CR-39 Polymer, a new solid state track recorder with unprecedented sensitivity to lightly ionizing particles (such as protons) is being developed for eventual neutron dosimetry applications in the Fusion Materials Irradiation Test Facility and elsewhere. The diameters of proton tracks have been found to vary smoothly and reproducibly as a function of energy from 0.20 to 18.0 MeV. Preliminary results on the response of CR-39 polymer to proton tracks as a function of angle show a rapid decrease of the registration efficiency from 100% to 0 for angles of incidence less than 75/sup 0/. Proton recoil track size distributions in CR-39 polymer irradiated with monoenergetic neutrons of varying energy are presented. Some proposed high energy neutron dosimetry and radiography systems using CR-39 polymer are discussed.

Article on heterodimeric geranyl(geranyl)diphosphate synthase from hop (Humulus lupulus) and the evolution of monoterpene biosynthesis.

In heated tunnels such as those designated for emplacementof radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain, axial temperature gradients maycause natural convection processes that can significantly influence themoisture conditions in the tunnels and in the surrounding fractured rock.Large-scale convection cells would provide an effective mechanism foraxial vapor transport, driving moisture out of the formation away fromthe heated tunnel section into cool end sections (where no waste isemplaced). To study such processes, we have developed and applied anenhanced version of TOUGH2 (Pruess et al., 1999) adding a new module thatsolves for natural convection in open cavities. The new TOUGH2 simulatorsimultaneously handles (1) the flow and energy transport processes in thefractured rock; (2) the flow and energy transport processes in thecavity; and (3) the heat and mass exchange at the rock-cavity interface.The new module is applied to simulate the future thermal-hydrological(TH) conditions within and near a representative waste emplacement tunnelat Yucca Mountain. Particular focus is on the potential for condensationalong the emplacement section, a possible result of heat outputdifferences between individual waste packages.

One of the emerging computational approaches in nuclear physics is the full configuration interaction (FCI) method for solving the many-body nuclear Hamiltonian in a sufficiently large single-particle basis space to obtain exact answers - either directly or by extrapolation. The lowest eigenvalues and correspondingeigenvectors for very large, sparse and unstructured nuclear Hamiltonian matrices are obtained and used to evaluate additional experimental quantities. These matrices pose a significant challenge to the design and implementation of efficient and scalable algorithms for obtaining solutions on massively parallel computer systems. In this paper, we describe the computational strategies employed in a state-of-the-art FCI code MFDn (Many Fermion Dynamics - nuclear) as well as techniques we recently developed to enhance the computational efficiency of MFDn. We will demonstrate the current capability of MFDn and report the latest performance improvement we have achieved. We will also outline our future research directions.

Reflection of a seismic wave from a plane interface betweentwo elastic media does not depend on the frequency. If one of the mediais poroelastic and fluid-saturated, then the reflection becomesfrequency-dependent. This paper presents a low-frequency asymptoticformula for the reflection of seismic plane p-wave from a fluid-saturatedporous medium. The obtained asymptotic scaling of the frequency-dependentcomponent of the reflection coefficient shows that it is asymptoticallyproportional to the square root of the product of the reservoir fluidmobility and the frequency of the signal. The dependence of this scalingon the dynamic Darcy's law relaxation time is investigated as well.Derivation of the main equations of the theory of poroelasticity from thedynamic filtration theory reveals that this relaxation time isproportional to Biot's tortuosity parameter.

In contrast to previous analyses, we demonstrate a Bayesian approach to the estimation of the CKM phase {alpha} that is invariant to parameterization. We also show that in addition to computing the marginal posterior in a Bayesian manner, the distribution must also be interpreted from a subjective Bayesian viewpoint. Doing so gives a very natural interpretation to the distribution. We also comment on the effect of removing information about {beta}{sup 00}.

We study the Collins mechanism contribution to the single transverse spin asymmetry in inclusive hadron production in pp scattering p{up_arrow}p {yields} {pi}X from the leading jet fragmentation. The azimuthal asymmetric distribution of hadron in the jet leads to a single spin asymmetry for the produced hadron in the Lab frame. The effect is evaluated in a transverse momentum dependent model that takes into account the transverse momentum dependence in the fragmentation process. We find the asymmetry is comparable in size to the experimental observation at RHIC at {radical}s = 200GeV.

