searched, independently and in duplicate, to locate the publications. Applicants' perceptions and experiences were collected through a short survey and categorized into specified themes. Multivariable logistic regression was performed. Odds ratios (OR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI) are reported. Of 296 applicants, 163 (55 %) were awarded. Gender, affiliation, and field of expertise did not affect funding decisions. More physicians with graduate education (32.0 %) and applicants with a doctorate degree (21.5 %) were awarded than applicants without postgraduate education (9.8 %). Basic science research (28.8 %), randomized controlled trials (24.5 %), and feasibility/pilot trials (13.3 %) were awarded more than observational designs (p   <  0.001). Adjusting for applicants and application factors, awardees published the NIF application threefold more than non-awardees (OR = 3.4, 95 %, CI = 1.9, 5.9). The survey response rate was 90.5 %, and only 58 % commented on their perceptions, successes, and challenges of the submission process. These findings suggest that research investments as small as seed funding are effective for scientific productivity and professional growth of novice investigators and production of research with new initiatives and innovations. Further efforts are recommended to enhance the support of small grant funding programs.

Extending the NIF DISCO framework to automate complex workflow: coordinating the harvest and integration of data from diverse neuroscience information resources.

PubMed

Marenco, Luis N; Wang, Rixin; Bandrowski, Anita E; Grethe, Jeffrey S; Shepherd, Gordon M; Miller, Perry L

2014-01-01

This paper describes how DISCO, the data aggregator that supports the Neuroscience Information Framework (NIF), has been extended to play a central role in automating the complex workflow required to support and coordinate the NIF's data integration capabilities. The NIF is an NIH Neuroscience Blueprint initiative designed to help researchers access the wealth of data related to the neurosciences available via the Internet. A central component is the NIF Federation, a searchable database that currently contains data from 231 data and information resources regularly harvested, updated, and warehoused in the DISCO system. In the past several years, DISCO has greatly extended its functionality and has evolved to play a central role in automating the complex, ongoing process of harvesting, validating, integrating, and displaying neuroscience data from a growing set of participating resources. This paper provides an overview of DISCO's current capabilities and discusses a number of the challenges and future directions related to the process of coordinating the integration of neuroscience data within the NIF Federation.

National Ignition Facility Laser System Performance

DOE PAGES

Spaeth, Mary L.; Manes, Kenneth R.; Bowers, M.; ...

2017-03-23

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser is the culmination of more than 40 years of work at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory dedicated to the delivery of laser systems capable of driving experiments for the study of high-energy-density physics. Although NIF was designed to support a number of missions, it was clear from the beginning that its biggest challenge was to meet the requirements for pursuit of inertial confinement fusion. Meeting the Project Completion Criteria for NIF in 2009 and for the National Ignition Campaign (NIC) in 2012 included meeting the NIF Functional Requirements and Primary Criteria that were established formore » the project in 1994. Finally, during NIC and as NIF transitioned to a user facility, its goals were expanded to include requirements defined by the broader user community as well as by laser system designers and operators.« less

Spectroscopic and functional characterization of iron-bound forms of Azotobacter vinelandii (Nif)IscA.

PubMed

Mapolelo, Daphne T; Zhang, Bo; Naik, Sunil G; Huynh, Boi Hanh; Johnson, Michael K

2012-10-16

The ability of Azotobacter vinelandii(Nif)IscA to bind Fe has been investigated to assess the role of Fe-bound forms in NIF-specific Fe-S cluster biogenesis. (Nif)IscA is shown to bind one Fe(III) or one Fe(II) per homodimer and the spectroscopic and redox properties of both the Fe(III)- and Fe(II)-bound forms have been characterized using the UV-visible absorption, circular dichroism, and variable-temperature magnetic circular dichroism, electron paramagnetic resonance, Mössbauer and resonance Raman spectroscopies. The results reveal a rhombic intermediate-spin (S = 3/2) Fe(III) center (E/D = 0.33, D = 3.5 ± 1.5 cm(-1)) that is most likely 5-coordinate with two or three cysteinate ligands and a rhombic high spin (S = 2) Fe(II) center (E/D = 0.28, D = 7.6 cm(-1)) with properties similar to reduced rubredoxins or rubredoxin variants with three cysteinate and one or two oxygenic ligands. Iron-bound (Nif)IscA undergoes reversible redox cycling between the Fe(III)/Fe(II) forms with a midpoint potential of +36 ± 15 mV at pH 7.8 (versus NHE). l-Cysteine is effective in mediating release of free Fe(II) from both the Fe(II)- and Fe(III)-bound forms of (Nif)IscA. Fe(III)-bound (Nif)IscA was also shown to be a competent iron source for in vitro NifS-mediated [2Fe-2S] cluster assembly on the N-terminal domain of NifU, but the reaction occurs via cysteine-mediated release of free Fe(II) rather than direct iron transfer. The proposed roles of A-type proteins in storing Fe under aerobic growth conditions and serving as iron donors for cluster assembly on U-type scaffold proteins or maturation of biological [4Fe-4S] centers are discussed in light of these results.

The National Ignition Facility: The Path to a Carbon-Free Energy Future

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stolz, C J

2011-03-16

The National Ignition Facility (NIF), the world's largest and most energetic laser system, is now operational at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The NIF will enable exploration of scientific problems in national strategic security, basic science and fusion energy. One of the early NIF goals centers on achieving laboratory-scale thermonuclear ignition and energy gain, demonstrating the feasibility of laser fusion as a viable source of clean, carbon-free energy. This talk will discuss the precision technology and engineering challenges of building the NIF and those we must overcome to make fusion energy a commercial reality.

The National Ignition Facility: the path to a carbon-free energy future.

PubMed

Stolz, Christopher J

2012-08-28

The National Ignition Facility (NIF), the world's largest and most energetic laser system, is now operational at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The NIF will enable exploration of scientific problems in national strategic security, basic science and fusion energy. One of the early NIF goals centres on achieving laboratory-scale thermonuclear ignition and energy gain, demonstrating the feasibility of laser fusion as a viable source of clean, carbon-free energy. This talk will discuss the precision technology and engineering challenges of building the NIF and those we must overcome to make fusion energy a commercial reality.

NIF optical materials and fabrication technologies: an overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, John H.; Hawley-Fedder, Ruth A.; Stolz, Christopher J.; Menapace, Joseph A.; Borden, Michael R.; Whitman, Pamela K.; Yu, June; Runkel, Michael J.; Riley, Michael O.; Feit, Michael D.; Hackel, Richard P.

2004-05-01

The high-energy/high-power section of the NIF laser system contains 7360 meter-scale optics. Advanced optical materials and fabrication technologies needed to manufacture the NIF optics have been developed and put into production at key vendor sites. Production rates are up to 20 times faster and per-optic costs 5 times lower than could be achieved prior to the NIF. In addition, the optics manufactured for NIF are better than specification giving laser performance better than the design. A suite of custom metrology tools have been designed, built and installed at the vendor sites to verify compliance with NIF optical specifications. A brief description of the NIF optical wavefront specifications for the glass and crystal optics is presented. The wavefront specifications span a continuous range of spatial scale-lengths from 10 μm to 0.5 m (full aperture). We have continued our multi-year research effort to improve the lifetime (i.e. damage resistance) of bulk optical materials, finished optical surfaces and multi-layer dielectric coatings. New methods for post-processing the completed optic to improve the damage resistance have been developed and made operational. This includes laser conditioning of coatings, glass surfaces and bulk KDP and DKDP and well as raster and full aperture defect mapping systems. Research on damage mechanisms continues to drive the development of even better optical materials.

Abundance and Genetic Diversity of nifH Gene Sequences in Anthropogenically Affected Brazilian Mangrove Sediments

PubMed Central

Dias, Armando Cavalcante Franco; Pereira e Silva, Michele de Cassia; Cotta, Simone Raposo; Dini-Andreote, Francisco; Soares, Fábio Lino; Salles, Joana Falcão; Azevedo, João Lúcio; van Elsas, Jan Dirk

2012-01-01

Although mangroves represent ecosystems of global importance, the genetic diversity and abundance of functional genes that are key to their functioning scarcely have been explored. Here, we present a survey based on the nifH gene across transects of sediments of two mangrove systems located along the coast line of São Paulo state (Brazil) which differed by degree of disturbance, i.e., an oil-spill-affected and an unaffected mangrove. The diazotrophic communities were assessed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), quantitative PCR (qPCR), and clone libraries. The nifH gene abundance was similar across the two mangrove sediment systems, as evidenced by qPCR. However, the nifH-based PCR-DGGE profiles revealed clear differences between the mangroves. Moreover, shifts in the nifH gene diversities were noted along the land-sea transect within the previously oiled mangrove. The nifH gene diversity depicted the presence of nitrogen-fixing bacteria affiliated with a wide range of taxa, encompassing members of the Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, and also a group of anaerobic sulfate-reducing bacteria. We also detected a unique mangrove-specific cluster of sequences denoted Mgv-nifH. Our results indicate that nitrogen-fixing bacterial guilds can be partially endemic to mangroves, and these communities are modulated by oil contamination, which has important implications for conservation strategies. PMID:22941088

Abundance and genetic diversity of nifH gene sequences in anthropogenically affected Brazilian mangrove sediments.

PubMed

Dias, Armando Cavalcante Franco; Pereira e Silva, Michele de Cassia; Cotta, Simone Raposo; Dini-Andreote, Francisco; Soares, Fábio Lino; Salles, Joana Falcão; Azevedo, João Lúcio; van Elsas, Jan Dirk; Andreote, Fernando Dini

2012-11-01

Although mangroves represent ecosystems of global importance, the genetic diversity and abundance of functional genes that are key to their functioning scarcely have been explored. Here, we present a survey based on the nifH gene across transects of sediments of two mangrove systems located along the coast line of São Paulo state (Brazil) which differed by degree of disturbance, i.e., an oil-spill-affected and an unaffected mangrove. The diazotrophic communities were assessed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), quantitative PCR (qPCR), and clone libraries. The nifH gene abundance was similar across the two mangrove sediment systems, as evidenced by qPCR. However, the nifH-based PCR-DGGE profiles revealed clear differences between the mangroves. Moreover, shifts in the nifH gene diversities were noted along the land-sea transect within the previously oiled mangrove. The nifH gene diversity depicted the presence of nitrogen-fixing bacteria affiliated with a wide range of taxa, encompassing members of the Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, and also a group of anaerobic sulfate-reducing bacteria. We also detected a unique mangrove-specific cluster of sequences denoted Mgv-nifH. Our results indicate that nitrogen-fixing bacterial guilds can be partially endemic to mangroves, and these communities are modulated by oil contamination, which has important implications for conservation strategies.

Topical application of nitrosonifedipine, a novel radical scavenger, ameliorates ischemic skin flap necrosis in a mouse model.

PubMed

Fukunaga, Yutaka; Izawa-Ishizawa, Yuki; Horinouchi, Yuya; Sairyo, Eriko; Ikeda, Yasumasa; Ishizawa, Keisuke; Tsuchiya, Koichiro; Abe, Yoshiro; Hashimoto, Ichiro; Tamaki, Toshiaki

2017-04-01

Ischemic skin flap necrosis can occur in random pattern flaps. An excess amount of reactive oxygen species is generated and causes necrosis in the ischemic tissue. Nitrosonifedipine (NO-NIF) has been demonstrated to possess potent radical scavenging ability. However, there has been no study on the effects of NO-NIF on ischemic skin flap necrosis. Therefore, they evaluated the potential of NO-NIF in ameliorating ischemic skin flap necrosis in a mouse model. A random pattern skin flap (1.0 × 3.0 cm) was elevated on the dorsum of C57BL/6 mice. NO-NIF was administered by topical injection immediately after surgery and every 24 hours thereafter. Flap survival was evaluated on postoperative day 7. Tissue samples from the skin flaps were harvested on postoperative days 1 and 3 to analyze oxidative stress, apoptosis and endothelial dysfunction. The viable area of the flap in the NO-NIF group was significantly increased (78.30 ± 7.041%) compared with that of the control group (47.77 ± 6.549%, p < 0.01). NO-NIF reduced oxidative stress, apoptosis and endothelial dysfunction, which were evidenced by the decrease of malondialdehyde, p22phox protein expression, number of apoptotic cells, phosphorylated p38 MAPK protein expression, and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 protein expression while endothelial nitric oxide synthase protein expression was increased. In conclusion, they demonstrated that NO-NIF ameliorated ischemic skin flap necrosis by reducing oxidative stress, apoptosis, and endothelial dysfunction. NO-NIF is considered to be a candidate for the treatment of ischemic flap necrosis. © 2017 by the Wound Healing Society.

Components of the CCR4-NOT complex function as nuclear hormone receptor coactivators via association with the NRC-interacting Factor NIF-1.

PubMed

Garapaty, Shivani; Mahajan, Muktar A; Samuels, Herbert H

2008-03-14

CCR4-NOT is an evolutionarily conserved, multicomponent complex known to be involved in transcription as well as mRNA degradation. Various subunits (e.g. CNOT1 and CNOT7/CAF1) have been reported to be involved in influencing nuclear hormone receptor activities. Here, we show that CCR4/CNOT6 and RCD1/CNOT9, members of the CCR4-NOT complex, potentiate nuclear receptor activity. RCD1 interacts in vivo and in vitro with NIF-1 (NRC-interacting factor), a previously characterized nuclear receptor cotransducer that activates nuclear receptors via its interaction with NRC. As with NIF-1, RCD1 and CCR4 do not directly associate with nuclear receptors; however, they enhance ligand-dependent transcriptional activation by nuclear hormone receptors. CCR4 mediates its effect through the ligand binding domain of nuclear receptors and small interference RNA-mediated silencing of endogenous CCR4 results in a marked decrease in nuclear receptor activation. Furthermore, knockdown of CCR4 results in an attenuated stimulation of RARalpha target genes (e.g. Sox9 and HoxA1) as shown by quantitative PCR assays. The silencing of endogenous NIF-1 also resulted in a comparable decrease in the RAR-mediated induction of both Sox9 and HoxA1. Furthermore, CCR4 associates in vivo with NIF-1. In addition, the CCR4-enhanced transcriptional activation by nuclear receptors is dependent on NIF-1. The small interference RNA-mediated knockdown of NIF-1 blocks the ligand-dependent potentiating effect of CCR4. Our results suggest that CCR4 plays a role in the regulation of certain endogenous RARalpha target genes and that RCD1 and CCR4 might mediate their function through their interaction with NIF-1.

Epigallocatechin gallate enhances treatment efficacy of oral nifedipine against pregnancy-induced severe pre-eclampsia: A double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled clinical study.

PubMed

Shi, D-D; Guo, J-J; Zhou, L; Wang, N

2018-02-01

Oral nifedipine is commonly used to treat pre-eclampsia, one of the most severe complications during pregnancy, but its clinical efficacy is less than ideal. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a natural compound from green tea, could benefit cardiovascular health especially hypertension. We investigated the clinical efficacy of EGCG, when complemented with oral nifedipine, in treating pre-eclampsia. A total of 350 pregnant women with severe pre-eclampsia were recruited and randomized to receive oral nifedipine, together with placebo (NIF+placebo) or EGCG (NIF+EGCG). The primary treatment outcome was the time needed to control blood pressure and interval time before a new hypertensive crisis, whereas the secondary treatment outcome was the number of treatment doses to effectively control blood pressure, maternal adverse effects and neonatal complications. Comparing NIF+EGCG group to NIF+placebo group, the time needed to control blood pressure was significantly shorter (NIF+EGCG 31.2±16.7 minutes, NIF+placebo 45.3±21.9 minutes; 95% CI 9.7-18.5 minutes), whereas interval time before a new hypertensive crisis was significantly prolonged (NIF+EGCG 7.2±2.9 hours, NIF+placebo 4.1±3.7 hours; 95% CI 2.3-3.9 hours), and the number of treatment dosages needed to effectively control blood pressure was also lower. Between the two treatment groups, no differences in incidence rates of maternal adverse effects or neonatal complications were observed. EGCG is both safe and effective in enhancing treatment efficacy of oral nifedipine against pregnancy-induced severe pre-eclampsia, but formal validation is required prior to its recommendation for use outside of clinical trials. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Selection of nitrogen-fixing deficient Burkholderia vietnamiensis strains by cystic fibrosis patients: involvement of nif gene deletions and auxotrophic mutations.

PubMed

Menard, Aymeric; Monnez, Claire; Estrada de Los Santos, Paulina; Segonds, Christine; Caballero-Mellado, Jesus; Lipuma, John J; Chabanon, Gerard; Cournoyer, Benoit

2007-05-01

Burkholderia vietnamiensis is the third most prevalent species of the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) found in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Its ability at fixing nitrogen makes it one of the main Bcc species showing strong filiations with environmental reservoirs. In this study, 83% (29 over 35) of the B. vietnamiensis CF isolates and 100% of the environmental ones (over 29) were found expressing the dinitrogenase complex (encoded by the nif cluster) which is essential in N(2) fixation. Among the deficient strains, two were found growing with ammonium chloride suggesting that they were defective in N(2) fixation, and four with amino acids supplements suggesting that they were harbouring auxotrophic mutations. To get insights about the genetic events that led to the emergence of the N(2)-fixing defective strains, a genetic analysis of B. vietnamiensis nitrogen-fixing property was undertaken. A 40-kb-long nif cluster and nif regulatory genes were identified within the B. vietnamiensis strain G4 genome sequence, and analysed. Transposon mutagenesis and nifH genetic marker exchanges showed the nif cluster and several other genes like gltB (encoding a subunit of the glutamate synthase) to play a key role in B. vietnamiensis ability at growing in nitrogen-free media. nif cluster DNA probings of restricted genomic DNA blots showed a full deletion of the nif cluster for one of the N(2)-fixing defective strain while the other one showed a genetic organization similar to the one of the G4 strain. For 17% of B. vietnamiensis clinical strains, CF lungs appeared to have favoured the selection of mutations or deletions leading to N(2)-fixing deficiencies.

Cleanliness for the NIF 1ω Laser Amplifiers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Spaeth, M. L.; Manes, K. R.; Honig, J.

During the years before the National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser system, a set of generally accepted cleaning procedures had been developed for the large 1ω amplifiers of an inertial confinement fusion laser, and up until 1999 similar procedures were planned for NIF. Several parallel sets of test results were obtained from 1992 to 1999 for large amplifiers using these accepted cleaning procedures in the Beamlet physics test bed and in the Amplifier Module Prototype Laboratory (AMPLAB), a four-slab-high prototype large amplifier structure. Both of these showed damage to their slab surfaces that, if projected to operating conditions for NIF, wouldmore » lead to higher than acceptable slab-refurbishment rates. Finally, this study tracks the search for the smoking gun origin of this damage and describes the solution employed in NIF for avoiding flashlamp-induced aerosol damage to its 1ω amplifier slabs.« less

Cleanliness for the NIF 1ω Laser Amplifiers

DOE PAGES

Spaeth, M. L.; Manes, K. R.; Honig, J.

2017-03-23

During the years before the National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser system, a set of generally accepted cleaning procedures had been developed for the large 1ω amplifiers of an inertial confinement fusion laser, and up until 1999 similar procedures were planned for NIF. Several parallel sets of test results were obtained from 1992 to 1999 for large amplifiers using these accepted cleaning procedures in the Beamlet physics test bed and in the Amplifier Module Prototype Laboratory (AMPLAB), a four-slab-high prototype large amplifier structure. Both of these showed damage to their slab surfaces that, if projected to operating conditions for NIF, wouldmore » lead to higher than acceptable slab-refurbishment rates. Finally, this study tracks the search for the smoking gun origin of this damage and describes the solution employed in NIF for avoiding flashlamp-induced aerosol damage to its 1ω amplifier slabs.« less

Inertial Confinement Fusion and the National Ignition Facility (NIF)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ross, P.

2012-08-29

Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) seeks to provide sustainable fusion energy by compressing frozen deuterium and tritium fuel to extremely high densities. The advantages of fusion vs. fission are discussed, including total energy per reaction and energy per nucleon. The Lawson Criterion, defining the requirements for ignition, is derived and explained. Different confinement methods and their implications are discussed. The feasibility of creating a power plant using ICF is analyzed using realistic and feasible numbers. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is shown as a significant step forward toward making a fusion power plant based on ICF.more » NIF is the world’s largest laser, delivering 1.8 MJ of energy, with a peak power greater than 500 TW. NIF is actively striving toward the goal of fusion energy. Other uses for NIF are discussed.« less

Diazotrophic diversity in the Caribbean coral, Montastraea cavernosa.

PubMed

Olson, Nathan D; Lesser, Michael P

2013-12-01

Previous research on the Caribbean coral Montastraea cavernosa reported the presence of cyanobacterial endosymbionts and nitrogen fixation in orange, but not brown, colonies. We compared the diversity of nifH gene sequences between these two color morphs at three locations in the Caribbean and found that the nifH sequences recovered from M. cavernosa were consistent with previous studies on corals where members of both the α-proteobacteria and cyanobacteria were recovered. A number of nifH operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were significantly more abundant in the orange compared to the brown morphs, and one specific OTU (OTU 17), a cyanobacterial nifH sequence similar to others from corals and sponges and related to the cyanobacterial genus Cyanothece, was found in all orange morphs of M. cavernosa at all locations. The nifH diversity reported here, from a community perspective, was not significantly different between orange and brown morphs of M. cavernosa.

Hotspot electron temperature from x-ray continuum measurements on the NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jarrott, L. C.; Benedetti, L. R.; Chen, H.; Izumi, N.; Khan, S. F.; Ma, T.; Nagel, S. R.; Landen, O. L.; Pak, A.; Patel, P. K.; Schneider, M.; Scott, H. A.

2016-11-01

We report on measurements of the electron temperature in the hotspot of inertially confined, layered, spherical implosions on the National Ignition Facility using a differential filtering diagnostic. Measurements of the DT and DD ion temperatures using neutron time-of-flight detectors are complicated by the contribution of hot spot motion to the peak width, which produce an apparent temperature higher than the thermal temperature. The electron temperature is not sensitive to this non-thermal velocity and is thus a valuable input to interpreting the stagnated hot spot conditions. Here we show that the current differential filtering diagnostic provides insufficient temperature resolution for the hot spot temperatures of interest. We then propose a new differential filter configuration utilizing larger pinhole size to increase spectral fluence, as well as thicker filtration. This new configuration will improve measurement uncertainty by more than a factor of three, allowing for a more accurate hotspot temperature.

Hotspot electron temperature from x-ray continuum measurements on the NIF.

PubMed

Jarrott, L C; Benedetti, L R; Chen, H; Izumi, N; Khan, S F; Ma, T; Nagel, S R; Landen, O L; Pak, A; Patel, P K; Schneider, M; Scott, H A

2016-11-01

We report on measurements of the electron temperature in the hotspot of inertially confined, layered, spherical implosions on the National Ignition Facility using a differential filtering diagnostic. Measurements of the DT and DD ion temperatures using neutron time-of-flight detectors are complicated by the contribution of hot spot motion to the peak width, which produce an apparent temperature higher than the thermal temperature. The electron temperature is not sensitive to this non-thermal velocity and is thus a valuable input to interpreting the stagnated hot spot conditions. Here we show that the current differential filtering diagnostic provides insufficient temperature resolution for the hot spot temperatures of interest. We then propose a new differential filter configuration utilizing larger pinhole size to increase spectral fluence, as well as thicker filtration. This new configuration will improve measurement uncertainty by more than a factor of three, allowing for a more accurate hotspot temperature.

First downscattered neutron images from Inertial Confinement Fusion experiments at the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guler, Nevzat; Aragonez, Robert J.; Archuleta, Thomas N.; Batha, Steven H.; Clark, David D.; Clark, Deborah J.; Danly, Chris R.; Day, Robert D.; Fatherley, Valerie E.; Finch, Joshua P.; Gallegos, Robert A.; Garcia, Felix P.; Grim, Gary; Hsu, Albert H.; Jaramillo, Steven A.; Loomis, Eric N.; Mares, Danielle; Martinson, Drew D.; Merrill, Frank E.; Morgan, George L.; Munson, Carter; Murphy, Thomas J.; Oertel, John A.; Polk, Paul J.; Schmidt, Derek W.; Tregillis, Ian L.; Valdez, Adelaida C.; Volegov, Petr L.; Wang, Tai-Sen F.; Wilde, Carl H.; Wilke, Mark D.; Wilson, Douglas C.; Atkinson, Dennis P.; Bower, Dan E.; Drury, Owen B.; Dzenitis, John M.; Felker, Brian; Fittinghoff, David N.; Frank, Matthias; Liddick, Sean N.; Moran, Michael J.; Roberson, George P.; Weiss, Paul; Buckles, Robert A.; Cradick, Jerry R.; Kaufman, Morris I.; Lutz, Steve S.; Malone, Robert M.; Traille, Albert

2013-11-01

Inertial Confinement Fusion experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) are designed to understand and test the basic principles of self-sustaining fusion reactions by laser driven compression of deuterium-tritium (DT) filled cryogenic plastic (CH) capsules. The experimental campaign is ongoing to tune the implosions and characterize the burning plasma conditions. Nuclear diagnostics play an important role in measuring the characteristics of these burning plasmas, providing feedback to improve the implosion dynamics. The Neutron Imaging (NI) diagnostic provides information on the distribution of the central fusion reaction region and the surrounding DT fuel by collecting images at two different energy bands for primary (13-15 MeV) and downscattered (10-12 MeV) neutrons. From these distributions, the final shape and size of the compressed capsule can be estimated and the symmetry of the compression can be inferred. The first downscattered neutron images from imploding ICF capsules are shown in this paper.

Carver County Library System, Final Performance Report for Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) Title VI, Library Literacy Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colhapp, Barbara; Miller, Lana

The Carver County Library System (Chaska, Minnesota) conducted a project to demonstrate adult educational teamwork between libraries and literacy agents in the Carver-Scott two county area. The project, "National Issues Forums (NIF) for the New Reader," extended educational opportunities that encouraged new adult readers and the public…

Training the Future - Swamp Work Activities

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-19

In the Swamp Works laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, student interns such as Maddy Olson are joining agency scientists, contributing in the area of Exploration Research and Technology. Olson is majoring in mechanical engineering at the University of North Dakota. The agency attracts its future workforce through the NASA Internship, Fellowships and Scholarships, or NIFS, Program.

Training the Future - Swamp Work Activities

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-19

In the Swamp Works laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, student interns such as Kevin Murphy are joining agency scientists, contributing in the area of Exploration Research and Technology. Murphy is majoring in mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The agency attracts its future workforce through the NASA Internship, Fellowships and Scholarships, or NIFS, Program.

Training the Future - Swamp Work Activities

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-19

In the Swamp Works laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, student interns such as Andrew Thoesen are joining agency scientists, contributing in the area of Exploration Research and Technology. Thoesen is studying mechanical engineering at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. The agency attracts its future workforce through the NASA Internship, Fellowships and Scholarships, or NIFS, Program

Numerical Simulation of Ground Coupling of Low Yield Nuclear Detonation

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-01

Without nuclear testing, advanced simulation and experimental facilities, such as the National Ignition Facility ( NIF ), are essential to assuring...in planning future experimental work at NIF . 15. NUMBER OF PAGES 93 14. SUBJECT TERMS National Ignition Facility, GEODYN, Ground Coupling...simulation and experimental facilities, such as the National Ignition Facility ( NIF ), are essential to assuring safety, reliability, and effectiveness

Characterization of a Major Cluster of nif, fix, and Associated Genes in a Sugarcane Endophyte, Acetobacter diazotrophicus

PubMed Central

Lee, Sunhee; Reth, Alexander; Meletzus, Dietmar; Sevilla, Myrna; Kennedy, Christina

2000-01-01

A major 30.5-kb cluster of nif and associated genes of Acetobacter diazotrophicus (syn. Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus), a nitrogen-fixing endophyte of sugarcane, was sequenced and analyzed. This cluster represents the largest assembly of contiguous nif-fix and associated genes so far characterized in any diazotrophic bacterial species. Northern blots and promoter sequence analysis indicated that the genes are organized into eight transcriptional units. The overall arrangement of genes is most like that of the nif-fix cluster in Azospirillum brasilense, while the individual gene products are more similar to those in species of Rhizobiaceae or in Rhodobacter capsulatus. PMID:11092875

Recent developments in the structural organization and regulation of nitrogen fixation genes in Herbaspirillum seropedicae.

