We describe a fast contour descriptor algorithm and its application to a distributed supernova detection system (the Nearby Supernova Factory) that processes 600,000 candidate objects in 80 GB of image data per night. Our shape-detection algorithm reduced the number of false positives generated by the supernova search pipeline by 41% while producing no measurable impact on running time. Fourier descriptors are an established method of numerically describing the shapes of object contours, but transform-based techniques are ordinarily avoided in this type of application due to their computational cost. We devised a fast contour descriptor implementation for supernova candidates that meets the tight processing budget of the application. Using the lowest-order descriptors (F{sub 1} and F{sub -1}) and the total variance in the contour, we obtain one feature representing the eccentricity of the object and another denoting its irregularity. Because the number of Fourier terms to be calculated is fixed and small, the algorithm runs in linear time, rather than the O(n log n) time of an FFT. Constraints on object size allow further optimizations so that the total cost of producing the required contour descriptors is about 4n addition/subtraction operations, where n is the length of the contour.

This research demonstrates economically optimal distributedenergy resource (DER) system choice using the DER choice and operationsoptimization program, the Distributed Energy Resources Customer AdoptionModel (DER-CAM). DER-CAM finds the optimal combination of installedequipment given prevailing utility tariffs and fuel prices, siteelectrical and thermal loads (including absorption cooling), and a menuof available equipment. It provides a global optimization, albeitidealized, that shows how site useful energy loads can be served atminimum cost. Five prototype Japanese commercial buildings are examinedand DER-CAM is applied to select the economically optimal DER system foreach. Based on the optimization results, energy and emission reductionsare evaluated. Significant decreases in fuel consumption, carbonemissions, and energy costs were seen in the DER-CAM results. Savingswere most noticeable in the prototype sports facility, followed by thehospital, hotel, and office building. Results show that DER with combinedheat and power equipment is a promising efficiency and carbon mitigationstrategy, but that precise system design is necessary. Furthermore, aJapan-U.S. comparison study of policy, technology, and utility tariffsrelevant to DER installation is presented.

The {gamma} decay of the Giant Dipole Resonance in the {sup 132}Ce compound nucleus with temperature up to {approx} 4 MeV has been measured. The symmetric {sup 64}Ni + {sup 68}Zn at E{sub beam} = 300, 400, 500 MeV and the asymmetric reaction {sup 16}O + {sup 116}Sn at E{sub beam} = 130, 250 MeV have been investigated. Light charged particles and {gamma} rays have been detected in coincidence with the recoiling compound system. In the case of the mass symmetric {sup 64}Ni induced reaction the {gamma} and charged particle spectral shapes are found to be consistent with the emission from a fully equilibrated compound nuclei and the GDR parameters are extracted from the data using a statistical model analysis. The GDR width is found to increase almost linear with temperature. This increase is rather well reproduced within a model which includes both the thermal fluctuation of the nuclear shape and the lifetime of the compound nucleus.

The IMPACT (Integrated Map and Particle Accelerator Tracking) code was first developed under Computational Grand Challenge project in the mid 1990s [1]. It started as a three-dimensional (3D) data parallel particle-in-cell (PIC) code written in High Performance Fortran. The code used a split-operator based method to solve the Hamiltonian equations of motion. It contained linear transfer maps for drifts, quadrupole magnets and rf cavities. The space-charge forces were calculated using an FFT-based method with 3D open boundary conditions and longitudinal periodic boundary conditions. This code was completely rewritten in the late 1990s based on a message passing parallel programming paradigm using Fortran 90 and MPI following an object-oriented software design. This improved the code's scalability on large parallel computer systems and also gave the code better software maintainability and extensibility [2]. In the following years, under the SciDAC-1 accelerator project, the code was extended to include more accelerating and focusing elements such as DTL, CCL, superconducting linac, solenoid, dipole, multipoles, and others. Besides the original split-operator based integrator, a direct integration of Lorentz equations of motion using a leap-frog algorithm was also added to the IMPACT code to handle arbitrary external nonlinear fields. This integrator can read in 3D electromagnetic …