The reaction of ozone with the (100) plane of solid potassium iodide (KI) was investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The reaction forming potassium iodate (KIO{sub 3}) initiates at step edges prior to reacting on the flat terraces. Small domains of KIO{sub 3}, initially 3.8 {angstrom} in height are formed on the top of step edges. Following reaction at the step edge, domains of KIO{sub 3} are formed across the terraces. With prolonged exposure to ozone, KIO{sub 3} domains nucleate further growth until the surface is evenly covered with KIO{sub 3} particles that are 4-6 nm in height, at which point the surface is passivated and the reaction terminates.

The U.S. LHC Accelerator Research Program (LARP), a collaboration between BNL, FNAL, LBNL, and SLAC, has among its major objectives the development of advanced magnet technology for an LHC luminosity upgrade. The LBNL Superconducting Magnet Group supports this program with a broad effort involving design studies, Nb{sub 3}Sn conductor development, mechanical models, and basic prototypes. This paper describes the development of a large aperture Nb{sub 3}Sn racetrack quadrupole magnet using four racetrack coils from the LBNL Subscale Magnet (SM) Program. The magnet provides a gradient of 95 T/m in a 110 mm bore, with a peak field in the conductor of 11.2 T. The coils are prestressed by a mechanical structure based on a pre-tensioned aluminum shell, and axially supported with aluminum rods. The mechanical behavior has been monitored with strain gauges and the magnetic field has been measured. Results of the test are reported and analyzed.

The development of radiological consequence lookup tables for postulated releases of radionuclides commonly used at Savannah River Site (SRS) and other Department of Energy (DOE) facilities requires the use of the MELCOR Accident Consequence Code System (MACCS)/MACCS2. MACCS2 users input site-specific data: such as stack or ground release, building wake effects, boundary distance from release source, and site-specific meteorological data. MACCS2 also allows the input of more general data such as plume rise and wet and/or dry deposition. The acceptance of such inputs gives the MACCS2 program a broad spectrum of uses at participating DOE facilities. The MACCS2 outputs are converted to an excel spreadsheet to facilitate fast and accurate results for various accident scenarios. Consequence lookup tables can be employed to determine the effects of radiological accident scenarios before they occur. The data is then used by DOE facilities to create regulations and controls to prepare for worst-case scenarios.

Nephtys longosetosa is a carnivorous polychaete worm that lives in the intertidal and subtidal zones with worldwide distribution (pleijel&rouse2001). Its mitochondrial genome has the characteristics typical of most metazoans: 37 genes; circular molecule; almost no intergenic sequence; and no significant gene rearrangements when compared to other annelid mtDNAs (booremoritz19981995). Ubiquitous features as small intergenic regions and lack of introns suggested that metazoan mtDNAs are under strong selective pressures to reduce their genome size allowing for faster replication requirements (booremoritz19981995Lynch2005). Yet, in 1996 two type I introns were found in the mtDNA of the basal metazoan Metridium senile (FigureX). Breaking a long-standing rule (absence of introns in metazoan mtDNA), this finding was later supported by the further presence of group I introns in other cnidarians. Interestingly, only the class Anthozoa within cnidarians seems to harbor such introns. Although several hundreds of triploblastic metazoan mtDNAs have been sequenced, this study is the first evidence of mitochondrial introns in triploblastic metazoans. The cox1 gene of N. longosetosa has an intron of almost 2 kbs in length. This finding represents as well the first instance of a group II intron (anthozoans harbor group I introns) in all metazoan lineages. Opposite trends are observed within …

We update a discussion of the relation between the weak phase and the rates and CP asymmetries of several K{pi} decays of B{sup +}, B{sup 0}, and B{sub s}. We emphasize the impact of measurements of B{sub s} {yields} K{pi}. Current data indicate large SU(3) breaking in the strong phases or failure of factorization (including its application to penguin amplitudes) in K{pi} modes of B{sup 0} and B{sub s}. SU(3) and factorization only remain approximately valid if the branching ratio for B{sub s} {yields} K{sup -}{pi}{sup +} exceeds its current value of (5.00 {+-} 1.25) x 10{sup -6} by at least 50%, or if a parameter {zeta} describing ratios of form factors and decay constants is shifted from its nominal value by more than twice its estimated error.

