An array of Neutral-Current Detectors (NCDs) has been builtin order to make a unique measurement of the total active ux of solarneutrinos in the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO). Data in the thirdphase of the SNO experiment were collected between November 2004 andNovember 2006, after the NCD array was added to improve theneutral-current sensitivity of the SNO detector. This array consisted of36 strings of proportional counters lled with a mixture of 3He and CF4gas capable of detecting the neutrons liberated by the neutrino-deuteronneutral current reaction in the D2O, and four strings lled with a mixtureof 4He and CF4 gas for background measurements. The proportional counterdiameter is 5 cm. The total deployed array length was 398 m. The SNO NCDarray is the lowest-radioactivity large array of proportional countersever produced. This article describes the design, construction,deployment, and characterization of the NCD array, discusses theelectronics and data acquisition system, and considers event signaturesand backgrounds.

After a 15-year hiatus, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office (NNSA/NSO) began accepting DOE off-site generated mixed low-level radioactive waste (MLLW) for disposal at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) in December 2005. This action was predicated on the acceptance by the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) of a waste analysis plan (WAP). The NNSA/NSO agreed to limit mixed waste disposal to 20,000 cubic meters (approximately 706,000 cubic feet) and close the facility by December 2010 or sooner, if the volume limit is reached. The WAP and implementing procedures were developed based on Hanford’s system of verification to the extent possible so the two regional disposal sites could have similar processes. Since the NNSA/NSO does not have a breaching facility to allow the opening of boxes at the site, verification of the waste occurs by visual inspection at the generator/treatment facility or by Real-Time-Radiography (RTR) at the NTS. This system allows the NTS to effectively, efficiently, and compliantly accept MLLW for disposal. The WAP, NTS Waste Acceptance Criteria, and procedures have been revised based on learning experiences. These changes include: RTR expectations; visual inspection techniques; tamper-indicating device selection; void space requirements; and …

Prompted by the need for a self-supported, chemically stable, and functionally flexible catalytic nanoparticle system, we explore a system involving Pd clusters coated with a monolayer of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) cages. With an initial theoretical focus on hydrogen catalysis and sequestration in the Pd-POSS system, we report Density Functional Theory (DFT) results on POSS binding energies to the Pd(110) surface, hydrogen storing ability of POSS, and possible pathways of hydrogen radicals from the catalyst surface to unsaturated bonds away from the surface.

The vadose zone can be characterized as a complex subsurfacesystem in which intricate physical and biogeochemical processes occur inresponse to a variety of natural forcings and human activities. Thismakes it difficult to describe, understand, and predict the behavior ofthis specific subsurface system. The TOUGH nonisothermal multiphase flowsimulators are well-suited to perform advanced vadose zone studies. Theconceptual models underlying the TOUGH simulators are capable ofrepresenting features specific to the vadose zone, and of addressing avariety of coupled phenomena. Moreover, the simulators are integratedinto software tools that enable advanced data analysis, optimization, andsystem-level modeling. We discuss fundamental and computationalchallenges in simulating vadose zone processes, review recent advances inmodeling such systems, and demonstrate some capabilities of the TOUGHsuite of codes using illustrative examples.

Tevatron Run-II upgrade requires a significant increase of the efficiency and speed of the antiproton transfers from the Accumulator to the Recycler. The goal for the total transfer time is challenging a reduction from 1 hour down to a few minutes. Here we discuss the beam line optics aspects of this project. Results of lattice measurements and optimization are analyzed in terms of transport efficiency and stability.

Three-dimensional mammary cell culture models offer new opportunities for the development of computational techniques for segmentation, localization, and multicellular organization. Under normal conditions, these assays form a symmetrical, hollow structure, which is necessary for their functional operation. Often, the nuclear compartments are labeled, which provides context for quantitative protein localization or colony structure through fluorescent microscopy. These colonies are first delineated from the background using the level set method. Within each colony, nuclear regions are then bounded by their center of mass through iterative radial voting, and a local neighborhood for each nucleus is established through Voronoi tessellation. Finally, the level set method is applied again within each Voronoi region to delineate the nuclear compartment. The paper concludes with the application of the proposed method to a set of experimental data demonstrating a stable solution when iterative radial voting and level set methods are used synergistically. Furthermore, segmented colonies are characterized for architectural changes as a result of ionizing radiation.

This paper presents a brief introduction of the studies of actinide complexation in solution at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. An integrated approach of thermodynamic measurements and structural characterization is taken to obtain fundamental understanding of actinide complexation in solution that is of importance in predicting the behavior of actinides in separation processes and environmental transport.

