CUORICINO was a cryogenic bolometer experiment designed to search for neutrinoless double beta decay and other rare processes, including double beta decay with two neutrinos (2{nu}{beta}{beta}). The experiment was located at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso and ran for a period of about 5 years, from 2003 to 2008. The detector consisted of an array of 62 TeO{sub 2} crystals arranged in a tower and operated at a temperature of #24;10 mK. Events depositing energy in the detectors, such as radioactive decays or impinging particles, produced thermal pulses in the crystals which were read out using sensitive thermistors. The experiment included 4 enriched crystals, 2 enriched with {sup 130}Te and 2 with {sup 128}Te, in order to aid in the measurement of the 2{nu}{beta}{beta} rate. The enriched crystals contained a total of #24;350 g {sup 130}Te. The 128-enriched (130-depleted) crystals were used as background monitors, so that the shared backgrounds could be subtracted from the energy spectrum of the 130- enriched crystals. Residual backgrounds in the subtracted spectrum were fit using spectra generated by Monte-Carlo simulations of natural radioactive contaminants located in and on the crystals. The 2{nu}{beta}{beta} half-life was measured to be T{sup 2{nu}}{sub 1/2} = [9.81{+-} #6;0.96(stat){+-} 0.49(syst)]#2;x10{sup …

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is sponsoring SUNRAYCE 93 to advance tile technology and use of photovoltaics and electric vehicles. Participants will use cars powered by photovoltaic modules and lead-acid storage batteries. This brochure, prepared for students and faculty participating in this race, outlines the health hazards presented by these electrical systems, and gives guidance on strategies for their safe usage. At the outset, it should be noted that working with photovoltaic systems and batteries requires electric vehicle drivers and technicians to have [open quotes]hands-on[close quotes] contact with the car on a daily basis. It is important that no one work near a photovoltaic energy system or battery, either in a vehicle or on the bench, unless they familiarize themselves with the components in use, and know and observe safe work practices including the safety precautions described in the manuals provided by the various equipment vendors and this document.

Primarily, Mound was to evaluate both improved-iridium and standard-flight iridium blanks with respect to current GPHS-CVS manufacturing processes and provide example-weld-quality CVS to the Savannah River Plant (SRP) for its weldability study. Additionally, Mound's practice of performing a final outgassing (1500/sup 0/C for 1 hr) of CVS was evaluated with respect to metallurgical properties of iridium cups and electron-beam (EB) welding characteristics of CVS subassembly components.

A method of digital image processing is described which can be used to improve the quality of radiographic images. An image is modeled as the sum of background information, details of interest, and noise. The background is then modified in order to enhance the details. 5 figures.

The scientific community is exploring the suitability of cloud infrastructure to handle High Performance Computing (HPC) applications. The goal of Magellan, a project funded through DOE ASCR, is to investigate the potential role of cloud computing to address the computing needs of the Department of Energy?s Office of Science, especially for mid-range computing and data-intensive applications which are not served through existing DOE centers today. Prior work has shown that applications with significant communication orI/O tend to perform poorly in virtualized cloud environments. However, there is a limited understanding of the I/O characteristics in virtualized cloud environments. This paper will present our results in benchmarking the I/O performance over different cloud and HPC platforms to identify the major bottlenecks in existing infrastructure. We compare the I/O performance using IOR benchmark on two cloud platforms - Amazon and Magellan. We analyze the performance of different storage options available, different instance types in multiple availability zones. Finally, we perform large-scale tests in order to analyze the variability in the I/O patterns over time and region. Our results highlight the overhead and variability in I/O performance on both public and private cloud solutions. Our results will help applications decide between the different storage …

The rich information contained in the plasma response to external magnetic perturbations can be used to help design stellarator coils more effectively. We demonstrate the feasibility by first devel- oping a simple, direct method to study perturbations in stellarators that do not break stellarator symmetry and periodicity. The method applies a small perturbation to the plasma boundary and evaluates the resulting perturbed free-boundary equilibrium to build up a sensitivity matrix for the important physics attributes of the underlying configuration. Using this sensitivity information, design methods for better stellarator coils are then developed. The procedure and a proof-of-principle application are given that (1) determine the spatial distributions of external normal magnetic field at the location of the unperturbed plasma boundary to which the plasma properties are most sen- sitive, (2) determine the distributions of external normal magnetic field that can be produced most efficiently by distant coils, (3) choose the ratios of the magnitudes of the the efficiently produced magnetic distributions so the sensitive plasma properties can be controlled. Using these methods, sets of modular coils are found for the National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX) that are either smoother or can be located much farther from the plasma boundary than those …

The production gains and economic evaluation of overboring has been extensively treated. In this document, the justification for a trial attempt at overboring C-Reactor was given. The overboring test, covered by two production tests (one or overboring and one for fuel irradiation), requires the integration of efforts of Equipment Development, Process and Reactor Development, Process Technology, Manufacturing, and the Fuels Preparation Department. In view of this, it appears prudent to collect in one place the current design numbers with a word of explanation regarding their derivation. To this end, this document is dedicated.

