A state of the art numerical tool has been developed to simulate the propagation and the absorption of coexisting different types of waves in a tokamak geometry. The code includes a numerical solution of the three-dimensional (R, Z, {Phi}) toroidal wave equation for the electric field of the different waves in the WKBJ approximation. At each step of integration, the two-dimensional (v{sub {parallel}}, v{sub {perpendicular}}) Fokker-Planck equation is solved in the presence of quasilinear diffusion coefficients. The electron Landau damping of the waves is modeled taking into account the interaction of the wave electric fields with the quasilinearly modified distribution function. Consistently, the code calculates the radial profiles of non-inductively generated current densities, the transmitted power traces and the total power damping curves. Synergistic effects among the different type of waves (e.g., lower hybrid and ion Bernstein waves) are studied through the separation of the contributions of the single wave from the effects due to their coexistence.

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Arthur D. Little, Inc., together with its commercialization partner, Engelhard Corporation, and its university partner Tufts, investigated a single-step process for direct, catalytic reduction of sulfur dioxide from regenerable flue gas desulfurization processes to the more valuable elemental sulfur by-product. This development built on recently demonstrated SO{sub 2}-reduction catalyst performance at Tufts University on a DOE-sponsored program and is, in principle, applicable to processing of regenerator off-gases from all regenerable SO{sub 2}-control processes. In this program, laboratory-scale catalyst optimization work at Tufts was combined with supported catalyst formulation work at Engelhard, bench-scale supported catalyst testing at Arthur D. Little and market assessments, also by Arthur D. Little. Objectives included identification and performance evaluation of a catalyst which is robust and flexible with regard to choice of reducing gas. The catalyst formulation was improved significantly over the course of this work owing to the identification of a number of underlying phenomena that tended to reduce catalyst selectivity. The most promising catalysts discovered in the bench-scale tests at Tufts were transformed into monolith-supported catalysts at Engelhard. These catalyst samples were tested at larger scale at Arthur D. Little, where the laboratory-scale results were confirmed, namely that the catalysts do effectively reduce sulfur …

The authors are developing and deploying software agents in an enterprise information architecture such that the agents manage enterprise resources and facilitate user interaction with these resources. Their enterprise agents are built on top of a robust software architecture for data exchange and tool integration across heterogeneous hardware and software. The resulting distributed multi-agent system serves as a method of enhancing enterprises in the following ways: providing users with knowledge about enterprise resources and applications; accessing the dynamically changing enterprise; intelligently locating enterprise applications and services; and improving search capabilities for applications and data. Furthermore, agents can access non-agents (i.e., databases and tools) through the enterprise framework. The ultimate target of their effort is the user; they are attempting to increase user productivity in the enterprise. This paper describes their design and early implementation and discusses their planned future work.

The CST-11 objective for the Radioactive Source Recovery Project is to evaluate a nitric acid-based flowsheet and alternatives for dissolution, separation, and recovery of americium from AmBe neutron source materials returned from private and governmental institutions. Specific tasks performed during FY97 and FY98 included the experimental investigation of material dissolution rate and efficiency as a function of time and temperature for nitric acid as compared to hydrochloric acid. Alkaline dissolution reaction conditions using sodium hydroxide and ammonium bifluoride were also investigated. In both the acidic and alkaline dissolution conditions, the objective was to effect an initial separation of the americium from the beryllium or vice versa. The process solution and remaining solids should also be amenable to further processing and purification schemes. This work was performed on actual AmBe neutron source material in order to demonstrate the feasibility of {sup 241}Am purification from dismantled neutron sources.

The American textile industry has lost an estimated 400,000 jobs to offshore competitors since 1980. If trends continue unchanged, it is predicted they will lose an additional 600,000 jobs by the year 2002. These losses and the resulting economic threat to the U.S. textile industry can be attributed to the low operating costs of their offshore competitors' extensive use of cheap labor. In order to stem these rising losses and gain back lost market shares, the American textile industry has entered into a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in a program called the American Textile Partnership (AMTEX). AMTEX is a working relationship aimed at leveraging technologies that currently exist at the DOE national laboratories for the benefit and development of a competitive market edge for the U.S. textile manufacturers. The application of these technologies to identified needs will result in new and emerging manufacturing innovations for the U.S. textile industry and its vendor.

On 12 June 1998, the Atmospheric Release Advisory Capability (ARAC) learned from news reports about the accidental release of cesium-137 from a steel mill near Algeciras, Spain. We used the U.S. Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System (NOGAPS) gridded data for meteorological input into our diagnostic models. To better resolve near-release location and coastal meteorological conditions, we blended four days of WMO surface and upper air observations with the gridded data. Our calculations showed the plume initially traveled eastward over the Mediterranean Sea, turned northward into central Europe, and was split by the Alps. We determined the timing and amount of cesium released by fitting our modeled air concentrations to the available set of measurements. Accuracy statistics from a small set of ratios of measured to computed air concentrations paired in space and time were similar to those achieved from larger data sets in previous ARAC model evaluation studies on the continental scale.

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Report of the Texas State Auditor's Office related to the Office of the Fire Fighters' Pension Commissioner, improvements of agency operations, and recommendations for further improvements.

