NIST Technicalendar January 26 to January 30, 2009 The NIST Technicalendar is issued each Friday. All items MUST be submitted electronically from this web page by 12:00 NOON each Wednesday unless otherwise stated in the NIST Technicalendar. The address for online weekly editions of the NIST Technicalendar and NIST Administrative Calendar is: http://www.nist.gov/tcal/.

In this Issue: Meetings at NIST Meetings Elsewhere Announcements Talks by NIST Personnel NIST Web Site Announcements NIST Administrative Calendar (current)   NIST Vacancy Announcements (current)

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No Scheduled Events

10:00 AM - Measurement Science for Complex Information Systems
10:30 AM - ***** POSTPONED UNTIL FEBRUARY 17 ****** Fundamental constants and tests of theory in Rydberg states of hydrogen-like ions ***** POSTPONED ******

11:00 AM - Some Statistical Techniques for Comparing Cell Colonies Using Shape

10:30 AM - Understanding nanostructure nucleation, growth and growth termination through real time TEM observations
11:00 AM - MSEL Sustainability Seminar Series--Carbon Capture Options for Coal Power Generation Plants :Challenges and Opportunities

No Scheduled Events

1/26 -- MONDAY

No Scheduled Events

1/27 -- TUESDAY

10:00 AM - LECTURE SERIES OF THE COMPLEX SYSTEMS PROGRAM OF ITL: Measurement Science for Complex Information Systems
ABSTRACT: Modern distributed systems, such as the Internet, consist of millions of independent components whose collective behavior exhibits macroscopic properties, which feedback to the components, altering their behavior and exerting additional influence on observed macroscopic properties. These feedback loops cause difficulty in predicting global behavior, which emerges in a large system. As a result, injecting new technology into such systems risks unexpected, undesirable behaviors. To overcome this problem, NIST researchers are defining methods to measure, understand and predict macroscopic behavior in large, distributed systems; aiming toward a measurement science for complex information systems. This lecture introduces the motivation underlying the research, identifies the major research challenges and outlines project organization. The bulk of the lecture investigates a specific challenge problem: predicting effects on macroscopic network behavior from adopting proposed replacement congestion-control algorithms for the Internet. THE SPEAKER: Kevin Mills has held various research and management positions at NIST since 1982, except for three years as a DARPA program manager. Mills, who received his PhD in information technology from George Mason University (GMU), worked for five years in industry and the USMC, where he developed real-time systems. Concurrent with his NIST career, Dr. Mills served for ten years on the adjunct faculty of the GMU School for Information Technology and Engineering. He is a senior member of the IEEE. For more information about Dr. Mills, please consult: http://www.antd.nist.gov/~mills
Kevin Mills , Senior Research Scientist, NIST, Gaithersburg, MD, kevin.mills@nist.gov.
Administration Bldg, Lecture Rm. B. (NIST Contact: Sandy Ressler, 301-975-3549, sandy.ressler@nist.gov)

10:30 AM - ATOMIC PHYSICS DIVISION SEMINAR: ***** POSTPONED UNTIL FEBRUARY 17 ****** Fundamental constants and tests of theory in Rydberg states of hydrogen-like ions ***** POSTPONED ******
Comparison of precision frequency measurements to quantum electrodynamics (QED) predictions for Rydberg states of hydrogen-like ions can yield information on values of fundamental constants and test theory. In this talk, simplifications in the theory for Rydberg states that allow a substantial improvement in the accuracy of the predicted levels, will be described. For these states, the fact that the wave function is small near the nucleus results in the finite nuclear size correction being completely negligible. Also, for Rydberg states, the higher-order terms in the QED corrections are relatively smaller than they are for S states, so theoretical expressions with a given number of terms are more accurate. With these improvements, the uncertainty in the predictions is dominated by the uncertainty in the Rydberg constant, the electron-nucleus mass ratio, and the fine-structure constant.
Peter Mohr , NIST Atomic Physics Division.
221 Bldg, Rm. B-145. (NIST Contact: Gail Newrock, 301-975-3200, gail.newrock@nist.gov)


1/28 -- WEDNESDAY

11:00 AM - STATISTICAL ENGINEERING DIVISION SEMINAR: Some Statistical Techniques for Comparing Cell Colonies Using Shape
Biological activity within a cell is important for numerous reasons, the medical reason being one of many. One response to activity that can be visualized is a cell's morphology. Using fluorescence microscopy, cell shapes can be imaged. A population of identical cells exhibits a distribution of shape responses. In this brief introduction, I will discuss several statistical techniques that may be useful in comparing shape populations. Simple one dimensional discriptors will be discussed, as well as, more advanced methods based on the Fourier transform and the Procrustes metric.
Charles Hagwood , Statistical Engineering Division/NIST.
Building 222, Rm. A326. (NIST Contact: John Lu, 301-975-3208, john.lu@nist.gov)