This report investigates five technical areas for stabilization of decommissioned waste tanks and contaminated soils at the Hanford Site AX Farm. The investigations are part of a preliminary evacuation of end-state options for closure of the AX Tanks. The five technical areas investigated are: (1) emplacement of cementations grouts and/or other materials; (2) injection of chemicals into contaminated soils surrounding tanks (soil mixing); (3) emplacement of grout barriers under and around the tanks; (4) the explicit recognition that natural attenuation processes do occur; and (5) combined geochemical and hydrological modeling. Research topics are identified in support of key areas of technical uncertainty, in each of the five areas. Detailed cost-benefit analyses of the technologies are not provided. This investigation was conducted by Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico, during FY 1997 by tank Focus Area (EM-50) funding.

The feasibility of incorporating analytical indicators into a sol-gel glassy matrix and then coating substrates with this composite material has bee demonstrated. Substrates coated include paper, wood, glass, and the lens of an analytical probe. The first SRTC sol-gel indicator, comprising bromophenol blue dispersed in a silica matrix, was fabricated and successfully used to measure solution pH in the range of pH 3.0 to 7.5. material exhibited a quick response time, as measured by color changes both qualitatively and quantitatively, and the measuring device was reversible or reusable. Additional indicators with responses over other ranges as well as indicators sensitive to the presence of elements of interest, are also under development. The new SGI composites possess promising properties and an excellent potential for performing a variety important in-situ environmental measurements and area discussed in this report.

Progress is reported on the following projects: adsorption of water vapor on reservoir rocks, estimation of adsorption parameters from experimental data, heat of desorption and reservoir behavior, physics of injection into vapor-dominated reservoirs, earthtide effects on downhole pressures, and pressure transient and tracer test analysis in heterogeneous reservoirs.

L-Lake was built in 1985 to receive and cool the thermal effluents from the L-Reactor. The lake was constructed by impounding approximately 7 km of the upper portions of Steel Creek to form a 1000-acre reservoir. Dam construction and reservoir filling were completed in October 1985 and L-Reactor resumed operations at the end of the same month. Since 1985, this system has been developing a biological community comprised of representatives of all trophic levels. The system is impacted by both temperature from the operating reactor and nutrient inputs from the Savannah River ecosystem. A preliminary evaluation of the technical and monetary feasibilities of a number of thermal and/or nutrient mitigation alternatives for the L-Lake ecosystem has been performed by the Ecology Group of SRL/ESD. This report is a summary of the alternatives considered and their applicability.

At the present time, IEEE 64-bit floating-point arithmetic is sufficiently accurate for most scientific applications. However, for a rapidly growing body of important scientific computing applications, a higher level of numeric precision is required. Such calculations are facilitated by high-precision software packages that include high-level language translation modules to minimize the conversion effort. This paper presents a survey of recent applications of these techniques and provides some analysis of their numerical requirements. These applications include supernova simulations, climate modeling, planetary orbit calculations, Coulomb n-body atomic systems, scattering amplitudes of quarks, gluons and bosons, nonlinear oscillator theory, Ising theory, quantum field theory and experimental mathematics. We conclude that high-precision arithmetic facilities are now an indispensable component of a modern large-scale scientific computing environment.

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Halothermothirx orenii is a strictly anaerobic thermohalophilic bacterium isolated from sediment of a Tunisian salt lake. It belongs to the order Halanaerobiales in the phylum Firmicutes. The complete sequence revealed that the genome consists of one circular chromosome of 2578146 bps encoding 2451 predicted genes. This is the first genome sequence of an organism belonging to the Haloanaerobiales. Features of both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria were identified with the presence of both a sporulating mechanism typical of Firmicutes and a characteristic Gram negative lipopolysaccharide being the most prominent. Protein sequence analyses and metabolic reconstruction reveal a unique combination of strategies for thermophilic and halophilic adaptation. H. orenii can serve as a model organism for the study of the evolution of the Gram negative phenotype as well as the adaptation under thermohalophilic conditions and the development of biotechnological applications under conditions that require high temperatures and high salt concentrations.

