During the fifteen months that the Argus laser facility has been operating we have had two primary goals. These are: (1) to provide focusable, well characterized, high power beams for laser fusion experiments and (2) to further understand the propagation of high power and energy pulses. The propagation experiments have already led to increases in the laser output power and system reliability. Pulses appropriate for advanced targets are shaped to optimize the compression and heating of the target. In general they stress the laser in both limits of energy and power. In this work several results significant to the laser fusion program were realized. The neutron output of fusion targets increased by almost two orders of magnitude to more than 10/sup 9/ neutron/shot. An improved beam propagation technique (image relaying) was developed and partially implemented. It increased the focusable output power for short pulses (30-100 ps) to more than 4.0 TW. More than one kilojoule/beam was extracted from the laser in a high quality beam in a one nanosecond Gaussian pulse. A complex two step optical pulse was generated and successfully amplified to peak powers of more than 3.0 TW. The most recent of the system upgrades are complete image …

A variety of x-ray imaging techniques have been used to study the absorption, transport and implosion characteristics of exploding pusher microsphere targets irradiated with 1.06 ..mu..m light. Multichannel grazing incidence reflection microscopy, zone plate coded imaging and spatially resolved x-ray spectroscopy have observed the thermal and suprathermal x-ray emission associated with these phenomena. A second generation of x-ray imaging devices, designed for forthcoming high density implosion experiments, including axisymmetric x-ray microscopes and 1- and 2-D crystal line imaging devices, will also be briefly discussed.

It is shown that hollow cathode discharges can operate in a mode characterized by a two-component electron energy distribution: bulk electrons with a thermal distribution with a temperature of a few electron volts, and a component of fast electrons with an energy of about 30 eV and a thermal spread of about 0.1 eV. Measurements of both parallel and perpendicular energy spreads confirm the existence of fast, low energy spread electrons. Selective extraction of these electrons can form the basis of a high current, high brightness electron gun which could be well suited for EBIS applications. 8 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.

A description of the FEL experiment underway at the 10 kA, 5 MeV Experimental Test Accelerator (ETA) is described. The facility has been designed to investigate the high-gain operation of an FEL.

A introduction to particle filtering is discussed starting with an overview of Bayesian inference from batch to sequential processors. Once the evolving Bayesian paradigm is established, simulation-based methods using sampling theory and Monte Carlo realizations are discussed. Here the usual limitations of nonlinear approximations and non-gaussian processes prevalent in classical nonlinear processing algorithms (e.g. Kalman filters) are no longer a restriction to perform Bayesian inference. It is shown how the underlying hidden or state variables are easily assimilated into this Bayesian construct. Importance sampling methods are then discussed and shown how they can be extended to sequential solutions implemented using Markovian state-space models as a natural evolution. With this in mind, the idea of a particle filter, which is a discrete representation of a probability distribution, is developed and shown how it can be implemented using sequential importance sampling/resampling methods. Finally, an application is briefly discussed comparing the performance of the particle filter designs with classical nonlinear filter implementations.

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Direct imaging of exoplanets is limited by bright quasi-static speckles in the point spread function (PSF) of the central star. This limitation can be reduced by subtraction of reference PSF images. We have developed an algorithm to construct an optimal reference PSF image from an arbitrary set of reference images. This image is built as a linear combination of all available images and is optimized independently inside multiple subsections of the image to ensure that the absolute minimum residual noise is achieved within each subsection. The algorithm developed is completely general and can be used with many high contrast imaging observing strategies, such as angular differential imaging (ADI), roll subtraction, spectral differential imaging, reference star observations, etc. The performance of the algorithm is demonstrated for ADI data. It is shown that for this type of data the new algorithm provides a gain in sensitivity by up 22 to a factor 3 at small separation over the algorithm previously used.

