The Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) requested that Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) evaluate the treatment process currently employed at the Department's Stringfellow Superfund Site Pretreatment Plant (PTP) site to determine if wastes originating from the site were properly managed with regards to their radioactivity. In order to evaluate the current management strategy, LLNL suggested that DTSC characterize the effluents from the waste treatment system for radionuclide content. A sampling plan was developed; samples were collected and analyzed for radioactive constituents. Following is brief summary of those results and what implications for waste characterization may be made. (1) The sampling and analysis provides strong evidence that the radionuclides present are Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM). (2) The greatest source of radioactivity in the samples was naturally occurring uranium. The sample results indicate that the uranium concentration in the filter cake is higher than the Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) samples. (11 -14 and 2-6 ppm respectively). (3) No radiologic background for geologic materials has been established for the Stringfellow site, and comprehensive testing of the process stream has not been conducted. Without site-specific testing of geologic materials and waste process streams, it is not possible to conclude if filter cake …

Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough belongs to a class ofsulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and is found ubiquitously in nature.Given the importance of SRB-mediated reduction for bioremediation ofmetal ion contaminants, ongoing research on D. vulgaris has been in thedirection of elucidating regulatory mechanisms for this organism under avariety of stress conditions. This work presents a global view of thisorganism's response to elevated growth temperature using whole-celltranscriptomics and proteomics tools. Transcriptional response (1.7-foldchange or greater; Z>1.5) ranged from 1,135 genes at 15 min to 1,463genes at 120 min for a temperature up-shift of 13oC from a growthtemperature of 37oC for this organism and suggested both direct andindirect modes of heat sensing. Clusters of orthologous group categoriesthat were significantly affected included posttranslationalmodifications; protein turnover and chaperones (up-regulated); energyproduction and conversion (down-regulated), nucleotide transport,metabolism (down-regulated), and translation; ribosomal structure; andbiogenesis (down-regulated). Analysis of the genome sequence revealed thepresence of features of both negative and positive regulation whichincluded the CIRCE element and promoter sequences corresponding to thealternate sigma factors ?32 and ?54. While mechanisms of heat shockcontrol for some genes appeared to coincide with those established forEscherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, the presence of unique controlschemes for several other genes was also evident. Analysis of proteinexpression levels using …

Computer simulation has become increasingly important in many scientific disciplines, but its performance and scalability are severely limited by the memory throughput on today’s computer systems. With the support of this grant, we first designed training-based prediction, which accurately predicts the memory performance of large applications before their execution. Then we developed optimization techniques using dynamic computation fusion and large-scale data transformation. The research work has three major components. The first is modeling and prediction of cache behav- ior. We have developed a new technique, which uses reuse distance information from training inputs then extracts a parameterized model of the program’s cache miss rates for any input size and for any size of fully associative cache. Using the model we have built a web-based tool using three dimensional visualization. The new model can help to build cost-effective computer systems, design better benchmark suites, and improve task scheduling on heterogeneous systems. The second component is global computation for improving cache performance. We have developed an algorithm for dynamic data partitioning using sampling theory and probability distribution. Recent work from a number of groups show that manual or semi-manual computation fusion has significant benefits in physical, mechanical, and biological simulations as well …

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Science-based decision making required robust and high-fidelity mechanistic data about the system dynamics and impacts of system changes. Alkaloid cyanotoxins have the characteristics to warrant consideration for their potential threat. Since insufficient information is available to construct a systems model for the alkaloid cyanotoxins, saxitoxins, anatoxins, and anatoxin-a(S), an accurate assessments of these toxins as a potential threat for use for intentional contamination is not possible. Alkaloid cyanotoxin research that contributed to such a model has numerous areas of overlap for natural and intentional health effects issues that generates dual improvements to the state of the science. The use of sensitivity analyses of systems models can identify parameters that, when determined, result in the greatest impact to the overall system and may help to direct the most efficient use of research funding. This type of modeling-assisted experimentation may allow rapid progress for overall system understanding compared to observational or disciplinary research agendas. Assessment and management of risk from intentional contamination can be performed with greater confidence when mechanisms are known and the relationships between different components are validated. This level of understanding allows high-fidelity assessments that do not hamper legitimate possession of these toxins for research purposes, while preventing intentional …

Shock initiation experiments on the heated PBX9501 explosive (95% HMX, 2.5% estane, and 2.5% nitro-plasticizer by weight) were performed at temperatures 150 C and 180 C to obtain in-situ pressure gauge data. A 101 mm diameter propellant driven gas gun was utilized to initiate the PBX9501 explosive and manganin piezo-resistive pressure gauge packages were placed between sample slices to measure time resolved local pressure histories. The run-distance-to-detonation points on the Pop-plot for these experiments showed the sensitivity of the heated material to shock loading. This work shows that heated PBX-9501 is more shock sensitive than it is at ambient conditions. Proper Ignition and Growth modeling parameters were obtained to fit the experimental data. This parameter set will allow accurate code predictions to be calculated for safety scenarios involving PBX9501 explosives at temperatures close to those at which experiments were performed.