PubMed

Pedrosa, F O; Benelli, E M; Yates, M G; Wassem, R; Monteiro, R A; Klassen, G; Steffens, M B; Souza, E M; Chubatsu, L S; Rigo, L U

2001-10-04

Herbaspirillum seropedicae is a nitrogen-fixing bacterium found in association with economically important gramineae. Regulation of nitrogen fixation involves the transcriptional activator NifA protein. The regulation of NifA protein and its truncated mutant proteins is described and compared with that of other nitrogen fixation bacteria. Nitrogen fixation control in H. seropedicae, of the beta-subgroup of Proteobacteria, has regulatory features in common with Klebsiella pneumoniae, of the gamma-subgroup, at the level of nifA expression and with rhizobia and Azospirillum brasilense, of the alpha-subgroup, at the level of control of NifA by oxygen.

Normalized impact factor (NIF): an adjusted method for calculating the citation rate of biomedical journals.

PubMed

Owlia, P; Vasei, M; Goliaei, B; Nassiri, I

2011-04-01

The interests in journal impact factor (JIF) in scientific communities have grown over the last decades. The JIFs are used to evaluate journals quality and the papers published therein. JIF is a discipline specific measure and the comparison between the JIF dedicated to different disciplines is inadequate, unless a normalization process is performed. In this study, normalized impact factor (NIF) was introduced as a relatively simple method enabling the JIFs to be used when evaluating the quality of journals and research works in different disciplines. The NIF index was established based on the multiplication of JIF by a constant factor. The constants were calculated for all 54 disciplines of biomedical field during 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 years. Also, ranking of 393 journals in different biomedical disciplines according to the NIF and JIF were compared to illustrate how the NIF index can be used for the evaluation of publications in different disciplines. The findings prove that the use of the NIF enhances the equality in assessing the quality of research works produced by researchers who work in different disciplines. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Developmental rearrangement of cyanobacterial nif genes: nucleotide sequence, open reading frames, and cytochrome P-450 homology of the Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 nifD element.

PubMed Central

Lammers, P J; McLaughlin, S; Papin, S; Trujillo-Provencio, C; Ryncarz, A J

1990-01-01

An 11-kbp DNA element of unknown function interrupts the nifD gene in vegetative cells of Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120. In developing heterocysts the nifD element excises from the chromosome via site-specific recombination between short repeat sequences that flank the element. The nucleotide sequence of the nifH-proximal half of the element was determined to elucidate the genetic potential of the element. Four open reading frames with the same relative orientation as the nifD element-encoded xisA gene were identified in the sequenced region. Each of the open reading frames was preceded by a reasonable ribosome-binding site and had biased codon utilization preferences consistent with low levels of expression. Open reading frame 3 was highly homologous with three cytochrome P-450 omega-hydroxylase proteins and showed regional homology to functionally significant domains common to the cytochrome P-450 superfamily. The sequence encoding open reading frame 2 was the most highly conserved portion of the sequenced region based on heterologous hybridization experiments with three genera of heterocystous cyanobacteria. Images PMID:2123860

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shaughnessy, D A; Moody, K J; Grant, P M

Collection of solid debris from the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is being developed both as a diagnostic tool and as a means for measuring nuclear reaction cross sections relevant to the Stockpile Stewardship Program and nuclear astrophysics. The concept is straightforward; following a NIF shot, the debris that is produced as a result of the capsule and hohlraum explosion would be collected and subsequently extracted from the chamber. The number of nuclear activations that occurred in the capsule would then be measured through a combination of radiation detection and radiochemical processing followed by mass spectrometry. Development of the catcher ismore » challenging due to the complex environment of the NIF target chamber. The collector surface is first exposed to a large photon flux, followed by the debris wind that is produced. The material used in the catcher must be mechanically strong in order to withstand the large amount of energy it is exposed to, as well as be chemically compatible with the form and composition of the debris. In addition, the location of the catcher is equally important. If it is positioned too close to the center of the target chamber, it will be significantly ablated, which could interfere with the ability of the debris to reach the surface and stick. If it is too far away, the fraction of the debris cloud collected will be too small to result in a statistically significant measurement. Material, geometric configuration, and location must all be tested in order to design the optimal debris collection system for NIF. One of the first ideas regarding solid debris collection at NIF was to use the disposable debris shields (DDS), which are fielded over the final optics assemblies (FOA) 7 m away from the center of the target chamber. The DDS are meant to be replaced after a certain number of shots, and if the shields could be subsequently analyzed after removal, it would serve as a mechanism for fielding a relatively large collection area through the use of a part meant to be replaced regularly. The solid angle covered by one of the shields is roughly 10{sup -4} of 4{pi}. If several shields were analyzed at once, it would increase the solid angle of the collection area accordingly. The glass shields consist of ammonia hardened silica with a sol gel coating and kapton tape around the edge. The square sheets are 14-inch on each side. The original shields were 1 mm thick, but it was determined that a thicker shield (3.3 mm) was more effective in preventing debris from reaching the FOA. The Solid Radchem group received two sets of DDS as part of our evaluation of the potential use of the DDS as solid debris collectors. The first set consisted of two 3.3 mm shields, one each from the top and bottom of the chamber (the '3mm set'). The second set consisted of four 1mm shields, one from the top of the chamber and the other three from the bottom (the 'IFSA set'). For each set, the shields were cut into smaller subsamples, which were then imaged using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) followed by chemical leaching and mass spectrometry. The purpose was to evaluate both the quantity and identity of the debris that was present on the DDS surfaces, and to determine if any of the capsule debris was reaching the chamber walls. In addition, potential enhancement due to gravity in the chamber was evaluated by directly comparing shields fielded in the top and bottom of the chamber. Based on the results, the use of the DDS as debris collectors would be evaluated. The results from both sets were presented to the DDS Working Group. The slides are attached to this document. The 3mm set results are presented first, followed by the results from the IFSA set. In both cases it was determined that a small fraction of the overall debris field was collected on the DDS. This means that the debris that is formed during a NIF shot is condensing out of the plasma and depositing on surfaces closer to the target chamber center, or else it is simply falling to the bottom of the chamber. In either case, it was determined that using the DDS, or fielding a debris collector at the chamber wall, was not feasible for solid debris collection at NIF due to the small amount of debris that had been collected. In addition, since the glass shields suffered quite a bit of damage from particles impacting the surface, glass was ruled out as a collection medium.« less

The NIFSTD and BIRNLex Vocabularies: Building Comprehensive Ontologies for Neuroscience

PubMed Central

Bug, William J.; Ascoli, Giorgio A.; Grethe, Jeffrey S.; Gupta, Amarnath; Fennema-Notestine, Christine; Laird, Angela R.; Larson, Stephen D.; Rubin, Daniel; Shepherd, Gordon M.; Turner, Jessica A.; Martone, Maryann E.

2009-01-01

A critical component of the Neuroscience Information Framework (NIF) project is a consistent, flexible terminology for describing and retrieving neuroscience-relevant resources. Although the original NIF specification called for a loosely structured controlled vocabulary for describing neuroscience resources, as the NIF system evolved, the requirement for a formally structured ontology for neuroscience with sufficient granularity to describe and access a diverse collection of information became obvious. This requirement led to the NIF standardized (NIFSTD) ontology, a comprehensive collection of common neuroscience domain terminologies woven into an ontologically consistent, unified representation of the biomedical domains typically used to describe neuroscience data (e.g., anatomy, cell types, techniques), as well as digital resources (tools, databases) being created throughout the neuroscience community. NIFSTD builds upon a structure established by the BIRNLex, a lexicon of concepts covering clinical neuroimaging research developed by the Biomedical Informatics Research Network (BIRN) project. Each distinct domain module is represented using the Web Ontology Language (OWL). As much as has been practical, NIFSTD reuses existing community ontologies that cover the required biomedical domains, building the more specific concepts required to annotate NIF resources. By following this principle, an extensive vocabulary was assembled in a relatively short period of time for NIF information annotation, organization, and retrieval, in a form that promotes easy extension and modification. We report here on the structure of the NIFSTD, and its predecessor BIRNLex, the principles followed in its construction and provide examples of its use within NIF. PMID:18975148

The NIFSTD and BIRNLex vocabularies: building comprehensive ontologies for neuroscience.

PubMed

Bug, William J; Ascoli, Giorgio A; Grethe, Jeffrey S; Gupta, Amarnath; Fennema-Notestine, Christine; Laird, Angela R; Larson, Stephen D; Rubin, Daniel; Shepherd, Gordon M; Turner, Jessica A; Martone, Maryann E

2008-09-01

A critical component of the Neuroscience Information Framework (NIF) project is a consistent, flexible terminology for describing and retrieving neuroscience-relevant resources. Although the original NIF specification called for a loosely structured controlled vocabulary for describing neuroscience resources, as the NIF system evolved, the requirement for a formally structured ontology for neuroscience with sufficient granularity to describe and access a diverse collection of information became obvious. This requirement led to the NIF standardized (NIFSTD) ontology, a comprehensive collection of common neuroscience domain terminologies woven into an ontologically consistent, unified representation of the biomedical domains typically used to describe neuroscience data (e.g., anatomy, cell types, techniques), as well as digital resources (tools, databases) being created throughout the neuroscience community. NIFSTD builds upon a structure established by the BIRNLex, a lexicon of concepts covering clinical neuroimaging research developed by the Biomedical Informatics Research Network (BIRN) project. Each distinct domain module is represented using the Web Ontology Language (OWL). As much as has been practical, NIFSTD reuses existing community ontologies that cover the required biomedical domains, building the more specific concepts required to annotate NIF resources. By following this principle, an extensive vocabulary was assembled in a relatively short period of time for NIF information annotation, organization, and retrieval, in a form that promotes easy extension and modification. We report here on the structure of the NIFSTD, and its predecessor BIRNLex, the principles followed in its construction and provide examples of its use within NIF.

Role of Procalcitonin in Differentiating between Infectious and Noninfectious Fevers among Patients with Lymphoma.

PubMed

Wang, Xiao Jun; Tan, Thuan Tong; Lim, Soon Thye; Farid, Mohamad; Tao, Miriam; Quek, Richard; Chan, Alexandre; Tang, Tiffany

2017-08-01

The primary objective of this study is to prospectively evaluate the role of procalcitonin (PCT) in distinguishing infectious fever from noninfectious fever (NIF) among febrile lymphoma patients. The secondary objective is to evaluate the usefulness of PCT in distinguishing among bloodstream infections (BSI), local infections and unidentified infections (LIUI), and NIF. Patients with lymphoma and fever were prospectively recruited between August 2014 and November 2015. PCT was measured within 24 hours of fever onset (PCT1) and 24-72 hours thereafter (PCT2). The higher PCT value between PCT1 and PCT2 was also documented (PCT max ). PCT levels (PCT1, PCT2, and PCT max ) were compared for BSI, LIUI, and NIF. In addition, the difference between PCT1 and PCT2 was evaluated in patients with complete data on both PCT1 and PCT2. Of 108 eligible patients, 12 were diagnosed with BSI, 83 with LIUI, and 13 with NIF. PCT max was statistically different between the infectious fever (BSI and LIUI combined) and NIF groups (median PCT max : 0.44 ng/ml vs 0.19 ng/ml; p=0.026). PCT1 was not statistically different for patients with BSI, LIUI, and NIF (p=0.217). However, PCT2 and PCT max were significantly higher in patients with BSI compared to those with NIF (p=0.026 and 0.002, respectively). Meanwhile, patients with BSI have significantly higher PCT max values than those with LIUI (p=0.034). Among 90 cases with complete data on both PCT1 and PCT2, PCT2 was significantly higher than PCT1 in patients with BSI (median PCT: 0.98 ng/ml vs 0.47 ng/ml; p=0.045) and patients with LIUI (median PCT: 0.43 ng/ml vs 0.24 ng/ml; p=0.004), while not significant in patients with NIF (p=0.374). Two separate PCT measurements can differentiate between infectious fever and NIF and predict for BSI in lymphoma patients with fever. © 2017 Pharmacotherapy Publications, Inc.

Method of Moments Applied to the Analysis of Precision Spectra from the Neutron Time-of- flight Diagnostics at the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hatarik, Robert; Caggiano, J. A.; Callahan, D.; Casey, D.; Clark, D.; Doeppner, T.; Eckart, M.; Field, J.; Frenje, J.; Gatu Johnson, M.; Grim, G.; Hartouni, E.; Hurricane, O.; Kilkenny, J.; Knauer, J.; Ma, T.; Mannion, O.; Munro, D.; Sayre, D.; Spears, B.

2015-11-01

The method of moments was introduced by Pearson as a process for estimating the population distributions from which a set of ``random variables'' are measured. These moments are compared with a parameterization of the distributions, or of the same quantities generated by simulations of the process. Most diagnostics processes extract scalar parameters depending on the moments of spectra derived from analytic solutions to the fusion rate, necessarily based on simplifying assumptions of the confined plasma. The precision of the TOF spectra, and the nature of the implosions at the NIF require the inclusion of factors beyond the traditional analysis and require the addition of higher order moments to describe the data. This talk will present a diagnostic process for extracting the moments of the neutron energy spectrum for a comparison with theoretical considerations as well as simulations of the implosions. Work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Haynam, C A; Sacks, R A; Moses, E I

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 providesmore » for successfully meeting an ever expanding range of mission goals, including those of ignition.« less

Iron depletion affects nitrogenase activity and expression of nifH and nifA genes in Herbaspirillum seropedicae.

PubMed

Rosconi, Federico; Souza, Emanuel M; Pedrosa, Fabio O; Platero, Raúl A; González, Cecilia; González, Marcela; Batista, Silvia; Gill, Paul R; Fabiano, Elena R

2006-05-01

Herbaspirillum seropedicae Z67 is a nitrogen-fixing bacterium able to colonize the rhizosphere and the interior of several plants. As iron is a key element for nitrogen fixation, we examined the response of this microorganism to iron deficiency under nitrogen fixing conditions. We identified a H. seropedicae exbD gene that was induced in response to iron limitation and is involved in iron homeostasis. We found that an exbD mutant grown in iron-chelated medium is unable to fix nitrogen. Moreover, we provide evidence that expression of the nifH and nifA genes is iron dependent in a H. seropedicae genetic background.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Soter, J.; Bhike, M.; Finch, S. W.

Measurements of the 169Tm(n,2n) 168Tm cross section have been performed via the activation technique at 13 energies between 8.5 and 15.0 MeV. The purpose of this comprehensive data set is to provide an alternative diagnostic tool for obtaining subtle information on the neutron energy distribution produced in inertial confinement deuterium-tritium fusion experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. In conclusion, the 169Tm(n,2n) 168Tm reaction not only provides the primary 14-MeV neutron fluence, but also the important down-scattered neutron fluence, the latter providing information on the density achieved in the deuterium-tritium plasma during a laser shot.

Impact of copper on the diazotroph abundance and community composition during swine manure composting.

PubMed

Yin, Yanan; Gu, Jie; Wang, Xiaojuan; Zhang, Kaiyu; Hu, Ting; Ma, Jiyue; Wang, Qianzhi

2018-05-01

Biological nitrogen fixation is a major pathway in ecosystems. This study investigated the effects of adding Cu at different levels (0, 200, and 2000 mg kg -1 ) on the diazotroph community during swine manure composting. Quantitative PCR and high-throughput sequencing were used to analyze the abundances of diazotrophs and the community composition based on the nifH gene. The nifH gene copy number was relatively high in the early stage of composting and Cu had a significant inhibitory effect on the nifH copy number. Furthermore, Cu decreased the diversity of nifH and changed the microbial community structure in the early stage. The nifH genes from members of Firmicutes and Clostridium were most abundant. Co-occurrence ecological network analysis showed that the Cu treatments affected the co-occurrence patterns of diazotroph communities and reduced the associations between different diazotrophs. Interestingly, Cu may weaken symbiotic diazotrophic interactions and enhance the roles of free-living diazotrophs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Instrument Performance Monitoring at Gemini North

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Emig, Kimberly; Pohlen, M.; Chene, A.

2014-01-01

An instrument performance monitoring (IPM) project at the Gemini North Observatory evaluates the delivered throughput and sensitivity of, among other instruments, the Near-Infrared Integral Field Spectrometer (NIFS), the Gemini Near-Infrared Spectrograph (GNIRS), and the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS-N). Systematic observations of standard stars allow the quality of the instruments and mirror to be assessed periodically. An automated pipeline has been implemented to process and analyze data obtained with NIFS, GNIRS cross-dispersed (XD) and long slit (LS) modes, and GMOS (photometry and spectroscopy). We focus the discussion of this poster on NIFS and GNIRS. We present the spectroscopic throughput determined for ZJHK bands on NIFS, the XJHKLM band for GNIRS XD mode and the K band for GNIRS LS. Additionally, the sensitivity is available for the JHK bands in NIFS and GNIRS XD, and for the K band in GNIRS LS. We consider data taken as early as March 2011. Furthermore, the pipeline setup and the methods used to determine throughput and sensitivity are described.

Development and use of Ontologies Inside the Neuroscience Information Framework: A Practical Approach

PubMed Central

Imam, Fahim T.; Larson, Stephen D.; Bandrowski, Anita; Grethe, Jeffery S.; Gupta, Amarnath; Martone, Maryann E.

2012-01-01

An initiative of the NIH Blueprint for neuroscience research, the Neuroscience Information Framework (NIF) project advances neuroscience by enabling discovery and access to public research data and tools worldwide through an open source, semantically enhanced search portal. One of the critical components for the overall NIF system, the NIF Standardized Ontologies (NIFSTD), provides an extensive collection of standard neuroscience concepts along with their synonyms and relationships. The knowledge models defined in the NIFSTD ontologies enable an effective concept-based search over heterogeneous types of web-accessible information entities in NIF’s production system. NIFSTD covers major domains in neuroscience, including diseases, brain anatomy, cell types, sub-cellular anatomy, small molecules, techniques, and resource descriptors. Since the first production release in 2008, NIF has grown significantly in content and functionality, particularly with respect to the ontologies and ontology-based services that drive the NIF system. We present here on the structure, design principles, community engagement, and the current state of NIFSTD ontologies. PMID:22737162

In silico characterization and transcriptomic analysis of nif family genes from Anabaena sp. PCC7120.

PubMed

Singh, Shilpi; Shrivastava, Alok Kumar

2017-10-01

In silico approaches in conjunction with morphology, nitrogenase activity, and qRT-PCR explore the impact of selected abiotic stressor such as arsenic, salt, cadmium, copper, and butachlor on nitrogen fixing (nif family) genes of diazotrophic cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC7120. A total of 19 nif genes are present within the Anabaena genome that is involved in the process of nitrogen fixation. Docking studies revealed the interaction between these nif gene-encoded proteins and the selected abiotic stressors which were further validated through decreased heterocyst frequency, fragmentation of filaments, and downregulation of nitrogenase activity under these stresses indicating towards their toxic impact on nitrogen fixation potential of filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC7120. Another appealing finding of this study is even though having similar binding energy and similar interacting residues between arsenic/salt and copper/cadmium to nif-encoded proteins, arsenic and cadmium are more toxic than salt and copper for nitrogenase activity of Anabaena which is crucial for growth and yield of rice paddy and soil reclamation.

Control of Herbaspirillum seropedicae NifA Activity by Ammonium Ions and Oxygen

PubMed Central

Souza, E. M.; Pedrosa, F. O.; Drummond, M.; Rigo, L. U.; Yates, M. G.

1999-01-01

The activity of a truncated form of Herbaspirillum seropedicae NifA in different genetic backgrounds showed that its regulatory domain is involved in nitrogen control but not in O2 sensitivity or Fe dependence. The model for nitrogen control involving PII could thus apply to the proteobacteria at large. NifA may have a role in controlling ADP-ribosylation of nitrogenase in Azospirillum brasilense. PMID:9882688

National Ignition Facility Comes to Life

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moses, E

2003-09-01

First conceived of nearly 15 years ago, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is up and running and successful beyond almost everyone's expectations. During commissioning of the first four laser beams, the laser system met design specifications for everything from beam quality to energy output. NIF will eventually have 192 laser beams. Yet with just 2% of its final beam configuration complete, NIF has already produced the highest energy laser shots in the world. In July, laser shots in the infrared wavelength using four beams produced a total of 26.5 kilojoules of energy per beam, not only meeting NIF's design energymore » requirement of 20 kilojoules per beam but also exceeding the energy of any other infrared laser beamline. In another campaign, NIF produced over 11.4 kilojoules of energy when the infrared light was converted to green light. An earlier performance campaign of laser light that had been frequency converted from infrared to ultraviolet really proved NIF's mettle. Over 10.4 kilojoules of ultraviolet energy were produced in about 4 billionths of a second. If all 192 beamlines were to operate at these levels, over 2 megajoules of energy would result. That much energy for the pulse duration of several nanoseconds is about 500 trillion watts of power, more than 500 times the US peak generating power.« less

Three distinct clades of cultured heterocystous cyanobacteria constitute the dominant N2-fixing members of biological soil crusts of the Colorado Plateau, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yeager, C.M.; Kornosky, J.L.; Morgan, R.E.; Cain, E.C.; Garcia-Pichel, F.; Housman, D.C.; Belnap, J.; Kuske, C.R.

2007-01-01

The identity of the numerically dominant N2-fixing bacteria in biological soil crusts of the Colorado Plateau region and two outlying areas was determined using multiple approaches, to link the environmental diversity of nifH gene sequences to cultured bacterial isolates from the regions. Of the nifH sequence-types detected in soil crusts of the Colorado Plateau, 89% (421/473) were most closely related to nifH signature sequences from cyanobacteria of the order Nostocales. N2-fixing cyanobacterial strains were cultured from crusts and their morphotypes, 16S rRNA gene and nifH gene sequences were characterized. The numerically dominant diazotrophs in the Colorado Plateau crusts fell within three clades of heterocystous cyanobacteria. Two clades are well-represented by phylogenetically and morphologically coherent strains, corresponding to the descriptions of Nostoc commune and Scytonema hyalinum, which are widely recognized as important N2-fixing components of soil crusts. A third, previously-overlooked clade was represented by a phylogenetically coherent but morphologically diverse group of strains that encompass the morphogenera Tolypothrix and Spirirestis. Many of the strains in each of these groups contained at least two nifH copies that represent different clusters in the nifH environmental survey. ?? 2007 Federation of European Microbiological Societies.

Effect of salinity on nitrogenase activity and composition of the active diazotrophic community in intertidal microbial mats.

PubMed

Severin, Ina; Confurius-Guns, Veronique; Stal, Lucas J

2012-06-01

Microbial mats are often found in intertidal areas experiencing a large range of salinities. This study investigated the effect of changing salinities on nitrogenase activity and on the composition of the active diazotrophic community (nifH transcript libraries) of three types of microbial mats situated along a littoral gradient. All three mat types exhibited highest nitrogenase activity at salinities close to ambient seawater or lower. The response to lower or higher salinity was strongest in mats higher up in the littoral zone. Changes in nitrogenase activity as the result of exposure to different salinities were accompanied by changes in the active diazotrophic community. The two stations higher up in the littoral zone showed nifH expression by Cyanobacteria (Oscillatoriales and Chroococcales) and Proteobacteria (Gammaproteobacteria and Deltaproteobacteria). At these stations, a decrease in the relative contribution of Cyanobacteria to the nifH transcript libraries was observed at increasing salinity coinciding with a decrease in nitrogenase activity. The station at the low water mark showed low cyanobacterial contribution to nifH transcript libraries at all salinities but an increase in deltaproteobacterial nifH transcripts under hypersaline conditions. In conclusion, increased salinities caused decreased nitrogenase activity and were accompanied by a lower proportion of cyanobacterial nifH transcripts.

Requirements and Capabilities for Fielding Cryogenic DT-Containing Fill-Tube Targets for Direct-Drive Experiments on OMEGA

DOE PAGES

Harding, D. R.; Ulreich, J.; Wittman, M. D.; ...

2017-12-06

Improving the performance of direct-drive cryogenic targets at the Omega Laser Facility requires the development of a new cryogenic system to (i) field non permeable targets with a fill tube, and (ii) provide a clean environment around the target. This capability is to demonstrate that imploding a scaled-down version of the direct-drive–ignition target for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) on the OMEGA laser will generate the hot-spot pressure that is needed for ignition; this will justify future cryogenic direct-drive experiments on the NIF. The paper describes the target, the cryogenic equipment that is being constructed to achieve this goal, andmore » the proposed target delivery process. Thermal calculations, fill-tube–based target designs, and structural/vibrational analyses are provided to demonstrate the credibility of the design. This new design will include capabilities not available (or possible) with the existing OMEGA cryogenic system, with the emphasis being to preserve a pristinely clean environment around the target, and to provide upgraded diagnostics to characterize both the ice layer and the target’s surface. The conceptual design is complete and testing of prototypes and subcomponents is underway. The rationale and capabilities of the new design are discussed.« less

Requirements and Capabilities for Fielding Cryogenic DT-Containing Fill-Tube Targets for Direct-Drive Experiments on OMEGA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harding, D. R.; Ulreich, J.; Wittman, M. D.

Improving the performance of direct-drive cryogenic targets at the Omega Laser Facility requires the development of a new cryogenic system to (i) field non permeable targets with a fill tube, and (ii) provide a clean environment around the target. This capability is to demonstrate that imploding a scaled-down version of the direct-drive–ignition target for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) on the OMEGA laser will generate the hot-spot pressure that is needed for ignition; this will justify future cryogenic direct-drive experiments on the NIF. The paper describes the target, the cryogenic equipment that is being constructed to achieve this goal, andmore » the proposed target delivery process. Thermal calculations, fill-tube–based target designs, and structural/vibrational analyses are provided to demonstrate the credibility of the design. This new design will include capabilities not available (or possible) with the existing OMEGA cryogenic system, with the emphasis being to preserve a pristinely clean environment around the target, and to provide upgraded diagnostics to characterize both the ice layer and the target’s surface. The conceptual design is complete and testing of prototypes and subcomponents is underway. The rationale and capabilities of the new design are discussed.« less

Gamma-based Measurement of ``Dark Mix'' in ICF Capsules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meaney, Kevin; Herrmann, H.; Kim, Yh; Zylstra, Ab; Geppert-Kleinrath, H.; Hoffman, Nm; Yi, As

2017-10-01

Mix of capsule ablator material into the fusion fuel is a source of yield degradation in inertial confinement fusion. Jetting or chunk mix, such as the elusive ``meteors'' that have been observed at NIF, can be difficult to diagnose because the chunks may not get hot enough to excite dopant x-rays, nor atomized enough for separated-reactants to fuse. Using the gamma reaction history (GRH-6m) diagnostic, (n,n') gammas from strategically placed carbon layer within a beryllium capsule gives a measure of the time-resolved areal density of this carbon during the burn and hence an indication of the compression and spatial distribution of this layer. As the carbon moves further from the fuel, the areal density nominally decreases as 1/r2 for unablated material. However, mix of this carbon into the cold dense fuel layer or hot spot will have a significant effect on the carbon gamma signal. Different types of mix (e.g., jetting, Rayleigh-Taylor fingers, diffusive, ...) as well as features that can seed this mix (eg., tents, fill,...) will be discussed along with their expected effect on the carbon signal. The design for upcoming OMEGA shots, which will demonstrate this technique, and the potential for use on the NIF will be presented.

Training the Future - Interns Harvesting & Testing Plant Experim

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-19

In the Space Life Sciences Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, student interns such as Alex Litvin are joining agency scientists, contributing in the area of plant growth research for food production in space. Litvin is pursuing doctorate in horticulture at Iowa State University. The agency attracts its future workforce through the NASA Internship, Fellowships and Scholarships, or NIFS, Program.

Initial Results of Optical Vortex Laser Absorption Spectroscopy in the HYPER-I Device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshimura, Shinji; Asai, Shoma; Aramaki, Mitsutoshi; Terasaka, Kenichiro; Ozawa, Naoya; Tanaka, Masayoshi; Morisaki, Tomohiro

2015-11-01

Optical vortex beams have a potential to make a new Doppler measurement, because not only parallel but perpendicular movement of atoms against the beam axis causes the Doppler shift of their resonant absorption frequency. As the first step of a proof-of-principle experiment, we have performed the optical vortex laser absorption spectroscopy for metastable argon neutrals in an ECR plasma produced in the HYPER-I device at the National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan. An external cavity diode laser (TOPTICA, DL100) of which center wavelength was 696.735 nm in vacuum was used for the light source. The Hermite-Gaussian (HG) beam was converted into the Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beam (optical vortex) by a computer-generated hologram displayed on the spatial light modulator (Hamamatsu, LCOS-SLM X10468-07). In order to make fast neutral flow across the LG beam, a high speed solenoid valve system was installed on the HYPER-I device. Initial results including the comparison of absorption spectra for HG and LG beams will be presented. This study was supported by NINS young scientists collaboration program for cross-disciplinary study, NIFS collaboration research program (NIFS13KOAP026), and JSPS KAKENHI grant number 15K05365.