A presentation at the 22nd Industry Growth Forum by Marty Murphy that provides an overview of the event

The angular distribution of the recoil protons in neutron-proton scattering at 90 Mev has been measured for angles between 5{sup o} and 65{sup o} from the direction of the neutron beam. The neutrons were produced by stripping 190 Mev deuterons in a 1/2 inch Be target in the 184-inch F.M. cyclotron. R. Serber has calculated the neutron energy distribution; it has a peak at 90 Mev and a half width of 27 Mev. This distributiQn has been checked experimentally for the neutrons by Wilson Powell and by W.Chupp, E.Gardner, and T.B.Taylor for the protons also produced by stripping. The neutrons were collimated by a two-inch hole through 8 feet of concrete. Thin paraffin scatters of known hydrogen and carbon content were used; the number of protons arising from neutron-carbon and neutron-air reactions was determined by using pure carbon scatters and by making blank runs. The scatters were placed in the beam outside of the concrete shielding at a point approximately 52 feet from the cyclotron target. The scattered protons were detected by a telescope of four proportional counters used in coincidence, and set at a constant distance from the scatterer but at a varying angle from the neutron beam. A …

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We describe, for arbitrary dimensions the construction of a covariant and supersymmetric constraint for the massless Super Poincare algebra and we show that the constraint fixes uniquely the representation of the algebra. For the case of finite mass and in the absence of central charges we discuss a similar construction, which generalizes to arbitrary dimensions the concept of the superspin Casimir. Finally we discuss briefly the modifications introduced by central charges, both scalar and tensorial.

This report describes the results of the work performed by PNNL using feedstock materials provided by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, KL Energy and Lignol lignocellulosic ethanol pilot plants. Test results with algae feedstocks provided by Genifuel, which provided in-kind cost share to the project, are also included. The work conducted during this project involved developing and demonstrating on the bench-scale process technology at PNNL for catalytic hydrothermal gasification of lignin-rich biorefinery residues and algae. A technoeconomic assessment evaluated the use of the technology for energy recovery in a lignocellulosic ethanol plant.

The experiments with U(37)O{sub 2}F{sub 2} aqueous solution followed the series of experiments with {sup 233}UO{sub 2}(NO{sub 3}){sub 2} and U(93)O{sub 2}(NO{sub 3}){sub 2} solutions in the 69.2-cm-diam sphere. The critical concentrations of {sup 233}U and {sup 235}U were used to evaluate the ratio of {ovr {eta}{sigma}{sub a}}(233)/{ovr {eta}{sigma}{sub a}}(235) some years ago when the accepted value of {ovr {eta}}(233) was questioned. The purpose of the experiment reported here was to measure the increase in {sup 235}U critical concentration and, hence, the increase in critical mass due to the increase in the {sup 238}U content in the 69.2-cm-diam sphere. The U(37)O{sub 2}F{sub 2} concentration in an aqueous solution was adjusted to that when an aluminum spherical vessel was completely filled and the multiplication factor was greater than unity and the excess reactivity was measured by means of a positive reactor period. The critical conditions are summarized in Table 1. The critical conditions for U(93)O{sub 2}(NO{sub 3}){sub 2} solution in the same sphere are also given for comparison and there is only a small difference in the critical {sup 235}U density or mass. In these well moderated solutions there is only a small amount of neutron absorption in {sup 238}U. A …

The modulation instability (MI) in optical fiber amplifiers and lasers with anomalous dispersion leads to CW beam breakup and the growth of multiple pulses. This can be both a detrimental effect, limiting the performance of amplifiers, and also an underlying physical mechanism in the operation of MI-based devices. Here we revisit the analytical theory of MI in fiber optical amplifiers. The results of the exact theory are compared with the previously used adiabatic approximation model, and the range of applicability of the latter is determined. The same technique is applicable to the study of spatial MI in solid state laser amplifiers and MI in non-uniform media.

Substrate scratches can limit the laser resistance of multilayer mirror coatings on high-peak-power laser systems. To date, the mechanism by which substrate surface defects affect the performance of coating layers under high power laser irradiation is not well defined. In this study, we combine experimental approaches with theoretical simulations to delineate the correlation between laser damage resistance of coating layers and the physical properties of the substrate surface defects including scratches. A focused ion beam technique is used to reveal the morphological evolution of coating layers on surface scratches. Preliminary results show that coating layers initially follow the trench morphology on the substrate surface, and as the thickness increases, gradually overcoat voids and planarize the surface. Simulations of the electrical-field distribution of the defective layers using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method show that field intensification exists mostly near the top surface region of the coating near convex focusing structures. The light intensification could be responsible for the reduced damage threshold. Damage testing under 1064 nm, 3 ns laser irradiation over coating layers on substrates with designed scratches show that damage probability and threshold of the multilayer depend on substrate scratch density and width. Our preliminary results show that damage occurs …

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Given a social network, who is the best person to introduce you to, say, Chris Ferguson, the poker champion? Or, given a network of people and skills, who is the best person to help you learn about, say, wavelets? The goal is to find a small group of 'gateways': persons who are close enough to us, as well as close enough to the target (person, or skill) or, in other words, are crucial in connecting us to the target. The main contributions are the following: (a) we show how to formulate this problem precisely; (b) we show that it is sub-modular and thus it can be solved near-optimally; (c) we give fast, scalable algorithms to find such gateways. Experiments on real data sets validate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed methods, achieving up to 6,000,000x speedup.