1/29 -- THURSDAY

10:30 AM - CNST NANOTECHNOLOGY SEMINAR SERIES: Understanding nanostructure nucleation, growth and growth termination through real time TEM observations
In order for nanostructure materials to find application in real technologies, we must have a thorough understanding of how to create reproducible materials. I will detail our work using environmental and ultra-high vacuum transmission electron microscopy methods to image nanostructure nucleation and growth as it happens, thereby allowing unique insights into both growth mechanisms and kinetics. In particular, I will describe in detail the kinetics of the vapor-liquid-solid growth of silicon nanowires, with a focus on the kinetics of both Au dissolution in the AuSi eutectic liquid, and on the nucleation of Si from this same liquid at higher saturations. Careful quantification of the images and correlation with a simple model of the process indicates that the nucleation process is highly repeatable down to very small scales (of order 10 nm), and that we can extract information regarding the critical supersaturations required for nucleation. I will also discuss our latest results concerning growth termination during the creation of carbon nanotube 'carpets', wherein we correlate the end of growth with an Ostwald ripening of the catalysts require to mediate the conversion of hydrocarbon source gases to carbon nanotubes. Throughout, I will try to demonstrate the power of the in-situ TEM technique to visualize how things happen during nanostructure creation.
Eric Stach , Director, Purdue Electron Microscopy Consortium,.
Bldg. 215, Rm. C103-C106. (NIST Contact: Nikolai Zhitenev, 301-975-6039, nikolai.zhitenev@nist.gov)

11:00 AM - MSEL SUSTAINABILITY SEMINAR SERIES: MSEL Sustainability Seminar Series--Carbon Capture Options for Coal Power Generation Plants :Challenges and Opportunities
In the United States, 50% of the nation's total electricity (2000 Billion Kilowatthours) comes from coal generation. Coal makes up nearly 85% of U.S. fuel resources and, at present rates of consumption, should last for more than 250 years. By the year 2030, electricity consumption is expected to grow by 30% in the U.S. and by 85% worldwide [1,2]. Finally, coal provides nearly $80 billion dollars a year to the economy of the United States and stimulates over one million jobs [3]. While coal is expected to be an important part of the energy mix for a long time to come, the environmental impacts of coal during mining and use must be addressed through technological innovations. For example, coal-based power plants in the U.S. release nearly 2 billion metric tonnes per year of carbon dioxide (CO2) [4], one of the major greenhouse gases that is believed to contribute to the global climate change. Currently there is no U.S. policy on carbon emissions. The existing processes for capturing CO2 from flue gases on coal-fired power plants are expensive and account for more than 80% of the total cost of an integrated carbon sequestration process. The high capture cost results from both high energy consumption and high capital cost. For example, the cost for CO2 removal from pulverized coal (PC) power plants with a state-of-the-art mono-ethanol-amine (MEA)-based absorption process typically ranges 40–60 $/ton CO2 avoided. A key technical and economic challenge is to develop advanced technologies that can reduce the avoidance cost to below $30/ton CO2. In this presentation, a review and suitability of various commercially available and emerging technologies for CO2 capture from coal power generation plants will be presented. These will include post-combustion, pre-combustion, and oxy-combustion options. The advantages and disadvantages of each class of technology will be discussed. [1] Energy Information Administration, Annual Energy Outlook, 2008; [2] Energy Information Administration, System for the Analysis of Global Energy Markets, 2007; [3] http://nationalcoalcouncil.org; [4] Annual Energy Outlook, 2007.
Massoud Rostam-Abadi , Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, massoud@isgs.illinois.edu.
MSEL (Building 223), Rm. B307. (NIST Contact: Winnie Wong-Ng, 301-975-5791, winnie.wong-ng@nist.gov)


1/30 -- FRIDAY

No Scheduled Events

ADVANCE NOTICE

2/2/09 1:00 PM - IONIZING RADIATION DIVISION SEMINAR: Comsol Multiphysics Modeling Workshop
Comsol Multiphysics is a complete, general-purpose finite-element modeling environment for conducting simulations of real-world physical problems. This seminar will provide an overview of the range of problems that can be solved with COMSOL and show how easy it is to get fast visual insights into your designs or research through worked examples. Applications include energy, biotechnology, MEMS, photonics, electromagnetic-structural interactions, fluid-structural interactions, RF electromagnetics, acoustics, environmental simulations, chemical reaction processes and more. This workshop session is designed to give you an overview of COMSOL's capabilities and to demonstrate the process of setting up and solving multiphysics simulations with COMSOL. These demonstration examples are followed by a short series of quick hands-on examples designed to provide practical experience and to show how easy it is to solve simulations with COMSOL. We will give you step-by-step tutorials on Heat Transfer, Chemical Engineering and MEMS. Attendees are encouraged to bring their laptop computers for the hands-on exercises. The seminar is FREE, but seating is limited. Please register via the link below:
John Dunec, PhD , Branch Manager, Comsol Multiphysics.
215-AML Bldg, Rm. C103-C106. (NIST Contact: Ron Tosh, 301-975-5591, rtosh@nist.gov) http://www.comsol.com/events/cmmw/6276/