Measurements in DIII-D show that the carbon chemical sputtering sources along the inner divertor and center post are toroidally periodic and highest at the upstream tile edge. Imaging with a tangentially viewing camera and visible spectroscopy were used to monitor the emission from molecular hydrocarbons (CH/CD) at 430.8 nm and deuterium neutrals in attached and partially detached divertors of low-confinement mode plasmas. In contrast to the toroidally periodic CD distribution, emission from deuterium neutrals was observed to be toroidally symmetric along the inner strike zone. The toroidal distribution of the measured tile surface temperature in the inner divertor correlates with that of the CD emission, suggesting larger parallel particle and heat fluxes to the upstream tile edge, either due to toroidal tile gaps or height steps between adjacent tiles.

Since the earliest days of ultra-relativistic heavy ion physics, there has been interest in strange particle production. Originally, an anomalously large strangeness production was believed to be a signature of the Quark Gluon Plasma. Now the flavor composition of the plasma as reflected in the ratios of abundances of strange and non-strange particles is believed by advocates to tell us the temperature and baryon number density of the Quark Gluon Plasma at decoupling. In addition, there are arguments that suggest that the abundances of strange particles might at intermediate energy or at non-central rapidity, signal the existence of a critical end point of phase transitions in the baryon number chemical potential temperature plane. The purpose of this workshop is to assess the current theoretical and experimental understanding of strangeness production for ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions.

All too often we rely on Monte Carlo simulations withoutworrying too much about basic physics. It is possible to start with avery simple calorimeter (a big cylinder) and learn the functional form ofpi e by aninduction argument. Monte Carlo simulations provide sanitychecks and constants. A power-law functional form describes test beamresults surprisingly well. The prediction that calorimeters responddifferently to protons and pions of the same energy was unexpected. Theeffect was later demonstrated by the CMS forward calorimeter group, usingthe most noncompensating calorimeter ever built. Calorimeter resolutionis dominated by fluctuations in piz production and the energy deposit byneutrons. The DREAM collaboration has recently used a dual readoutcalorimeter to eliminate the first of these. Ultimate resolution dependson measuring neutrons on an event-by-event basis as well.

Quantum molecular dynamic simulations were used to examine the change in atomic and electronic structure in liquid rubidium along its liquid-vapor coexistence curve. Starting from the liquid at the triple point, with increasing expansion we observe a continuous increase in the electron localization leading to ion clustering near the metal-nonmetal transition at about twice the critical density, in agreement with electrical measurements, and to the presence of dimers near and below the critical density.

We study electron clouds in high perveance beams (K = 8E-4) with a large tune depression of 0.2 (defined as the ratio of a single particle oscillation response to the applied focusing fields, with and without space charge). These 1 MeV, 180 mA, K+ beams have a beam potential of +2 kV when electron clouds are minimized. Simulation results are discussed in a companion paper [J-L. Vay, this Conference]. We have developed the first diagnostics that quantitatively measure the accumulation of electrons in a beam [1]. This, together with measurements of electron sources, will enable the electron particle balance to be measured, and electron-trapping efficiencies determined. We, along with colleagues from GSI and CERN, have also measured the scaling of gas desorption with beam energy and dE/dx [2]. Experiments where the heavy-ion beam is transported with solenoid magnetic fields, rather than with quadrupole magnetic or electrostatic fields, are being initiated. We will discuss initial results from experiments using electrode sets (in the middle and at the ends of magnets) to either expel or to trap electrons within the magnets. We observe electron oscillations in the last quadrupole magnet when we flood the beam with electrons from an end wall. These …

The BABAR Silicon Vertex Tracker (SVT) has been efficiently operated for five years since the start of data taking in 1999. It has met design requirements and no degradation in its performance has been observed thus far. However, because of higher than expected background levels, and anticipated further increases in luminosity and dose rates, we have done a thorough study to assess the viability of operating the SVT until the end of the decade.