The VISTA portal for comparative genomics is designed togive biomedical scientists a unified set of tools to lead them from theraw DNA sequences through the alignment and annotation to thevisualization of the results. The VISTA portal also hosts alignments of anumber of genomes computed by our group, allowing users to study regionsof their interest without having to manually download the individualsequences. Here we describe various algorithmic and functionalimprovements implemented in the VISTA portal over the last two years. TheVISTA Portal is accessible at http://genome.lbl.gov/vista.

Many faults in active and exhumed hydrocarbon-generating basins are characterized by thick deposits of carbonate fault cement of limited vertical and horizontal extent. Based on fluid inclusion and stable isotope characteristics, these deposits have been attributed to upward flow of formation water and hydrocarbons. The present study sought to test this hypothesis by using numerical reactive transport modeling to investigate the origin of calcite cements in the Refugio-Carneros fault located on the northern flank of the Santa Barbara basin of southern California. Previous research has shown this calcite to have low δ13C values of about −40 to −30‰ PDB, suggesting that methane-rich fluids ascended the fault and contributed carbon for the mineralization. Fluid inclusion homogenization temperatures of 80-125° C in the calcite indicate that the fluids also transported significant quantities of heat. Fluid inclusion salinities ranging from fresh water to seawater values and the proximity of the Refugio-Carneros fault to a zone of groundwater recharge in the Santa Ynez Mountains suggests that calcite precipitation in the fault may have been induced by the oxidation of methane-rich basinal fluids by infiltrating meteoric fluids descending steeply dipping sedimentary layers on the northern basin flank. This oxidation could have occurred via at least …

There is concern that potentially harmful pollutants may be emitted from office equipment. Although office equipment has been a focal point for governmental efforts to promote energy efficiency through programs such as the US EPA's Energy Star, little is known about the relationship between office equipment use and indoor air quality, and information on pollutant emissions is sparse. In this review, we summarize available information on emission rates and/or ambient concentrations of various pollutants that are related to office equipment use. Experimental methods used in the characterization of emissions are briefly described. The office equipment evaluated in this review includes computers (desktops and notebooks), printers (laser, ink-jet and all-in-one machines) and photocopy machines. Reported emission rates of the following pollutant groups are summarized: volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), ozone, particulate matter and several semivolatile organic chemicals (SVOCs). The latter include phthalate esters, brominated flame retardants, organophosphate flame retardants and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). We also review studies reporting airborne concentrations in indoor environments where office equipment was present and thought to be a significant contributor to the total pollutant burden (offices, residences, schools, electronics recycling plants). For certain pollutants, such as organophosphate flame retardants, the link between emission by office equipment …

Understanding and quantifying outdoor and indoor sources of human exposure are essential but often not adequately addressed in health-effects studies for air pollution. Air pollution epidemiology, risk assessment, health tracking and accountability assessments are examples of health-effects studies that require but often lack adequate exposure information. Recent advances in exposure modeling along with better information on time-activity and exposure factors data provide us with unique opportunities to improve the assignment of exposures for both future and ongoing studies linking air pollution to health impacts. In September 2006, scientists from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) along with scientists from the academic community and state health departments convened a symposium on air pollution exposure and health in order to identify, evaluate, and improve current approaches for linking air pollution exposures to disease. This manuscript presents the key issues, challenges and recommendations identified by the exposure working group, who used cases studies of particulate matter, ozone, and toxic air pollutant exposure to evaluate health-effects for air pollution. One of the over-arching lessons of this workshop is that obtaining better exposure information for these different health-effects studies requires both goal-setting for what is needed …

Two modifications of the perturbative doubles correction to configuration interaction with single substitutions (CIS(D)) are suggested, which are excited state analogs of ground state scaled second order Moeller-Plesset (MP2) methods. The first approach employs two parameters to scale the two spin components of the direct term of CIS(D), starting from the two-parameter spin-component scaled (SCS) MP2 ground state, and is termed SCS-CIS(D). An efficient resolution-of-the-identity (RI) implementation of this approach is described. The second approach employs a single parameter to scale only the opposite-spin direct term of CIS(D), starting from the one-parameter scaled opposite spin (SOS) MP2 ground state, and is called SOS-CIS(D). By utilizing auxiliary basis expansions and a Laplace transform, a fourth order algorithm for SOS-CIS(D) is described and implemented. The parameters describing SCS-CIS(D) and SOS-CIS(D) are optimized based on a training set including valence excitations of various organic molecules and Rydberg transitions of water and ammonia, and they significantly improve upon CIS(D) itself. The accuracy of the two methods is found to be comparable. This arises from a strong correlation between the same-spin and opposite-spin portions of the excitation energy terms. The methods are successfully applied to the zincbacteriochlorin-bacteriochlorin charge transfer transition, for which time-dependent density functional …