Development of a new experimental device for long-duration magnetic reconnection in weakly ionized plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yanai, Ryoma; Kaminou, Yasuhiro; Nishida, Kento; Inomoto, Michiaki

2016-10-01

Magnetic reconnection is a universal phenomenon which determines global structure and energy conversion in magnetized plasmas. Many experimental studies have been carried out to explore the physics of magnetic reconnection in fully ionized condition. However, it is predicted that the behavior of magnetic reconnection in weakly ionized plasmas such as solar chromosphere plasma will show different behavior such as ambipolar diffusion caused by interaction with neutral particles. In this research, we are developing a new experimental device to uncover the importance of ambipolar diffusion during magnetic reconnection in weakly ionized plasmas. We employ an inverter-driven rotating magnetic fields technique, which is used for generating steady azimuthal plasma current, to establish long-duration ( 1 ms) anti-parallel reconnection with magnetic field of 5 mT in weakly ionized plasma. We will present development status and initial results from the new experimental setup. This work was supported by JSPS A3 Foresight Program ``Innovative Tokamak Plasma Startup and Current Drive in Spherical Torus'', Giant-in Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI) 15H05750, 15K14279, 26287143 and the NIFS Collaboration Research program (NIFS14KNWP004).

Neuroestrogen signaling in the songbird auditory cortex propagates into a sensorimotor network via an `interface' nucleus

PubMed Central

Pawlisch, Benjamin A.; Remage-Healey, Luke

2014-01-01

Neuromodulators rapidly alter activity of neural circuits and can therefore shape higher-order functions, such as sensorimotor integration. Increasing evidence suggests that brain-derived estrogens, such as 17-β-estradiol, can act rapidly to modulate sensory processing. However, less is known about how rapid estrogen signaling can impact downstream circuits. Past studies have demonstrated that estradiol levels increase within the songbird auditory cortex (the caudomedial nidopallium, NCM) during social interactions. Local estradiol signaling enhances the auditory-evoked firing rate of neurons in NCM to a variety of stimuli, while also enhancing the selectivity of auditory-evoked responses of neurons in a downstream sensorimotor brain region, HVC (proper name). Since these two brain regions are not directly connected, we employed dual extracellular recordings in HVC and the upstream nucleus interfacialis of the nidopallium (NIf) during manipulations of estradiol within NCM to better understand the pathway by which estradiol signaling propagates to downstream circuits. NIf has direct input into HVC, passing auditory information into the vocal motor output pathway, and is a possible source of the neural selectivity within HVC. Here, during acute estradiol administration in NCM, NIf neurons showed increases in baseline firing rates and auditory-evoked firing rates to all stimuli. Furthermore, when estradiol synthesis was blocked in NCM, we observed simultaneous decreases in the selectivity of NIf and HVC neurons. These effects were not due to direct estradiol actions because NIf has little to no capability for local estrogen synthesis or estrogen receptors, and these effects were specific to NIf because other neurons immediately surrounding NIf did not show these changes. Our results demonstrate that transsynaptic, rapid fluctuations in neuroestrogens are transmitted into NIf and subsequently HVC, both regions important for sensorimotor integration. Overall, these findings support the hypothesis that acute neurosteroid actions can propagate within and between neural circuits to modulate their functional connectivity. PMID:25453773

Neuroestrogen signaling in the songbird auditory cortex propagates into a sensorimotor network via an 'interface' nucleus.

PubMed

Pawlisch, B A; Remage-Healey, L

2015-01-22

Neuromodulators rapidly alter activity of neural circuits and can therefore shape higher order functions, such as sensorimotor integration. Increasing evidence suggests that brain-derived estrogens, such as 17-β-estradiol, can act rapidly to modulate sensory processing. However, less is known about how rapid estrogen signaling can impact downstream circuits. Past studies have demonstrated that estradiol levels increase within the songbird auditory cortex (the caudomedial nidopallium, NCM) during social interactions. Local estradiol signaling enhances the auditory-evoked firing rate of neurons in NCM to a variety of stimuli, while also enhancing the selectivity of auditory-evoked responses of neurons in a downstream sensorimotor brain region, HVC (proper name). Since these two brain regions are not directly connected, we employed dual extracellular recordings in HVC and the upstream nucleus interfacialis of the nidopallium (NIf) during manipulations of estradiol within NCM to better understand the pathway by which estradiol signaling propagates to downstream circuits. NIf has direct input into HVC, passing auditory information into the vocal motor output pathway, and is a possible source of the neural selectivity within HVC. Here, during acute estradiol administration in NCM, NIf neurons showed increases in baseline firing rates and auditory-evoked firing rates to all stimuli. Furthermore, when estradiol synthesis was blocked in NCM, we observed simultaneous decreases in the selectivity of NIf and HVC neurons. These effects were not due to direct estradiol actions because NIf has little to no capability for local estrogen synthesis or estrogen receptors, and these effects were specific to NIf because other neurons immediately surrounding NIf did not show these changes. Our results demonstrate that transsynaptic, rapid fluctuations in neuroestrogens are transmitted into NIf and subsequently HVC, both regions important for sensorimotor integration. Overall, these findings support the hypothesis that acute neurosteroid actions can propagate within and between neural circuits to modulate their functional connectivity. Copyright © 2014 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Depth-Dependent Earthquake Properties Beneath Long-Beach, CA: Implications for the Rheology at the Brittle-Ductile Transition Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inbal, A.; Clayton, R. W.; Ampuero, J. P.

2015-12-01

Except for a few localities, seismicity along faults in southern California is generally confined to depths shallower than 15 km. Among faults hosting deep seismicity, the Newport-Inglewood Fault (NIF), which traverses the Los-Angeles basin, has an exceptionally mild surface expression and low deformation rates. Moreover, the NIF structure is not as well resolved as other, less well instrumented faults because of poor signal-to-noise ratio. Here we use data from three temporary dense seismic arrays, which were deployed for exploration purposes and contain up to several thousands of vertical geophones, to investigate the properties of deep seismicity beneath Long-Beach (LB), Compton and Santa-Fe Springs (SFS). The latter is located 15 km northeast of the NIF, presumably above a major detachment fault underthrusting the basin.Event detection is carried out using a new approach for microseismic multi-channel picking, in which downward-continued data are back-projected onto the volume beneath the arrays, and locations are derived from statistical analysis of back-projection images. Our technique reveals numerous, previously undetected events along the NIF, and confirms the presence of an active shallow structure gently dipping to the north beneath SFS. Seismicity characteristics vary along the NIF strike and dip. While LB seismicity is uncorrelated with the mapped trace of the NIF, Compton seismicity illuminates a sub-vertical fault that extends down to about 20 km. This result, along with the reported high flux of mantle Helium along the NIF (Boles et al., 2015), suggests that the NIF is deeply rooted and acts as a major conduit for mantle fluids. We find that the LB size distribution obeys the typical power-law at shallow depths, but falls off exponentially for events occurring below 20 km. Because deep seismicity occurs uniformly beneath LB, this transition is attributed to a reduction in seismic asperity density with increasing depth, consistent with a transition to a diffuse deformation regime.

Sudan: The Crisis in Darfur and Status of the North-South Peace Agreement

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-16

south, is considered a major factor triggering the civil war. The National Islamic Front ( NIF ) government, which ousted the democratically elected...Front ( NIF ), agreed on a cabinet. At the core of the dispute was the distribution of key economic ministerial portfolios. The NCP insisted on...governments in Khartoum, albeit unsuccessfully. In the early 1990s, the National Islamic Front ( NIF ) government, which came to power in 1989, began to arm

Sudan: The Crisis in Darfur and Status of the North-South Peace Agreement

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-08-05

considered a major factor triggering the civil war. The National Islamic Front ( NIF ) government, which ousted the democratically elected civilian... NIF ), agreed on a cabinet. At the core of the dispute was the distribution of key economic ministerial portfolios. The NCP insisted on keeping the...Khartoum, albeit unsuccessfully. In the early 1990s, the National Islamic Front ( NIF ) government, which came to power in 1989, began to arm Arab

A New Technique for Troubleshooting Large Capacitive Energy Storage Banks

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

The Power Conditioning System (PCS) of the National Ignition Facility ( NIF ) like many pulse power systems relies on large numbers of inductively...troubleshooting time. II. THEORY OF OPERATION A simplified schematic diagram of the National Ignition Facility ( NIF ) Main Energy Storage Module (MESM...across the capacitor or a null in the current supplied by the generator. In the case of the NIF bank the resonant frequency turns out to be very close

What are Scientific Leaders? The Introduction of a Normalized Impact Factor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsas, George E. A.

2012-12-01

We define a normalized impact factor (NIF) suitable for assessing in a simple way both the strength of scientific communities and the research influence of individuals. We define those with NIF ≥ 1 as scientific leaders because they influence their peers at least as much as they are influenced by them. The NIF has two outstanding characteristics: (a) it has a clear and universal meaning and (b) it is robust against self-citation misuse. We show how a single lognormal function obtained from a simplified version of the NIF leads to a clear "radiography" of the corresponding scientific community. An illustrative application analyzes a community derived from the list of outstanding referees recognized by the American Physical Society in 2008.

Lower Interbreath Interval Complexity Is Associated With Extubation Failure in Mechanically Ventilated Patients During Spontaneous Breathing Trials

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-01

patient tolerated the SBT, then measurement of respiratory rate (RR), rapid shallow breathing index (RSBI), and negative inspiratory force ( NIF ) were...no deaths in either cohort during the study period. The characteristics of the two groups, along with RR, duration of IBI, NIF , and RSBI calculated... NIF , and RSBI did not differ between groups, and that all subjects who were extubated had weaning parameters predictive of success. To explore the

Computational Studies of X-ray Framing Cameras for the National Ignition Facility

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

Livermore National Laboratory 7000 East Avenue Livermore, CA 94550 USA Abstract The NIF is the world’s most powerful laser facility and is...a phosphor screen where the output is recorded. The x-ray framing cameras have provided excellent information. As the yields at NIF have increased...experiments on the NIF . The basic operation of these cameras is shown in Fig. 1. Incident photons generate photoelectrons both in the pores of the MCP and

Sudan: The Crisis in Darfur and Status of the North-South Peace Agreement

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-10-08

civil war. The National Islamic Front ( NIF ) government, which ousted the democratically elected civilian government in 1989, pursued the war in Southern...negotiations, the SPLM and the National Congress Party (NCP), formerly known as the National Islamic Front ( NIF ), agreed on a cabinet. At the core of...early 1990s, the National Islamic Front ( NIF ) government, which came to power in 1989, began to arm Arab militias and attempted to disarm the largely

NIF ICCS network design and loading analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tietbohl, G; Bryant, R

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is housed within a large facility about the size of two football fields. The Integrated Computer Control System (ICCS) is distributed throughout this facility and requires the integration of about 40,000 control points and over 500 video sources. This integration is provided by approximately 700 control computers distributed throughout the NIF facility and a network that provides the communication infrastructure. A main control room houses a set of seven computer consoles providing operator access and control of the various distributed front-end processors (FEPs). There are also remote workstations distributed within the facility that allow providemore » operator console functions while personnel are testing and troubleshooting throughout the facility. The operator workstations communicate with the FEPs which implement the localized control and monitoring functions. There are different types of FEPs for the various subsystems being controlled. This report describes the design of the NIF ICCS network and how it meets the traffic loads that will are expected and the requirements of the Sub-System Design Requirements (SSDR's). This document supersedes the earlier reports entitled Analysis of the National Ignition Facility Network, dated November 6, 1996 and The National Ignition Facility Digital Video and Control Network, dated July 9, 1996. For an overview of the ICCS, refer to the document NIF Integrated Computer Controls System Description (NIF-3738).« less

Extending the NIF DISCO framework to automate complex workflow: coordinating the harvest and integration of data from diverse neuroscience information resources

PubMed Central

Marenco, Luis N.; Wang, Rixin; Bandrowski, Anita E.; Grethe, Jeffrey S.; Shepherd, Gordon M.; Miller, Perry L.

2014-01-01

This paper describes how DISCO, the data aggregator that supports the Neuroscience Information Framework (NIF), has been extended to play a central role in automating the complex workflow required to support and coordinate the NIF’s data integration capabilities. The NIF is an NIH Neuroscience Blueprint initiative designed to help researchers access the wealth of data related to the neurosciences available via the Internet. A central component is the NIF Federation, a searchable database that currently contains data from 231 data and information resources regularly harvested, updated, and warehoused in the DISCO system. In the past several years, DISCO has greatly extended its functionality and has evolved to play a central role in automating the complex, ongoing process of harvesting, validating, integrating, and displaying neuroscience data from a growing set of participating resources. This paper provides an overview of DISCO’s current capabilities and discusses a number of the challenges and future directions related to the process of coordinating the integration of neuroscience data within the NIF Federation. PMID:25018728

s-Process Branch Point (n,γ) Measurements using NIF^*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernstein, Lee; Bleuel, D. L.; Cerjan, C.; Greife, U.; Hoffman, R. D.; Phair, L.; McEvoy, A.; Moody, K. J.; Schneider, D. H. G.; Shaughnessy, D.; Stoyer, M. A.

2008-10-01

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at LLNL is a laser-driven inertial confinement fusion laboratory designed to compress pellets containing small (<10^20 atoms) samples of material to densities in excess of 100 g/cm^3 and temperatures up to kBT 10 keV. Early NIF shots will feature a proton-tritium (HT) fuel mix that creates a neutron spectrum similar to that found in AGB main sequence stars. In this talk I will discuss nuclear physics experiments using NIF and present a plan to measure the ^171Tm(n,γ) s-process branch point cross section in a NIF plasma environment which will include the plasma-induced population of the first excited state at Ex=5.0 keV. *This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract W-7405-Eng-48 and under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. For LBNL this work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.

Training the Future - Interns Harvesting & Testing Plant Experim

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-19

In the Space Life Sciences Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, student interns such as Ayla Grandpre are joining agency scientists, contributing in the area of plant growth research for food production in space. Grandpre is majoring in computer science and chemistry at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana. The agency attracts its future workforce through the NASA Internship, Fellowships and Scholarships, or NIFS, Program.

Training the Future - Interns Harvesting & Testing Plant Experim

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-19

In the Space Life Sciences Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, student interns such as Payton Barnwell are joining agency scientists, contributing in the area of plant growth research for food production in space. Barnwell is a mechanical engineering and nanotechnology major at Florida Polytechnic University. The agency attracts its future workforce through the NASA Internship, Fellowships and Scholarships, or NIFS, Program.

Molecular phylogeny, population genetics, and evolution of heterocystous cyanobacteria using nifH gene sequences.

PubMed

Singh, Prashant; Singh, Satya Shila; Elster, Josef; Mishra, Arun Kumar

2013-06-01

In order to assess phylogeny, population genetics, and approximation of future course of cyanobacterial evolution based on nifH gene sequences, 41 heterocystous cyanobacterial strains collected from all over India have been used in the present study. NifH gene sequence analysis data confirm that the heterocystous cyanobacteria are monophyletic while the stigonematales show polyphyletic origin with grave intermixing. Further, analysis of nifH gene sequence data using intricate mathematical extrapolations revealed that the nucleotide diversity and recombination frequency is much greater in Nostocales than the Stigonematales. Similarly, DNA divergence studies showed significant values of divergence with greater gene conversion tracts in the unbranched (Nostocales) than the branched (Stigonematales) strains. Our data strongly support the origin of true branching cyanobacterial strains from the unbranched strains.

02-NIF Dedication: Edward Moses

ScienceCinema

Edward Moses

2017-12-09

The National Ignition Facility, the world's largest laser system, was dedicated at a ceremony on May 29, 2009 at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. These are the remarks by NIF Director Edward Moses.

Progress in the Science and Technology of Direct Drive Laser Fusion with the KrF Laser

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-01

important parameters KrF technology leads) Direct Laser Drive is a better choice for Energy Indirect Drive (initial path for NIF ) Laser Beams x-rays Hohlraum...Pellet Direct Drive (IFE) Laser Beams Pellet .. • ID Ignition being explored on NIF • Providing high enough gain for pure fusion energy is...challenging. • DD Ignition physics can be explored on NIF . • More efficient use of laser light, and greater flexibility in applying drive provides potential for

Atomic Scale Mixing for Inertial Confinement Fusion Associated Hydro Instabilities

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-26

observe that the obvious step of RT validation using NIF or Omega laser data does not address themultimode, mode coupling RTgrowth stage, as the...ignition facility, Phys. Plasmas 18 (2011) 051001. [2] W. Goldstein, R. Rosner, Workshop on the Science of Fusion Ignition on NIF , Technical Report LLNL-TR...11 (2004) 339e491. [6] S.P. Regan, R. Epstein, B.A. Hammel, L.J. Suter, J. Ralph, et al., Hot-spot mix in ignition-scale implosions on the NIF , Phys

Using MCNP6 to Estimate Fission Neutron Properties of a Reflected Plutonium Sphere

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Clark, Alexander Rich; Nelson, Mark Andrew; Hutchinson, Jesson D.

The purpose of this project was to determine the fission multiplicity distribution, p(v), for the Beryllium Reflected Plutonium (BeRP) ball and to determine whether or not it changed appreciably for various High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) reflected configurations. The motivation for this project was to determine whether or not the average number of neutrons emitted per fission, v, changed significantly enough to reduce the discrepancy between MCNP6 and Robba, Dowdy, Atwater (RDA) point kinetic model estimates of multiplication. The energy spectrum of neutrons that induced fissions in the BeRP ball, NIF (E), was also computed in order to determine the averagemore » energy of neutrons inducing fissions, NIF . p(v) was computed using the FMULT card, NIF (E) and NIF were computed using an F4 tally with an FM tally modifier (F4/FM) card, and the multiplication factor, k eff, was computed using the KCODE card. Although NIF (E) changed significantly between bare and HDPE reflected configurations of the BeRP ball, the change in p(v), and thus the change in v, was insignificant. This is likely due to a difference between the way that NIF is computed using the FMULT and F4/FM cards. The F4/FM card indicated that NIF (E) was essentially Watt-fission distributed for a bare configuration and highly thermalized for all HDPE reflected configurations, while the FMULT card returned an average energy between 1 and 2 MeV for all configurations, which would indicate that the spectrum is Watt-fission distributed, regardless of the amount of HDPE reflector. The spectrum computed with the F4/FM cards is more physically meaningful and so the discrepancy between it and the FMULT card result is being investigated. It is hoped that resolving the discrepancy between the FMULT and F4/FM card estimates of NIF(E) will provide better v estimates that will lead to RDA multiplication estimates that are in better agreement with MCNP6 simulations.« less

Regulation of Development and Nitrogen Fixation in Anabaena

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

James W. Golden

2008-10-17

The regulation of development and cellular differentiation is important for all multicellular organisms. The nitrogen-fixing filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena (also Nostoc) sp. PCC 7120 (hereafter Anabaena) provides a model of multicellular microbial development and pattern formation. Anabaena reduces N2 to ammonia in specialized terminally differentiated cells called heterocysts. A one-dimensional developmental pattern of single heterocysts regularly spaced along filaments of photosynthetic vegetative cells is established to form a multicellular organism composed of these two interdependent cell types. This multicellular growth pattern, the distinct phylogeny of cyanobacteria, and the suspected antiquity of heterocyst development make this an important model system. Our long-termmore » goal is to understand the regulatory network required for heterocyst development and nitrogen fixation. This project is focused on two key aspects of heterocyst regulation: one, the mechanism by which HetR controls the initiation of differentiation, and two, the cis and trans acting factors required for expression of the nitrogen-fixation (nif) genes. HetR is thought to be a central regulator of heterocyst development but the partners and mechanisms involved in this regulation are unknown. Our recent results indicate that PatS and other signals that regulate heterocyst pattern cannot interact, directly or indirectly, with a R223W mutant of HetR. We plan to use biochemical and genetic approaches to identify proteins that interact with the HetR protein, which will help reveal the mechanisms underlying its regulation of development. Our second goal is to determine how the nif genes are expressed. It is important to understand the mechanisms controlling nif genes since they represent the culmination of the differentiation process and the essence of heterocyst function. The Anabaena genome lacks the genes required for expression of nif genes present in other organisms such as rpoN (sigma 54) and nifA. We will use nifH-gfp reporter fusions to define the upstream sequences that are required for nifH expression and for genetic experiments to identify the trans-acting factors required for nifH regulation.« less

Probing the deep nonlinear stage of the ablative Rayleigh-Taylor instability in indirect drive experiments on the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Casner, A., E-mail: alexis.casner@cea.fr; Masse, L.; Liberatore, S.

2015-05-15

Academic tests in physical regimes not encountered in Inertial Confinement Fusion will help to build a better understanding of hydrodynamic instabilities and constitute the scientifically grounded validation complementary to fully integrated experiments. Under the National Ignition Facility (NIF) Discovery Science program, recent indirect drive experiments have been carried out to study the ablative Rayleigh-Taylor Instability (RTI) in transition from weakly nonlinear to highly nonlinear regime [A. Casner et al., Phys. Plasmas 19, 082708 (2012)]. In these experiments, a modulated package is accelerated by a 175 eV radiative temperature plateau created by a room temperature gas-filled platform irradiated by 60 NIF lasermore » beams. The unique capabilities of the NIF are harnessed to accelerate this planar sample over much larger distances (≃1.4 mm) and longer time periods (≃12 ns) than previously achieved. This extended acceleration could eventually allow entering into a turbulent-like regime not precluded by the theory for the RTI at the ablation front. Simultaneous measurements of the foil trajectory and the subsequent RTI growth are performed and compared with radiative hydrodynamics simulations. We present RTI growth measurements for two-dimensional single-mode and broadband multimode modulations. The dependence of RTI growth on initial conditions and ablative stabilization is emphasized, and we demonstrate for the first time in indirect-drive a bubble-competition, bubble-merger regime for the RTI at ablation front.« less

Phylogeny of nodulation genes and symbiotic diversity of Acacia senegal (L.) Willd. and A. seyal (Del.) Mesorhizobium strains from different regions of Senegal.

PubMed

Bakhoum, Niokhor; Galiana, Antoine; Le Roux, Christine; Kane, Aboubacry; Duponnois, Robin; Ndoye, Fatou; Fall, Dioumacor; Noba, Kandioura; Sylla, Samba Ndao; Diouf, Diégane

2015-04-01

Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal are small, deciduous legume trees, most highly valued for nitrogen fixation and for the production of gum arabic, a commodity of international trade since ancient times. Symbiotic nitrogen fixation by legumes represents the main natural input of atmospheric N2 into ecosystems which may ultimately benefit all organisms. We analyzed the nod and nif symbiotic genes and symbiotic properties of root-nodulating bacteria isolated from A. senegal and A. seyal in Senegal. The symbiotic genes of rhizobial strains from the two Acacia species were closed to those of Mesorhizobium plurifarium and grouped separately in the phylogenetic trees. Phylogeny of rhizobial nitrogen fixation gene nifH was similar to those of nodulation genes (nodA and nodC). All A. senegal rhizobial strains showed identical nodA, nodC, and nifH gene sequences. By contrast, A. seyal rhizobial strains exhibited different symbiotic gene sequences. Efficiency tests demonstrated that inoculation of both Acacia species significantly affected nodulation, total dry weight, acetylene reduction activity (ARA), and specific acetylene reduction activity (SARA) of plants. However, these cross-inoculation tests did not show any specificity of Mesorhizobium strains toward a given Acacia host species in terms of infectivity and efficiency as stated by principal component analysis (PCA). This study demonstrates that large-scale inoculation of A. senegal and A. seyal in the framework of reafforestation programs requires a preliminary step of rhizobial strain selection for both Acacia species.

Progress Toward Ignition on the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kauffman, R L

2011-10-17

The principal approach to ignition on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is indirect drive. A schematic of an ignition target is shown in Figure 1. The laser beams are focused through laser entrance holes at each end of a high-Z cylindrical case, or hohlraum. The lasers irradiate the hohlraum walls producing x-rays that ablate and compress the fuel capsule in the center of the hohlraum. The hohlraum is made of Au, U, or other high-Z material. For ignition targets, the hohlraum is {approx}0.5 cm diameter by {approx}1 cm in length. The hohlraum absorbs the incident laser energy producing x-rays formore » symmetrically imploding the capsule. The fuel capsule is a {approx}2-mm-diameter spherical shell of CH, Be, or C filled with DT fuel. The DT fuel is in the form of a cryogenic layer on the inside of the capsule. X-rays ablate the outside of the capsule, producing a spherical implosion. The imploding shell stagnates in the center, igniting the DT fuel. NIC has overseen installation of all of the hardware for performing ignition experiments, including commissioning of approximately 50 diagnostic systems in NIF. The diagnostics measure scattered optical light, x-rays from the hohlraum over the energy range from 100 eV to 500 keV, and x-rays, neutrons, and charged particles from the implosion. An example of a diagnostic is the Magnetic Recoil Spectrometer (MRS) built by a collaboration of scientists from MIT, UR-LLE, and LLNL shown in Figure 2. MRS measures the neutron spectrum from the implosion, providing information on the neutron yield and areal density that are metrics of the quality of the implosion. Experiments on NIF extend ICF research to unexplored regimes in target physics. NIF can produce more than 50 times the laser energy and more than 20 times the power of any previous ICF facility. Ignition scale hohlraum targets are three to four times larger than targets used at smaller facilities, and the ignition drive pulses are two to five times longer. The larger targets and longer pulse lengths produce unique plasma conditions for laser-plasma instabilities that could reduce hohlraum coupling efficiency. Initial experiments have demonstrated efficient coupling of laser energy to x-rays. X-ray drive greater than 300 eV has been measured in gas-filled ignition hohlraum and shows the expected scaling with laser energy and hohlraum scale size. Experiments are now optimizing capsule implosions for ignition. Ignition conditions require assembling the fuel with sufficient density and temperature for thermonuclear burn. X-rays ablate the outside of the capsule, accelerating and spherically compressing the capsule for assembling the fuel. The implosion stagnates, heating the central core and producing a hot spot that ignites and burns the surrounding fuel. The four main characteristics of the implosion are shell velocity, central hot spot shape, fuel adiabat, and mix. Experiments studying these four characteristics of implosions are used to optimize the implosion. Integrated experiments using cryogenic fuel layer experiments demonstrate the quality of the implosion as the optimization experiments progress. The final compressed fuel conditions are diagnosed by measuring the x-ray emission from the hot core and the neutrons and charged particles produced in the fusion reactions. Metrics of the quality of the implosion are the neutron yield and the shell areal density, as well as the size and shape of the core. The yield depends on the amount of fuel in the hot core and its temperature and is a gauge of the energy coupling to the fuel. The areal density, the density of the fuel times its thickness, diagnoses the fuel assembly, which is measured using the fraction of neutrons that are down scattered passing through the dense shell. The yield and fraction of down scattered neutrons, or shell rho-r, from the cryogenic layered implosions are shown in Figure 3. The different sets of data represent results after a series of implosion optimization experiments. Both yield and areal density show significant increases as a result of the optimization. The experimental Ignition Threshold Factor (ITFX) is a measure of the progress toward ignition. ITFX is analogous to the Lawson Criterion in Magnetic Fusion. Implosions have improved by over a factor of 50 since the first cryogenic layered experiments were done in September 2010. This increase is a measure of the progress made toward the ignition goal in the past year. Optimization experiments are planned in the coming year for continued improvement in implosion performance to achieve the ignition goal. In summary, NIF has made significant progress toward ignition in the 30 months since project completion. Diagnostics and all of the supporting equipment are in place for ignition experiments. The Ignition Campaign is under way as a national collaborative effort of all the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) science laboratories as well as international partners.« less

Polar-Direct-Drive Defect Implosions at OMEGA inPreparation for Experiments at NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cobble, J. A.; Schmitt, M. J.; Murphy, T. J.; Tregillis, I. L.; Wysocki, F. J.; Obrey, K. D.; Magelssen, G. R.; Glebov, V.; Bradley, P. A.; Hsu, S. C.; Krasheninnikova, N. V.; Batha, S. H.

2011-10-01

The Defect-Implosion (DIME) campaign involves compressing perturbed spherical capsules with polar direct drive (PDD). For direct-drive implosions at NIF, PDD will be used. We have done simulations and experiments at OMEGA to test our modeling capability for equatorial-plane defects in fusion capsules and for PDD at NIF. Since PDD is anisotropic, we show the results of 0th hydrodynamics of implosions and perturbation-driven features near stagnation. Later presentations discuss defect-induced mix and neutronics, and laser pointing for NIF experiments. Prototype OMEGA shots used 865- μm diameter CH shells filled with 5 atm of D2. Machined channels 30- μm wide and up to 9- μm deep formed the defects. This work has been performed under the auspices of the US DOE, contract number DE-AC52-06NA25396.