Radionuclide accumulation in soil due to long-term irrigation is an important part of the model for predicting radiation dose in a long period of time. The model usually assumes an equilibrium condition in soil with a constant irrigation rate, so that radionuclide concentration in soil does not change with time and can be analytically solved. This method is currently being used for the dose assessment in the Yucca Mountain project, which requires evaluating radiation dose for a period of 10,000 years. There are several issues associated with the method: (1) time required for the equilibrium condition, (2) validity of constant irrigation rate, (3) agricultural land use for a long period of time, and (4) variation of a radionuclide concentration in water. These issues are evaluated using a numerical method with a simple model built in the GoldSim software. Some key radionuclides, Tc-99, Np-237, Pu-239, and Am-241 are selected as representative radionuclides. The results indicate that the equilibrium model is acceptable except for a radionuclide that requires long time to accumulate in soil and that its concentration in water changes dramatically with time (i.e. a sharp peak). Then the calculated dose for that radionuclide could be overestimated using the current equilibrium …

The tracking detector for the LAT science instrument on the GLAST mission is an example of a large-scale particle detection system built primarily by particle physicists for space flight within the context of a NASA program. The design and fabrication model in most ways reflected practice and experience from particle physics, but the quality assurance aspects were guided by NASA. Similarly, most of the electronics in the LAT as a whole were designed and built by staff at a particle physics lab. This paper reports on many of the challenges and lessons learned in the experience of designing and building the tracking detector and general LAT electronics for use in the NASA GLAST mission.

A deployable, shape memory polymer adapter is investigated for reducing the hemodynamic stress caused by a dialysis needle flow within an arteriovenous graft. Computational fluid dynamics simulations of dialysis sessions with and without the adapter demonstrate that the adapter provides a significant decrease in the wall shear stress. In vitro flow visualization measurements are made within a graft model following delivery and actuation of a prototype shape memory polymer adapter. Vascular access complications resulting from arteriovenous (AV) graft failures account for over $1 billion per year in the health care costs of dialysis patients in the U.S.[1] The primary mode of failure of arteriovenous fistulas (AVF's) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) grafts is the development of intimal hyperplasia (IH) and the subsequent formation of stenotic lesions, resulting in a graft flow decline. The hemodynamic stresses arising within AVF's and PTFE grafts play an important role in the pathogenesis of IH. Studies have shown that vascular damage can occur in regions where there is flow separation, oscillation, or extreme values of wall shear stress (WSS).[2] Nevaril et al.[3] show that exposure of red blood cells to WSS's on the order of 1500 dynes/cm2 can result in hemolysis. Hemodynamic stress from dialysis needle flow …

The development of the non-invasive bunch size diagnostics based on the diffraction radiation is now in progress in frame of TPU-KEK-SLAC collaboration. The experimental test of a transverse beam size measurement was performed successful on the KEK-ATF extracted electron beam. However many difficulties emerge if we going from the one GeV electron energy to the several tenth GeV electron beams. The extremely high Lorenz-factor value gives rise to the some problems, such as large contribution of a radiation from an accelerator construction elements in submillimeter wavelength region, extremely pre-wave zone effect even in the optical range, exceeding of the electron beam divergence over the diffraction radiation cone, and so on. More over, the sensitivity of the method based on the optical diffraction radiation from flat slit target decrease catastrophic when an electron energy increase up to several tenth GeV. We suggest the new method based on the phase shift on the slit target, consisting on the two semi-planes which are turned at a some angle one to other (crossed target technique) and present here the results of experimental test of this technique. Also we discuss the origins of indicated difficulties and suggest the ways of these problems solution.

An induction system comprises an array of single turn pulse transformers. Ferromagnetic cores of transformers are toroids that are stacked along the longitudinal core axis. Another name for this array is a fraction transformer or an adder. The primary and secondary windings of such a design have one turn. The step up mode is based on the number of primary pulse sources. The secondary windings are connected in series. Performances of such a system for the nanosecond range mode operation are different in comparison to the performances of traditional multi-turn pulse transformers, which are working on a 100+ nanosecond mode operation. In this paper, the author discusses which aspects are necessary to take into account for the high power nanosecond fractional transformer designs. The engineering method of the nanosecond induction system design is presented.