The evolution of dense aluminum and carbon plasmas produced by laser irradiation of 500 {micro}m diameter semi-cylindrical targets was studied using soft x-ray laser interferometry. Plasmas created heating the cavity walls with 120 picosecond duration optical laser pulses of {approx} 1 x 10{sup 12} W cm{sup -2} peak intensity were observed to expand and converge on axis to form a localized high density plasma region. Electron density maps were measured using a 46.9 nm wavelength tabletop capillary discharge soft x-ray laser probe in combination with an amplitude division interferometer based on diffraction gratings. The measurements show that the plasma density on axis exceeds 1 x 10{sup 20} cm{sup -3}. The electron density profiles are compared with simulations conducted using the hydrodynamic code HYDRA, which show that the abrupt density increase near the axis is dominantly caused by the convergence of plasma generated at the bottom of the groove during laser irradiation.

Soft x-ray interferometry was used to measure the evolution of dense converging plasmas created by laser irradiation of 500 {micro}m diameter semi-cylindrical carbon targets. Optical laser pulses with an intensity of {approx} 1 x 10{sup 12} W cm{sup -2} and 120 ps duration were used to heat the surface of the cavities. The dense plasma formed expands from the walls converging slightly off the semi-cylinder's axis, giving rise to a bright localized high density plasma region. A sequence of electron density maps were measured using a 46.9 nm wavelength tabletop capillary discharge soft x-ray laser probe and a amplitude division interferometer based on diffraction gratings. The measured density profiles are compared with simulations conducted using the multi-dimensional hydrodynamic code HYDRA. The benchmarked model was then used to simulate particle trajectories which reveal that the increase in electron density near the axis is mainly the result of the convergence of plasma that originated at the bottom of the groove during laser irradiation.

Early detection of cancer is a key element in successful treatment of the disease. Understanding the particular type of cancer involved, its origins and probable course, is also important. PhIP (2-amino-1-methyl-6 phenylimidazo [4,5-b]pyridine), a heterocyclic amine produced during the cooking of meat at elevated temperatures, has been shown to induce mammary cancer in female, Sprague-Dawley rats. Tumors induced by PhIP have been shown to contain discreet cytogenetic signature patterns of gains and losses using comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). To determine if a protein signature exists for these tumors, we are analyzing expression levels of the protein products of the above-mentioned tumors in combination with a new bulk protein subtractive assay. This assay produces a panel of antibodies against proteins that are either on or off in the tumor. Hybridization of the antibody panel onto a 2-D gel of tumor or control protein will allow for identification of a distinct protein signature in the tumor. Analysis of several gene databases has identified a number of rat homologs of human cancer genes located in these regions of gain and loss. These genes include the oncogenes c-MYK, ERBB2/NEU, THRA and tumor suppressor genes EGR1 and HDAC3. The listed genes have been shown to …

Self-doping in graphene has been studied by examining single-layer epitaxially grown graphene samples with differing characteristic lateral terrace widths. Low energy electron microscopy was used to gain real-space information about the graphene surface morphology, which was compared with data obtained by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to study the effect of the monolayer graphene terrace width on the low energy dispersions. By altering the graphene terrace width, we report significant changes in the electronic structure and quasiparticle relaxation time of the material, in addition to a terrace width-dependent doping effect.

Time-dependent density-functional theory (TDDFT) provides an efficient, elegant, and formally exact way of describing the dynamics of interacting many-body quantum systems, circumventing the need for solving the full time-dependent Schroedinger equation. In the 20 years since it was first rigorously established in 1984, the field of TDDFT has made rapid and significant advances both formally as well as in terms of successful applications in chemistry, physics and materials science. Today, TDDFT has become the method of choice for calculating excitation energies of complex molecules, and is becoming increasingly popular for describing optical and spectroscopic properties of a variety of materials such as bulk solids, clusters and nanostructures. Other growing areas of applications of TDDFT are nonlinear dynamics of strongly excited electronic systems and molecular electronics. The purpose and scope of this Gordon Research Conference is to provide a platform for discussing the current state of the art of the rapidly progressing, highly interdisciplinary field of TDDFT, to identify and debate open questions, and to point out new promising research directions. The conference will bring together experts with a diverse background in chemistry, physics, and materials science.