An analytical theory is presented for the low-frequency behavior of dilatational waves propagating through a homogeneous elastic porous medium containing two immiscible fluids. The theory is based on the Berryman-Thigpen-Chin (BTC) model, in which capillary pressure effects are neglected. We show that the BTC model equations in the frequency domain can be transformed, at sufficiently low frequencies, into a dissipative wave equation (telegraph equation) and a propagating wave equation in the time domain. These partial differential equations describe two independent modes of dilatational wave motion that are analogous to the Biot fast and slow compressional waves in a single-fluid system. The equations can be solved analytically under a variety of initial and boundary conditions. The stipulation of 'low frequency' underlying the derivation of our equations in the time domain is shown to require that the excitation frequency of wave motions be much smaller than a critical frequency. This frequency is shown to be the inverse of an intrinsic time scale that depends on an effective kinematic shear viscosity of the interstitial fluids and the intrinsic permeability of the porous medium. Numerical calculations indicate that the critical frequency in both unconsolidated and consolidated materials containing water and a nonaqueous phase liquid …

The core in a nuclear thermal rocket will operate at high temperatures and in hydrogen. One of the important parameters in evaluating the performance of a nuclear thermal rocket is specific impulse, ISp. This quantity is proportional to the square root of the propellant’s absolute temperature and inversely proportional to square root of its molecular weight. Therefore, high temperature hydrogen is a favored propellant of nuclear thermal rocket designers. Previous work has shown that one of the life-limiting phenomena for thermal rocket nuclear cores is mass loss of fuel to flowing hydrogen at high temperatures. The hot hydrogen test facility located at the Idaho National Lab (INL) is designed to test suitability of different core materials in 2500°C hydrogen flowing at 1500 liters per minute. The facility is intended to test non-uranium containing materials and therefore is particularly suited for testing potential cladding and coating materials. In this first installment the facility is described. Automated Data acquisition, flow and temperature control, vessel compatibility with various core geometries and overall capabilities are discussed.

After a 15-year hiatus, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office (NNSA/NSO) began accepting DOE off-site generated mixed low-level radioactive waste (MLLW) for disposal at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) in December 2005. This action was predicated on the acceptance by the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) of a waste analysis plan (WAP). The NNSA/NSO agreed to limit mixed waste disposal to 20,000 cubic meters (approximately 706,000 cubic feet) and close the facility by December 2010 or sooner, if the volume limit is reached. The WAP and implementing procedures were developed based on Hanford’s system of verification to the extent possible so the two regional disposal sites could have similar processes. Since the NNSA/NSO does not have a breaching facility to allow the opening of boxes at the site, verification of the waste occurs by visual inspection at the generator/treatment facility or by Real-Time-Radiography (RTR) at the NTS. This system allows the NTS to effectively, efficiently, and compliantly accept MLLW for disposal. The WAP, NTS Waste Acceptance Criteria, and procedures have been revised based on learning experiences. These changes include: RTR expectations; visual inspection techniques; tamper-indicating device selection; void space requirements; and …

This presentation provides the initial composite data products available for publication from NREL's Controlled Hydrogen Fleet and Infrastructure Demonstration and Validation Project.

We present a measurement of the inclusive production cross-section for Z bosons decaying to tau leptons in p{bar p} collisions at {radical}s = 1.96 TeV. We use a channel with one hadronically-decaying and one electronically-decaying tau. This measurement is based on 350 pb{sup -1} of CDF Run II data. Using a sample of 504 opposite sign e{tau} events with a total expected background of 190 events, we obtain {sigma}(p{bar p} {yields} Z) {center_dot} {Beta}(Z {yields} {tau}{tau}) = 263 {+-} 23(stat) {+-} 14(syst) {+-} 15(lumi) pb, in agreement with the next-to-next-to-leading order QCD prediction. This is the first CDF cross section measurement using hadronically-decaying taus in Run II.

Since January 2001, drainage lysimeter studies have been conducted at Yucca Flat, on the Nevada Test Site, in support of an evapotranspirative cover design. Yucca Flat has an arid climate with average precipitation of 16.5 cm annually. The facility consists of six drainage lysimeters 3 m in diameter, 2.4 m deep, and backfilled with a single layer of native soil. The bottom of each lysimeter is sealed and equipped with a small drain that enables direct measurement of saturated drainage. Each lysimeter has eight time-domain reflectometer probes to measure moisture content-depth profiles paired with eight heat-dissipation probes to measure soil-water potential depth profiles. Sensors are connected to dataloggers which are remotely accessed via a phone line. The six lysimeters have three different surface treatments: two are bare-soil; two were revegetated with native species (primarily shadscale, winterfat, ephedra, and Indian rice grass); and two were allowed to revegetate naturally with such species as Russian thistle, halogeton, tumblemustard and cheatgrass. Beginning in October 2003, one half of the paired cover treatments (one bare soil, one invader species, and one native species) were irrigated with an amount of water equal to two times the natural precipitation to achieve a three times natural precipitation …

The CDF Central Preshower and Crack Detector Upgrade consist of scintillator tiles with embedded wavelength-shifting fibers, clear-fiber optical cables, and multi-anode photomultiplier readout. A description of the detector design, test results from R&D studies, and construction phase are reported. The upgrade was installed late in 2004, and a large amount of proton-antiproton collider data has been collected since then. Detector studies using those data are also discussed.