The growth and Cr(VI) reduction by Shewanella oneidensisMR-1 was examined using a mini-bioreactor system that independentlymonitors and controls pH, dissolved oxygen, and temperature for each ofits 24, 10-mL reactors. Independent monitoring and control of eachreactor in the cassette allows the exploration of a matrix ofenvironmental conditions known to influence S. oneidensis chromiumreduction. S. oneidensis MR-1 grew in minimal medium without amino acidor vitamin supplementation under aerobic conditions but required serineand glycine supplementation under anaerobic conditions. Growth wasinhibited by dissolved oxygen concentrations>80 percent. Lactatetransformation to acetate was enhanced by low concentration of dissolvedoxygen during the logarithmic growth phase. Between 11 and 35oC, thegrowth rate obeyed the Arrhenius reaction rate-temperature relationship,with a maximum growth rate occurring at 35oC. S. oneidensis MR-1 was ableto grow over a wide range of pH (6-9). At neutral pH and temperaturesranging from 30-35oC, S. oneidensis MR-1 reduced 100 mu M Cr(VI) toCr(III) within 20 minutes in the exponential growth phase, and the growthrate was not affected by the addition of chromate; it reduced chromateeven faster at temperatures between 35 and 39oC. At low temperatures(<25oC), acidic (pH<6.5), or alkaline (pH>8.5) conditions, 100mu M Cr(VI) strongly inhibited growth and chromate reduction. Themini-bioreactor system enabled the rapid determination of theseparameters …

In research as well as in clinical applications, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has gained increasing popularity as a highly sensitive technique to study cytogenetic changes. Today, hundreds of commercially available DNA probes serve the basic needs of the biomedical research community. Widespread applications, however, are often limited by the lack of appropriately labeled, specific nucleic acid probes. We describe two approaches for an expeditious preparation of chromosome-specific DNAs and the subsequent probe labeling with reporter molecules of choice. The described techniques allow the preparation of highly specific DNA repeat probes suitable for enumeration of chromosomes in interphase cell nuclei or tissue sections. In addition, there is no need for chromosome enrichment by flow cytometry and sorting or molecular cloning. Our PCR-based method uses either bacterial artificial chromosomes or human genomic DNA as templates with {alpha}-satellite-specific primers. Here we demonstrate the production of fluorochrome-labeled DNA repeat probes specific for human chromosomes 17 and 18 in just a few days without the need for highly specialized equipment and without the limitation to only a few fluorochrome labels.

Electricity produced by distributed energy resources (DER)located close to end-use loads has the potential to meet consumerrequirements more efficiently than the existing centralized grid.Installation of DER allows consumers to circumvent the costs associatedwith transmission congestion and other non-energy costs of electricitydelivery and potentially to take advantage of market opportunities topurchase energy when attractive. On-site, single-cycle thermal powergeneration is typically less efficient than central station generation,but by avoiding non-fuel costs of grid power and by utilizing combinedheat and power (CHP) applications, i.e., recovering heat from small-scaleon-site thermal generation to displace fuel purchases, DER can becomeattractive to a strictly cost-minimizing consumer. In previous efforts,the decisions facing typical commercial consumers have been addressedusing a mixed-integer linear program, the DER Customer Adoption Model(DER-CAM). Given the site s energy loads, utility tariff structure, andinformation (both technical and financial) on candidate DER technologies,DER-CAM minimizes the overall energy cost for a test year by selectingthe units to install and determining their hourly operating schedules. Inthis paper, the capabilities of DER-CAM are enhanced by the inclusion ofthe option to store recovered low-grade heat. By being able to keep aninventory of heat for use in subsequent periods, sites are able to lowercosts even further by reducing lucrative peak-shaving generation …

This paper examines a California-based microgrid s decision to invest in a distributed generation (DG) unit that operates on natural gas. While the long-term natural gas generation cost is stochastic, we initially assume that the microgrid may purchase electricity at a fixed retail rate from its utility. Using the real options approach, we find natural gas generating cost thresholds that trigger DG investment. Furthermore, the consideration of operational flexibility by the microgrid accelerates DG investment, while the option to disconnect entirely from the utility is not attractive. By allowing the electricity price to be stochastic, we next determine an investment threshold boundary and find that high electricity price volatility relative to that of natural gas generating cost delays investment while simultaneously increasing the value of the investment. We conclude by using this result to find the implicit option value of the DG unit.