To supplement its health physics staff, Brookhaven National Laboratory (Brookhaven) subcontracted with a support service business (the subcontractor) to obtain the services of health physics technicians. During the pefiormance of these subcontracts, certain issues arose concerning per diem payments to the subcontractor for local technicians. The objective of this audit was to determine whether Brookhaven fi.dly etiorced the terms and conditions of its subcontracts for health physics technicians. Brookhaven had not fully enforced the terms of its subcontracts, and as a result, Brookhaven and the Department paid about $288,000 more than necessary for health physics technicians. For example, Brookhaven reimbursed the subcontractor for per diem on days when work was not performed and when the subcontractor did not pay subsistence expenses to its technicians. Brookhaven also increased the subcontracts' fixed reimbursement rates without adequate justification and reimbursed the subcontractor for overtime even though the subcontract did not provide for an overtime reimbursement rate. We recommend that the Manager, Chicago Operations Office, recover the unreasonable costs identified in the audit and require Brookhaven to strengthen its subcontract administration practices. Management agreed in principle with the audit finding and recommendations. However, management - stated that additional time was needed to further examine …

Report of the Texas State Auditor's Office related to the Health and Human Services Commission establishing an adequate process for researching and investigating suspected provider fraud.

Report of the Texas State Auditor's Office related to determining if financial aid offices at selected four-year public universities efficiently and effectively meet the needs of students and the goals of the offices.

Report of the Texas State Auditor's Office related to the Texas Agricultural Finance Authority (Authority), its processes for making agricultural loans, and the financial viability and effectiveness of the Authority's main loan program, the Loan Guaranty Program.

Oak Ridge has developed several sensor systems that are capable of providing unattended monitoring of the physical and/or assigned attributes associated with stored nuclear materials. These systems include the Continuous Automated Vault Inventory System (CAVISTM), SmartShelfTM, and the ReflectoActive Seal System TM. Each of these systems can be implemented independently or may be integrated with existing systems through the Graphical Facility Information Center or GraFICTM software package. GraFICTM is a versatile software package designed to operate in a distributed computing environment. GraFICTM can monitor and report all item and facility activity from the various sensors and systems to an unlimited number of authorized remote clients through a common interface. The software also contains an Intelligent Facility Management (lFM) package that helps storage facility managers with space planning, records management, item location, and variety of other facility specific needs. Results and details from several system deployments will be described, along with the specific features and possible uses of each system.

Newsletter of the Texas Agricultural Extension Service discussing topics related to raising dairy cows, dairy production, and managing dairy operations.

The author discusses the photodissociation of light elements due to the radiative decay of a massive particle, and he has shown how to constrain the model parameters from the observed light-element abundances. He adopted two quasar absorption system (QAS) D/H values, as well as solar system data for D/H and {sup 3}He/H. For each of these, he used two {sup 4}He values. He presents his results in terms of the confidence level at which each theoretical parameter set (i.e., the set of properties of a radiatively decaying particle) is excluded by the observed abundances. His algorithm for computing the confidence level is consistent and general enough to apply not only to the scenarios investigated in this work, but also to many other non-standard theories of BBN.

Monthly publication documenting statistics related to economic information in the Mexico-Texas border areas including types of border crossings, employment, customs revenues, and other related data.

Newsletter of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs discussing news and announcements related to the agency and other information regarding community resources and affordable housing in the state.

This document provides a plan for implementing surveillance and maintenance (S and M) activities to ensure that Building 9401-2 Plating Shop is maintained in a cost effective and environmentally secure configuration until subsequent closure during the final disposition phase of decommissioning. U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) G430.1A-2, Surveillance and Maintenance During Facility Disposition (1997), was used as guidance in the development of this plan. The S and M Plan incorporates DOE O 430.1A, Life Cycle Asset Management (LCAM) (1998a) direction to provide for conducting surveillance and maintenance activities required to maintain the facility and remaining hazardous and radioactive materials, wastes, and contamination in a stable and known condition pending facility disposition. Recommendations in the S and M plan have been made that may not be requirement-based but would reduce the cost and frequency of surveillance and maintenance activities. During the course of S and M activities, the facility's condition may change so as to present an immediate or developing hazard or unsatisfactory condition. Corrective action should be coordinated with the appropriate support organizations using the requirements and guidance stated in procedure Y10-202, Rev. 1, Integrated Safety Management Program, (Lockheed Martin Energy Systems, Inc. (LMES), 1998a) implemented at the Oak Ridge …

Two fluidic pulse jet mixing systems were used to successfully mobilize remote-handled transuranic sludge for retrieval from three 50,000-gal horizontal waste storage tanks at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The results of this operation indicate that the pulse jet system should be considered for mixing and bulk retrieval of sludges in other vertical and horizontal waste tanks at ORNL and at other U.S. Department of Energy sites.

Final designs are described for models of hydrogen and oxygen uptake in fuel rod cladding during severe accidents. Calculation of the uptake involves the modeling of seven processes: (1) diffusion of oxygen from the bulk gas into the boundary layer at the external cladding surface, (2) diffusion from the boundary layer into the oxide layer, (3) diffusion from the inner surface of the oxide layer into the metallic part of the cladding, (4) uptake of hydrogen in the event that the cladding oxide layer is dissolved in a steam-starved region, (5) embrittlement of cladding due to hydrogen uptake, (6) cracking of cladding during quenching due to its embrittlement and (7) release of hydrogen from the cladding after cracking of the cladding. An integral diffusion method is described for calculating the diffusion processes in the cladding. Experimental results are presented that show a rapid uptake of hydrogen in the event of dissolution of the oxide layer and a rapid release of hydrogen in the event of cracking of the oxide layer. These experimental results are used as a basis for calculating the rate of hydrogen uptake and the rate of hydrogen release. A description is given of the implementation of the …

The various steps involved in computing the moments (density, velocity, and temperature) of the ion and electron distributions measured with the Los Alamos Magnetospheric Plasma Analyzer (MPA) are described. The assumptions, constants, and algorithms contained in the FORTRAN code are presented, as well as the output parameters produced by the code.