2/4/09 10:30 AM - CHEMICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL REFERENCE DATA DIVISION SEMINAR: Microscopic Behavior of Ions in Unsaturated Aqueous Solutions
S Hassan , Dr./Center for Molecular Modeling, NIH.
Physics (221) Bldg, Rm. A366. (NIST Contact: Raymond Mountain, 301-975-2484, raymond.mountain@nist.gov)

2/5/09 2:00 PM - ELECTRON AND OPTICAL PHYSICS DIVISION SEMINAR: New techniques for calculating long-range atomic interactions
The long-range interactions of atoms are of increasing interest due to their relevance in various application areas of cold atom physics. I describe a large-scale project aimed developing mechanical procedures for the determinaton of inter-atomic long range dispersion forces. The presentation discusses why dispersion forces are important, how they are calculated, the scope of the project and the current state of progress. As the road to dispersion forces involves polarization interactions we discuss related work aimed at interpreting recent Resonant Excitation Stark Ionization Spectroscopy experiments that have recently reported high accuracy dipole polarizabilities for some positively charged ions.
James Mitroy , Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia.
Radiation Physics Bldg, Rm. B105. (NIST Contact: Charles Clark, 301-975-3709, charles.clark@nist.gov)
Special Assistance Available

2/6/09 10:30 AM - NIST COLLOQUIUM SERIES: Burj Dubai: the World's Tallest Building
The Burj Dubai represents the state-of-the-art in tall building design. Once completed, it will be not only the world's tallest building, but the tallest man-made structure ever created. From the project's initial concept design through construction, the combination of several important technological innovations results in a building of unprecedented height. This lecture will describe some of the structural design methods, materials, and construction techniques which enable the creation of a superstructure that is both efficient and robust.
William Baker , Partner, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, Structural and Civil Engineering Branch.
Administration Building, Green Auditorium. (NIST Contact: Kum Ham, 301-975-4203, kham@nist.gov)
Special Assistance Available

2/17/09 10:30 AM - ATOMIC PHYSICS DIVISION SEMINAR: NOTE: DATE CHANGE ** Fundamental Constants and Tests of Theory in Rydberg States of Hydrogen-Like Ions ** NOTE: DATE CHANGE
Comparison of precision frequency measurements to quantum electrodynamics (QED) predictions for Rydberg states of hydrogen-like ions can yield information on values of fundamental constants and test theory. In this talk, simplifications in the theory for Rydberg states that allow a substantial improvement in the accuracy of the predicted levels, will be described. For these states, the fact that the wave function is small near the nucleus results in the finite nuclear size correction being completely negligible. Also, for Rydberg states, the higher-order terms in the QED corrections are relatively smaller than they are for S states, so theoretical expressions with a given number of terms are more accurate. With these improvements, the uncertainty in the predictions is dominated by the uncertainty in the Rydberg constant, the electron-nucleus mass ratio, and the fine-structure constant.
Peter Mohr , Atomic Physics Division, NIST.
Physics Building, Room B145. (NIST Contact: Gail Newrock, 301-975-3200, gail.newrock@nist.gov)

3/2/09 10:30 AM - CNST ELECTRON PHYSICS GROUP SEMINAR: DYNAMICAL MEASUREMENTS WITH A NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE FORCE MICROSCOPE
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Force Microscopy (NMRFM) is a technique that combines the fine resolution of scanning probe microscopy with the spin sensitivity of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to yield highly detailed spin information. NMRFM provides resolution that is several orders of magnitude finer than conventional NMR, thus enabling measurements of samples previously inaccessible by conventional NMR, such as thin films and nanostrucstures. In this talk I will discuss the principle behind NMRFM operation and the construction as well as experiments we have performed with our He-3 NMRFM. Room temperature measurements were taken on ammonium sulfate to yield micron scale 1-D images and a spin echo as well as the demonstration of spin nutation. I will also discuss future applications of this instrument toward relaxation measurements of single crystal magnesium diboride at low temperatures as well as other experiments that increase the sensitivity of this technique.
Hang-Jong Chia , Graduate Research Assistant, University of Texas at Austin.
Bldg. 217, Rm. H107. (NIST Contact: Robert McMichael, 301-975-5121, robert.mcmichael@nist.gov)