An overview of LLNL high-energy short-pulse technology for advanced radiography of laser fusion experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barty, C. P. J.; Key, M.; Britten, J.; Beach, R.; Beer, G.; Brown, C.; Bryan, S.; Caird, J.; Carlson, T.; Crane, J.; Dawson, J.; Erlandson, A. C.; Fittinghoff, D.; Hermann, M.; Hoaglan, C.; Iyer, A.; Jones, L., II; Jovanovic, I.; Komashko, A.; Landen, O.; Liao, Z.; Molander, W.; Mitchell, S.; Moses, E.; Nielsen, N.; Nguyen, H.-H.; Nissen, J.; Payne, S.; Pennington, D.; Risinger, L.; Rushford, M.; Skulina, K.; Spaeth, M.; Stuart, B.; Tietbohl, G.; Wattellier, B.

2004-12-01

The technical challenges and motivations for high-energy, short-pulse generation with NIF and possibly other large-scale Nd : glass lasers are reviewed. High-energy short-pulse generation (multi-kilojoule, picosecond pulses) will be possible via the adaptation of chirped pulse amplification laser techniques on NIF. Development of metre-scale, high-efficiency, high-damage-threshold final optics is a key technical challenge. In addition, deployment of high energy petawatt (HEPW) pulses on NIF is constrained by existing laser infrastructure and requires new, compact compressor designs and short-pulse, fibre-based, seed-laser systems. The key motivations for HEPW pulses on NIF is briefly outlined and includes high-energy, x-ray radiography, proton beam radiography, proton isochoric heating and tests of the fast ignitor concept for inertial confinement fusion.

Conductor and joint test results of JT-60SA CS and EF coils using the NIFS test facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obana, Tetsuhiro; Takahata, Kazuya; Hamaguchi, Shinji; Kizu, Kaname; Murakami, Haruyuki; Chikaraishi, Hirotaka; Noguchi, Hiroki; Kobuchi, Takashi; Moriuchi, Sadatomo; Imagawa, Shinsaku; Mito, Toshiyuki; Tsuchiya, Katsuhiko; Natsume, Kyohei; Yoshida, Kiyoshi; Nomoto, Kazuhiro; Kim, Tae-hyun

2016-01-01

In 2007, JAEA and NIFS launched the test project to evaluate the performance of cable-in-conduit (CIC) conductors and conductor joints for the JT-60SA CS and EF coils. In this project, conductor tests for four types of coil conductor and joint tests for seven types of conductor joint have been conducted for the past eight years using the NIFS test facility. As a result, the test project indicated that the CIC conductors and conductor joints fulfill the design requirement for the CS and EF coils. In addition, the NIFS test facility is expected to be utilized as the test facility for the development of a conductor and conductor joint for the purpose of the DEMO nuclear fusion power plant, provided that the required magnetic field strength is within 9 T.

Capsule physics comparison of National Ignition Facility implosion designs using plastic, high density carbon, and beryllium ablators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, D. S.; Kritcher, A. L.; Yi, S. A.; Zylstra, A. B.; Haan, S. W.; Weber, C. R.

2018-03-01

Indirect drive implosion experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) [E. I. Moses et al., Phys. Plasmas 16, 041006 (2009)] have now tested three different ablator materials: glow discharge polymer plastic, high density carbon, and beryllium. How do these different ablators compare in current and proposed implosion experiments on NIF? What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of each? This paper compares these different ablator options in capsule-only simulations of current NIF experiments and potential future designs. The simulations compare the impact of the capsule fill tube, support tent, and interface surface roughness for each case, as well as all perturbations in combination. According to the simulations, each ablator is impacted by the various perturbation sources differently, and each material poses unique challenges in the pursuit of ignition on NIF.

Light-sensitive brain pathways and aging.

PubMed

Daneault, V; Dumont, M; Massé, É; Vandewalle, G; Carrier, J

2016-03-15

Notwithstanding its effects on the classical visual system allowing image formation, light acts upon several non-image-forming (NIF) functions including body temperature, hormonal secretions, sleep-wake cycle, alertness, and cognitive performance. Studies have shown that NIF functions are maximally sensitive to blue wavelengths (460-480 nm), in comparison to longer light wavelengths. Higher blue light sensitivity has been reported for melatonin suppression, pupillary constriction, vigilance, and performance improvement but also for modulation of cognitive brain functions. Studies investigating acute stimulating effects of light on brain activity during the execution of cognitive tasks have suggested that brain activations progress from subcortical regions involved in alertness, such as the thalamus, the hypothalamus, and the brainstem, before reaching cortical regions associated with the ongoing task. In the course of aging, lower blue light sensitivity of some NIF functions has been reported. Here, we first describe neural pathways underlying effects of light on NIF functions and we discuss eye and cerebral mechanisms associated with aging which may affect NIF light sensitivity. Thereafter, we report results of investigations on pupillary constriction and cognitive brain sensitivity to light in the course of aging. Whereas the impact of light on cognitive brain responses appears to decrease substantially, pupillary constriction seems to remain more intact over the lifespan. Altogether, these results demonstrate that aging research should take into account the diversity of the pathways underlying the effects of light on specific NIF functions which may explain their differences in light sensitivity.

Characterization of a 65 kDa NIF in the nuclear matrix of the monocot Allium cepa that interacts with nuclear spectrin-like proteins.

PubMed

Pérez-Munive, Clara; Blumenthal, Sonal S D; de la Espina, Susana Moreno Díaz

2012-01-01

Plant cells have a well organized nucleus and nuclear matrix, but lack orthologues of the main structural components of the metazoan nuclear matrix. Although data is limited, most plant nuclear structural proteins are coiled-coil proteins, such as the NIFs (nuclear intermediate filaments) in Pisum sativum that cross-react with anti-intermediate filament and anti-lamin antibodies, form filaments 6-12 nm in diameter in vitro, and may play the role of lamins. We have investigated the conservation and features of NIFs in a monocot species, Allium cepa, and compared them with onion lamin-like proteins. Polyclonal antisera against the pea 65 kDa NIF were used in 1D and 2D Western blots, ICM (imunofluorescence confocal microscopy) and IEM (immunoelectron microscopy). Their presence in the nuclear matrix was analysed by differential extraction of nuclei, and their association with structural spectrin-like proteins by co-immunoprecipitation and co-localization in ICM. NIF is a conserved structural component of the nucleus and its matrix in monocots with Mr and pI values similar to those of pea 65 kDa NIF, which localized to the nuclear envelope, perichromatin domains and foci, and to the nuclear matrix, interacting directly with structural nuclear spectrin-like proteins. Its similarities with some of the proteins described as onion lamin-like proteins suggest that they are highly related or perhaps the same proteins.

Hotspot electron temperature from x-ray continuum measurements on the NIF

DOE PAGES

Jarrott, L. C.; Benedetti, L. R.; Chen, H.; ...

2016-08-24

We report on measurements of the electron temperature in the hotspot of inertially confined, layered, spherical implosions on the National Ignition Facility using a differential filtering diagnostic. Measurements of the DT and DD ion temperatures using neutron time-of-flight detectors are complicated by the contribution of hot spot motion to the peak width, which produce an apparent temperature higher than the thermal temperature. The electron temperature is not sensitive to this non-thermal velocity and is thus a valuable input to interpreting the stagnated hot spot conditions. Here we show that the current differential filtering diagnostic provides insufficient temperature resolution for themore » hot spot temperatures of interest. We then propose a new differential filter configuration utilizing larger pinhole size to increase spectral fluence, as well as thicker filtration. In conclusion, this new configuration will improve measurement uncertainty by more than a factor of three, allowing for a more accurate hotspot temperature.« less

Local Inflammation Alters MMP-2 and MMP-9 Gelatinase Expression Associated with the Severity of Nifedipine-Induced Gingival Overgrowth: a Rat Model Study.

PubMed

Li, Wu-Li; Wu, Cheng-Hai; Yang, Jun; Tang, Min; Chen, Long-Jie; Zhao, Shou-Liang

2015-08-01

Nifedipine-induced gingival overgrowth (NIGO) is characterized by cell proliferation and extracellular matrix (ECM) component accumulation in gingival connective tissues, with varying degrees of inflammation and fibrosis. Impaired collagen and ECM homeostasis may be among the underlying molecular mechanisms that lead to the fibrotic changes that occur in drug-induced gingival overgrowth (DIGO). Because matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play vital roles in regulating collagen and ECM metabolism, many studies have been performed to reveal the relationship between MMPs and DIGO. It is thought that the gelatinases MMP-2 and MMP-9, both type IV collagenases, are involved in the development of tissue inflammation and organ fibrosis. However, the few studies regarding gelatinase expression in DIGO are controversial. Recent studies have demonstrated the inhibitory effect of cyclosporine A (CsA) on gelatinase expression and/or activity; however, similar changes have yet to be detected in Nif-treated gingival tissues. In this study, we verified that Nif treatment could lead to gingival overgrowth in rats and that gingival inflammation played a pro-proliferative role in NIGO development. Additionally, we examined the temporal expression of gelatinases on days 0, 7, 14, 21, 30, and 40 during NIGO development. The aim was to investigate whether MMP-2 and MMP-9 played significant roles in regulating NIGO development and progression. MMP-2 gene expression was not altered by Nif treatment alone but was significantly inhibited by Nif treatment for 30 days in the presence of local inflammation. However, no significant alterations in MMP-2 protein expression were detected in the Nif-treated gingival tissue, regardless of the presence or absence of local inflammation. Moreover, Nif treatment could lead to transient and significant increases in MMP-9 gene and protein expression levels in the presence of local inflammation. In particular, active MMP-9 expression increased significantly in the gingival tissue that received the combined effect of Nif and ligation treatment; besides, a temporal, but not significant, change was also observed in the gingival tissue that received Nif treatment alone. Taken together, these results provided evidence that temporal changes in MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression occurred during NIGO development. Nif treatment accompanied by local inflammation regulated MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression, primarily MMP-9, which was most likely associated with NIGO severity. Thus, MMP-9 is a potential contributing factor in the process of NIGO development.

The involvement of the nif-associated ferredoxin-like genes fdxA and fdxN of Herbaspirillum seropedicae in nitrogen fixation.

PubMed

Souza, André L F; Invitti, Adriana L; Rego, Fabiane G M; Monteiro, Rose A; Klassen, Giseli; Souza, Emanuel M; Chubatsu, Leda S; Pedrosa, Fábio O; Rigo, Liu U

2010-02-01

The pathway of electron transport to nitrogenase in the endophytic beta-Proteobacterium Herbaspirillum seropedicae has not been characterized. We have generated mutants in two nif-associated genes encoding putative ferredoxins, fdxA and fdxN. The fdxA gene is part of the operon nifHDKENXorf1orf2fdxAnifQmodABC and is transcribed from the nifH promoter, as revealed by lacZ gene fusion. The fdxN gene is probably cotranscribed with the nifB gene. Mutational analysis suggests that the FdxA protein is essential for maximum nitrogenase activity, since the nitrogenase activity of the fdxA mutant strain was reduced to about 30% of that of the wild-type strain. In addition, the fdxA mutation had no effect on the nitrogenase switch-off in response to ammonium. Nitrogenase activity of a mutant strain lacking the fdxN gene was completely abolished. This phenotype was reverted by complementation with fdxN expressed under lacZ promoter control. The results suggest that the products of both the fdxA and fdxN genes are probably involved in electron transfer during nitrogen fixation.

Analytical method development of nifedipine and its degradants binary mixture using high performance liquid chromatography through a quality by design approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choiri, S.; Ainurofiq, A.; Ratri, R.; Zulmi, M. U.

2018-03-01

Nifedipin (NIF) is a photo-labile drug that easily degrades when it exposures a sunlight. This research aimed to develop of an analytical method using a high-performance liquid chromatography and implemented a quality by design approach to obtain effective, efficient, and validated analytical methods of NIF and its degradants. A 22 full factorial design approach with a curvature as a center point was applied to optimize of the analytical condition of NIF and its degradants. Mobile phase composition (MPC) and flow rate (FR) as factors determined on the system suitability parameters. The selected condition was validated by cross-validation using a leave one out technique. Alteration of MPC affected on time retention significantly. Furthermore, an increase of FR reduced the tailing factor. In addition, the interaction of both factors affected on an increase of the theoretical plates and resolution of NIF and its degradants. The selected analytical condition of NIF and its degradants has been validated at range 1 – 16 µg/mL that had good linearity, precision, accuration and efficient due to an analysis time within 10 min.

Network Analysis Reveals Ecological Links between N-Fixing Bacteria and Wood-Decaying Fungi

PubMed Central

Hoppe, Björn; Kahl, Tiemo; Karasch, Peter; Wubet, Tesfaye; Bauhus, Jürgen; Buscot, François; Krüger, Dirk

2014-01-01

Nitrogen availability in dead wood is highly restricted and associations with N-fixing bacteria are thought to enable wood-decaying fungi to meet their nitrogen requirements for vegetative and generative growth. We assessed the diversity of nifH (dinitrogenase reductase) genes in dead wood of the common temperate tree species Fagus sylvatica and Picea abies from differently managed forest plots in Germany using molecular tools. By incorporating these genes into a large compilation of published nifH sequences and subsequent phylogenetic analyses of deduced proteins we verified the presence of diverse pools corresponding to functional nifH, almost all of which are new to science. The distribution of nifH genes strongly correlated with tree species and decay class, but not with forest management, while higher fungal fructification was correlated with decreasing nitrogen content of the dead wood and positively correlated with nifH diversity, especially during the intermediate stage of wood decay. Network analyses based on non-random species co-occurrence patterns revealed interactions among fungi and N-fixing bacteria in the dead wood and strongly indicate the occurrence of at least commensal relationships between these taxa. PMID:24505405

Network analysis reveals ecological links between N-fixing bacteria and wood-decaying fungi.

PubMed

Hoppe, Björn; Kahl, Tiemo; Karasch, Peter; Wubet, Tesfaye; Bauhus, Jürgen; Buscot, François; Krüger, Dirk

2014-01-01

Nitrogen availability in dead wood is highly restricted and associations with N-fixing bacteria are thought to enable wood-decaying fungi to meet their nitrogen requirements for vegetative and generative growth. We assessed the diversity of nifH (dinitrogenase reductase) genes in dead wood of the common temperate tree species Fagus sylvatica and Picea abies from differently managed forest plots in Germany using molecular tools. By incorporating these genes into a large compilation of published nifH sequences and subsequent phylogenetic analyses of deduced proteins we verified the presence of diverse pools corresponding to functional nifH, almost all of which are new to science. The distribution of nifH genes strongly correlated with tree species and decay class, but not with forest management, while higher fungal fructification was correlated with decreasing nitrogen content of the dead wood and positively correlated with nifH diversity, especially during the intermediate stage of wood decay. Network analyses based on non-random species co-occurrence patterns revealed interactions among fungi and N-fixing bacteria in the dead wood and strongly indicate the occurrence of at least commensal relationships between these taxa.

Development of CCD Cameras for Soft X-ray Imaging at the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Teruya, A. T.; Palmer, N. E.; Schneider, M. B.

2013-09-01

The Static X-Ray Imager (SXI) is a National Ignition Facility (NIF) diagnostic that uses a CCD camera to record time-integrated X-ray images of target features such as the laser entrance hole of hohlraums. SXI has two dedicated positioners on the NIF target chamber for viewing the target from above and below, and the X-ray energies of interest are 870 eV for the “soft” channel and 3 – 5 keV for the “hard” channels. The original cameras utilize a large format back-illuminated 2048 x 2048 CCD sensor with 24 micron pixels. Since the original sensor is no longer available, an effortmore » was recently undertaken to build replacement cameras with suitable new sensors. Three of the new cameras use a commercially available front-illuminated CCD of similar size to the original, which has adequate sensitivity for the hard X-ray channels but not for the soft. For sensitivity below 1 keV, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) had additional CCDs back-thinned and converted to back-illumination for use in the other two new cameras. In this paper we describe the characteristics of the new cameras and present performance data (quantum efficiency, flat field, and dynamic range) for the front- and back-illuminated cameras, with comparisons to the original cameras.« less

The National Ignition Facility modular Kirkpatrick-Baez microscope

DOE PAGES

Pickworth, L. A.; Ayers, J.; Bell, P.; ...

2016-08-10

Current two-dimensional X-ray imaging at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) uses time resolved pinhole cameras with ~10-25µm pinholes. This method has limitations in the smallest resolvable features that can be imaged with reasonable photon statistics for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) applications. ICF sources have a broadband self-emission spectrum that causes the pinhole images obtained, through thin foil filters, to contain a similarly broadband spectrum complicating the interpretation of structure in the source. In order to study phenomena on the scale of ~5 µm, such as dopant mix in the ICF capsule, a narrow energy band, higher spatial resolution microscope systemmore » with improved signal/noise has been developed using X-ray optics. Utilizing grazing incidence mirrors in a Kirkpatrick-Baez microscope (KBM) configuration, an X-ray microscope has been designed and fielded on NIF with four imaging channels. The KBM has ~12x magnification, <8 µm resolution and higher throughput in comparison to similar pinhole systems. The first KBM mirrors are coated with a multilayer mirror to allow a ‘narrow band’ energy response at 10.2keV with ΔE~3keV. By adjusting the mirror coating only, the energy response can be matched to future experimental requirements. Here, several mirror packs have been commissioned and are interchangeable in the diagnostic snout.« less

Time-resolved measurements of the hot-electron population in ignition-scale experiments on the National Ignition Facility (invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hohenberger, M.; Albert, F.; Palmer, N. E.; Lee, J. J.; Döppner, T.; Divol, L.; Dewald, E. L.; Bachmann, B.; MacPhee, A. G.; LaCaille, G.; Bradley, D. K.; Stoeckl, C.

2014-11-01

In laser-driven inertial confinement fusion, hot electrons can preheat the fuel and prevent fusion-pellet compression to ignition conditions. Measuring the hot-electron population is key to designing an optimized ignition platform. The hot electrons in these high-intensity, laser-driven experiments, created via laser-plasma interactions, can be inferred from the bremsstrahlung generated by hot electrons interacting with the target. At the National Ignition Facility (NIF) [G. H. Miller, E. I. Moses, and C. R. Wuest, Opt. Eng. 43, 2841 (2004)], the filter-fluorescer x-ray (FFLEX) diagnostic-a multichannel, hard x-ray spectrometer operating in the 20-500 keV range-has been upgraded to provide fully time-resolved, absolute measurements of the bremsstrahlung spectrum with ˜300 ps resolution. Initial time-resolved data exhibited significant background and low signal-to-noise ratio, leading to a redesign of the FFLEX housing and enhanced shielding around the detector. The FFLEX x-ray sensitivity was characterized with an absolutely calibrated, energy-dispersive high-purity germanium detector using the high-energy x-ray source at NSTec Livermore Operations over a range of K-shell fluorescence energies up to 111 keV (U Kβ). The detectors impulse response function was measured in situ on NIF short-pulse (˜90 ps) experiments, and in off-line tests.

ICF Gamma-Ray measurements on the NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herrmann, Hans; Kim, Y.; Hoffman, N. M.; Batha, S. H.; Stoeffl, W.; Church, J. A.; Sayre, D. B.; Liebman, J. A.; Cerjan, C. J.; Carpenter, A. C.; Grafil, E. M.; Khater, H. Y.; Horsfield, C. J.; Rubery, M.

2013-10-01

The primary objective of the NIF Gamma Reaction History (GRH) diagnostic is to provide bang time and burn width information in order to constrain implosion simulation parameters such as shell velocity and confinement time. This is accomplished by measuring DT fusion gamma-rays with energy-thresholded Gas Cherenkov detectors that convert MeV gamma-rays into UV/visible photons for high-bandwidth optical detection. Burn-weighted CH ablator areal density is also inferred based on measurement of the 12C(n,n') gammas emitted at 4.44 MeV from DT neutrons inelastically scattering off carbon nuclei as they pass through the plastic ablator. This requires that the four independent GRH gas cells be set to differing Cherenkov thresholds (e.g., 2.9, 4.5, 8 & 10 MeV) in order to be able to unfold the primary spectral components predicted to be in the gamma ray energy spectrum (i.e., DT γ 27Al & 28Si (n,n') γ from the thermo-mechanical package (TMP); and 12C(n,n' γ from the ablator). The GRH response to 12C(n,n') γ is calibrated in-situ by placing a known areal density of carbon in the form of a puck placed ~6 cm from a DT exploding pusher implosion. Comparisons between inferred gamma fluences and simulations based on the nuclear cross sections databases will be presented. Supported by US DOE NNSA.

The National Ignition Facility modular Kirkpatrick-Baez microscope

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pickworth, L. A.; Ayers, J.; Bell, P.

Current two-dimensional X-ray imaging at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) uses time resolved pinhole cameras with ~10-25µm pinholes. This method has limitations in the smallest resolvable features that can be imaged with reasonable photon statistics for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) applications. ICF sources have a broadband self-emission spectrum that causes the pinhole images obtained, through thin foil filters, to contain a similarly broadband spectrum complicating the interpretation of structure in the source. In order to study phenomena on the scale of ~5 µm, such as dopant mix in the ICF capsule, a narrow energy band, higher spatial resolution microscope systemmore » with improved signal/noise has been developed using X-ray optics. Utilizing grazing incidence mirrors in a Kirkpatrick-Baez microscope (KBM) configuration, an X-ray microscope has been designed and fielded on NIF with four imaging channels. The KBM has ~12x magnification, <8 µm resolution and higher throughput in comparison to similar pinhole systems. The first KBM mirrors are coated with a multilayer mirror to allow a ‘narrow band’ energy response at 10.2keV with ΔE~3keV. By adjusting the mirror coating only, the energy response can be matched to future experimental requirements. Here, several mirror packs have been commissioned and are interchangeable in the diagnostic snout.« less

Thin Shell Model for NIF capsule stagnation studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammer, J. H.; Buchoff, M.; Brandon, S.; Field, J. E.; Gaffney, J.; Kritcher, A.; Nora, R. C.; Peterson, J. L.; Spears, B.; Springer, P. T.

2015-11-01

We adapt the thin shell model of Ott et al. to asymmetric ICF capsule implosions on NIF. Through much of an implosion, the shell aspect ratio is large so the thin shell approximation is well satisfied. Asymmetric pressure drive is applied using an analytic form for ablation pressure as a function of the x-ray flux, as well as time-dependent 3D drive asymmetry from hohlraum calculations. Since deviations from a sphere are small through peak velocity, we linearize the equations, decompose them by spherical harmonics and solve ODE's for the coefficients. The model gives the shell position, velocity and areal mass variations at the time of peak velocity, near 250 microns radius. The variables are used to initialize 3D rad-hydro calculations with the HYDRA and ARES codes. At link time the cold fuel shell and ablator are each characterized by a density, adiabat and mass. The thickness, position and velocity of each point are taken from the thin shell model. The interior of the shell is filled with a uniform gas density and temperature consistent with the 3/2PV energy found from 1D rad-hydro calculations. 3D linked simulations compare favorably with integrated simulations of the entire implosion. Through generating synthetic diagnostic data, the model offers a method for quickly testing hypothetical sources of asymmetry and comparing with experiment. Prepared by LLNL under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

The National Ignition Facility modular Kirkpatrick-Baez microscope.

PubMed

Pickworth, L A; Ayers, J; Bell, P; Brejnholt, N F; Buscho, J G; Bradley, D; Decker, T; Hau-Riege, S; Kilkenny, J; McCarville, T; Pardini, T; Vogel, J; Walton, C

2016-11-01

Current two-dimensional X-ray imaging at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) uses time resolved pinhole cameras with ∼10-25 μm pinholes. This method has limitations in the smallest resolvable features that can be imaged with reasonable photon statistics for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) applications. ICF sources have a broadband self-emission spectrum that causes the pinhole images obtained, through thin foil filters, to contain a similarly broadband spectrum complicating the interpretation of structure in the source. In order to study phenomena on the scale of ∼5 μm, such as dopant mix in the ICF capsule, a narrow energy band, higher spatial resolution microscope system with improved signal/noise has been developed using X-ray optics. Utilizing grazing incidence mirrors in a Kirkpatrick-Baez microscope (KBM) configuration [P. Kirkpatrick and A. V. Baez, J. Opt. Soc. Am. 38, 766-774 (1948)], an X-ray microscope has been designed and fielded on NIF with four imaging channels. The KBM has ∼12 × magnification, <8 μm resolution, and higher throughput in comparison to similar pinhole systems. The first KBM mirrors are coated with a multilayer mirror to allow a "narrow band" energy response at 10.2 keV with ΔE ∼ 3 keV. By adjusting the mirror coating only, the energy response can be matched to the future experimental requirements. Several mirror packs have been commissioned and are interchangeable in the diagnostic snout.

Response of Biological Soil Crust Diazotrophs to Season, Altered Summer Precipitation, and Year-Round Increased Temperature in an Arid Grassland of the Colorado Plateau, USA

DOE PAGES

Yeager, Chris M.; Kuske, Cheryl R.; Carney, Travis D.; ...

2012-01-01

Biological soil crusts (biocrusts), which supply significant amounts of fixed nitrogen into terrestrial ecosystems worldwide (~33 Tg y -1), are likely to respond to changes in temperature and precipitation associated with climate change. Using nifH gene-based surveys, we explored variation in the diazotrophic community of biocrusts of the Colorado Plateau, USA in response to season (autumn vs. spring), as well as field manipulations that increased the frequency of small volume precipitation events and year-round soil temperature. Abundance of nifH genes in biocrusts ranged from 3 × 10 6 to 1 × 108 g -1 soil, and nifH from heterocystous cyanobacteriamore » closely related to Scytonema hyalinum, Spirirestis rafaelensis, and Nostoc commune comprised >98% of the total. Although there was no apparent seasonal effect on total nifH gene abundance in the biocrusts, T-RFLP analysis revealed a strong seasonal pattern in nifH composition. Spirirestis nifH abundance was estimated to oscillate 1 to >2 orders of magnitude between autumn (low) and spring (high). A year-round increase of soil temperature (2–3°C) had little effect on the diazotroph community structure over 2 years. Altered summer precipitation had little impact on diazotroph community structure over the first 1.5 years of the study, when natural background patterns across years and seasons superseded any treatment effects. However, after the second summer of treatments, nifH abundance was 2.6-fold lower in biocrusts receiving altered precipitation. Heterocystous cyanobacteria were apparently more resilient to altered precipitation than other cyanobacteria. The results demonstrate that diazotrophic community composition of biocrusts in this semi-arid grassland undergoes strong seasonal shifts and that the abundance of its dominant members decreased in response to more frequent, small volume precipitation events.« less

Response of biological soil crust diazotrophs to season, altered summer precipitation, and year-round increased temperature in an arid grassland of the Colorado Plateau, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yeager, Chris M.; Kuske, Cheryl R.; Carney, Travis D.; Johnson, Shannon L.; Ticknor, Lawrence O.; Belnap, Jayne

2012-01-01

Biological soil crusts (biocrusts), which supply significant amounts of fixed nitrogen into terrestrial ecosystems worldwide (~33Tg y-1), are likely to respond to changes in temperature and precipitation associated with climate change. Using nifH gene-based surveys, we explored variation in the diazotrophic community of biocrusts of the Colorado Plateau, USA in response to season (autumn vs. spring), as well as field manipulations that increased the frequency of small volume precipitation events and year-round soil temperature. Abundance of nifH genes in biocrusts ranged from 3×106 to 1×8 g-1 soil, and nifH from heterocystous cyanobacteria closely related to Scytonema hyalinum, Spirirestis rafaelensis, and Nostoc commune comprised >98% of the total. Although there was no apparent seasonal effect on total nifH gene abundance in the biocrusts, T-RFLP analysis revealed a strong seasonal pattern in nifH composition. Spirirestis nifH abundance was estimated to oscillate 1 to >2 orders of magnitude between autumn (low) and spring (high). A year-round increase of soil temperature (2–3°C) had little effect on the diazotroph community structure over 2 years. Altered summer precipitation had little impact on diazotroph community structure over the first 1.5years of the study, when natural background patterns across years and seasons superseded any treatment effects. However, after the second summer of treatments, nifH abundance was 2.6-fold lower in biocrusts receiving altered precipitation. Heterocystous cyanobacteria were apparently more resilient to altered precipitation than other cyanobacteria. The results demonstrate that diazotrophic community composition of biocrusts in this semi-arid grassland undergoes strong seasonal shifts and that the abundance of its dominant members decreased in response to more frequent, small volume precipitation events.