Amine nitrogen inversion, difficult to observe in aqueous solution, is followed in a chiral, supramolecular host molecule with purely-rotational T-symmetry that reduces the local symmetry of encapsulated monoprotonated diamines and enables the observation and quantification of {Delta}G{double_dagger} for the combined hydrogen-bond breaking and nitrogen inversion rotation (NIR) process. Free energies of activation for the combined hydrogen-bond breaking and NIR process inside of the chiral assembly were determined by the NMR coalescence method. Activation parameters for ejection of the protonated amines from the assembly confirm that the NIR process responsible for the coalescence behavior occurs inside of the assembly rather than by a guest ejection/NIR/re-encapsulation mechanism. For one of the diamines, N,N,N{prime},N{prime}-tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA), the relative energy barriers for the hydrogen-bond breaking and NIR process were calculated at the G3(MP2)//B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) level of theory, and these agreed well with the experimental data.

The electrochemical performance of LiFePO4/C composites in lithium cells is closely correlated to pressed pellet conductivities measured by AC impedance methods. These composite conductivities are a strong function not only of the amount of carbon but of its structure and distribution. Ideally, the amount of carbon in composites should be minimal (less than about 2 wtpercent) so as not to decrease the energy density unduly. This is particularly important for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle applications (PHEVs) where both high power and moderate energy density are required. Optimization of the carbon structure, particularly the sp2/sp3 and disordered/graphene (D/G) ratios, improves the electronic conductivity while minimizing the carbon amount. Manipulation of the carbon structure can be achieved via the use of synthetic additives including ironcontaining graphitization catalysts. Additionally, combustion synthesis techniques allow co-synthesis of LiFePO4 and carbon fibers or nanotubes, which can act as"nanowires" for the conduction of current during cell operation.

The definition of what makes an article interesting varies from user to user and continually evolves even for a single user. As a result, for news recommendation systems, useless document features can not be determined a priori and all features are usually considered for interestingness classification. Consequently, the presence of currently useless features degrades classification performance [1], particularly over the initial set of news articles being classified. The initial set of document is critical for a user when considering which particular news recommendation system to adopt. To address these problems, we introduce an improved version of the naive Bayes classifier with online feature selection. We use correlation to determine the utility of each feature and take advantage of the conditional independence assumption used by naive Bayes for online feature selection and classification. The augmented naive Bayes classifier performs 28% better than the traditional naive Bayes classifier in recommending news articles from the Yahoo! RSS feeds.

In this work we present a NIDS cluster as a scalable solution for realizing high-performance, stateful network intrusion detection on commodity hardware. The design addresses three challenges: (i) distributing traffic evenly across an extensible set of analysis nodes in a fashion that minimizes the communication required for coordination, (ii) adapting the NIDS's operation to support coordinating its low-level analysis rather than just aggregating alerts; and (iii) validating that the cluster produces sound results. Prototypes of our NIDS cluster now operate at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California at Berkeley. In both environments the clusters greatly enhance the power of the network security monitoring.

The thesis of this extended abstract is simple. High productivity comes from high level infrastructures. To measure this, we introduce a methodology that goes beyond the tradition of timing software in serial and tuned parallel modes. We perform a classroom productivity study involving 29 students who have written a homework exercise in a low level language (MPI message passing) and a high level language (Star-P with MATLAB client). Our conclusions indicate what perhaps should be of little surprise: (1) the high level language is always far easier on the students than the low level language. (2) The early versions of the high level language perform inadequately compared to the tuned low level language, but later versions substantially catch up. Asymptotically, the analogy must hold that message passing is to high level language parallel programming as assembler is to high level environments such as MATLAB, Mathematica, Maple, or even Python. We follow the Kepner method that correctly realizes that traditional speedup numbers without some discussion of the human cost of reaching these numbers can fail to reflect the true human productivity cost of high performance computing. Traditional data compares low level message passing with serial computation. With the benefit of a …