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MEETINGS ELSEWHERE


1/26 -- MONDAY

No Scheduled Events

1/27 -- TUESDAY

No Scheduled Events

1/28 -- WEDNESDAY

No Scheduled Events

1/29 -- THURSDAY

No Scheduled Events

1/30 -- FRIDAY

No Scheduled Events

ADVANCE NOTICE

No Scheduled Events

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TALKS BY NIST PERSONNEL

WALLACE, W. : POLYOLEFIN MASS SPECROMETRY: PAST AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES.
DSM Research, Geleen, The Netherlands, 1/26.

LEE, Y. (Co-Author: M.Cicerone , Biomaterials Group Leader, Gaithersburg, MD, marcus.cicerone@nist.gov) : SINGLE-SHOT INTERFEROMETRIC APPROACH TO BACKGROUND FREE BROADBAND CARS MICROSCOPY.
SPIE, San Jose, CA, 1/26.

WALLACE, W. : REACTIVE MALDI MASS SPECTROMETRY OF ALKANES AND POLYOLEFINS.
4th International Symposium on Separation and Characterization of Natural and Synthetic Macromolecules, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1/28.

WALLACE, W. : CERTIFICATION OF AN ABSOLUTE MOLECULAR MASS DISTRIBUTION POLYMER STANDARD: STANDARD REFERENCE MATERIAL 2881.
4th International Symposium on Separation and Characterization of Natural and Synthetic Macromolecules, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1/30.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS NIST GALLERY OF DISTINGUISHED SCIENTISTS, ENGINEERS, AND ADMINISTRATORS
The NIST Portrait Gallery of Distinguished Scientists, Engineers and Administrators honors NBS/NIST alumni for outstanding career contributions to the work of NBS/NIST. Portraits and biographies of those selected are displayed in the corridor of the NIST cafeteria at Gaithersburg. Portraits of at most ten additional persons will be added to the Portrait Gallery in 2009. Any current or former NIST staff member may make a nomination. Nominations are welcome for alumni who were administrators of either programmatic or support units. SAA also encourages nominations of distinguished female and minority alumni, as well as of outstanding NBS staff members who retired before 1963. For the latter, it is understood that some requested data may no longer be available. For persons who were nominated last year, but not selected, a new nomination may be submitted. If a nominee is not selected after two successive years of nomination, the nominee will not be considered in the following year. Nomination instructions are available from the Standards Alumni Association (SAA), Room A-42 Admin, Mail Stop 0952, NIST, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0952; telephone 301-975-2486; by email: alumni@nist.gov; or from the SAA website: www.nist.gov/director/saa. Nominations shall be received by the Standards Alumni Association on or before February 13, 2009, by mail or by email to the above addresses. No exceptions will be made to this deadline.
NIST Contact: Hans Oser, 301-975-2486, hans.oser@nist.gov

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL SIGMA XI POSTDOCTORAL POSTER PRESENTATION
The NIST Chapter of Sigma Xi announces that the Sixteenth Annual Post-Doctoral Poster Presentation will be held February 11, 2009 in Lecture Rooms A and B and in the Hall of Flags in the Administration Building. All Postdoctoral Fellows and Guest Scientists who have received their advanced degree in the last five years have been invited to present a poster on their scientific research to their NIST coworkers and friends. This year there will be two sessions: one from 9 am to 12 and the second from 1 pm to 4 pm and both will be accompanied by refreshments. All the participating Post-docs and Guest Scientists will be invited to a special reception hosted by Sigma Xi when the most outstanding posters will be announced. All the abstracts of the 2009 PPP that have been submitted are now available at the NIST Sigma Xi web site: http://www.nist.gov/sigmaxi Please plan to attend and discover the interesting research being conducted by our Post-docs and Guest Scientists and welcome them to NIST.
NIST Contact: Barbara Levin, 301-975-6682, barbara.levin@nist.gov

VISITOR REGISTRATION FOR NIST EVENTS
Because of heightened security at the NIST Gaithersburg site, members of the public who wish to attend meetings, seminars, lectures, etc. must first register in advance. For more information please call or e-mail the "NIST Contact" for the particular event you would like to attend.
NIST Contact: . ., ., .

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NIST WEB SITE ANNOUNCEMENTS

No Web Site announcements this week.

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For more information, contact Ms. Sharon Hallman, Editor, Stop 2500, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg MD 20899-2500; Telephone: 301-975-TCAL (3570); Fax: 301-926-4431; or Email: tcal@nist.gov.

All lectures and meetings are open unless otherwise stated.

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