Cooperation of Deterministic Dynamics and Random Noise in Production of Complex Syntactical Avian Song Sequences: A Neural Network Model

PubMed Central

Yamashita, Yuichi; Okumura, Tetsu; Okanoya, Kazuo; Tani, Jun

2011-01-01

How the brain learns and generates temporal sequences is a fundamental issue in neuroscience. The production of birdsongs, a process which involves complex learned sequences, provides researchers with an excellent biological model for this topic. The Bengalese finch in particular learns a highly complex song with syntactical structure. The nucleus HVC (HVC), a premotor nucleus within the avian song system, plays a key role in generating the temporal structures of their songs. From lesion studies, the nucleus interfacialis (NIf) projecting to the HVC is considered one of the essential regions that contribute to the complexity of their songs. However, the types of interaction between the HVC and the NIf that can produce complex syntactical songs remain unclear. In order to investigate the function of interactions between the HVC and NIf, we have proposed a neural network model based on previous biological evidence. The HVC is modeled by a recurrent neural network (RNN) that learns to generate temporal patterns of songs. The NIf is modeled as a mechanism that provides auditory feedback to the HVC and generates random noise that feeds into the HVC. The model showed that complex syntactical songs can be replicated by simple interactions between deterministic dynamics of the RNN and random noise. In the current study, the plausibility of the model is tested by the comparison between the changes in the songs of actual birds induced by pharmacological inhibition of the NIf and the changes in the songs produced by the model resulting from modification of parameters representing NIf functions. The efficacy of the model demonstrates that the changes of songs induced by pharmacological inhibition of the NIf can be interpreted as a trade-off between the effects of noise and the effects of feedback on the dynamics of the RNN of the HVC. These facts suggest that the current model provides a convincing hypothesis for the functional role of NIf–HVC interaction. PMID:21559065

Nitrogenase (nifH) gene expression in diazotrophic cyanobacteria in the Tropical North Atlantic in response to nutrient amendments

PubMed Central

Turk-Kubo, Kendra A.; Achilles, Katherine M.; Serros, Tracy R. C.; Ochiai, Mari; Montoya, Joseph P.; Zehr, Jonathan P.

2012-01-01

The Tropical North Atlantic (TNAtl) plays a critical role in the marine nitrogen cycle, as it supports high rates of biological nitrogen (N2) fixation, yet it is unclear whether this process is limited by the availability of iron (Fe), phosphate (P) or is co-limited by both. In order to investigate the impact of nutrient limitation on the N2-fixing microorganisms (diazotrophs) in the TNAtl, trace metal clean nutrient amendment experiments were conducted, and the expression of nitrogenase (nifH) in cyanobacterial diazotrophs in response to the addition of Fe, P, or Fe+P was measured using quantitative PCR. To provide context, N2 fixation rates associated with the <10 μm community and diel nifH expression in natural cyanobacterial populations were measured. In the western TNAtl, nifH expression in Crocosphaera, Trichodesmium, and Richelia was stimulated by Fe and Fe+P additions, but not by P, implying that diazotrophs may be Fe-limited in this region. In the eastern TNAtl, nifH expression in unicellular cyanobacteria UCYN-A and Crocosphaera was stimulated by P, implying P-limitation. In equatorial waters, nifH expression in Trichodesmium was highest in Fe+P treatments, implying co-limitation in this region. Nutrient additions did not measurably stimulate N2 fixation rates in the <10 μm fraction in most of the experiments, even when upregulation of nifH expression was evident. These results demonstrate the utility of using gene expression to investigate the physiological state of natural populations of microorganisms, while underscoring the complexity of nutrient limitation on diazotrophy, and providing evidence that diazotroph populations are slow to respond to the addition of limiting nutrients and may be limited by different nutrients on basin-wide spatial scales. This has important implications for our current understanding of controls on N2 fixation in the TNAtl and may partially explain why it appears to be intermittently limited by Fe, P, or both. PMID:23130017

12-NIF Dedication: Concluding remarks and video

ScienceCinema

Edward Moses

2017-12-09

The National Ignition Facility, the world's largest laser system, was dedicated at a ceremony on May 29, 2009 at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. These are the concluding remarks by NIF Director Edward Moses, and a brief video presentation.

The magnetic recoil spectrometer for measurements of the absolute neutron spectrum at OMEGA and the NIF

DOE PAGES

Casey, D. T.; Frenje, J. A.; Gatu Johnson, M.; ...

2013-04-18

The neutron spectrum produced by deuterium-tritium (DT) inertial confinement fusion implosions contains a wealth of information about implosion performance including the DT yield, iontemperature, and areal-density. The Magnetic Recoil Spectrometer (MRS) has been used at both the OMEGA laser facility and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to measure the absolute neutron spectrum from 3 to 30 MeV at OMEGA and 3 to 36 MeV at the NIF. These measurements have been used to diagnose the performance of cryogenic target implosions to unprecedented accuracy. Interpretation of MRS data requires a detailed understanding of the MRS response and background. This paper describesmore » ab initio characterization of the system involving Monte Carlo simulations of the MRS response in addition to the commission experiments for in situ calibration of the systems on OMEGA and the NIF.« less

Capsule physics comparison of different ablators for NIF implosion designs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, Daniel; Kritcher, Andrea; Yi, Austin; Zylstra, Alex; Haan, Steven; Ralph, Joseph; Weber, Christopher

2017-10-01

Indirect drive implosion experiments on the Naitonal Ignition Facility (NIF) have now tested three different ablator materials: glow discharge polymer (GDP) plastic, high density carbon (HDC), and beryllium. How do these different ablator choices compare in current and future implosion experiments on NIF? What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of each? This talk compares these different ablator options in capsule-only simulations of current NIF experiments and proposed future designs. The simulations compare the impact of the capsule fill tube, support tent, and interface surface roughness for each case, as well as all perturbations in combination. According to the simulations, each ablator is impacted by the various perturbation sources differently, and each material poses unique challenges in the pursuit of ignition. This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

The magnetic recoil spectrometer for measurements of the absolute neutron spectrum at OMEGA and the NIF.

PubMed

Casey, D T; Frenje, J A; Johnson, M Gatu; Séguin, F H; Li, C K; Petrasso, R D; Glebov, V Yu; Katz, J; Magoon, J; Meyerhofer, D D; Sangster, T C; Shoup, M; Ulreich, J; Ashabranner, R C; Bionta, R M; Carpenter, A C; Felker, B; Khater, H Y; LePape, S; MacKinnon, A; McKernan, M A; Moran, M; Rygg, J R; Yeoman, M F; Zacharias, R; Leeper, R J; Fletcher, K; Farrell, M; Jasion, D; Kilkenny, J; Paguio, R

2013-04-01

The neutron spectrum produced by deuterium-tritium (DT) inertial confinement fusion implosions contains a wealth of information about implosion performance including the DT yield, ion-temperature, and areal-density. The Magnetic Recoil Spectrometer (MRS) has been used at both the OMEGA laser facility and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to measure the absolute neutron spectrum from 3 to 30 MeV at OMEGA and 3 to 36 MeV at the NIF. These measurements have been used to diagnose the performance of cryogenic target implosions to unprecedented accuracy. Interpretation of MRS data requires a detailed understanding of the MRS response and background. This paper describes ab initio characterization of the system involving Monte Carlo simulations of the MRS response in addition to the commission experiments for in situ calibration of the systems on OMEGA and the NIF.

A polar-drive shock-ignition design for the National Ignition Facilitya)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, K. S.; Betti, R.; McKenty, P. W.; Collins, T. J. B.; Hohenberger, M.; Theobald, W.; Craxton, R. S.; Delettrez, J. A.; Lafon, M.; Marozas, J. A.; Nora, R.; Skupsky, S.; Shvydky, A.

2013-05-01

Shock ignition [R. Betti et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 155001 (2007)] is being pursued as a viable option to achieve ignition on the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Shock-ignition target designs use a high-intensity laser spike at the end of a low-adiabat assembly pulse to launch a spherically convergent strong shock to ignite the hot spot of an imploding capsule. A shock-ignition target design for the NIF is presented. One-dimensional simulations indicate an ignition threshold factor of 4.1 with a gain of 58. A polar-drive beam-pointing configuration for shock-ignition experiments on the NIF at 750 kJ is proposed. The capsule design is shown to be robust to the various one- and two-dimensional effects and nonuniformities anticipated on the NIF. The target is predicted to ignite with a gain of 38 when including all anticipated levels of nonuniformity and system uncertainty.

Research Performance Progress Report: Diverging Supernova Explosion Experiments on NIF

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Plewa, Tomasz

2016-10-25

The aim of this project was to design a series of blast-wave driven Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The experiments of this kind are relevant to mixing in core-collapse supernovae (ccSNe) and have the potential to address previously unanswered questions in high-energy density physics (HEDP) and astrophysics. The unmatched laser power of the NIF laser offers a unique chance to observe and study “new physics” like the mass extensions observed in HEDP RT experiments performed on the Omega laser [1], which might be linked to self-generated magnetic fields [2] and so far could not be reproducedmore » by numerical simulations. Moreover, NIF is currently the only facility that offers the possibility to execute a diverging RT experiment, which would allow to observe processes such as inter-shell penetration via turbulent mixing and shock-proximity effects (distortion of the shock by RT spikes).« less

p35 Regulates the CRM1-Dependent Nucleocytoplasmic Shuttling of Nuclear Hormone Receptor Coregulator-Interacting Factor 1 (NIF-1)

PubMed Central

Zhao, Xiao-Su; Fu, Wing-Yu; Chien, Winnie W. Y.; Li, Zhen; Fu, Amy K. Y.; Ip, Nancy Y.

2014-01-01

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) is a proline-directed serine/threonine kinase, which plays critical roles in a wide spectrum of neuronal functions including neuronal survival, neurite outgrowth, and synapse development and plasticity. Cdk5 activity is controlled by its specific activators: p35 or p39. While knockout studies reveal that Cdk5/p35 is critical for neuronal migration during early brain development, functions of Cdk5/p35 have been unraveled through the identification of the interacting proteins of p35, most of which are Cdk5/p35 substrates. However, it remains unclear whether p35 can regulate neuronal functions independent of Cdk5 activity. Here, we report that a nuclear protein, nuclear hormone receptor coregulator (NRC)-interacting factor 1 (NIF-1), is a new interacting partner of p35. Interestingly, p35 regulates the functions of NIF-1 independent of Cdk5 activity. NIF-1 was initially discovered as a transcriptional regulator that enhances the transcriptional activity of nuclear hormone receptors. Our results show that p35 interacts with NIF-1 and regulates its nucleocytoplasmic trafficking via the nuclear export pathway. Furthermore, we identified a nuclear export signal on p35; mutation of this site or blockade of the CRM1/exportin-dependent nuclear export pathway resulted in the nuclear accumulation of p35. Intriguingly, blocking the nuclear export of p35 attenuated the nuclear accumulation of NIF-1. These findings reveal a new p35-dependent mechanism in transcriptional regulation that involves the nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of transcription regulators. PMID:25329792

p35 regulates the CRM1-dependent nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of nuclear hormone receptor coregulator-interacting factor 1 (NIF-1).

PubMed

Zhao, Xiao-Su; Fu, Wing-Yu; Chien, Winnie W Y; Li, Zhen; Fu, Amy K Y; Ip, Nancy Y

2014-01-01

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) is a proline-directed serine/threonine kinase, which plays critical roles in a wide spectrum of neuronal functions including neuronal survival, neurite outgrowth, and synapse development and plasticity. Cdk5 activity is controlled by its specific activators: p35 or p39. While knockout studies reveal that Cdk5/p35 is critical for neuronal migration during early brain development, functions of Cdk5/p35 have been unraveled through the identification of the interacting proteins of p35, most of which are Cdk5/p35 substrates. However, it remains unclear whether p35 can regulate neuronal functions independent of Cdk5 activity. Here, we report that a nuclear protein, nuclear hormone receptor coregulator (NRC)-interacting factor 1 (NIF-1), is a new interacting partner of p35. Interestingly, p35 regulates the functions of NIF-1 independent of Cdk5 activity. NIF-1 was initially discovered as a transcriptional regulator that enhances the transcriptional activity of nuclear hormone receptors. Our results show that p35 interacts with NIF-1 and regulates its nucleocytoplasmic trafficking via the nuclear export pathway. Furthermore, we identified a nuclear export signal on p35; mutation of this site or blockade of the CRM1/exportin-dependent nuclear export pathway resulted in the nuclear accumulation of p35. Intriguingly, blocking the nuclear export of p35 attenuated the nuclear accumulation of NIF-1. These findings reveal a new p35-dependent mechanism in transcriptional regulation that involves the nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of transcription regulators.

Proton deflectometry characterization of Biermann-Battery field advection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pollock, Bradley; Moore, Alastair; Meezan, Nathan; Eder, Dave; Kane, Jave; Strozzi, David; Wilks, Scott; Rinderknecht, Hans; Zylstra, Alex; Fujioka, Shinsuke; Kemp, Gregory; Moody, John

2017-10-01

Laser-foil interactions are well known to produce azimuthal magnetic fields around the laser spot due to the orthogonal density and temperature gradients that develop near the foil surface (the Biermann-Battery effect). Simulations show that these fields produced inside hohlraums used for indirect drive experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF); however, modeling these fields and their advection is very computationally expensive on the temporal and spatial scales relevant for typical NIF hohlraum experiments ( 10 ns, few mm). The hohlraum geometry also makes directly probing the fields somewhat challenging, limiting the available experimental data on these fields under NIF conditions. In particular, the relative contributions of frozen-in and Nernst advection of the field away from the hohlraum wall is not currently well understood. We have developed a new target platform for direct measurements of the field topology in a NIF-relevant configuration. Using a single cone of NIF, a 2.5 mm long, 5.4 mm diameter Au ring is illuminated with a similar beam geometry to that of one ring of beams in a full-scale hohlraum experiment. The ring target has no end caps, providing a clear line of sight for probing through the ring. A D3He filled exploding pusher placed 5 cm below the ring is illuminated by an additional 60 beams of NIF to produce protons, some of which propagate through the ring. Work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by LLNL under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344 and under LDRD support from LLNL.

How Posttranslational Modification of Nitrogenase Is Circumvented in Rhodopseudomonas palustris Strains That Produce Hydrogen Gas Constitutively

PubMed Central

Heiniger, Erin K.; Oda, Yasuhiro; Samanta, Sudip K.

2012-01-01

Nitrogenase catalyzes the conversion of dinitrogen gas (N2) and protons to ammonia and hydrogen gas (H2). This is a catalytically difficult reaction that requires large amounts of ATP and reducing power. Thus, nitrogenase is not normally expressed or active in bacteria grown with a readily utilized nitrogen source like ammonium. nifA* mutants of the purple nonsulfur phototrophic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris have been described that express nitrogenase genes constitutively and produce H2 when grown with ammonium as a nitrogen source. This raised the regulatory paradox of why these mutants are apparently resistant to a known posttranslational modification system that should switch off the activity of nitrogenase. Microarray, mutation analysis, and gene expression studies showed that posttranslational regulation of nitrogenase activity in R. palustris depends on two proteins: DraT2, an ADP-ribosyltransferase, and GlnK2, an NtrC-regulated PII protein. GlnK2 was not well expressed in ammonium-grown NifA* cells and thus not available to activate the DraT2 nitrogenase modification enzyme. In addition, the NifA* strain had elevated nitrogenase activity due to overexpression of the nif genes, and this increased amount of expression overwhelmed a basal level of activity of DraT2 in ammonium-grown cells. Thus, insufficient levels of both GlnK2 and DraT2 allow H2 production by an nifA* mutant grown with ammonium. Inactivation of the nitrogenase posttranslational modification system by mutation of draT2 resulted in increased H2 production by ammonium-grown NifA* cells. PMID:22179236

Reviving the Town Meeting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grove, Tim

1996-01-01

Discusses the use of the National Issues Forum's (NIF's) town meetings in efforts to increase citizen participation in democratic processes. Describes the Catholic adaptation of the NIF approach, providing examples of its use at the high school, college, and community level. (MAB)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saikatendu, Kumar Singh; Zhang, Xuejun; Kinch, Lisa

The protein encoded by the SA1388 gene from Staphylococcus aureus was chosen for structure determination to elucidate its domain organization and confirm our earlier remote homology based prediction that it housed a nitrogen regulatory PII protein-like domain. SA1388 was predicted to contain a central PII-like domain and two flanking regions, which together belong to the NIF3-like protein family. Proteins like SA1388 remain a poorly studied group and their structural characterization could guide future investigations aimed at understanding their function. The structure of SA1388 has been solved to 2.0{angstrom} resolution by single wavelength anomalous dispersion phasing method using selenium anomalous signals.more » It reveals a canonical NIF3-like fold containing two domains with a PII-like domain inserted in the middle of the polypeptide. The N and C terminal halves of the NIF3-like domains are involved in dimerization, while the PII domain forms trimeric contacts with symmetry related monomers. Overall, the NIF3-like domains of SA1388 are organized as a hexameric toroid similar to its homologs, E. coli ybgI and the hypothetical protein SP1609 from Streptococcus pneumoniae. The openings on either side of the toroid are partially covered by trimeric 'lids' formed by the PII domains. The junction of the two NIF3 domains has two zinc ions bound at what appears to be a histidine rich active site. A well-defined electron density corresponding to an endogenously bound ligand of unknown identity is observed in close proximity to the metal site. SA1388 is the third member of the NIF3-like family of proteins to be structurally characterized, the other two also being hypothetical proteins of unknown function. The structure of SA1388 confirms our earlier prediction that the inserted domain that separates the two NIF3 domains adopts a PII-like fold and reveals an overall capped toroidal arrangement for the protein hexamer. The six PII-like domains form two trimeric 'lids' that cap the central cavity of the toroid on either side and provide only small openings to allow regulated entry of small molecules into the occluded chamber. The presence of the electron density of the bound ligand may provide important clues on the likely function of NIF3-like proteins.« less

Training the Future - Swamp Work Activities

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-19

In the Swamp Works laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, student interns such as Thomas Muller, left, and Austin Langdon are joining agency scientists, contributing in the area of Exploration Research and Technology. Muller is pursuing a degree in computer engineering and control systems and Florida Tech. Langdon is an electrical engineering major at the University of Kentucky. The agency attracts its future workforce through the NASA Internship, Fellowships and Scholarships, or NIFS, Program.

Is plant evolutionary history impacting recruitment of diazotrophs and nifH expression in the rhizosphere?

PubMed

Bouffaud, Marie-Lara; Renoud, Sébastien; Moënne-Loccoz, Yvan; Muller, Daniel

2016-02-23

Plant evolutionary history influences the taxonomic composition of the root-associated bacterial community, but whether it can also modulate its functioning is unknown. Here, we tested the hypothesis that crop diversification is a significant factor determining the ecology of the functional group of nitrogen-fixing bacteria the rhizosphere of Poaceae. A greenhouse experiment was carried out using a range of Poaceae, i.e. four Zea mays varieties (from two genetic groups) and teosinte (representing maize's ancestor), sorghum (from the same Panicoideae subfamily), and wheat (from neighboring Pooideae subfamily), as well as the dicot tomato as external reference. Diazotroph rhizosphere community was characterized at 21 days in terms of size (quantitative PCR of nifH genes), composition (T-RFLP and partial sequencing of nifH alleles) and functioning (quantitative RT-PCR, T-RFLP and partial sequencing of nifH transcripts). Plant species and varieties had a significant effect on diazotroph community size and the number of nifH transcripts per root system. Contrarily to expectations, however, there was no relation between Poaceae evolutionary history and the size, diversity or expression of the rhizosphere diazotroph community. These results suggest a constant selection of this functional group through evolution for optimization of nitrogen fixation in the rhizosphere.

Is plant evolutionary history impacting recruitment of diazotrophs and nifH expression in the rhizosphere?

PubMed Central

Bouffaud, Marie-Lara; Renoud, Sébastien; Moënne-Loccoz, Yvan; Muller, Daniel

2016-01-01

Plant evolutionary history influences the taxonomic composition of the root-associated bacterial community, but whether it can also modulate its functioning is unknown. Here, we tested the hypothesis that crop diversification is a significant factor determining the ecology of the functional group of nitrogen-fixing bacteria the rhizosphere of Poaceae. A greenhouse experiment was carried out using a range of Poaceae, i.e. four Zea mays varieties (from two genetic groups) and teosinte (representing maize’s ancestor), sorghum (from the same Panicoideae subfamily), and wheat (from neighboring Pooideae subfamily), as well as the dicot tomato as external reference. Diazotroph rhizosphere community was characterized at 21 days in terms of size (quantitative PCR of nifH genes), composition (T-RFLP and partial sequencing of nifH alleles) and functioning (quantitative RT-PCR, T-RFLP and partial sequencing of nifH transcripts). Plant species and varieties had a significant effect on diazotroph community size and the number of nifH transcripts per root system. Contrarily to expectations, however, there was no relation between Poaceae evolutionary history and the size, diversity or expression of the rhizosphere diazotroph community. These results suggest a constant selection of this functional group through evolution for optimization of nitrogen fixation in the rhizosphere. PMID:26902960

Possible association of diazotrophs with marine zooplankton in the Pacific Ocean.

PubMed

Azimuddin, Kazi Md; Hirai, Junya; Suzuki, Shotaro; Haider, Md Nurul; Tachibana, Aiko; Watanabe, Keigo; Kitamura, Minoru; Hashihama, Fuminori; Takahashi, Kazutaka; Hamasaki, Koji

2016-12-01

Dinitrogen fixation, the biological reduction in N 2 gas to ammonia contributes to the supply of new nitrogen in the surface ocean. To understand the diversity and abundance of potentially diazotrophic (N 2 fixing) microorganisms associated with marine zooplankton, especially copepods, the nifH gene was studied using zooplankton samples collected in the Pacific Ocean. In total, 257 nifH sequences were recovered from 23 nifH-positive DNA extracts out of 90 copepod samples. The nifH genes derived from cyanobacteria related to Trichodesmium, α- and γ-subdivisions of proteobacteria, and anaerobic euryarchaeota related to Methanosaeta concilii were detected. Our results indicated that Pleuromamma, Pontella, and Euchaeta were the major copepod genera hosting dinitrogen fixers, though we found no species-specific association between copepods and dinitrogen fixers. Also, the digital PCR provided novel data on the number of copies of the nifH gene in individual copepods, which we report the range from 30 to 1666 copies per copepod. This study is the first systematic study of zooplankton-associated diazotrophs, covering a large area of the open ocean, which provide a clue to further study of a possible new hotspot of N 2 fixation. © 2016 The Authors. MicrobiologyOpen published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Neonatal NET-inhibitory factor and related peptides inhibit neutrophil extracellular trap formation

PubMed Central

Yost, Christian C.; Schwertz, Hansjörg; Cody, Mark J.; Wallace, Jared A.; Campbell, Robert A.; Vieira-de-Abreu, Adriana; Araujo, Claudia V.; Schubert, Sebastian; Harris, Estelle S.; Rowley, Jesse W.; Rondina, Matthew T.; Koening, Curry L.; Weyrich, Andrew S.; Zimmerman, Guy A.

2016-01-01

Neutrophil granulocytes, also called polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs), extrude molecular lattices of decondensed chromatin studded with histones, granule enzymes, and antimicrobial peptides that are referred to as neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). NETs capture and contain bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. Nevertheless, experimental evidence indicates that NETs also cause inflammatory vascular and tissue damage, suggesting that identifying pathways that inhibit NET formation may have therapeutic implications. Here, we determined that neonatal NET-inhibitory factor (nNIF) is an inhibitor of NET formation in umbilical cord blood. In human neonatal and adult neutrophils, nNIF inhibits key terminal events in NET formation, including peptidyl arginine deiminase 4 (PAD4) activity, neutrophil nuclear histone citrullination, and nuclear decondensation. We also identified additional nNIF-related peptides (NRPs) that inhibit NET formation. nNIFs and NRPs blocked NET formation induced by pathogens, microbial toxins, and pharmacologic agonists in vitro and in mouse models of infection and systemic inflammation, and they improved mortality in murine models of systemic inflammation, which are associated with NET-induced collateral tissue injury. The identification of NRPs as neutrophil modulators that selectively interrupt NET generation at critical steps suggests their potential as therapeutic agents. Furthermore, our results indicate that nNIF may be an important regulator of NET formation in fetal and neonatal inflammation. PMID:27599294

Diversity of nifH gene pools in the rhizosphere of two cultivars of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) treated with contrasting levels of nitrogen fertilizer.

PubMed

Coelho, Marcia Reed Rodrigues; de Vos, Marjon; Carneiro, Newton Portilho; Marriel, Ivanildo Evódio; Paiva, Edilson; Seldin, Lucy

2008-02-01

The diversity of nitrogen-fixing bacteria was assessed in the rhizospheres of two cultivars of sorghum (IS 5322-C and IPA 1011) sown in Cerrado soil amended with two levels of nitrogen fertilizer (12 and 120 kg ha(-1)). The nifH gene was amplified directly from DNA extracted from the rhizospheres, and the PCR products cloned and sequenced. Four clone libraries were generated from the nifH fragments and 245 sequences were obtained. Most of the clones (57%) were closely related to nifH genes of uncultured bacteria. NifH clones affiliated with Azohydromonas spp., Ideonella sp., Rhizobium etli and Bradyrhizobium sp. were found in all libraries. Sequences affiliated with Delftia tsuruhatensis were found in the rhizosphere of both cultivars sown with high levels of nitrogen, while clones affiliated with Methylocystis sp. were detected only in plants sown under low levels of nitrogen. Moreover, clones affiliated with Paenibacillus durus could be found in libraries from the cultivar IS 5322-C sown either in high or low amounts of fertilizer. This study showed that the amount of nitrogen used for fertilization is the overriding determinative factor that influenced the nitrogen-fixing community structures in sorghum rhizospheres cultivated in Cerrado soil.

Detection of human fecal contamination by nifH gene quantification of marine waters in the coastal beaches of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

PubMed

Oliveira, Samara Sant'Anna; Sorgine, Marcos Henrique Ferreira; Bianco, Kayo; Pinto, Leonardo Henriques; Barreto, Camila; Albano, Rodolpho Mattos; Cardoso, Alexander Machado; Clementino, Maysa Mandetta

2016-12-01

The identification of fecal pollution in aquatic ecosystems is one of the requirements to assess the possible risks to human health. In this report, physicochemical parameters, Escherichia coli enumeration and Methanobrevibacter smithii nifH gene quantification were conducted at 13 marine waters in the coastal beaches of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The pH, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and conductivity, carried out by mobile equipment, revealed varied levels due to specific conditions of the beaches. The bioindicators' enumerations were done by defined substrate method, conventional, and real-time PCR. Six marine beach sites (46 %) presenting E. coli levels in compliance with Brazilian water quality guidelines (<2500 MPN/100 mL) showed nifH gene between 5.7 × 10 9 to 9.5 × 10 11 copies. L -1 revealing poor correlation between the two approaches. To our knowledge, this is the first inquiry in qPCR using nifH gene as a biomarker of human-specific sources of sewage pollution in marine waters in Brazil. In addition, our data suggests that alternative indicator nifH gene could be used, in combination with other markers, for source tracking studies to measure the quality of marine ecosystems thereby contributing to improved microbial risk assessment.

Laser Backscatter and Propagation in Low-Density Ta2O5 and SiO2 Foams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mariscal, Derek; Patankar, Siddarth; Goyon, Clement; Baker, Kevin; MacLaren, Stephan; Hammer, Jim; Baumann, Ted; Amendt, Peter; Menapace, Joseph; Berger, Robert; Afeyan, Bedros; Tabak, Max; Kim, Sung Ho; Dixit, Sham; Moody, John; Jones, Ogden; LLNL Team; Polymath Research Inc. Collaboration

2016-10-01

Recent experiments at the Jupiter Laser Facility at LLNL have investigated the propagation and backscatter of a laser in low-density foams (2-30 mg/cc) comprised of Ta2O5 and SiO2. The foams fill the volume of thin polyimide tubes (2 mm diameter, 0.5-2 mm length), while the laser is directed down the axis of the tubes. Time-resolved Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS) spectrum, time-integrated Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) spectrum and power were measured in the focusing cone. In addition Near Backscatter Imaging (NBI) assessed SBS outside the focusing cone while X-ray diagnostics were used to assess laser propagation through the foams. While this experiment uses a 2-omega laser drive, the pulse shape, irradiance, and the ratio ne/nc are scaled to be similar to future tests using Ta2O5 foams at the NIF. Experimental results are directly compared to calculations of laser propagation and backscattered spectra. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344, with funding support from the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program 15-ERD-073.

Development of a short duration backlit pinhole for radiography on the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huntington, C. M.; Krauland, C. M.; Kuranz, C. C.