Recent terrorist threats and actual events have lead to a renewed interest in the technical field of large scale, urban environment decontamination. One of the driving forces for this interest is the real potential for the cleanup and removal of radioactive dispersal device (RDD or “dirty bomb”) residues. In response the U. S. Government has spent many millions of dollars investigating RDD contamination and novel decontamination methodologies. Interest in chemical and biological (CB) cleanup has also peaked with the threat of terrorist action like the anthrax attack at the Hart Senate Office Building and with catastrophic natural events such as Hurricane Katrina. The efficiency of cleanup response will be improved with these new developments and a better understanding of the “old reliable” methodologies. Perhaps the most interesting area of investigation for large area decontamination is that of the RDD. While primarily an economic and psychological weapon, the need to cleanup and return valuable or culturally significant resources to the public is nonetheless valid. Several private companies, universities and National Laboratories are currently developing novel RDD cleanup technologies. Because of its longstanding association with radioactive facilities, the U. S. Department of Energy National Laboratories are at the forefront in developing and …

This note describes a search for B{sub s}{sup 0} oscillations using semileptonic B decays recorded by the CDF detector during Run II of the Fermilab Tevatron Collider on about 1 fb{sup -1} of data, as it was in April 2006. Opposite-side and same-side b flavor taggers are used in this analysis. First they measure the B{sup 0} oscillation frequency and calibrate opposite-side b flavor taggers on a sample of semileptonic B decays. A simultaneous analysis of B{sup 0} and B{sup +} decays to {ell}D{sup 0}, {ell}D{sup +} and {ell}D* final states has been performed. Beginning with tagger calibrations available from earlier analyses on the {ell} + SVT samples, they use the high statistic {ell}D sample to derive scale factors for predicted dilutions of the soft muon, soft electron and jet charge opposite-side taggers. Secondly they reconstruct B{sub s}{sup 0} {yields} {ell}{sup +}D{sub s}{sup -}X decays in three different D{sub s}{sup -} channels, namely {phi}{pi}{sup -}, K*{sup 0} K{sup -} and {pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup -}. D mass, lepton-D mass and lifetime parameters for signal and backgrounds are determined with unbinned maximum likelihood fits. They validate their fitter and obtain sensitivity projections with toy Monte Carlo samples. The {Delta}m{sub s} sensitivity on …

The authors present results of a search at CDF in 929 {+-} 56 pb{sup -1} of p{bar p} collisions at 1.96 TeV for the anomalous production of events containing a high-transverse momentum charged lepton ({ell}, either e or {mu}) and photon ({gamma}), accompanied by missing transverse energy (E{sub T}), and/or additional leptons and photons, and jets (X). They use the same selection criteria as in a previous CDF Run I search, but with an order-magnitude larger data set, a higher p{bar p} collisions energy, and the CDF II detector. They find 163 {ell}{gamma}E{sub T} + X events, compared to an expectation of 150.6 {+-} 13.0 events. They observe 74 {ell}{ell}{gamma} + X events, compared to an expectation of 65.1 {+-} 7.7 events. They find no events similar to the Run II ee{gamma}{gamma}E{sub T} event.

Search for new high temperature materials for energy applications continues. This presentation will focus on degradation of Cr alloys containing 0-30%W by weight in a flowing gas mixture containing 30%CO, 8%CO2, 20%H2, 2%CH4, 0.8%H2S, 0.02%HCl, and 40%N2 by volume at temperatures up to 1000ºC. A pseudo-cyclic test involving heating the specimens, holding them at temperature for varying periods, and cooling them to room temperature was employed. Mass change of the specimens was determined after each cycle. Corrosion scale on the specimens was characterized using SEM, WDX, and XRD. Various sulfides, oxides, carbides, and nitrides were determined in different layers of the scale.

Background: Applications in biomedical science and life science produce large data sets using increasingly powerful imaging devices and computer simulations. It is becoming increasingly difficult for scientists to explore and analyze these data using traditional tools. Interactive data processing and visualization tools can support scientists to overcome these limitations. Results: We show that new data processing tools and visualization systems can be used successfully in biomedical and life science applications. We present an adaptive high-resolution display system suitable for biomedical image data, algorithms for analyzing and visualization protein surfaces and retinal optical coherence tomography data, and visualization tools for 3D gene expression data. Conclusion: We demonstrated that interactive processing and visualization methods and systems can support scientists in a variety of biomedical and life science application areas concerned with massive data analysis.