Heterogeneous high-energy explosives are morphologically, mechanically and chemically complex. As such, their ab-initio modeling, in which well-characterized phenomena at the scale of the microstructure lead to a rationally homogenized description at the scale of observation, is a subject of active research but not yet a reality. An alternative approach is to construct phenomenological models, in which forms of constitutive behavior are postulated with an eye on the perceived picture of the micro-scale phenomena, and which are strongly linked to experimental calibration. Most prominent among these is the ignition-and-growth model conceived by Lee and Tarver. The model treats the explosive as a homogeneous mixture of two distinct constituents, the unreacted explosive and the products of reaction. To each constituent is assigned an equation of state, and a single reaction-rate law is prescribed for the conversion of the explosive to products. It is assumed that the two constituents are always in pressure and temperature equilibrium. The purpose of this paper is to investigate in detail the behavior of the model in situations where a detonation turns a corner and undergoes diffraction. A set of parameters appropriate for the explosive LX-17 is selected. The model is first examined analytically for steady, planar, 1-D …

In two separate shallow field experiments, at two distancescales, we have used continuous monitoring to estimate the effect ofbarometric pressure on crosswell travel time and thereby calibrated thestress sensitivity of the rock volume between the wells. In a 3 mexperiment we found a stress sensitivity of 10-6/Pa while in a 30 mexperiment the sensitivity was 5 x 10-8 /Pa. Results from a deeper (1km), 2 month experiment at the San Andreas fault observation boreholeswill be presented if analysis is completed.

The fracture toughness properties of Type 21-6-9 stainless steel were measured for forgings in the unexposed, hydrogen-exposed, and tritium-exposed-and-aged conditions. Fracture toughness samples were cut from conventionally-forged and high-energy-rate-forged forward-extruded cylinders and mechanically tested at room temperature using ASTM fracture-toughness testing procedures. Some of the samples were exposed to either hydrogen or tritium gas (340 MPa, 623 K) prior to testing. Tritium-exposed samples were aged for up to seven years and tested periodically in order to measure the effect on fracture toughness of {sup 3}He from radioactive tritium decay. The results show that hydrogen-exposed and tritium-exposed samples had lower fracture- toughness values than unexposed samples and that fracture toughness decreased with increasing decay {sup 3}He content. Forged steels were more resistant to the embrittling effects of tritium and decay {sup 3}He than annealed steels, although their fracture-toughness properties depended on the degree of sensitization that occurred during processing. The fracture process was dominated by microvoid nucleation, growth and coalescence; however, the size and spacing of microvoids on the fracture surfaces were affected by hydrogen and tritium with the lowest-toughness samples having the smallest microvoids and finest spacing.

Petascale systems will present several new challenges to performance and correctness tools. Such machines may contain millions of cores, requiring that tools use scalable data structures and analysis algorithms to collect and to process application data. In addition, at such scales, each tool itself will become a large parallel application--already, debugging the full Blue-Gene/L (BG/L) installation at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory requires employing 1664 tool daemons. To reach such sizes and beyond, tools must use a scalable communication infrastructure and manage their own tool processes efficiently. Some system resources, such as the file system, may also become tool bottlenecks. In this paper, we present challenges to petascale tool development, using the Stack Trace Analysis Tool (STAT) as a case study. STAT is a lightweight tool that gathers and merges stack traces from a parallel application to identify process equivalence classes. We use results gathered at thousands of tasks on an Infiniband cluster and results up to 208K processes on BG/L to identify current scalability issues as well as challenges that will be faced at the petascale. We then present implemented solutions to these challenges and show the resulting performance improvements. We also discuss future plans to meet the debugging …

Magnetic switching is a pulse compression technique that uses a saturable inductor (reactor) to pass pulses of energy between two capacitors. A high degree of pulse compression can be achieved in a network when several of these simple, magnetically switched circuits are connected in series. Individual inductors are designed to saturate in cascade as a pulse moves along the network. The technique is particularly useful when a single-pulse network must be very reliable or when a multi-pulse network must operate at a high pulse repetition frequency (PRF). Today, magnetic switches trigger spark gaps, sharpen the risetimes of high energy pulses, power large lasers, and drive high PRF linear induction accelerators. This paper will describe the technique of magnetic pulse compression using simple networks and design equations. A brief review of modern magnetic materials and of their role in magnetic switch design will be presented. 12 refs., 8 figs.