2010-10-15

Experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) will require bright, short duration, near-monochromatic x-ray backlighters for radiographic diagnosis of many high-energy density systems. This paper details a vanadium pinhole backlighter producing (1.8{+-}0.5)x10{sup 15} x-ray photons into 4{pi} sr near the vanadium He-like characteristic x-ray energy of 5.18 keV. The x-ray yield was quantified from a set of Ross filters imaged to a calibrated image plate, with the Dante diagnostic used to confirm the quasimonochromatic nature of the spectrum produced. Additionally, an x-ray film image shows a source-limited image resolution of 26 {mu}m from a 20 {mu}m diameter pinhole.

Measurements of the 169Tm(n ,2 n )168Tm cross section from threshold to 15 MeV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soter, J.; Bhike, M.; Finch, S. W.; Krishichayan, Tornow, W.

2017-12-01

Measurements of the 169Tm(n ,2 n )168Tm cross section have been performed via the activation technique at 13 energies between 8.5 and 15.0 MeV. The purpose of this comprehensive data set is to provide an alternative diagnostic tool for obtaining subtle information on the neutron energy distribution produced in inertial confinement deuterium-tritium fusion experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The 169Tm(n ,2 n )168Tm reaction not only provides the primary 14-MeV neutron fluence, but also the important down-scattered neutron fluence, the latter providing information on the density achieved in the deuterium-tritium plasma during a laser shot.

Indirect drive ignition at the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Meezan, N. B.; Edwards, M. J.; Hurricane, O. A.

This article reviews scientific results from the pursuit of indirect drive ignition on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) and describes the program's forward looking research directions. In indirect drive on the NIF, laser beams heat an x-ray enclosure called a hohlraum that surrounds a spherical pellet. X-ray radiation ablates the surface of the pellet, imploding a thin shell of deuterium/tritium (DT) that must accelerate to high velocity (v > 350 km s -1) and compress by a factor of several thousand. Since 2009, substantial progress has been made in understanding the major challenges to ignition: Rayleigh Taylor (RT) instability seededmore » by target imperfections; and low-mode asymmetries in the hohlraum x-ray drive, exacerbated by laser-plasma instabilities (LPI). Requirements on velocity, symmetry, and compression have been demonstrated separately on the NIF but have not been achieved simultaneously. We now know that the RT instability, seeded mainly by the capsule support tent, severely degraded DT implosions from 2009–2012. Experiments using a 'high-foot' drive with demonstrated lower RT growth improved the thermonuclear yield by a factor of 10, resulting in yield amplification due to alpha particle heating by more than a factor of 2. However, large time dependent drive asymmetry in the LPI-dominated hohlraums remains unchanged, preventing further improvements. High fidelity 3D hydrodynamic calculations explain these results. In conclusion, future research efforts focus on improved capsule mounting techniques and on hohlraums with little LPI and controllable symmetry. In parallel, we are pursuing improvements to the basic physics models used in the design codes through focused physics experiments.« less

Indirect drive ignition at the National Ignition Facility

DOE PAGES

Meezan, N. B.; Edwards, M. J.; Hurricane, O. A.; ...

2016-10-27

This article reviews scientific results from the pursuit of indirect drive ignition on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) and describes the program's forward looking research directions. In indirect drive on the NIF, laser beams heat an x-ray enclosure called a hohlraum that surrounds a spherical pellet. X-ray radiation ablates the surface of the pellet, imploding a thin shell of deuterium/tritium (DT) that must accelerate to high velocity (v > 350 km s -1) and compress by a factor of several thousand. Since 2009, substantial progress has been made in understanding the major challenges to ignition: Rayleigh Taylor (RT) instability seededmore » by target imperfections; and low-mode asymmetries in the hohlraum x-ray drive, exacerbated by laser-plasma instabilities (LPI). Requirements on velocity, symmetry, and compression have been demonstrated separately on the NIF but have not been achieved simultaneously. We now know that the RT instability, seeded mainly by the capsule support tent, severely degraded DT implosions from 2009–2012. Experiments using a 'high-foot' drive with demonstrated lower RT growth improved the thermonuclear yield by a factor of 10, resulting in yield amplification due to alpha particle heating by more than a factor of 2. However, large time dependent drive asymmetry in the LPI-dominated hohlraums remains unchanged, preventing further improvements. High fidelity 3D hydrodynamic calculations explain these results. In conclusion, future research efforts focus on improved capsule mounting techniques and on hohlraums with little LPI and controllable symmetry. In parallel, we are pursuing improvements to the basic physics models used in the design codes through focused physics experiments.« less

Experimental Observation of Nonlinear Mode Coupling In the Ablative Rayleigh-Taylor Instability on the NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez, David

2015-11-01

We investigate on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) the ablative Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability in the transition from linear to highly nonlinear regimes. This work is part of the Discovery Science Program on NIF and of particular importance to indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) where careful attention to the form of the rise to final peak drive is calculated to prevent the RT instability from shredding the ablator in-flight and leading to ablator mixing into the cold fuel. The growth of the ablative RT instability was investigated using a planar plastic foil with pre-imposed two-dimensional broadband modulations and diagnosed using x-ray radiography. The foil was accelerated for 12ns by the x-ray drive created in a gas-filled Au radiation cavity with a radiative temperature plateau at 175 eV. The dependence on initial conditions was investigated by systematically changing the modulation amplitude, ablator material and the modulation pattern. For each of these cases bubble mergers were observed and the nonlinear evolution of the RT instability showed insensitivity to the initial conditions. This experiment provides critical data needed to validate current theories on the ablative RT instability for indirect drive that relies on the ablative stabilization of short-scale modulations for ICF ignition. This paper will compare the experimental data to the current nonlinear theories. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC.

Patterns of Nitrogen Fixation and Related Genetic Diversity (nifH) in Microbial Mats and Stromatolites from Different Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beltrán, Y. Y.; Centeno, C.; Falcón, L. I.

2010-04-01

We want to estimate the patterns of nitrogen fixation and the related genetic diversity (nifH) of microbial mats and microbialites on dial and temporal scales along a physicochemical and geographical gradient.

Transfer of sulfur from IscS to IscU during Fe/S cluster assembly.

PubMed

Urbina, H D; Silberg, J J; Hoff, K G; Vickery, L E

2001-11-30

The cysteine desulfurase enzymes NifS and IscS provide sulfur for the biosynthesis of Fe/S proteins. NifU and IscU have been proposed to serve as template or scaffold proteins in the initial Fe/S cluster assembly events, but the mechanism of sulfur transfer from NifS or IscS to NifU or IscU has not been elucidated. We have employed [(35)S]cysteine radiotracer studies to monitor sulfur transfer between IscS and IscU from Escherichia coli and have used direct binding measurements to investigate interactions between the proteins. IscS catalyzed transfer of (35)S from [(35)S]cysteine to IscU in the absence of additional thiol reagents, suggesting that transfer can occur directly and without involvement of an intermediate carrier. Surface plasmon resonance studies and isothermal titration calorimetry measurements further revealed that IscU binds to IscS with high affinity (K(d) approximately 2 microm) in support of a direct transfer mechanism. Transfer was inhibited by treatment of IscU with iodoacetamide, and (35)S was released by reducing reagents, suggesting that transfer of persulfide sulfur occurs to cysteinyl groups of IscU. A deletion mutant of IscS lacking C-terminal residues 376-413 (IscSDelta376-413) displayed cysteine desulfurase activity similar to the full-length protein but exhibited lower binding affinity for IscU, decreased ability to transfer (35)S to IscU, and reduced activity in assays of Fe/S cluster assembly on IscU. The findings with IscSDelta376-413 provide additional support for a mechanism of sulfur transfer involving a direct interaction between IscS and IscU and suggest that the C-terminal region of IscS may be important for binding IscU.

Determination of nifedipine in serum of women in preterm labor by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection.

PubMed

Kowalczuk, Dorota; Wawrzycka, Maria Bozena; Haratym Maj, Agnieszka

2006-01-01

Nifedipine (Nif) is widely used in treating cardiovascular disorders (especially hypertension) and for inhibiting preterm labor. A fully validated selective high-performance liquid chromatographic method with diode array detection, using solid-phase extraction, was developed for the determination of Nif in human serum. To assess specificity, Nif and its degradation products were separated on a Purospher RP-18 (5 microm, 125 x 4 mm) column plus a LiChrospher 100 RP-18 (5 microm, 4 x 4 mm) precolumn with a mobile phase of methanol-10 mM aqueous trifluoroacetic acid, pH 7.3 (57 + 43, v/v); chromatographic separation was followed by UV detection at 238 nm. For toxicological analysis, Nif in the presence of other calcium-channel antagonist drugs was identified under optimum chromatographic conditions. The calibration graph was constructed over the concentration range of 12.5-400 ng/mL in serum with good correlation (r = 0.9956). This method was not subject to interference by other plasma components and was successfully applied to the assay of Nif in spiked human serum and in serum of women in preterm labor after sublingual administration of 30 mg Nif per day divided into 3 equal doses. The mean recovery based on the ratio of the slopes of serum and mobile phase standard curves was 96.5%. The detection and quantification limits of the drug in spiked human serum were found to be 6 and 17.5 ng/mL, respectively. Validation of the method demonstrated good intraday and interday precision, which ranged from 2.18 to 6.67% and from 6.52 to 11.93%, respectively.

Impacts assessment for the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bay Area Economics

1996-12-01

This report documents the economic and other impacts that will be created by the National Ignition Facility (NIF) construction and ongoing operation, as well as the impacts that may be created by new technologies that may be developed as a result of NIF development and operation.

First Liquid Layer Inertial Confinement Fusion Implosions at the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olson, R. E.; Leeper, R. J.; Kline, J. L.; Zylstra, A. B.; Yi, S. A.; Biener, J.; Braun, T.; Kozioziemski, B. J.; Sater, J. D.; Bradley, P. A.; Peterson, R. R.; Haines, B. M.; Yin, L.; Berzak Hopkins, L. F.; Meezan, N. B.; Walters, C.; Biener, M. M.; Kong, C.; Crippen, J. W.; Kyrala, G. A.; Shah, R. C.; Herrmann, H. W.; Wilson, D. C.; Hamza, A. V.; Nikroo, A.; Batha, S. H.

2016-12-01

The first cryogenic deuterium and deuterium-tritium liquid layer implosions at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) demonstrate D2 and DT layer inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosions that can access a low-to-moderate hot-spot convergence ratio (12 30 ) DT ice layer implosions. Although high CR is desirable in an idealized 1D sense, it amplifies the deleterious effects of asymmetries. To date, these asymmetries prevented the achievement of ignition at the NIF and are the major cause of simulation-experiment disagreement. In the initial liquid layer experiments, high neutron yields were achieved with CRs of 12-17, and the hot-spot formation is well understood, demonstrated by a good agreement between the experimental data and the radiation hydrodynamic simulations. These initial experiments open a new NIF experimental capability that provides an opportunity to explore the relationship between hot-spot convergence ratio and the robustness of hot-spot formation during ICF implosions.

ORGANIZATION OF THE nif GENES OF THE NONHETEROCYSTOUS CYANOBACTERIUM TRICHODESMIUM SP. IMS101.

PubMed

Dominic, Benny; Zani, Sabino; Chen, Yi-Bu; Mellon, Mark T; Zehr, Jonathan P

2000-08-26

An approximately 16-kb fragment of the Trichodesmium sp. IMS101 (a nonheterocystous filamentous cyanobacterium) "conventional"nif gene cluster was cloned and sequenced. The gene organization of the Trichodesmium and Anabaena variabilis vegetative (nif 2) nitrogenase gene clusters spanning the region from nif B to nif W are similar except for the absence of two open reading frames (ORF3 and ORF1) in Trichodesmium. The Trichodesmium nif EN genes encode a fused Nif EN polypeptide that does not appear to be processed into individual Nif E and Nif N polypeptides. Fused nif EN genes were previously found in the A. variabilis nif 2 genes, but we have found that fused nif EN genes are widespread in the nonheterocystous cyanobacteria. Although the gene organization of the nonheterocystous filamentous Trichodesmium nif gene cluster is very similar to that of the A. variabilis vegetative nif 2 gene cluster, phylogenetic analysis of nif sequences do not support close relatedness of Trichodesmium and A. variabilis vegetative (nif 2) nitrogenase genes.

Three-Dimensional Simulations of Flat-Foil Laser-Imprint Experiments at the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shvydky, A.; Radha, P. B.; Rosenberg, M. J.; Anderson, K. S.; Goncharov, V. N.; Marozas, J. A.; Marshall, F. J.; McKenty, P. W.; Regan, S. P.; Sangster, T. C.; Hohenberger, M.; di Nicola, J. M.; Koning, J. M.; Marinak, M. M.; Masse, L.; Karasik, M.

2017-10-01

Control of shell nonuniformities imprinted by the laser and amplified by hydrodynamic instabilities in the imploding target is critical for the success of direct-drive ignition at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). To measure a level of imprint and its reduction by the NIF smoothing by spectral dispersion (SSD), we performed experiments that employed flat CH foils driven with a single NIF beam with either no SSD or the NIF indirect-drive SSD applied to the laser pulse. Face-on x-ray radiography was used to measure optical depth variations, from which the amplitudes of the foil areal-density modulations were obtained. Results of 3-D, radiation-hydrodynamic code HYDRA simulations of the growth of the imprint-seeded perturbations are presented and compared with the experimental data. This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration under Award Number DE-NA0001944 and under the auspices of the Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC, (LLNS) under Contract Number DE-AC52-07NA27344.

D 2 and DT Liquid-Layer Target Shots on NIF

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Walters, Curtis; Alger, Ethan; Bhandarkar, Suhas

Experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) using targets containing a Deuterium-Tritium (DT) fuel layer have, until recently, required that a high-quality layer of solid deuterium-tritium (herein referred to as an "ice-layer") be formed in the capsule. The development of a process to line the inner surface of a target capsule with a foam layer of a thickness that is typical of icelayers has resulted in the ability to field targets with liquid layers wetting the foam. Successful fielding of liquid-layer targets on NIF required not only a foam lined capsule, but also changes to the capsule filling process andmore » the manner with which the inventory is maintained in the capsule. Additionally, changes to target heater power and the temperature drops across target components were required in order to achieve the desired range of shot temperatures. These changes, and the target's performance during four target shots on NIF will be discussed.« less

First Liquid Layer Inertial Confinement Fusion Implosions at the National Ignition Facility.

PubMed

Olson, R E; Leeper, R J; Kline, J L; Zylstra, A B; Yi, S A; Biener, J; Braun, T; Kozioziemski, B J; Sater, J D; Bradley, P A; Peterson, R R; Haines, B M; Yin, L; Berzak Hopkins, L F; Meezan, N B; Walters, C; Biener, M M; Kong, C; Crippen, J W; Kyrala, G A; Shah, R C; Herrmann, H W; Wilson, D C; Hamza, A V; Nikroo, A; Batha, S H

2016-12-09

The first cryogenic deuterium and deuterium-tritium liquid layer implosions at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) demonstrate D_{2} and DT layer inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosions that can access a low-to-moderate hot-spot convergence ratio (1230) DT ice layer implosions. Although high CR is desirable in an idealized 1D sense, it amplifies the deleterious effects of asymmetries. To date, these asymmetries prevented the achievement of ignition at the NIF and are the major cause of simulation-experiment disagreement. In the initial liquid layer experiments, high neutron yields were achieved with CRs of 12-17, and the hot-spot formation is well understood, demonstrated by a good agreement between the experimental data and the radiation hydrodynamic simulations. These initial experiments open a new NIF experimental capability that provides an opportunity to explore the relationship between hot-spot convergence ratio and the robustness of hot-spot formation during ICF implosions.

Genome analysis of the freshwater planktonic Vulcanococcus limneticus sp. nov. reveals horizontal transfer of nitrogenase operon and alternative pathways of nitrogen utilization.

PubMed

Di Cesare, Andrea; Cabello-Yeves, Pedro J; Chrismas, Nathan A M; Sánchez-Baracaldo, Patricia; Salcher, Michaela M; Callieri, Cristiana

2018-04-16

Many cyanobacteria are capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen, playing a crucial role in biogeochemical cycling. Little is known about freshwater unicellular cyanobacteria Synechococcus spp. at the genomic level, despite being recognised of considerable ecological importance in aquatic ecosystems. So far, it has not been shown whether these unicellular picocyanobacteria have the potential for nitrogen fixation. Here, we present the draft-genome of the new pink-pigmented Synechococcus-like strain Vulcanococcus limneticus. sp. nov., isolated from the volcanic Lake Albano (Central Italy). The novel species Vulcanococcus limneticus sp. nov. falls inside the sub-cluster 5.2, close to the estuarine/marine strains in a maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree generated with 259 marker genes with representatives from marine, brackish, euryhaline and freshwater habitats. V.limneticus sp. nov. possesses a complete nitrogenase and nif operon. In an experimental setup under nitrogen limiting and non-limiting conditions, growth was observed in both cases. However, the nitrogenase genes (nifHDK) were not transcribed, i.e., V.limneticus sp. nov. did not fix nitrogen, but instead degraded the phycobilisomes to produce sufficient amounts of ammonia. Moreover, the strain encoded many other pathways to incorporate ammonia, nitrate and sulphate, which are energetically less expensive for the cell than fixing nitrogen. The association of the nif operon to a genomic island, the relatively high amount of mobile genetic elements (52 transposases) and the lower observed GC content of V.limneticus sp. nov. nif operon (60.54%) compared to the average of the strain (68.35%) support the theory that this planktonic strain may have obtained, at some point of its evolution, the nif operon by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from a filamentous or heterocystous cyanobacterium. In this study, we describe the novel species Vulcanococcus limneticus sp. nov., which possesses a complete nif operon for nitrogen fixation. The finding that in our experimental conditions V.limneticus sp. nov. did not express the nifHDK genes led us to reconsider the actual ecological meaning of these accessory genes located in genomic island that have possibly been acquired via HGT.

Demonstration of high-energy 2 omega (526.5 nm) operation on the National Ignition Facility Laser System.

PubMed

Heestand, G M; Haynam, C A; Wegner, P J; Bowers, M W; Dixit, S N; Erbert, G V; Henesian, M A; Hermann, M R; Jancaitis, K S; Knittel, K; Kohut, T; Lindl, J D; Manes, K R; Marshall, C D; Mehta, N C; Menapace, J; Moses, E; Murray, J R; Nostrand, M C; Orth, C D; Patterson, R; Sacks, R A; Saunders, R; Shaw, M J; Spaeth, M; Sutton, S B; Williams, W H; Widmayer, C C; White, R K; Whitman, P K; Yang, S T; Van Wonterghem, B M

2008-07-01

A single beamline of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) has been operated at a wavelength of 526.5 nm (2 omega) by frequency converting the fundamental 1053 nm (1 omega) wavelength with an 18.2 mm thick type-I potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) second-harmonic generator (SHG) crystal. Second-harmonic energies of up to 17.9 kJ were measured at the final optics focal plane with a conversion efficiency of 82%. For a similarly configured 192-beam NIF, this scales to a total 2 omega energy of 3.4 MJ full NIF equivalent (FNE).

Testing a new NIF neutron time-of-flight detector with a bibenzyl scintillator on OMEGA.

PubMed

Glebov, V Yu; Forrest, C; Knauer, J P; Pruyne, A; Romanofsky, M; Sangster, T C; Shoup, M J; Stoeckl, C; Caggiano, J A; Carman, M L; Clancy, T J; Hatarik, R; McNaney, J; Zaitseva, N P

2012-10-01

A new neutron time-of-flight (nTOF) detector with a bibenzyl crystal as a scintillator has been designed and manufactured for the National Ignition Facility (NIF). This detector will replace a nTOF20-Spec detector with an oxygenated xylene scintillator currently operational on the NIF to improve the areal-density measurements. In addition to areal density, the bibenzyl detector will measure the D-D and D-T neutron yield and the ion temperature of indirect- and direct-drive-implosion experiments. The design of the bibenzyl detector and results of tests on the OMEGA Laser System are presented.

Training the Future - Interns Harvesting & Testing Plant Experim

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-19

In the Space Life Sciences Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, student interns such as Emma Boehm, left, and Jessica Scotten are joining agency scientists, contributing in the area of plant growth research for food production in space. Boehm is pursuing a degree in ecology and evolution at the University of Minnesota. Scotten is majoring in microbiology at Oregon State University. The agency attracts its future workforce through the NASA Internship, Fellowships and Scholarships, or NIFS, Program.

Monochromatic x-ray radiography of laser-driven spherical targets using high-energy, picoseconds LFEX laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sawada, Hiroshi; Fujioka, S.; Lee, S.; Arikawa, Y.; Shigemori, K.; Nagatomo, H.; Nishimura, H.; Sunahara, A.; Theobald, W.; Perez, F.; Patel, P. K.; Beg, F. N.

2015-11-01

Formation of a high density fusion fuel is essential in both conventional and advanced Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) schemes for the self-sustaining fusion process. In cone-guided Fast Ignition (FI), a metal cone is attached to a spherical target to maintain the path for the injection of an intense short-pulse ignition laser from blow-off plasma created when nanoseconds compression lasers drive the target. We have measured a temporal evolution of a compressed deuterated carbon (CD) sphere using 4.5 keV K-alpha radiography with the Kilo-Joule, picosecond LFEX laser at the Institute of Laser Engineering. A 200 μm CD sphere attached to the tip of a Au cone was directly driven by 9 Gekko XII beams with 300 J/beam in a 1.3 ns Gaussian pulse. The LFEX laser irradiated on a Ti foil to generate 4.51 Ti K-alpha x-ray. By varying the delay between the compression and backlighter lasers, the measured radiograph images show an increase of the areal density of the imploded target. The detail of the quantitative analyses to infer the areal density and comparisons to hydrodynamics simulations will be presented. This work was performed with the support and under the auspices of the NIFS Collaboration Research program (NIFS13KUGK072). H.S. was supported by the UNR's International Activities Grant program.

Composition and diversity of nifH genes of nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria associated with boreal forest feather mosses.

PubMed

Ininbergs, Karolina; Bay, Guillaume; Rasmussen, Ulla; Wardle, David A; Nilsson, Marie-Charlotte

2011-10-01

Recent studies have revealed that nitrogen fixation by cyanobacteria living in association with feather mosses is a major input of nitrogen to boreal forests. We characterized the community composition and diversity of cyanobacterial nifH phylotypes associated with each of two feather moss species (Pleurozium schreberi and Hylocomium splendens) on each of 30 lake islands varying in ecosystem properties in northern Sweden. Nitrogen fixation was measured using acetylene reduction, and nifH sequences were amplified using general and cyanobacterial selective primers, separated and analyzed using density gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) or cloning, and further sequenced for phylogenetic analyses. Analyses of DGGE fingerprinting patterns revealed two host-specific clusters (one for each moss species), and sequence analysis showed five clusters of nifH phylotypes originating from heterocystous cyanobacteria. For H. splendens only, N(2) fixation was related to both nifH composition and diversity among islands. We demonstrated that the cyanobacterial communities associated with feather mosses show a high degree of host specificity. However, phylotype composition and diversity, and nitrogen fixation, did not differ among groups of islands that varied greatly in their availability of resources. These results suggest that moss species identity, but not extrinsic environmental conditions, serves as the primary determinant of nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterial communities that inhabit mosses. © 2011 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2011 New Phytologist Trust.

Ignition and pusher adiabat

DOE PAGES

Cheng, B. L.; Kwan, T. J. T.; Wang, Y. M.; ...

2018-05-18

In the last five years, large amounts of high quality experimental data in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) were produced at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). From the NIF data, we have significantly advanced our scientific understanding of the physics of thermonuclear (TN) ignition in ICF and identified the critical physical issues important to achieve ignition, such as implosion energetics, pusher adiabat, tamping effects in fuel confinement, and confinement time. In this article, we will present recently developed TN ignition theory and implosion scaling laws [1, 2] characterizing the thermodynamic properties of the hot spot and the TN ignition metrics atmore » NIF. We compare our theoretical predictions with NIF data with good agreement between theory and experiments. We will also demonstrate the fundamental effects of the pusher adiabat on the energy partition between the cold shell and the hot deuterium-tritium and on the neutron yields of ICF capsules. Applications [3–5] to NIF experiments and physical explanations of the discrepancies among theory, data and simulations will be presented. In our theory, the actual adiabat of the cold DT fuel can be inferred from neutron image data of a burning capsule. With the experimentally inferred hot spot mix, the CH mix in the cold fuel could be estimated, as well as the preheat. Finally, possible path forwards to reach high yields are discussed.« less

Can nifekalant hydrochloride be used as a first-line drug for cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA)? : comparative study of out-of-hospital CPA with acidosis and in-hospital CPA without acidosis.

PubMed

Yoshioka, Koichiro; Amino, Mari; Morita, Seiji; Nakagawa, Yoshihide; Usui, Kazutane; Sugimoto, Atsuhiko; Matsuzaki, Atsushi; Deguchi, Yoshiaki; Yamamoto, Isotoshi; Inokuchi, Sadaki; Ikari, Yuji; Kodama, Itsuo; Tanabe, Teruhisa

2006-01-01

Early defibrillation of ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation (VT/VF) is an urgent and most important method of resuscitation for survival in cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA). We have previously reported that nifekalant (NIF), a specific I(Kr) blocker developed in Japan, is effective for lidocaine (LID) resistant VT/VF in out-of-hospital CPA (OHCPA). However, little is known about the differences in the effect of NIF on OHCPA with acidosis and in-hospital CPA (IHCPA) without acidosis. The present study enrolled 91 cases of DC shock resistant VT/VF among 892 cases of CPA that occurred between June 2000 and May 2003. NIF was used (0.15-0.3 mg/kg) after LID according to the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) algorithm of Tokai University. The defibrillation rate was higher in the NIF group for both OHCPA and IHCPA than for LID alone, and the VT/VF rate reduction effect could be maintained even with acidosis. However, sinus bradycardia in OHCPA, and torsades de pointes in IHCPA were occasionally observed. These differences in adverse effects might be related to the amount of epinephrine, serum potassium levels, serum pH, and interaction with LID. NIF had a favorable defibrillating effect in both CPA groups, and it shows promise of becoming a first-line drug for CPR.

Wavefront control of high-power laser beams in the National Ignition Facility (NIF)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zacharias, Richard A.; Bliss, Erlan S.; Winters, Scott; Sacks, Richard A.; Feldman, Mark; Grey, Andrew; Koch, Jeffrey A.; Stolz, Christopher J.; Toeppen, John S.; Van Atta, Lewis; Woods, Bruce W.

2000-04-01

The use of lasers as the driver for inertial confinement fusion and weapons physics experiments is based on their ability to produce high-energy short pulses in a beam with low divergence. Indeed, the focusability of high quality laser beams far exceeds alternate technologies and is a major factor in the rationale for building high power lasers for such applications. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a large, 192-beam, high-power laser facility under construction at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for fusion and weapons physics experiments. Its uncorrected minimum focal spot size is limited by laser system aberrations. The NIF includes a Wavefront Control System to correct these aberrations to yield a focal spot small enough for its applications. Sources of aberrations to be corrected include prompt pump-induced distortions in the laser amplifiers, previous-shot thermal distortions, beam off-axis effects, and gravity, mounting, and coating-induced optic distortions. Aberrations from gas density variations and optic-manufacturing figure errors are also partially corrected. This paper provides an overview of the NIF Wavefront Control System and describes the target spot size performance improvement it affords. It describes provisions made to accommodate the NIF's high fluence (laser beam and flashlamp), large wavefront correction range, wavefront temporal bandwidth, temperature and humidity variations, cleanliness requirements, and exception handling requirements (e.g. wavefront out-of-limits conditions).

Design of the polar neutron-imaging aperture for use at the National Ignition Facility.

PubMed

Fatherley, V E; Barker, D A; Fittinghoff, D N; Hibbard, R L; Martinez, J I; Merrill, F E; Oertel, J A; Schmidt, D W; Volegov, P L; Wilde, C H

2016-11-01

The installation of a neutron imaging diagnostic with a polar view at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) required design of a new aperture, an extended pinhole array (PHA). This PHA is different from the pinhole array for the existing equatorial system due to significant changes in the alignment and recording systems. The complex set of component requirements, as well as significant space constraints in its intended location, makes the design of this aperture challenging. In addition, lessons learned from development of prior apertures mandate careful aperture metrology prior to first use. This paper discusses the PHA requirements, constraints, and the final design. The PHA design is complex due to size constraints, machining precision, assembly tolerances, and design requirements. When fully assembled, the aperture is a 15 mm × 15 mm × 200 mm tungsten and gold assembly. The PHA body is made from 2 layers of tungsten and 11 layers of gold. The gold layers include 4 layers containing penumbral openings, 4 layers containing pinholes and 3 spacer layers. In total, there are 64 individual, triangular pinholes with a field of view (FOV) of 200 μm and 6 penumbral apertures. Each pinhole is pointed to a slightly different location in the target plane, making the effective FOV of this PHA a 700 μm square in the target plane. The large FOV of the PHA reduces the alignment requirements both for the PHA and the target, allowing for alignment with a laser tracking system at NIF.

