Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether a taxing authority may impose, and a county is obligated to pay, penalties and interest on ad valorem taxes imposed on real property purchased by a county for the year of sale that have remained unpaid (RQ-I063-GA).

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Authority of an employer to ban the transport and storage of handguns by concealed handgun license holders in locked private vehicles on employee parking lots (RQ-I061-GA).

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The author show that using existing electron gun technology and a high energy linac like the one at SLAC, it is possible to build a Free Electron Laser operating around the 4 nm water window. A modest improvement in the gun performance would further allow to extend the FEL to the 0.1 nm region. Such a system would produce radiation with a brightness many order of magnitude above that of any synchrotron radiation source, existing or under construction, with laser power in the multigawatt region and subpicosecond pulse length.

In 2002, the EPA amended 40 CFR 61 Subpart H and 40 CFR 61 Appendix B Method 114 to include requirements from ANSI/HPS N13.1-1999 Sampling and Monitoring Releases of Airborne Radioactive Substances from the Stack and Ducts of Nuclear Facilities for major emission points. Additionally, the WDOH amended the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 246-247 Radiation protection-air emissions to include ANSI/HPS N13.1-1999 requirements for major and minor emission points when new permitting actions are approved. A result of the amended regulations is the requirement to prepare a written technical basis for the radiological air emission sampling and monitoring program. A key component of the technical basis is the Potential Impact Category (PIC) assigned to an emission point. This paper discusses the PIC assignments for the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) Integrated Laboratory emission units; this revision includes five PIC categories.

We report recent measurements of rare charmless B decays performed by BaBar. The results are based on the final BaBar dataset of 424 fb{sup -1} collected at the PEP-II B-factory based at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The study of rare B decays is a key ingredient to meet two of the main goals of the B-factories: assessing the validity of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) picture of CP-violation by precisely measuring the elements of the Unitarity Triangle (UT), and searching for hints of New Physics (NP), or otherwise constraining NP scenarios, in processes which are suppressed in the Standard Model (SM). In loop processes, in particular, NP at some higher energy scale may manifest itself in the low energy effective theory as new couplings, such as those introduced by new very massive virtual particles in the loop. In NP searches hadronic uncertainties can play a major role, expecially for branching fraction measurements. Many theoretical uncertainties cancel in ratios of amplitudes, and most NP probes are therefore of this kind. In the following sections we report recent measurements, performed by the BaBar Collaboration, that are relevant to NP searches in charmless hadronic B decays.

The BABAR Collaboration has performed three searches for a light Higgs boson, A{sup 0}, in radiative Upsilon ({Upsilon}) decays: {Upsilon}(3S) {yields} {gamma}A{sup 0}, A{sup 0} {yields} {tau}{sup +}{tau}{sup -}; {Upsilon}(nS) {yields} {gamma}A{sup 0}, A{sup 0} {yields} {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -} (n = 2,3); and {Upsilon}(3S) {yields} {gamma}A{sup 0}, A{sup 0} {yields} invisible. Such a Higgs boson (A{sup 0}) appears in the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model, where a light CP-odd Higgs boson couples strongly to b-quarks. The searches are based on data samples that consist of 122 x 10{sup 6} {Upsilon}(3S) and 99 x 10{sup 6} {Upsilon}(2S) decays, collected by the BABAR detector at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The searches reveal no evidence for an A{sup 0}, and product of branching fractions upper limits, at 90% C.L., of (1.5-16) x 10{sup -5}, (0.44-44) x 10{sup -6}, and (0.7-31) x 10{sup -6} were obtained for these searches, respectively. Also, we set the upper limits {Beta}({eta}{sub b} {yields} {tau}{sup +}{tau}{sup -}) < 8% and {Beta}({eta}{sub b} {yields} {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -}) < 0.9%.

We report on time-resolved coherent x-ray scattering experiments of laser induced magnetization dynamics in Co/Pd multilayers with a high repetition rate optical pump x-ray probe setup. Starting from a multi-domain ground state, the magnetization is uniformly reduced after excitation by an intense 50 fs laser pulse. Using the normalized time correlation, we study the magnetization recovery on a picosecond timescale. The dynamic scattering intensity is separated into an elastic portion at length scales above 65 nm which retains memory of the initial domain magnetization, and a fluctuating portion at smaller length scales corresponding to domain boundary motion during recovery.

The energy-partitioning, energy-coupling (EPEC) experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) will simultaneously measure the coupling of energy into both ground shock and air-blast overpressure from a laser-driven target. The source target for the experiment is positioned at a known height above the ground-surface simulant and is heated by four beams from NIF. The resulting target energy density and specific energy are equal to those of a low-yield nuclear device. The ground-shock stress waves and atmospheric overpressure waveforms that result in our test system are hydrodynamically scaled analogs of seismic and air-blast phenomena caused by a nuclear weapon. In what follows, we discuss the motivation for our investigation and briefly describe NIF. Then, we introduce the EPEC experiments, including diagnostics, in more detail.

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We present results on phonon quasidiffusion and Transition Edge Sensor (TES) studies in a large, 3-inch diameter, 1-inch thick [100] high purity germanium crystal, cooled to 50 mK in the vacuum of a dilution refrigerator, and exposed with 59.5 keV gamma-rays from an Am-241 calibration source. We compare calibration data with results from a Monte Carlo which includes phonon quasidiffusion and the generation of phonons created by charge carriers as they are drifted across the detector by ionization readout channels. The phonon energy is then parsed into TES based phonon readout channels and input into a TES simulator.

