Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Tip Sheet.LIVERMORE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 14, 1996-- -0- Laser Graffiti Removal There may soon be a new weapon in the war on graffiti: lasers. Lab scientists have performed experiments using a laser system that safely removes graffiti from both smooth and porous surfaces. The system works without damaging the underlying surface or leaving behind potentially harmful residual material. The laser functions this way: When it strikes the layer of graffiti paint, the laser's energy is converted into a sound wave. This wave travels through the paint, strikes the underlying surface and rebounds. The rebounding sound wave and the incoming laser beam collide and literally explode the paint into powder. Researchers are looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. commercial partners to fund development of a laser that would fit on a truck or van for transport to graffiti-bedecked areas. Contact: Craig Savoye 510/422-9919 (savoye1@llnl.gov) (Digital image at: http://www.llnl.gov/PAO/photos) -0- Radar Mine Detector A new, improved method for finding landmines is being developed at the Lab. The technology detect both metal and plastic mines. The system uses a small Lab-developed radar to penetrate beneath the ground and produce a computerized image of the subsurface in three dimensions. A hand-held version of the Lab minesweeper minesweeper Naval vessel used to clear submarine mines from an expanse of water. In naval warfare, they are used to clear mines from sea-lanes to protect merchant shipping as well as to clear paths for warships to engage in battle or amphibious warfare. would have a score of miniature radars connected to a waist-mounted computer and a heads-up display A display technology that superimposes images onto the inside of the windshield to enable drivers to view the information while keeping their eyes on the road. Heads-up displays (HUDs) are also used in goggles and helmets (see head mounted display). for the operator. The Defense Department's Defense Nuclear Agency is providing funding initial production of a prototype mine detector. Contact: Steve Wampler 510/423-3107 (wampler1@llnl.gov) -0- Huge "photon bubbles" on neutron stars send X-rays through space Huge, radiation-filled bubbles erupting and exploding from the surface of neutron stars send powerful X-rays blasting across the universe from the mysterious celestial bodies. This new theory by scientists from the Lab, the University of California at Berkeley (body, education) University of California at Berkeley - (UCB) See also Berzerkley, BSD. http://berkeley.edu/. Note to British and Commonwealth readers: that's /berk'lee/, not /bark'lee/ as in British Received Pronunciation. and the Space Science lab is supported by observations from NASA's sophisticated new satellite, the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer The Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) satellite observes the fast-moving, high-energy worlds of black holes, neutron stars, X-ray pulsars and bursts of X-rays that light up the sky and then disappear forever. . If further confirmed, the theory suggests scientists have a new window onto the extraordinary conditions that exist on and near the surface of some neutron stars. This is a region so violent that every square meter Noun 1. square meter - a centare is 1/100th of an are centare, square metre area unit, square measure - a system of units used to measure areas undergoes the energy equivalent of several billion nuclear explosions every second. The theory and satellite observations were described last month at the American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes pronounced "double-A-S") is a US society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. meeting in San Diego. Jeff Garberson 510/423-3125 (garberson1@llnl.gov) (Digital images at: http://www.llnl.gov/PAO/photos) -0- X-ray catheter for heart angioplasty patients Coronary balloon angioplasty balloon angioplasty: see under angioplasty. is a life-saving procedure performed hundreds of thousands of times each year. Unfortunately, 35 to 50 percent of patients experience reblockage of their arteries within a few months, resulting from arterial irritation caused by the procedure itself. Repeat angioplasty procedures necessitated by this reblockage cost about $1 billion per year in this country alone. The Laboratory is working with a Minnesota medical device manufacturer to procedure an X-ray catheter that would be used with angioplasty to increase the procedure's long-term success rate. The catheter would apply X-rays to artery walls to prevent cells from multiplying and reblocking the artery. Contact: Gordon Yano 510/423-3117 (yano1@llnl.gov) (Digital image at: http://www.llnl.gov/PAO/photos) -0- What's that fungus among us? Long recognized for its depth and breadth of expertise, the Laboratory recently was contacted for its know-how in an arcane field: molds. The national Centers for Disease Control came to the Lab for technical assistance on the toxicity of household molds. CDC See Control Data, century date change and Back Orifice. CDC - Control Data Corporation is considering possible contamination of some Fresno homes by a mold that can produce toxic chemicals. The chemicals - called mycotoxins - can be harmful to the immune and nervous systems. Lab industrial hygienist Rick Kelly specializes in the identification and control of exposure to toxic chemical and physical agents. He has a particular interest in mycotoxins formed by molds that can be found in offices and industrial sites, and then eventually are released to the air. Kelly is consulting with the CDC in their investigation. Contact: David Schwoegler 510/422-6900 (newsguy@llnl.gov) -0- Note to Editors: Laboratory news releases and photos are also available electronically on the World Wide Web of the Internet at URL URL in full Uniform Resource Locator Address of a resource on the Internet. The resource can be any type of file stored on a server, such as a Web page, a text file, a graphics file, or an application program. http://www.llnl.gov/PAO, on NASW NASW National Association of Science Writers NASW National Association of Social Workers (Washington, DC) NASW National Association of Social Workers NASW National Association for Social Work (UK) in Compuserve's Journalism Forum and on UC Newswire. CONTACT: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory: see Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. (body) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory - (LLNL) A research organaisatin operated by the University of California under a contract with the US Department of Energy. Jeff Garberson, 510/423-3125 |
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