The National Ignition Facility modular Kirkpatrick-Baez microscope

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pickworth, L. A., E-mail: pickworth1@llnl.gov; Ayers, J.; Bell, P.

Current two-dimensional X-ray imaging at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) uses time resolved pinhole cameras with ∼10-25 μm pinholes. This method has limitations in the smallest resolvable features that can be imaged with reasonable photon statistics for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) applications. ICF sources have a broadband self-emission spectrum that causes the pinhole images obtained, through thin foil filters, to contain a similarly broadband spectrum complicating the interpretation of structure in the source. In order to study phenomena on the scale of ∼5 μm, such as dopant mix in the ICF capsule, a narrow energy band, higher spatial resolution microscopemore » system with improved signal/noise has been developed using X-ray optics. Utilizing grazing incidence mirrors in a Kirkpatrick-Baez microscope (KBM) configuration [P. Kirkpatrick and A. V. Baez, J. Opt. Soc. Am. 38, 766–774 (1948)], an X-ray microscope has been designed and fielded on NIF with four imaging channels. The KBM has ∼12 × magnification, <8 μm resolution, and higher throughput in comparison to similar pinhole systems. The first KBM mirrors are coated with a multilayer mirror to allow a “narrow band” energy response at 10.2 keV with ΔE ∼ 3 keV. By adjusting the mirror coating only, the energy response can be matched to the future experimental requirements. Several mirror packs have been commissioned and are interchangeable in the diagnostic snout.« less

Precision Cleaning and Protection of Coated Optical Components for NIF Small Optics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Phelps, Jim

The purpose of this procedure shall be to define the precision cleaning of finished, coated, small optical components for NIF at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories. The term “small optical components” includes coated optics that are set into simple mounts, as well as coated, un-mounted optics.

The 27.3 meter neutron time-of-flight system for the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grim, G. P.; Morgan, G. L.; Aragonez, R.; Archuleta, T. N.; Bower, D. E.; Danly, C. R.; Drury, O. B.; Dzenitis, J. M.; Fatherley, V. E.; Felker, B.; Fittinghoff, D. N.; Guler, N.; Merrill, F. E.; Oertel, J. A.; Wilde, C. H.; Wilke, M. D.

2013-09-01

One of the scientific goals of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore CA, is to obtain thermonuclear ignition by compressing 2.2 mm diameter capsules filed with deuterium and tritium to densities approaching 1000 g/cm3 and temperatures in excess of 4 keV. Thefusion reaction d + t --> n + a results in a 14.03 MeV neutron providing a source of diagnostic particles to characterize the implosion. The spectrum of neutrons emanating from the assembly may be used to infer the fusion yield, plasma ion temperature, and fuel areal density, all key diagnostic quantities of implosion quality. The neutron time-of-flight (nToF) system co-located along the Neutron Imaging System line-of-site, (NIToF), is a set of 4 scintillation detectors located approximately 27.3 m from the implosion source. Neutron spectral information is inferred using arrival time at the detector. The NIToF system is described below, including the hardware elements, calibration data, analysis methods, and an example of its basic performance characteristics.

Stockpile Stewardship: How We Ensure the Nuclear Deterrent Without Testing

ScienceCinema

None

2018-01-16

In the 1990s, the U.S. nuclear weapons program shifted emphasis from developing new designs to dismantling thousands of existing weapons and maintaining a much smaller enduring stockpile. The United States ceased underground nuclear testing, and the Department of Energy created the Stockpile Stewardship Program to maintain the safety, security, and reliability of the U.S. nuclear deterrent without full-scale testing. This video gives a behind the scenes look at a set of unique capabilities at Lawrence Livermore that are indispensable to the Stockpile Stewardship Program: high performance computing, the Superblock category II nuclear facility, the JASPER a two stage gas gun, the High Explosive Applications Facility (HEAF), the National Ignition Facility (NIF), and the Site 300 contained firing facility.

Demonstration of Efficient Core Heating of Magnetized Fast Ignition in FIREX project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johzaki, Tomoyuki

2017-10-01

Extensive theoretical and experimental research in the FIREX ``I project over the past decade revealed that the large angular divergence of the laser generated electron beam is one of the most critical problems inhibiting efficient core heating in electron-driven fast ignition. To solve this problem, beam guiding using externally applied kilo-tesla class magnetic field was proposed, and its feasibility has recently been numerically demonstrated. In 2016, integrated experiments at ILE Osaka University demonstrated core heating efficiencies reaching > 5 % and heated core temperatures of 1.7 keV. In these experiments, a kilo-tesla class magnetic field was applied to a cone-attached Cu(II) oleate spherical solid target by using a laser-driven capacitor-coil. The target was then imploded by G-XII laser and heated by the PW-class LFEX laser. The heating efficiency was evaluated by measuring the number of Cu-K- α photons emitted. The heated core temperature was estimated by the X-ray intensity ratio of Cu Li-like and He-like emission lines. To understand the detailed dynamics of the core heating process, we carried out integrated simulations using the FI3 code system. Effects of magnetic fields on the implosion and electron beam transport, detailed core heating dynamics, and the resultant heating efficiency and core temperature will be presented. I will also discuss the prospect for an ignition-scale design of magnetized fast ignition using a solid ball target. This work is partially supported by JSPA KAKENHI Grant Number JP16H02245, JP26400532, JP15K21767, JP26400532, JP16K05638 and is performed with the support and the auspices of the NIFS Collaboration Research program (NIFS12KUGK057, NIFS15KUGK087).

Training the Future - Interns Harvesting & Testing Plant Experim

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-19

In the Space Life Sciences Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, student interns such as Ayla Grandpre, left, and Payton Barnwell are joining agency scientists, contributing in the area of plant growth research for food production in space. Grandpre is pursuing a degree in computer science and chemistry at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana. Barnwell is a mechanical engineering and nanotechnology major at Florida Polytechnic University. The agency attracts its future workforce through the NASA Internship, Fellowships and Scholarships, or NIFS, Program.

Multi-wavelength Probes of Obscuration Towards the Narrow Line Region in Seyfert Galaxies (PREPRINT)

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-11-01

in the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4151 (Kraemer et al. 2000), near IR emission detected in Gemini/Near-Infrared Integrated Field Spectrograph ( NIFS ...any case, it points to the presence of a significant amount of material outside the optical NLR, in agreement with results from NIFS spectra of a

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kalantar, D.

This document provides information on the distribution of unconverted light in the National Ignition Facility (NIF) target chamber with the wedged final focus lens that has been adopted by the NIF project. It includes a comparison of the wedged lens configuration with the color separation grating (CSG). There are significant benefits to the wedged lens design as it greatly simplifies experiment design.

National Issues Forums: Seniors/Community Connection. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Suzanne M.

A project was conducted to incorporate the Kettering Foundation's National Issues Forums (NIFs) into two senior citizen centers in Pennsylvania. The NIFs provide a process for sharing thoughts and opinions about areas of pressing national concern in an open exchange of all participants' opinions. An inservice training of senior center staff on…

NIF Rugby High Foot Campaign from the design side

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leidinger, J.-P.; Callahan, D. A.; Berzak-Hopkins, L. F.; Ralph, J. E.; Amendt, P.; Hinkel, D. E.; Michel, P.; Moody, J. D.; Ross, J. S.; Rygg, J. R.; Celliers, P.; Clouët, J.-F.; Dewald, E. L.; Kaiser, P.; Khan, S.; Kritcher, A. L.; Liberatore, S.; Marion, D.; Masson-Laborde, P.-E.; Milovich, J. L.; Morice, O.; Pak, A. E.; Poujade, O.; Strozzi, D.; Hurricane, O. A.

2016-05-01

The NIF Rugby High Foot campaign results, with 8 shots to date, are compared with the 2D FCI2 design simulations. A special emphasis is placed on the predictive features and on those areas where some work is still required to achieve the best possible modelling of these MJ-class experiments.

National Issues Forums in an ABE Setting. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Molek, Carol

National Issues Forums (NIFs) were conducted for adult basic education (ABE) students in a Pennsylvania adult education and job training center. The forums provide a process of sharing thoughts and opinions about areas of pressing national concerns in an open exchange of everyone's opinion. After instructors participated in NIFs, they developed a…

Measurements of the Tm 169 ( n , 2 n ) Tm 168 cross section from threshold to 15 MeV

DOE PAGES

Soter, J.; Bhike, M.; Finch, S. W.; ...

2017-12-27

Measurements of the 169Tm(n,2n) 168Tm cross section have been performed via the activation technique at 13 energies between 8.5 and 15.0 MeV. The purpose of this comprehensive data set is to provide an alternative diagnostic tool for obtaining subtle information on the neutron energy distribution produced in inertial confinement deuterium-tritium fusion experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. In conclusion, the 169Tm(n,2n) 168Tm reaction not only provides the primary 14-MeV neutron fluence, but also the important down-scattered neutron fluence, the latter providing information on the density achieved in the deuterium-tritium plasma during a laser shot.

LANL C10.2 Projects in FY13

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Batha, Steven H.; Fincke, James R.; Schmitt, Mark J.

2012-06-07

LANL has two projects in C10.2: Defect-Induced Mix Experiment (DIME) (ongoing, several runs at Omega; NIF shots this summer); and Shock/Shear (tested at Omega for two years; NIF shots in second half of FY13). Each project is jointly funded by C10.2, other C10 MTEs, and Science Campaigns. DIME is investigating 4{pi} and feature-induced mix in spherically convergent ICF implosions by using imaging of the mix layer. DIME prepared for NIF by demonstrating its PDD mix platform on Omega including imaging mid-Z doped layers and defects. DIME in FY13 will focus on PDD symmetry-dependent mix and moving burn into the mixmore » region for validation of mix/burn models. Re-Shock and Shear are two laser-driven experiments designed to study the turbulent mixing of materials. In FY-2012 43 shear and re-shock experimental shots were executed on the OMEGA laser and a complete time history obtained for both. The FY-2013 goal is to transition the experiment to NIF where the larger scale will provide a longer time period for mix layer growth.« less

Damage mechanisms avoided or managed for NIF large optics

DOE PAGES

Manes, K. R.; Spaeth, M. L.; Adams, J. J.; ...

2016-02-09

After every other failure mode has been considered, in the end, the high-performance limit of all lasers is set by optical damage. The demands of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) pushed lasers designed as ICF drivers into this limit from their very earliest days. The first ICF lasers were small, and their pulses were short. Their goal was to provide as much power to the target as possible. Typically, they faced damage due to high intensity on their optics. As requests for higher laser energy, longer pulse lengths, and better symmetry appeared, new kinds of damage also emerged, some of themmore » anticipated and others unexpected. This paper will discuss the various types of damage to large optics that had to be considered, avoided to the extent possible, or otherwise managed as the National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser was designed, fabricated, and brought into operation. Furthermore, it has been possible for NIF to meet its requirements because of the experience gained in previous ICF systems and because NIF designers have continued to be able to avoid or manage new damage situations as they have appeared.« less

Hydrodynamic scaling of the deceleration-phase Rayleigh–Taylor instability

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bose, A., E-mail: abos@lle.rochester.edu; Woo, K. M.; Betti, R.

2015-07-15

The scaling of the deceleration phase of inertial fusion direct-drive implosions is investigated for OMEGA and National Ignition Facility (NIF)-size targets. It is shown that the deceleration-phase Rayleigh–Taylor instability (RTI) does not scale hydro-equivalently with implosion size. This is because ablative stabilization resulting from thermal conduction and radiation transport in a spherically converging geometry is different on the two scales. As a consequence, NIF-scale implosions show lower hot-spot density and mass ablation velocity, allowing for higher RTI growth. On the contrary, stabilization resulting from density-gradient enhancement, caused by reabsorption of radiation emitted from the hot spot, is higher on NIFmore » implosions. Since the RTI mitigation related to thermal conduction and radiation transport scale oppositely with implosion size, the degradation of implosion performance caused by the deceleration RTI is similar for NIF and OMEGA targets. It is found that a minimum threshold for the no-α Lawson ignition parameter of χ{sub Ω} ≈ 0.2 at the OMEGA scale is required to demonstrate hydro-equivalent ignition at the NIF scale for symmetric direct-drive implosions.« less

Hydrodynamic scaling of the deceleration-phase Rayleigh–Taylor instability

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bose, A.; Woo, K. M.; Nora, R.

2015-07-02

The scaling of the deceleration phase of inertial fusion direct-drive implosions is investigated for OMEGA and National Ignition Facility (NIF)-size targets. It is shown that the deceleration-phase Rayleigh–Taylor instability (RTI) does not scale hydro-equivalently with implosion size. This is because ablative stabilization resulting from thermal conduction and radiation transport in a spherically converging geometry is different on the two scales. As a consequence, NIF-scale implosions show lower hot-spot density and mass ablation velocity, allowing for higher RTI growth. On the contrary, stabilization resulting from density-gradient enhancement, caused by reabsorption of radiation emitted from the hot spot, is higher on NIFmore » implosions. Since the RTI mitigation related to thermal conduction and radiation transport scale oppositely with implosion size, the degradation of implosion performance caused by the deceleration RTI is similar for NIF and OMEGA targets. It is found that a minimum threshold for the no-α Lawson ignition parameter of ΧΩ ≈ 0.2 at the OMEGA scale is required to demonstrate hydro-equivalent ignition at the NIF scale for symmetric direct-drive implosions.« less

Recent advances in automatic alignment system for the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilhelmsen, Karl; Awwal, Abdul A. S.; Kalantar, Dan; Leach, Richard; Lowe-Webb, Roger; McGuigan, David; Miller Kamm, Vicki

2011-03-01

The automatic alignment system for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a large-scale parallel system that directs all 192 laser beams along the 300-m optical path to a 50-micron focus at target chamber in less than 50 minutes. The system automatically commands 9,000 stepping motors to adjust mirrors and other optics based upon images acquired from high-resolution digital cameras viewing beams at various locations. Forty-five control loops per beamline request image processing services running on a LINUX cluster to analyze these images of the beams and references, and automatically steer the beams toward the target. This paper discusses the upgrades to the NIF automatic alignment system to handle new alignment needs and evolving requirements as related to various types of experiments performed. As NIF becomes a continuously-operated system and more experiments are performed, performance monitoring is increasingly important for maintenance and commissioning work. Data, collected during operations, is analyzed for tuning of the laser and targeting maintenance work. Handling evolving alignment and maintenance needs is expected for the planned 30-year operational life of NIF.

Analysis of nifH-RNA reveals phylotypes related to Geobacter and Cyanobacteria as important functional components of the N2 -fixing community depending on depth and agricultural use of soil.

PubMed

Calderoli, Priscila A; Collavino, Mónica M; Behrends Kraemer, Filipe; Morrás, Héctor J M; Aguilar, O Mario

2017-10-01

In this survey, a total of 80 787 reads and 28 171 unique NifH protein sequences were retrieved from soil RNA. This dataset extends our knowledge about the structure and diversity of the functional diazotrophic communities in agricultural soils from Argentinean Pampas. Operational taxonomic unit (OTU)-based analyses showed that nifH phylotypes related to Geobacter and Anaeromyxobacter (44.8%), Rhizobiales (29%), Cyanobacteria (16.7%), and Verrucomicrobiales (8%) are key microbial components of N 2 fixation in soils associated with no-till management and soil depth. In addition, quantification of nifH gene copies related to Geobacter and Cyanobacteria revealed that these groups are abundant in soils under maize-soybean rotation and soybean monoculture, respectively. The correlation of physicochemical soil parameters with the diazotrophic diversity and composition showed that soil stability and organic carbon might contribute to the functional signatures of particular nifH phylotypes in fields under no-till management. Because crop production relies on soil-borne microorganism's activities, such as free N 2 fixation, the information provided by our study on the diazotrophic population dynamics, associated with the edaphic properties and land-use practices, represents a major contribution to gain insight into soil biology, in which functionally active components are identified. © 2017 The Authors. MicrobiologyOpen published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

National Ignition Facility Control and Information System Operational Tools

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marshall, C D; Beeler, R G; Bowers, G A

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) in Livermore, California, is the world's highest-energy laser fusion system and one of the premier large scale scientific projects in the United States. The system is designed to setup and fire a laser shot to a fusion ignition or high energy density target at rates up to a shot every 4 hours. NIF has 192 laser beams delivering up to 1.8 MJ of energy to a {approx}2 mm target that is planned to produce >100 billion atm of pressure and temperatures of >100 million degrees centigrade. NIF is housed in a ten-story building footprint themore » size of three football fields as shown in Fig. 1. Commissioning was recently completed and NIF will be formally dedicated at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on May 29, 2009. The control system has 60,000 hardware controls points and employs 2 million lines of control system code. The control room has highly automated equipment setup prior to firing laser system shots. This automation has a data driven implementation that is conducive to dynamic modification and optimization depending on the shot goals defined by the end user experimenters. NIF has extensive facility machine history and infrastructure maintenance workflow tools both under development and deployed. An extensive operational tools suite has been developed to support facility operations including experimental shot setup, machine readiness, machine health and safety, and machine history. The following paragraphs discuss the current state and future upgrades to these four categories of operational tools.« less

In vitro synthesis of the iron–molybdenum cofactor of nitrogenase from iron, sulfur, molybdenum, and homocitrate using purified proteins

PubMed Central

Curatti, Leonardo; Hernandez, Jose A.; Igarashi, Robert Y.; Soboh, Basem; Zhao, Dehua; Rubio, Luis M.

2007-01-01

Biological nitrogen fixation, the conversion of atmospheric N2 to NH3, is an essential process in the global biogeochemical cycle of nitrogen that supports life on Earth. Most of the biological nitrogen fixation is catalyzed by the molybdenum nitrogenase, which contains at its active site one of the most complex metal cofactors known to date, the iron–molybdenum cofactor (FeMo-co). FeMo-co is composed of 7Fe, 9S, Mo, R-homocitrate, and one unidentified light atom. Here we demonstrate the complete in vitro synthesis of FeMo-co from Fe2+, S2−, MoO42−, and R-homocitrate using only purified Nif proteins. This synthesis provides direct biochemical support to the current model of FeMo-co biosynthesis. A minimal in vitro system, containing NifB, NifEN, and NifH proteins, together with Fe2+, S2−, MoO42−, R-homocitrate, S-adenosyl methionine, and Mg-ATP, is sufficient for the synthesis of FeMo-co and the activation of apo-dinitrogenase under anaerobic-reducing conditions. This in vitro system also provides a biochemical approach to further study the function of accessory proteins involved in nitrogenase maturation (as shown here for NifX and NafY). The significance of these findings in the understanding of the complete FeMo-co biosynthetic pathway and in the study of other complex Fe-S cluster biosyntheses is discussed. PMID:17978192

Experimental Infections with Mycoplasma agalactiae Identify Key Factors Involved in Host-Colonization

PubMed Central

Baranowski, Eric; Bergonier, Dominique; Sagné, Eveline; Hygonenq, Marie-Claude; Ronsin, Patricia; Berthelot, Xavier; Citti, Christine

2014-01-01

Mechanisms underlying pathogenic processes in mycoplasma infections are poorly understood, mainly because of limited sequence similarities with classical, bacterial virulence factors. Recently, large-scale transposon mutagenesis in the ruminant pathogen Mycoplasma agalactiae identified the NIF locus, including nifS and nifU, as essential for mycoplasma growth in cell culture, while dispensable in axenic media. To evaluate the importance of this locus in vivo, the infectivity of two knock-out mutants was tested upon experimental infection in the natural host. In this model, the parental PG2 strain was able to establish a systemic infection in lactating ewes, colonizing various body sites such as lymph nodes and the mammary gland, even when inoculated at low doses. In these PG2-infected ewes, we observed over the course of infection (i) the development of a specific antibody response and (ii) dynamic changes in expression of M. agalactiae surface variable proteins (Vpma), with multiple Vpma profiles co-existing in the same animal. In contrast and despite a sensitive model, none of the knock-out mutants were able to survive and colonize the host. The extreme avirulent phenotype of the two mutants was further supported by the absence of an IgG response in inoculated animals. The exact role of the NIF locus remains to be elucidated but these data demonstrate that it plays a key role in the infectious process of M. agalactiae and most likely of other pathogenic mycoplasma species as many carry closely related homologs. PMID:24699671

Response of biological soil crust diazotrophs to season, altered summer precipitation, and year-round increased temperature in an arid grassland of the colorado plateau, USA.

PubMed

Yeager, Chris M; Kuske, Cheryl R; Carney, Travis D; Johnson, Shannon L; Ticknor, Lawrence O; Belnap, Jayne

2012-01-01

Biological soil crusts (biocrusts), which supply significant amounts of fixed nitrogen into terrestrial ecosystems worldwide (∼33 Tg y(-1)), are likely to respond to changes in temperature and precipitation associated with climate change. Using nifH gene-based surveys, we explored variation in the diazotrophic community of biocrusts of the Colorado Plateau, USA in response to season (autumn vs. spring), as well as field manipulations that increased the frequency of small volume precipitation events and year-round soil temperature. Abundance of nifH genes in biocrusts ranged from 3 × 10(6) to 1 × 10(8) g(-1) soil, and nifH from heterocystous cyanobacteria closely related to Scytonema hyalinum, Spirirestis rafaelensis, and Nostoc commune comprised >98% of the total. Although there was no apparent seasonal effect on total nifH gene abundance in the biocrusts, T-RFLP analysis revealed a strong seasonal pattern in nifH composition. SpirirestisnifH abundance was estimated to oscillate 1 to >2 orders of magnitude between autumn (low) and spring (high). A year-round increase of soil temperature (2-3°C) had little effect on the diazotroph community structure over 2 years. Altered summer precipitation had little impact on diazotroph community structure over the first 1.5 years of the study, when natural background patterns across years and seasons superseded any treatment effects. However, after the second summer of treatments, nifH abundance was 2.6-fold lower in biocrusts receiving altered precipitation. Heterocystous cyanobacteria were apparently more resilient to altered precipitation than other cyanobacteria. The results demonstrate that diazotrophic community composition of biocrusts in this semi-arid grassland undergoes strong seasonal shifts and that the abundance of its dominant members decreased in response to more frequent, small volume precipitation events.

Role of a Ferredoxin Gene Cotranscribed with the nifHDK Operon in N2 Fixation and Nitrogenase “Switch-Off” of Azoarcus sp. Strain BH72

PubMed Central

Egener, Tanja; Martin, Dietmar E.; Sarkar, Abhijit; Reinhold-Hurek, Barbara

2001-01-01

The endophytic diazotroph Azoarcus sp. strain BH72 is capable of infecting rice roots and of expressing the nitrogenase (nif) genes there. In order to study the genetic background for nitrogen fixation in strain BH72, the structural genes of nitrogenase (nifHDK) were cloned and sequenced. The sequence analysis revealed an unusual gene organization: downstream of nifHDK, a ferredoxin gene (fdxN; 59% amino acid sequence identity to R. capsulatus FdxN) and open reading frames showing 52 and 36% amino acid sequence identity to nifY of Pseudomonas stutzeri A15 and ORF1 of Azotobacter vinelandii were located. Northern blot analysis, reverse transcriptase PCR and primer extension analysis revealed that these six genes are located on one transcript transcribed from a ς54-type promoter. Shorter transcripts sequentially missing genes of the 3′ part of the full-length mRNA were more abundantly detected. Mutational analyses suggested that FdxN is an important but not the essential electron donor for dinitrogenase reductase. An in-frame deletion of fdxN resulted in reduced growth rates (59% ± 9%) and nitrogenase activities (81%) in nitrogen-fixing pure cultures in comparison to the wild type. Nitrogenase activity was fully complemented in an fdxN mutant which carried a nifH promoter-driven fdxN gene in trans. Also, in coculture with the ascomycete Acremonium alternatum, where strain BH72 develops intracytoplasmic membrane stacks, the nitrogenase activity in the fdxN deletion mutant was decreased to 56% of the wild-type level. Surprisingly, the fdxN deletion also had an effect on the rapid “switch-off” of nitrogenase activity in response to ammonium. Wild-type strain BH72 and the deletion mutant complemented with fdxN in trans showed a rapid reversible inactivation of acetylene reduction, while the deletion mutant did not cease to reduce acetylene. In concordance with the hypothesis that changes in the redox state of NifH or electron flux towards nitrogenase may be involved in the mechanism of physiological nitrogenase switch-off, our results suggest that the ferredoxin may be a component involved in this process. PMID:11371540

Impact of the haplotypes of the human pregnane X receptor gene on the basal and St John's wort-induced activity of cytochrome P450 3A4 enzyme

PubMed Central

Wang, Xue-Ding; Li, Jia-Li; Su, Qi-Biao; Guan, Su; Chen, Jie; Du, Jun; He, Yu-Wen; Zeng, Jun; Zhang, Jin-Xin; Chen, Xiao; Huang, Min; Zhou, Shu-Feng

2009-01-01

AIMS Human pregnane X receptor (PXR/NR1I2) is the master regulator of CYP3A4, which metabolizes >50% of drugs on the market. This study investigated the relationship between the two most frequent haplotypes [H1 (TCAGGGGCCACC) and H2 (CCGAAAACTAAT)] of PXR and basal and St John's wort (SJW)-induced CYP3A4 activity. METHODS Ten healthy subjects carrying H1 and H2 haplotypes (three subjects with H1/H1, four with H1/H2 and three with H2/H2) entered this study. The 10 subjects did not carry CYP3A4*4, *5 and *6. All subjects were administrated a 300-mg SJW tablet three times daily for 14 days, and CYP3A4 activity was measured using nifedipine (NIF) as a probe. The plasma concentrations of NIF and dehydronifedipine (DNIF) were determined by a validated liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry method. RESULTS After administration of SJW, the AUC0–∞ of NIF decreased significantly, and the AUC0–∞ of DNIF increased significantly (P < 0.05). For H1/H2, the AUC0–∞ of NIF decreased by 42.4%, and the AUC0–∞ of DNIF increased by 20.2%; for H2/H2, the AUC0–∞ of NIF decreased by 47.9%, and the AUC0–∞ of DNIF increased by 33.0%; for H1/H1, the AUC0–∞ of NIF decreased by 29.0%, yet the AUC0–∞ of DNIF increased by 106.7%. The increase of the AUC0–∞ of DNIF in H1/H1 was significantly different from the other two haplotype pairs (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, before administration of SJW, the ratio of AUC0–∞(DNIF)/AUC0–∞(NIF) was the lowest for H1/H1 (22.1%), compared with H1/H2 (58.7%) and H2/H2 (30.0%). CONCLUSIONS H1/H1 of the human PXR gene had weaker basal transcriptional activity but greater inducible transcriptional activity to CYP3A4 than H1/H2 and H2/H2. PMID:19173680

Comparison of the Three NIF Ablators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kritcher, A. L.; Clark, D. S.; Haan, S. W.

Indirect drive implosion experiments on NIF have now been performed using three different ablator materials: glow discharge polymer (GDP) or CH, high density carbon (HDC, which we also refer to as diamond), and sputtered beryllium (Be). It has been appreciated for some time that each of these materials has specific advantages and disadvantages as an ICF ablator.[1-4] In light of experiments conducted on NIF in the last few years, how do these ablators compare? Given current understanding, is any ablator more or less likely to reach ignition on NIF? Has the understanding of their respective strengths and weaknesses changed sincemore » NIF experiments began? How are those strengths and weaknesses highlighted by implosion designs currently being tested or planned for testing soon? This document aims to address these questions by combining modern simulation results with a survey of the current experimental data base. More particularly, this document is meant to fulfill an L2 Milestone for FY17 to “Document our understanding of the relative advantages and disadvantages of CH, HDC, and Be designs.” Note that this document does not aim to recommend a down-selection of the current three ablator choices. It is intended only to gather and document the current understanding of the differences between these ablators and thereby inform the choices made in planning future implosion experiments. This document has two themes: (i) We report on a reanalysis project in which post-shot simulations were done on a common basis for layered shots using each ablator. This included data from keyholes, 2D ConA, and so forth, from each campaign, leading up to the layered shots. (“Keyholes” are shots dedicated to measuring the shock timing in a NIF target, as described in Ref. 5. “2DConAs” are backlit implosions in which the symmetry of the implosion is measured between about half and full convergence, as described in Ref. 6.) This set of common-basis postshot simulations is compared to the respective shots. Each was then scaled to a “full NIF” experiment that could be done using the respective ablators at full NIF power and/or energy, and these scaled-up designs were simulated in detail. (ii) The report also contains a general survey of experimental and simulated results as pertinent to comparing and evaluating the three ablators.« less

In situ Expression of Functional Genes Reveals Nitrogen Cycling at High Temperatures in Terrestrial Hydrothermal Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loiacono, S. T.; Meyer-Dombard, D. R.