We review results from previous muon spin relaxation ({mu}SR) measurements in applied fields of H{sub 0} = 0 and 0.25 T which established an upper limit for the ordered or disordered frozen spin moment above T = 4 K in {delta}-Pu (4.3 at. % Ga) of {micro}{sub ord} {le} 10{sup -3} {mu}{sub B}. In addition, we present new data in H{sub 0} = 0.25 T and 2 T applied field on a highly annealed {delta}-Pu (4.3 at. % Ga) sample. Neither the muon Knight shift (H{sub 0} = 2 T) nor the inhomogeneous linewidths in the new sample show appreciable temperature dependence below about T = 60 K, also consistent with no spin freezing. Recent theoretical arguments advanced to explain these results are mentioned.

Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of bubonic andpneumonicplague, has undergone detailed study at the molecular level. Tofurther investigate the genomic diversity among this group and to helpcharacterize lineages of the plague organism that have no sequencedmembers, we present here the genomes of two isolates of the "classical"Antiqua biovar, strains Antiqua and Nepal516. The genomes of Antiqua andNepal516 are 4.7 Mb and 4.5 Mb and encode 4,138 and 3,956 open readingframes respectively. Though both strains belong to one of the threeclassical biovars, they represent separate lineages defined by recentphylogenetic studies. We compare all five currently sequenced Y. pestisgenomes and the corresponding features in Y. pseudotuberculosis. Thereare strain-specific rearrangements, insertions, deletions, singlenucleotide polymorphisms and a unique distribution of insertionsequences. We found 453 single nucleotide polymorphisms in protein codingregions, which were used to assess evolutionary relationships of these Y.pestis strains. Gene reduction analysis revealed that the gene deletionprocesses are under selective pressure and many of the inactivations areprobably related to the organism s interaction with its host environment.The results presented here clearly demonstrate the differences betweenthe two Antiqua lineages and support the notion that grouping Y. pestisstrains based strictly on the classical definition of biovars (predicatedupon two biochemical assays) does not accurately reflect …

The National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center(NERSC) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) are twocomputing centers that have traditionally supported large national usercommunities. Both centers have developed responsive approaches to supportthese user communities and their changing needs, providing end-to-endcomputing solutions. In this report we provide a short overview of thestrategies used at our centers in supporting our scientific users, withan emphasis on some examples of effective programs and futureneeds.

Distributed generation (DG) technologies, such as gas-fired reciprocating engines and microturbines, have been found to be economically beneficial in meeting commercial-sector electrical, heating, and cooling loads. Even though the electric-only efficiency of DG is lower than that offered by traditional central stations, combined heat and power (CHP) applications using recovered heat can make the overall system energy efficiency of distributed energy resources (DER) greater. From a policy perspective, however, it would be useful to have good estimates of penetration rates of DER under various economic and regulatory scenarios. In order to examine the extent to which DER systems may be adopted at a national level, we model the diffusion of DER in the US commercial building sector under different technical research and technology outreach scenarios. In this context, technology market diffusion is assumed to depend on the system's economic attractiveness and the developer's knowledge about the technology. The latter can be spread both by word-of-mouth and by public outreach programs. To account for regional differences in energy markets and climates, as well as the economic potential for different building types, optimal DER systems are found for several building types and regions. Technology diffusion is then predicted via two scenarios: a …

On-site cogeneration of heat and electricity, thermal and electrical storage, and curtailing/rescheduling demand options are often cost-effective to commercial and industrial sites. This collection of equipment and responsive consumption can be viewed as an integrated energy system(IES). The IES can best meet the sites cost or environmental objectives when controlled in a coordinated manner. However, continuously determining this optimal IES dispatch is beyond the expectations for operators of smaller systems. A new algorithm is proposed in this paper to approximately solve the real-time dispatch optimization problem for a generic IES containing an on-site cogeneration system subject to random outages, limited curtailment opportunities, an intermittent renewable electricity source, and thermal storage. An example demonstrates how this algorithm can be used in simulation to estimate the value of IES components.