The power supply working group was assigned the problem of pulse charging the 3-MeV gun. The gun is a radial line structure that has two charging configurations: a single ring charged to 500 kV or nine rings charged from 100 to 200 kV. In either configuration, the pulsed source must rapidly charge the structure's ring(s) before breakdown can begin. The issues encountered in charging the structure can be divided into two categories. First, the charging system must be well matched to the gun structure. Proper impedance matching will avoid reflections and limit the fault current if the ring should spark. Second, several systems can achieve the wide range of charge voltages necessary. Some are better suited to high voltages, while others are better at low voltages. The following paragraphs will address the impedance matching issues and review three choices for pulse generators. A system for each type of source is described along with a very rough cost estimate. 1 ref., 4 figs., 2 tabs.

Monopole, dipole and quadrupole wake potentials are calculated for two cavities in a standing-wave relativistic klystron, using two independent programs, TBCI and AMOS. Reflections from model terminations which may distort long-range wakes can be mitigated either by using a very long pipe or by using absorptive materials at the pipe boundaries. 7 refs., 10 figs.

The Console system contains multiple, redundant workstations that enable operator to monitor alarms, assess incidents, and dispatch field personnel. Each workstation is heavily computerized and incorporates automatic video switching and recording, integrated radio and telephone communications, and an advanced high-resolution map and incident-display system. Operation of the workstation is closely integrated with the map display system, allowing an operators to readily pan and zoom. Objects of security interest are overlaid on the map using color. Access to alarm sensor information, entry-control device status, and the closed-circuit television system is obtained by zooming into an area and selecting the appropriate icons or symbols on the maps. Control menus are overlaid on the map. Several large databases have been closely integrated with the map display system, providing access to information such as telephone numbers and building or room occupants. An expert system is currently being integrated with the map display system. Object state changes are interpreted by a rule-based inference engine. Incidents are overlaid on the map.

Radiation Damage to the graphite moderator has played an important role in the history of reactor operation at Hanford. The operational problems, potential and real, which result from dimensional instability, stored energy, and gasification, as well as the solutions to these problems are discussed. The key to the graphite problems is operating temperature and its control. At present, stack expansion remains in the fringe regions of the original reactors, which coupled with the contraction of the central region gives rise to curvature problems in the top portion of the reactors. Stored energy is not a safety hazard because the release spectrum is such that a spontaneous and self sustained release cannot occur. Oxidation of the graphite moderator is controlled by maintaining operating temperature of the stack such that no significant amount of oxidation occurs.

We report on amplification of 100 fsec laser pulses to 250 mJ using flashlamp-pumped, dye converted Ti:Sapphire. The resulting 5 Hz beam is focused to irradiances in excess of 5 {times} 10{sup 18} W/cm{sup 2}.

The operating principles of an Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (IFTS) are discussed. The advantages and disadvantages of such instruments with respect to alternative imaging spectrometers are discussed. The primary advantages of the IFTS are the capacity to acquire more than an order of magnitude more spectral channels than alternative systems with more than an order of magnitude greater etendue than for alternative systems. The primary disadvantage of IFTS, or FTS in general, is the sensitivity to temporal fluctuations, either random or periodic. Data from the IRIFTS (ir IFTS) prototype instrument, sensitive in the infrared, are presented having a spectral sensitivity of 0.01 absorbance units, a spectral resolution of 6 cm{sup {minus}1} over the range 0 to 7899 cm{sup {minus}1}, and a spatial resolution of 2.5 mr.

We have developed a system that allows compensation of higher order phase terms that limit chirped pulse amplification systems. Results indicate phase can be compensated by a properly adjusted air-spaced doublet within the stretcher.