2011-12-01

An essential element for life, nitrogen occurs in all living organisms and is critical for the synthesis of amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids, and other forms of biomass. Thus, nitrogen cycling likely plays a vital role in microbial metabolic processes as well as nutrient availability. For microorganisms in "extreme" environments, this means developing adaptations that allow them to survive in harsh conditions and still perform the metabolisms essential to sustain life. Recent studies have screened biofilms and thermal sediments of Yellowstone National Park (YNP) thermal features for the presence of nifH genes, which code for a key enzyme in the nitrogen fixation process [1-4]. Furthermore, analysis of nitrogen isotopes in biofilms across a temperature and chemical gradient revealed that nitrogen fixation likely varies across the chemosynthetic/photosynthetic ecotone [5]. Although research has evaluated and confirmed the presence of nifH genes in various thermophilic microbial communities, the existence of a gene in the DNA of an organism does not verify its use. Instead, other methods, such as culturing, isotope tracer assays, and gene expression studies are required to provide direct evidence of biological nitrogen fixation. Culturing and isotope tracer approaches have successfully revealed high-temperature biological nitrogen fixation in both marine hydrothermal vent microbial communities [6] and in acidic, terrestrial hydrothermal sediment [3]. Transcriptomics-based techniques (using mRNA extracted from samples to confirm in situ expression of targeted genes) have been much more limited in number, and only a few studies have, to date, investigated in situ expression of the nifH gene in thermophilic microbial communities [2, 7]. This study explores the presence and expression of nifH genes in several features of the Lower Geyser Basin (LGB) of YNP. Nucleic acids from chemosynthetic and photosynthetic microbial communities were extracted and then amplified using (reverse-transcription) polymerase chain reaction to identify the presence and expression of nifH genes, and resultant (RT-)PCR product was cloned and sequenced. Results reveal high-temperature in situ expression of nifH in select LGB features [7] which is, to the authors' knowledge, the first direct evidence of nifH transcription in the chemosynthetic zones of terrestrial hydrothermal systems. Results also indicate the presence of novel nifH sequences and allow phylogenetic comparison of nifH genes along geochemical gradients within individual hot spring features and between various thermal features in the LGB. Collectively, these results provide evidence for microbial adaptations that have led to the ability to support basic metabolic processes under "extreme" conditions. [1] Hall et al., 2008. AEM 74: 4910-4922. [2] Steunou et al., 2008. The ISME Journal 2: 364-378. [3] Hamilton et al., 2011. Microb Ecol DOI 10.1007/s00248-011-9824-9. [4] Raymond et al., 2008. EOS Trans AGU. Abstract B14A-03. [5] Havig et al., 2010. J Geophys Res-Biogeo 116: G01005. [6] Mehta & Baross, 2006. Science 314: 1783-1786. [7] Loiacono et al., 2011. Submitted FEMS Microbiol Ecol.

ICF Annual Report 1997

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Correll, D

The continuing objective of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL's) Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) Program is the demonstration of thermonuclear fusion ignition and energy gain in the laboratory and to support the nuclear weapons program in its use of ICF facilities. The underlying theme of all ICF activities as a science research and development program is the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Defense Programs (DP) science-based Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP). The mission of the US Inertial Fusion Program is twofold: (1) to address high-energy-density physics issues for the SSP and (2) to develop a laboratory microfusion capability for defense and energy applications.more » In pursuit of this mission, the ICF Program has developed a state-of-the-art capability to investigate high-energy-density physics in the laboratory. The near-term goals pursued by the ICF Program in support of its mission are demonstrating fusion ignition in the laboratory and expanding the Program's capabilities in high-energy-density science. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) project is a cornerstone of this effort.« less

Money and Politics: Who Owns Democracy? NIF Report on the Issues, 2001.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Issues Forums, Dayton, OH.

National Issues Forums (NIF) bring together citizens to deliberate and make choices about challenging social and political issues of the day. These forums have addressed issues such as the economy, education, health care, foreign affairs, and crime. This report is an analysis of what happened in a forum on "Money and Politics" that took…

Perspectives: Using Historical Documents To Think about NIF Issues.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Archives and Records Service (GSA), Washington, DC.

The purpose of using historical documents in the classroom is to generate and enhance discussion by providing a historical perspective for issues. Five documents are included in this packet and are to be used as a supplemental material for the National Issues Forum (NIF) topics. Issues raised include (1) an analysis of the documents and (2)…

Proceedings of the twelfth target fabrication specialists` meeting

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1999-04-01

Research in fabrication for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) comprises at least three broad categories: targets for high energy density physics on existing drivers, ignition capsule fabrication, and cryogenic fuel layer formation. The latter two are being pursued primarily for the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Scientists from over 14 laboratories, universities, and businesses contributed over 100 papers on all aspects of ICF target fabrication. The NIF is well along in construction and photos of poured concrete and exposed steel added to the technical excitement. It was clear from the meeting that there has been significant progress toward the fabrication of anmore » ignition target for NIF and that new techniques are resulting in higher quality targets for high energy density research.« less

Neutron-induced reactions in the hohlraum to study reaction in flight neutrons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boswell, M. S.; Elliott, S. R.; Tybo, J.

2013-04-19

We are currently developing the physics necessary to measure the Reaction In Flight (RIF) neutron flux from a NIF capsule. A measurement of the RIF neutron flux from a NIF capsule could be used to deduce the stopping power in the cold fuel of the NIF capsule. A foil irradiated at the Omega laser at LLE was counted at the LANL low-background counting facility at WIPP. The estimated production rate of {sup 195}Au was just below our experimental sensitivity. We have made several improvements to our counting facility in recent months. These improvements are designed to increase our sensitivity, andmore » include installing two new low-background detectors, and taking steps to reduce noise in the signals.« less

Measuring spatial distributions of nuclear burn in ICF implosions at OMEGA and the NIF using proton emission imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seguin, Fredrick; Rinderknecht, H. G.; Zylstra, A.; Sio, H.; Frenje, J.; Li, C. K.; Petrasso, R.; Rosenberg, M.; Marshall, F. J.; Sangster, T. C.; McKenty, P.; Craxton, S.; Rygg, J. R.; Le Pape, S.; Smalyuk, V.; Amendt, P. A.; Wilks, S. C.; MacKinnon, A.; Hoffman, N. M.

2015-11-01

Fusion reactions in ICF implosions of D3He-filled capsules produce 14.7-MeV D3He protons and 3-MeV DD protons. Spatial distributions of the D3He and DD reactions are studied with a penumbral imaging camera that utilizes a CR-39-based imaging detector to detect the protons. Up to three orthogonal cameras have been used simultaneously at OMEGA to study the 3-D structure of asymmetric implosions, and two orthogonal cameras have now been used to study an exploding-pusher implosion at the NIF. Recent data from OMEGA and from the NIF will be shown. This work was supported in part by NLUF, US DOE, and LLE.

Neutron peak velocity measurements at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) using novel quartz detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grim, Gary; Eckart, Mark; Hartouni, Edward; Hatarik, Robert; Moore, Alastair; Root, Jaben; Sayre, Daniel; Schlossberg, David; Waltz, Cory

2017-10-01

In mid-2017 the NIF implemented quartz based neutron time-of-flight (nToF) detectors which have a faster and narrower impulse response function (IRF) relative to traditional scintillator detectors. In this presentation we report on comparisons between fusion neutron first moments as measured by quartz and scintillator based detectors using DT layered implosions at the NIF. We report on the change in precision presaged by the quartz converter and quantify the change in both in shot, line-of-site velocity variability. as well as, shot-to-shot variation. Work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. LLNL-ABS-734511-DRAFT.

Mitigation of Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Effects from Short-Pulse Lasers and Fusion Neutrons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eder, D C; Throop, A; Brown, Jr., C G

2009-03-06

Our research focused on obtaining a fundamental understanding of the source and properties of EMP at the Titan PW(petawatt)-class laser facility. The project was motivated by data loss and damage to components due to EMP, which can limit diagnostic techniques that can be used reliably at short-pulse PW-class laser facilities. Our measurements of the electromagnetic fields, using a variety of probes, provide information on the strength, time duration, and frequency dependence of the EMP. We measure electric field strengths in the 100's of kV/m range, durations up to 100 ns, and very broad frequency response extending out to 5 GHzmore » and possibly beyond. This information is being used to design shielding to mitigate the effects of EMP on components at various laser facilities. We showed the need for well-shielded cables and oscilloscopes to obtain high quality data. Significant work was invested in data analysis techniques to process this data. This work is now being transferred to data analysis procedures for the EMP diagnostics being fielded on the National Ignition Facility (NIF). In addition to electromagnetic field measurements, we measured the spatial and energy distribution of electrons escaping from targets. This information is used as input into the 3D electromagnetic code, EMSolve, which calculates time dependent electromagnetic fields. The simulation results compare reasonably well with data for both the strength and broad frequency bandwidth of the EMP. This modeling work required significant improvements in EMSolve to model the fields in the Titan chamber generated by electrons escaping the target. During dedicated Titan shots, we studied the effects of varying laser energy, target size, and pulse duration on EMP properties. We also studied the effect of surrounding the target with a thick conducting sphere and cube as a potential mitigation approach. System generated EMP (SGEMP) in coaxial cables does not appear to be a significant at Titan. Our results are directly relevant to planned short-pulse ARC (advanced radiographic capability) operation on NIF.« less

Applications and results of X-ray spectroscopy in implosion experiments on the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Epstein, R.; Regan, S. P.; Hammel, B. A.; Suter, L. J.; Scott, H. A.; Barrios, M. A.; Bradley, D. K.; Callahan, D. A.; Cerjan, C.; Collins, G. W.; Dixit, S. N.; Döppner, T.; Edwards, M. J.; Farley, D. R.; Fournier, K. B.; Glenn, S.; Glenzer, S. H.; Golovkin, I. E.; Hamza, A.; Hicks, D. G.; Izumi, N.; Jones, O. S.; Key, M. H.; Kilkenny, J. D.; Kline, J. L.; Kyrala, G. A.; Landen, O. L.; Ma, T.; MacFarlane, J. J.; Mackinnon, A. J.; Mancini, R. C.; McCrory, R. L.; Meyerhofer, D. D.; Meezan, N. B.; Nikroo, A.; Park, H.-S.; Patel, P. K.; Ralph, J. E.; Remington, B. A.; Sangster, T. C.; Smalyuk, V. A.; Springer, P. T.; Town, R. P. J.; Tucker, J. L.

2017-03-01

Current inertial confinement fusion experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) [G. H. Miller, E. I. Moses, and C. R. Wuest, Opt. Eng. 43, 2841 (2004)] are attempting to demonstrate thermonuclear ignition using x-ray drive by imploding spherical targets containing hydrogen-isotope fuel in the form of a thin cryogenic layer surrounding a central volume of fuel vapor [J. Lindl, Phys. Plasmas 2, 3933 (1995)]. The fuel is contained within a plastic ablator layer with small concentrations of one or more mid-Z elements, e.g., Ge or Cu. The capsule implodes, driven by intense x-ray emission from the inner surface of a hohlraum enclosure irradiated by the NIF laser, and fusion reactions occur in the central hot spot near the time of peak compression. Ignition will occur if the hot spot within the compressed fuel layer attains a high-enough areal density to retain enough of the reaction product energy to reach nuclear reaction temperatures within the inertial hydrodynamic disassembly time of the fuel mass [J. Lindl, Phys. Plasmas 2, 3933 (1995)]. The primary purpose of the ablator dopants is to shield the ablator surface adjacent to the DT ice from heating by the hohlraum x-ray drive [S. W. Haan et al., Phys. Plasmas 18, 051001 (2011)]. Simulations predicted that these dopants would produce characteristic K-shell emission if ablator material mixed into the hot spot [B. A. Hammel et al., High Energy Density Phys. 6, 171 (2010)]. In NIF ignition experiments, emission and absorption features from these dopants appear in x-ray spectra measured with the hot-spot x-ray spectrometer in Supersnout II [S. P. Regan et al., "Hot-Spot X-Ray Spectrometer for the National Ignition Facility," to be submitted to Review of Scientific Instruments]. These include K-shell emission lines from the hot spot (driven primarily by inner-shell collisional ionization and dielectronic recombination) and photoionization edges, fluorescence, and absorption lines caused by the absorption of the hot-spot continuum in the shell. These features provide diagnostics of the central hot spot and the compressed shell, plus a measure of the shell mass that has mixed into the hot spot [S. P. Regan et al., Phys. Plasmas 19, 056307 (2012)] and evidence locating the origin of the mixed shell mass in the imploding ablator [S. P. Regan et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 045001 (2013)]. Spectra are analyzed and interpreted using detailed atomic models (including radiation-transport effects) to determine the characteristic temperatures, densities, and sizes of the emitting regions. A mix diagnostic based on enhanced continuum x-ray production, relative to neutron yield, provides sensitivity to the undoped shell material mixed into the hot spot [T. Ma et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 111, 085004 (2013)]. Together, these mix-mass measurements confirm that mix is a serious impediment to ignition. The spectroscopy and atomic physics of shell dopants have become essential in confronting this impediment and will be described.

Stockpile Stewardship: How We Ensure the Nuclear Deterrent Without Testing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2014-09-04

In the 1990s, the U.S. nuclear weapons program shifted emphasis from developing new designs to dismantling thousands of existing weapons and maintaining a much smaller enduring stockpile. The United States ceased underground nuclear testing, and the Department of Energy created the Stockpile Stewardship Program to maintain the safety, security, and reliability of the U.S. nuclear deterrent without full-scale testing. This video gives a behind the scenes look at a set of unique capabilities at Lawrence Livermore that are indispensable to the Stockpile Stewardship Program: high performance computing, the Superblock category II nuclear facility, the JASPER a two stage gas gun,more » the High Explosive Applications Facility (HEAF), the National Ignition Facility (NIF), and the Site 300 contained firing facility.« less

Phylogeny and phylogeography of functional genes shared among seven terrestrial subsurface metagenomes reveal N-cycling and microbial evolutionary relationships

PubMed Central

Lau, Maggie C. Y.; Cameron, Connor; Magnabosco, Cara; Brown, C. Titus; Schilkey, Faye; Grim, Sharon; Hendrickson, Sarah; Pullin, Michael; Sherwood Lollar, Barbara; van Heerden, Esta; Kieft, Thomas L.; Onstott, Tullis C.

2014-01-01

Comparative studies on community phylogenetics and phylogeography of microorganisms living in extreme environments are rare. Terrestrial subsurface habitats are valuable for studying microbial biogeographical patterns due to their isolation and the restricted dispersal mechanisms. Since the taxonomic identity of a microorganism does not always correspond well with its functional role in a particular community, the use of taxonomic assignments or patterns may give limited inference on how microbial functions are affected by historical, geographical and environmental factors. With seven metagenomic libraries generated from fracture water samples collected from five South African mines, this study was carried out to (1) screen for ubiquitous functions or pathways of biogeochemical cycling of CH4, S, and N; (2) to characterize the biodiversity represented by the common functional genes; (3) to investigate the subsurface biogeography as revealed by this subset of genes; and (4) to explore the possibility of using metagenomic data for evolutionary study. The ubiquitous functional genes are NarV, NPD, PAPS reductase, NifH, NifD, NifK, NifE, and NifN genes. Although these eight common functional genes were taxonomically and phylogenetically diverse and distinct from each other, the dissimilarity between samples did not correlate strongly with geographical or environmental parameters or residence time of the water. Por genes homologous to those of Thermodesulfovibrio yellowstonii detected in all metagenomes were deep lineages of Nitrospirae, suggesting that subsurface habitats have preserved ancestral genetic signatures that inform the study of the origin and evolution of prokaryotes. PMID:25400621

Regulation of nif gene expression and the energetics of N2 fixation over the diel cycle in a hot spring microbial mat.

PubMed

Steunou, Anne-Soisig; Jensen, Sheila I; Brecht, Eric; Becraft, Eric D; Bateson, Mary M; Kilian, Oliver; Bhaya, Devaki; Ward, David M; Peters, John W; Grossman, Arthur R; Kühl, Michael

2008-04-01

Nitrogen fixation, a prokaryotic, O2-inhibited process that reduces N2 gas to biomass, is of paramount importance in biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen. We analyzed the levels of nif transcripts of Synechococcus ecotypes, NifH subunit and nitrogenase activity over the diel cycle in the microbial mat of an alkaline hot spring in Yellowstone National Park. The results showed a rise in nif transcripts in the evening, with a subsequent decline over the course of the night. In contrast, immunological data demonstrated that the level of the NifH polypeptide remained stable during the night, and only declined when the mat became oxic in the morning. Nitrogenase activity was low throughout the night; however, it exhibited two peaks, a small one in the evening and a large one in the early morning, when light began to stimulate cyanobacterial photosynthetic activity, but O2 consumption by respiration still exceeded the rate of O2 evolution. Once the irradiance increased to the point at which the mat became oxic, the nitrogenase activity was strongly inhibited. Transcripts for proteins associated with energy-producing metabolisms in the cell also followed diel patterns, with fermentation-related transcripts accumulating at night, photosynthesis- and respiration-related transcripts accumulating during the day and late afternoon, respectively. These results are discussed with respect to the energetics and regulation of N2 fixation in hot spring mats and factors that can markedly influence the extent of N2 fixation over the diel cycle.

Molecular characterization of diazotrophic and denitrifying bacteria associated with mangrove roots.

PubMed

Flores-Mireles, Ana L; Winans, Stephen C; Holguin, Gina

2007-11-01

An analysis of the molecular diversity of N(2) fixers and denitrifiers associated with mangrove roots was performed using terminal restriction length polymorphism (T-RFLP) of nifH (N(2) fixation) and nirS and nirK (denitrification), and the compositions and structures of these communities among three sites were compared. The number of operational taxonomic units (OTU) for nifH was higher than that for nirK or nirS at all three sites. Site 3, which had the highest organic matter and sand content in the rhizosphere sediment, as well as the lowest pore water oxygen concentration, had the highest nifH diversity. Principal component analysis of biogeochemical parameters identified soil texture, organic matter content, pore water oxygen concentration, and salinity as the main variables that differentiated the sites. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (MDS) analyses of the T-RFLP data using the Bray-Curtis coefficient, group analyses, and pairwise comparisons between the sites clearly separated the OTU of site 3 from those of sites 1 and 2. For nirS, there were statistically significant differences in the composition of OTU among the sites, but the variability was less than for nifH. OTU defined on the basis of nirK were highly similar, and the three sites were not clearly separated on the basis of these sequences. The phylogenetic trees of nifH, nirK, and nirS showed that most of the cloned sequences were more similar to sequences from the rhizosphere isolates than to those from known strains or from other environments.

Molecular Characterization of Diazotrophic and Denitrifying Bacteria Associated with Mangrove Roots▿

PubMed Central

Flores-Mireles, Ana L.; Winans, Stephen C.; Holguin, Gina

2007-01-01

An analysis of the molecular diversity of N2 fixers and denitrifiers associated with mangrove roots was performed using terminal restriction length polymorphism (T-RFLP) of nifH (N2 fixation) and nirS and nirK (denitrification), and the compositions and structures of these communities among three sites were compared. The number of operational taxonomic units (OTU) for nifH was higher than that for nirK or nirS at all three sites. Site 3, which had the highest organic matter and sand content in the rhizosphere sediment, as well as the lowest pore water oxygen concentration, had the highest nifH diversity. Principal component analysis of biogeochemical parameters identified soil texture, organic matter content, pore water oxygen concentration, and salinity as the main variables that differentiated the sites. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (MDS) analyses of the T-RFLP data using the Bray-Curtis coefficient, group analyses, and pairwise comparisons between the sites clearly separated the OTU of site 3 from those of sites 1 and 2. For nirS, there were statistically significant differences in the composition of OTU among the sites, but the variability was less than for nifH. OTU defined on the basis of nirK were highly similar, and the three sites were not clearly separated on the basis of these sequences. The phylogenetic trees of nifH, nirK, and nirS showed that most of the cloned sequences were more similar to sequences from the rhizosphere isolates than to those from known strains or from other environments. PMID:17827324

Differential accumulation of nif structural gene mRNA in Azotobacter vinelandii.

PubMed

Hamilton, Trinity L; Jacobson, Marty; Ludwig, Marcus; Boyd, Eric S; Bryant, Donald A; Dean, Dennis R; Peters, John W

2011-09-01

Northern analysis was employed to investigate mRNA produced by mutant strains of Azotobacter vinelandii with defined deletions in the nif structural genes and in the intergenic noncoding regions. The results indicate that intergenic RNA secondary structures effect the differential accumulation of transcripts, supporting the high Fe protein-to-MoFe protein ratio required for optimal diazotrophic growth.

NiF2 Cathodes For Rechargeable Na Batteries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bugga, Ratnakumar V.; Distefano, Salvador; Halpert, Gerald

1992-01-01

Use of NiF2 cathodes in medium-to-high-temperature rechargeable sodium batteries increases energy and power densities by 25 to 30 percent without detracting from potential advantage of safety this type of sodium battery offers over sodium batteries having sulfur cathodes. High-energy-density sodium batteries with metal fluoride cathodes used in electric vehicles and for leveling loads on powerlines.

Description of the NIF Laser

DOE PAGES

Spaeth, M. L.; Manes, K. R.; Kalantar, D. H.; ...

2017-03-23

The possibility of imploding small capsules to produce mini-fusion explosions was explored soon after the first thermonuclear explosions in the early 1950s. Various technologies have been pursued to achieve the focused power and energy required for laboratory-scale fusion. Each technology has its own challenges. For example, electron and ion beams can deliver the large amounts of energy but must contend with Coulomb repulsion forces that make focusing these beams a daunting challenge. The demonstration of the first laser in 1960 provided a new option. Energy from laser beams can be focused and deposited within a small volume; the challenge becamemore » whether a practical laser system can be constructed that delivers the power and energy required while meeting all other demands for achieving a high-density, symmetric implosion. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is the laser designed and built to meet the challenges for study of high-energy-density physics and inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosions. This study describes the architecture, systems, and subsystems of NIF. Finally, it describes how they partner with each other to meet these new, complex demands and describes how laser science and technology were woven together to bring NIF into reality.« less

An exploration of Lasnex designs to support the MShock campaign at NIF

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

DeVolder, Barbara Gloria

In support of planned MShock experiments at NIF, Lasnex is being used to explore possible laser sources and halfraum designs that launch two shocks into an ablator - shock tube configuration. Two design features were investigated: (1) launching a two-component laser source consisting of an early pre-pulse separated in time from a later main pulse, to create two shocks, and (2) adding a liner on the inner surface of the gold wall of the halfraum, to delay or prevent gold stagnation on-axis and to preserve the effectiveness of the second laser pulse. The clearest indication of two shocks propagating inmore » the shock tube occurred when the pre-pulse mimicked a direct drive, achieved by re-pointing the inner beam cones, and when a liner was used to ensure that the free-electron number density was below the critical density for NIF. Additional simulations (presented in the Appendix) that used the two-component laser source but focused on specific choices in laser-pulse design space, as proposed by Kirk Flippo for use in the first MShock experiments at NIF, also demonstrated the presence of two shocks.« less

The NIF DISCO Framework: Facilitating Automated Integration of Neuroscience Content on the Web

PubMed Central

Marenco, Luis; Wang, Rixin; Shepherd, Gordon M.; Miller, Perry L.

2013-01-01

This paper describes the capabilities of DISCO, an extensible approach that supports integrative Web-based information dissemination. DISCO is a component of the Neuroscience Information Framework (NIF), an NIH Neuroscience Blueprint initiative that facilitates integrated access to diverse neuroscience resources via the Internet. DISCO facilitates the automated maintenance of several distinct capabilities using a collection of files 1) that are maintained locally by the developers of participating neuroscience resources and 2) that are “harvested” on a regular basis by a central DISCO server. This approach allows central NIF capabilities to be updated as each resource’s content changes over time. DISCO currently supports the following capabilities: 1) resource descriptions, 2) “LinkOut” to a resource’s data items from NCBI Entrez resources such as PubMed, 3) Web-based interoperation with a resource, 4) sharing a resource’s lexicon and ontology, 5) sharing a resource’s database schema, and 6) participation by the resource in neuroscience-related RSS news dissemination. The developers of a resource are free to choose which DISCO capabilities their resource will participate in. Although DISCO is used by NIF to facilitate neuroscience data integration, its capabilities have general applicability to other areas of research. PMID:20387131

The NIF DISCO Framework: facilitating automated integration of neuroscience content on the web.

PubMed

Marenco, Luis; Wang, Rixin; Shepherd, Gordon M; Miller, Perry L

2010-06-01

This paper describes the capabilities of DISCO, an extensible approach that supports integrative Web-based information dissemination. DISCO is a component of the Neuroscience Information Framework (NIF), an NIH Neuroscience Blueprint initiative that facilitates integrated access to diverse neuroscience resources via the Internet. DISCO facilitates the automated maintenance of several distinct capabilities using a collection of files 1) that are maintained locally by the developers of participating neuroscience resources and 2) that are "harvested" on a regular basis by a central DISCO server. This approach allows central NIF capabilities to be updated as each resource's content changes over time. DISCO currently supports the following capabilities: 1) resource descriptions, 2) "LinkOut" to a resource's data items from NCBI Entrez resources such as PubMed, 3) Web-based interoperation with a resource, 4) sharing a resource's lexicon and ontology, 5) sharing a resource's database schema, and 6) participation by the resource in neuroscience-related RSS news dissemination. The developers of a resource are free to choose which DISCO capabilities their resource will participate in. Although DISCO is used by NIF to facilitate neuroscience data integration, its capabilities have general applicability to other areas of research.

NIF Double Shell outer/inner shell collision experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merritt, E. C.; Loomis, E. N.; Wilson, D. C.; Cardenas, T.; Montgomery, D. S.; Daughton, W. S.; Dodd, E. S.; Desjardins, T.; Renner, D. B.; Palaniyappan, S.; Batha, S. H.; Khan, S. F.; Smalyuk, V.; Ping, Y.; Amendt, P.; Schoff, M.; Hoppe, M.

2017-10-01

Double shell capsules are a potential low convergence path to substantial alpha-heating and ignition on NIF, since they are predicted to ignite and burn at relatively low temperatures via volume ignition. Current LANL NIF double shell designs consist of a low-Z ablator, low-density foam cushion, and high-Z inner shell with liquid DT fill. Central to the Double Shell concept is kinetic energy transfer from the outer to inner shell via collision. The collision determines maximum energy available for compression and implosion shape of the fuel. We present results of a NIF shape-transfer study: two experiments comparing shape and trajectory of the outer and inner shells at post-collision times. An outer-shell-only target shot measured the no-impact shell conditions, while an `imaging' double shell shot measured shell conditions with impact. The `imaging' target uses a low-Z inner shell and is designed to perform in similar collision physics space to a high-Z double shell but can be radiographed at 16keV, near the viable 2DConA BL energy limit. Work conducted under the auspices of the U.S. DOE by LANL under contract DE-AC52-06NA25396.

Radiation effects on active camera electronics in the target chamber at the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dayton, M.; Datte, P.; Carpenter, A.; Eckart, M.; Manuel, A.; Khater, H.; Hargrove, D.; Bell, P.

2017-08-01

The National Ignition Facility's (NIF) harsh radiation environment can cause electronics to malfunction during high-yield DT shots. Until now there has been little experience fielding electronic-based cameras in the target chamber under these conditions; hence, the performance of electronic components in NIF's radiation environment was unknown. It is possible to purchase radiation tolerant devices, however, they are usually qualified for radiation environments different to NIF, such as space flight or nuclear reactors. This paper presents the results from a series of online experiments that used two different prototype camera systems built from non-radiation hardened components and one commercially available camera that permanently failed at relatively low total integrated dose. The custom design built in Livermore endured a 5 × 1015 neutron shot without upset, while the other custom design upset at 2 × 1014 neutrons. These results agreed with offline testing done with a flash x-ray source and a 14 MeV neutron source, which suggested a methodology for developing and qualifying electronic systems for NIF. Further work will likely lead to the use of embedded electronic systems in the target chamber during high-yield shots.