The present work is an outgrowth of studies made in support of CRBR licensing, but the conclusions drawn should be generally applicable to oxide-fueled LMFBR's. The accident under consideration is a 10 cents/s unprotected TOP (transient overpower), for which a series of PLUTO2/SAS4A calculations has been performed using a higher power CRBR EOC3 fuel pin which had 275 days irradiation. The assumption was made in the licensing work that a short pin failure will occur at the axial midplane, maximizing the positive fuel motion reactivity effect, as it was felt that a less conservative assumption could not be conclusively justified. This assumption is also made in the present case.

The radiological safety hazards of the experimental area (EA) for the proposed Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) Laboratory Microfusion Facility (LMF) have been examined. The EA includes those structures required to establish the proper pre-shot environment, point the beams, contain the pellet yield, and measure many different facets of the experiments. The radiation dose rates from neutron activation of representative target chamber materials, the laser beam tubes and the argon gas they contain, the air surrounding the chamber, and the concrete walls of the experimental area are given. Combining these results with the allowable dose rates for workers, we show how radiological considerations affect access to the inside of the target chamber and to the diagnostic platform area located outside the chamber. Waste disposal and tritium containment issues are summarized. Other neutronics issues, such as radiation damage to the final optics and neutron heating of materials placed close to the target, are also addressed. 16 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.

We are developing a two-dimensional, time-dependent computer code for the simulation of relativistic klystrons. We will discuss the main features of our code. We will also present an example simulation of a relativistic klystron with both a standing wave output cavity and a traveling wave output structure.

Initial measurements are reported for the Mercury laser system, a scalable driver for rep-rated high energy density physics research. The performance goals include 10% electrical efficiency at 10 Hz and 100 J with a 2-10 ns pulse length.

These proceedings contain papers prepared for the 28th Seismic Research Review: Ground-Based Nuclear Explosion Monitoring Technologies, held 19-21 September, 2006 in Orlando, Florida. These papers represent the combined research related to ground-based nuclear explosion monitoring funded by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Air Force Technical Applications Center (AFTAC), Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), US Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), and other invited sponsors. The scientific objectives of the research are to improve the United States capability to detect, locate, and identify nuclear explosions. The purpose of the meeting is to provide the sponsoring agencies, as well as potential users, an opportunity to review research accomplished during the preceding year and to discuss areas of investigation for the coming year. For the researchers, it provides a forum for the exchange of scientific information toward achieving program goals, and an opportunity to discuss results and future plans. Paper topics include: seismic regionalization and calibration; detection and location of sources; wave propagation from source to receiver; the nature of seismic sources, including mining practices; hydroacoustic, infrasound, and radionuclide methods; on-site inspection; and data processing.

The spherical Resorcinol-Formaldehyde and hypothetical spherical SuperLig(r) 644 ion-exchange resins are evaluated for cesium removal from radioactive waste solutions. Modeling results show that spherical SuperLig(r) 644 reduces column cycling by 50% for high-potassium solutions. Spherical Resorcinol Formaldehyde performs equally well for the lowest-potassium wastes. Less cycling reduces nitric acid usage during resin elution and sodium addition during resin regeneration, therefore, significantly decreasing life-cycle operational costs. A model assessment of the mechanism behind ''cesium bleed'' is also conducted. When a resin bed is eluted, a relatively small amount of cesium remains within resin particles. Cesium can bleed into otherwise decontaminated product in the next loading cycle. The bleed mechanism is shown to be fully isotherm-controlled vs. mass transfer controlled. Knowledge of residual post-elution cesium level and resin isotherm can be utilized to predict rate of cesium bleed in a mostly non-loaded column. Overall, this work demonstrates the versatility of the ion-exchange modeling to study the effects of resin characteristics on processing cycles, rates, and cold chemical consumption. This evaluation justifies further development of a spherical form of the SL644 resin.

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