In 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will publish its Fourth Assessment Report of the Scientific Basis of Climate Change (AR4). A significant portion of the AR4 will be the analysis of coupled general circulation model (GCM) simulations of the climate of the past century as well as scenarios of future climates under prescribed emission scenarios. Modeling groups worldwide have contributed to AR4, including three from the U.S., the Community Climate System Model (CCSM) project, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Institute for Space Sciences, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL). This collection of model results is providing a wealth of new information that will be used to examine the state of climate science, the potential impacts from climate changes, and the policy consequences that they imply. Our focus here is on the CCSM project. Although it is centered at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), the CCSM version 3 (CCSM3) was designed, developed, and applied in a uniquely distributed fashion with participation by many institutions. This model has produced some of the most scientifically complete and highest resolution simulations of climate change to date, thanks to the …

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL: Operated by Battelle Memorial Institute for the Department of Energy) is working with the Department of Energy (DOE) to develop technology for the US mining industry. PNNL was awarded a three-year program to develop automated on-board/in-line or on-site oil analysis for the mining industry.

Using first-principles density-functional theory calculations, we show that the anomalously large anisotropy of {sigma}-plutonium is a consequence of greatly varying bond-strengths between the 12 nearest neighbors. Employing the calculated bond strengths, we expand the tenants of classical crystallography by incorporating anisotropy of chemical bonds, which yields a structure with the monoclinic space group Cm for {delta}-plutonium rather than face-centered cubic Fm{bar 3}m. The reduced space group for {delta}-plutonium enlightens why the ground state of the metal is monoclinic, why distortions of the metal are viable, and has considerable implications for the behavior of the material as it ages. These results illustrate how an expansion of classical crystallography that accounts for anisotropic electronic structure can explain complicated materials in a novel way.

Most groups of chondritic meteorites experienced diverse styles of secondary alteration to various degrees that resulted in formation of hydrous and anhydrous minerals (e.g., phyllosilicates, magnetite, carbonates, ferrous olivine, hedenbergite, wollastonite, grossular, andradite, nepheline, sodalite, Fe,Ni-carbides, pentlandite, pyrrhotite, Ni-rich metal). Mineralogical, petrographic, and isotopic observations suggest that the alteration occurred in the presence of aqueous solutions under variable conditions (temperature, water/rock ratio, redox conditions, and fluid compositions) in an asteroidal setting, and, in many cases, was multistage. Although some alteration predated agglomeration of the final chondrite asteroidal bodies (i.e. was pre-accretionary), it seems highly unlikely that the alteration occurred in the solar nebula, nor in planetesimals of earlier generations. Short-lived isotope chronologies ({sup 26}Al-{sup 26}Mg, {sup 53}Mn-{sup 53}Cr, {sup 129}I-{sup 129}Xe) of the secondary minerals indicate that the alteration started within 1-2 Ma after formation of the Ca,Al-rich inclusions and lasted up to 15 Ma. These observations suggest that chondrite parent bodies must have accreted within the first 1-2 Ma after collapse of the protosolar molecular cloud and provide strong evidence for an early onset of aqueous activity on these bodies.

How the Fanconi anaemia (FA) chromosome stability pathway functions to cope with interstrand crosslinks and other DNA lesions has been elusive, even after FANCD1 proved to be BRCA2, a partner of Rad51 in homologous recombination. The identification and characterization of two new Fanconi proteins having helicase motifs, FANCM and FANCJ/BRIP1/BACH1, implicates the FANC nuclear core complex as a participant in recognizing or processing damaged DNA, and the BRIP1 helicase as acting independently of this complex.

Magnet programs at BNL, LBNL and FNAL have observed instabilities in high J{sub c} Nb{sub 3}Sn strands and magnets made from these strands. This paper correlates the strand stability determined from a short sample-strand test to the observed magnet performance. It has been observed that strands that carry high currents at high fields (greater than 10T) cannot sustain these same currents at low fields (1-3T) when the sample current is fixed and the magnetic field is ramped. This suggests that the present generation of strand is susceptible to flux jumps (FJ). To prevent flux jumps from limiting stand performance, one must accommodate the energy released during a flux jump. To better understand FJ this work has focused on wire with a given sub-element diameter and shows that one can significantly improve stability by increasing the copper conductivity (higher residual resistivity ratio, RRR, of the Cu). This increased stability significantly improves the conductor performance and permits it to carry more current.

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We present the design and parameters of an energy recovery linac (ERL) facility, which is under construction in the Collider-Accelerator Department at BNL. This R&D facility has the goal of demonstrating CW operation of an ERL with an average beam current in the range of 0.1-1 ampere and with very high efficiency of energy recovery. The possibility of a future upgrade to a two-pass ERL is also being considered. The heart of the facility is a 5-cell 703.75 MHz super-conducting RF linac with strong Higher Order Mode (HOM) damping. The flexible lattice of the ERL provides a test-bed for exploring issues of transverse and longitudinal instabilities and diagnostics of intense CW electron beams. This ERL is also perfectly suited for a far-IR FEL. We present the status and plans for construction and commissioning of this facility.

