S&TR | March 2002

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March 2002

The Laboratory in the News

Counterterrorism Is One Part of the Threat Reduction Picture
Commentary by Wayne Shotts

Tracking Down Virulence in Plague
Why are some diseases so virulent? Livermore scientists are studying the plague bacterium to answer that question.

L-Gel Decontaminates Better Than Bleach
This material combines an oxidant and silica gel to destroy chemical and biological weapons agents.

Faster Inspection of Laser Coatings
A new microscopic tool speeds inspection of coatings on laser optics.

From Kilobytes to Petabytes in 50 Years
From the beginning, Livermore researchers pushed the limits of the fastest, most powerful computers available in their drive to better understand and predict complex scientific phenomena.

Patents and Awards

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Tracking Down Virulence in Plague
(pdf file, 2MB)
Bioscientists at Livermore and elsewhere across the Department of Energy complex are studying the plague bacterium (Yersinia pestis) as part of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Chemical and Biological National Security Program. At Livermore, work continues on the development of DNA signatures that can be used to quickly detect and identify plague outbreaks. In the Pathogen Pathway Project, Y. pestis is being used as a prototype for studying virulence and the interactions of a pathogen and its host. Another Yersinia bacterium (Y. pseudotuberculosis) has been sequenced for comparative purposes. Its DNA is very similar to that of Y. pestis, but it causes only mild intestinal discomfort. Suppression subtractive hybridization is being used to compare the DNA of the two Yersinia genomes. The response of thousands of Y. pestis genes is being determined with transcript profiling. A gene elimination, or knock-out, experiment to learn about specific genes is just getting under way. A mass spectrometry approach is being used to identify virulence proteins.

L-Gel Decontaminates Better Than Bleach
(pdf file, 1.5MB)
A team of Livermore researchers has developed a decontamination compound called L-Gel, which combines a mild, commercially available oxidizer with a silica gelling agent. The material is nontoxic, noncorrosive, easy to manufacture, easily deployable, and relatively inexpensive (about $1 for every square meter applied). L-Gel sticks to walls, ceilings, and other materials for effective decontamination. Tests in Livermore’s laboratories and field trials at U.S. and foreign facilities show that L-Gel is extremely effective at decontaminating all classes of chemical warfare agents as well as surrogates for biological warfare agents. The material is premixed and then shipped and stored as a semisolid. If unopened, its shelf life is expected to exceed a year. It is reliquefied to a house-paint consistency by shaking or stirring and can be applied using any type of commercially available spray device.

Faster Inspection of Laser Coatings
(pdf file, 1MB)
A new microscopic tool speeds inspection of coatings on laser optics.

From Kilobytes to Petabytes in 50 Years
(pdf file, 3MB)
From the beginning, Livermore researchers pushed the limits of the fastest, most powerful computers available in their drive to better understand and predict complex scientific phenomena.

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