Next generation ERL light-sources, high-energy electron coolers, high-power Free-Electron Lasers, powerful Compton X-ray sources and many other accelerators were made possible by the emerging technology of high-power, high-brightness electron beams. In order to get the anticipated performance level of ampere-class currents, many technological barriers are yet to be broken. BNL's Collider-Accelerator Department is pursuing some of these technologies for its electron cooling of RHIC application, as well as a possible future electron-hadron collider. We will describe work on CW, high-current and high-brightness electron beams. This will include a description of a superconducting, laser-photocathode RF gun and an accelerator cavity capable of producing low emittance (about 1 micron rms normalized) one nano-Coulomb bunches at currents of the order of one ampere average.

A new polarized hydrogen jet target was used to provide improved beam polarization measurements during the second polarized proton m in the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The luminescence produced by beam-hydrogen excitations was also used to test the feasibility of a new beam profile monitor for RFPIC based on the detection of the emitted light. Lenses, a view-port and a sensitive CCD camera were added to the system to record the optical signals from the interaction chamber. The first very promising results are reported here. The same system with an additional optical spectrometer or optical filter system may be used in the future to detect impurities in the jet, such as oxygen molecules, which affect the accuracy of the polarization measurements.

High-energy ion colliders (hadron colliders operating with ions other than protons) are premier research tools for nuclear physics. The collision energy and high luminosity are important design and operations considerations. The experiments also expect flexibility with frequent changes in the collision energy, detector fields, and ion species, including asymmetric collisions. For the creation, acceleration, and storage of bright intense ion beams limits are set by space charge, charge exchange, and intrabeam scattering effects. The latter leads to luminosity lifetimes of only a few hours for intense heavy ions beams. Currently, the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at BNL is the only operating high-energy ion collider. Later this decade the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), under construction at CERN, will also run with heavy ions.

To study collisions between polarized electrons and heavy ions or polarized protons at high energy, adding a 10 GeV electron storage ring to the existing RHIC facility is currently under consideration. To achieve high luminosities of several 10{sup 33} cm{sup -2} sec{sup -1} range, a vertical beam-beam tuneshift parameter of {zeta}{sub y} = 0.08 is required for the electron beam. Simulation studies are being performed to study the feasibility of this high tuneshift parameter and explore the potential for even higher tuneshifts. Recent results of these studies are presented.

The requirement for low beam loss is very important both to protect the beam component, and to make the hands-on maintenance possible. In this report, the design considerations to achieving high intensity and low loss will be presented. We start by specifying the beam loss limit at every physical process followed by the proper design and parameters for realizing the required goals. The process considered in this paper include the emittance growth in the linac, the H{sup -} injection, the transition crossing, the coherent instabilities and the extraction losses.

Pulsed power technology has been applied in particle accelerators and storage rings for over four decades. It is most commonly used in injection, extraction, beam manipulation, source, and focusing systems. These systems belong to the class of repetitive pulsed power. In this presentation, we review and discuss the history, present status, and future challenge of pulsed power applications in high intensity proton accelerators and storage rings.

The authors consider a scenario of having two identical Interaction Points (IPs) in the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The strengths of beam-beam resonances strongly depend on the phase advance between these two IPs and therefore certain phase advances could improve beam life-time and luminosity. The authors compute the dynamic aperture (DA) as function of the phase advance between these IPs to find the optimum settings.The beam-beam interaction is treated in the weak-strong approximation and a non-linear model of the lattice is used. For the current RHIC proton working point (0.69.0.685) [1] the design lattice is found to have the optimum phase advance. However this is not the case for other working points.

The beam loss along the Spallation Neutron Source's accumulator ring is mainly located at the collimator region and injection region. This paper studied the electron cloud build-up at these two regions with the three-dimension program CLOUDLAND.

Horizontal beam orbit jitter at frequencies around 10 Hz has been observed in RHIC for several years. The distinct frequencies of this jitter have been found at superconducting low-beta quadrupole triplets around the ring, where they coincide with mechanical modes of the cold masses. Recently, we have identified liquid helium flow as the driving force of these oscillations.

The electron-ion collider eRHIC [1] currently under study at BNL consists of an electron storage ring added to the existing RHIC complex. The interaction region of this facility has to provide the required low-beta focusing while accommodating the synchrotron radiation generated by beam separation close to the interaction point. In the current design, the synchrotron radiation caused by 10GeV electrons bent by separator dipole magnets will be guided through the interaction region and dumped 5m downstream. However, it is unavoidable to stop a fraction of the photons at the septum where the electron and ion vacuum systems are separated. In order to protect the septum and minimize the backward synchrotron radiation, an absorber and collimation system will be employed. In this paper, we fist present the overview of the current design of the eRHIC interaction region with special emphasis on the synchrotron radiation. Then the initial design of the absorber, including its geometrical and physical property, will be described. Finally, our initial investigation of synchrotron radiation in the eRHIC interaction region, especially a simulation of the backward scattering from the absorber, will be presented.