Particle physics aims to understand the universe around us. The Standard Model of particle physics describes the basic structure of matter and forces, to the extent we have been able to probe thus far. However, it leaves some big questions unanswered. Some are within the Standard Model itself, such as why there are so many fundamental particles and why they have different masses. In other cases, the Standard Model simply fails to explain some phenomena, such as the observed matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe, the existence of dark matter and dark energy, and the mechanism that reconciles gravity with quantum mechanics. These gaps lead us to conclude that the universe must contain new and unexplored elements of Nature. Most of particle and nuclear physics is directed towards discovering and understanding these new laws of physics. These questions are best pursued with a variety of approaches, rather than with a single experiment or technique. Particle physics uses three basic approaches, often characterized as exploration along the cosmic, energy, and intensity frontiers. Each employs different tools and techniques, but they ultimately address the same fundamental questions. This allows a multi-pronged approach where attacking basic questions from different angles furthers knowledge and provides …

The purpose of this project was to better understand the 'Multiscale Dynamics of Relaxor Ferroelectrics'. The output of the project is summarized in the narrative. The results of the work were presented at a number of different conferences and four papers were written, the references to which are also indicated in the report and which have also been uploaded on e-link. The multiscale dynamics of relaxors was clearly identified in the three characteristic temperatures that were identified. In particular, we were the first group to identify an intermediate temperature, T*, at which the correlations between off-center ions in relaxor cross-over from being dynamic to being static and giving rise to the characteristic relaxor behavior in the dielectric constant. Other groups have now confirmed the existence of such an intermediate temperature. We also made and reported two other observations: (1) a coherent interference phenomena (EIT-like effect) near the transition of several relaxors, which provides information on the nature and mechanism of the transition; and (2) in a similar way, inelastic neutron scattering results were interpreted as resonant scattering of acoustic phonons by localized modes in polar nanodomains. In parallel with the neutron scattering work, we also developed a theory of the …

The Integrated Field Research Challenge (IFRC) at the Hanford Site 300 Area uranium (U) plume addresses multi-scale mass transfer processes in a complex subsurface biogeochemical setting where groundwater and riverwater interact. A series of forefront science questions on reactive mass transfer motivates research. These questions relate to the effect of spatial heterogeneities; the importance of scale; coupled interactions between biogeochemical, hydrologic, and mass transfer processes; and measurements and approaches needed to characterize and model a mass-transfer dominated biogeochemical system. The project was initiated in February 2007, with CY 2007, CY 2008, CY 2009, and CY 2010 progress summarized in preceding reports. A project peer review was held in March 2010, and the IFRC project acted upon all suggestions and recommendations made in consequence by reviewers and SBR/DOE. These responses have included the development of 'Modeling' and 'Well-Field Mitigation' plans that are now posted on the Hanford IFRC web-site, and modifications to the IFRC well-field completed in CY 2011. The site has 35 instrumented wells, and an extensive monitoring system. It includes a deep borehole for microbiologic and biogeochemical research that sampled the entire thickness of the unconfined 300 A aquifer. Significant, impactful progress has been made in CY 2011 including: …

A region-wide Energy Imbalance Market (EIM) was recently proposed by the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC). In order for the Western Area Power Administration (Western) to make more informed decisions regarding its involvement in the EIM, Western asked Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) to review the EIM benefits study (the October 2011 revision) performed by Energy and Environmental Economics, Inc. (E3). Key components of the E3 analysis made use of results from a study conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL); therefore, we also reviewed the NREL work. This report examines E3 and NREL methods and models used in the EIM study. Estimating EIM benefits is very challenging because of the complex nature of the Western Interconnection (WI), the variability and uncertainty of renewable energy resources, and the complex decisions and potentially strategic bidding of market participants. Furthermore, methodologies used for some of the more challenging aspects of the EIM have not yet matured. This review is complimentary of several components of the EIM study. Analysts and modelers clearly took great care when conducting detailed simulations of the WI using well-established industry tools under stringent time and budget constraints. However, it is our opinion that the following aspects of the …

Detection and identification of shielded and masked nuclear materials is crucial to national security, but vast borders and high volumes of traffic impose stringent requirements for practical detection systems. Such tools must be be mobile, and hence low power, provide a low false alarm rate, and be sufficiently robust to be operable by non-technical personnel. Currently fielded systems have not achieved all of these requirements simultaneously. Transport modeling such as that done in GADRAS is able to predict observed spectra to a high degree of fidelity; our research is focusing on a radionuclide identification algorithm that inverts this modeling within the constraints imposed by a handheld device. Key components of this work include incorporation of uncertainty as a function of both the background radiation estimate and the hypothesized sources, dimensionality reduction, and nonnegative matrix factorization. We have partially evaluated performance of our algorithm on a third-party data collection made with two different sodium iodide detection devices. Initial results indicate, with caveats, that our algorithm performs as good as or better than the on-board identification algorithms. The system developed was based on a probabilistic approach with an improved approach to variance modeling relative to past work. This system was chosen based …

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This is the final report for the Research Grant DE-FG02-08ER54989 'Edge Plasma Simulations in NSTX and CTF: Synergy of Lithium Coating, Non-Diffusive Anomalous Transport and Drifts'. The UCSD group including: A.Yu. Pigarov (PI), S.I. Krasheninnikov and R.D. Smirnov, was working on modeling of the impact of lithium coatings on edge plasma parameters in NSTX with the multi-species multi-fluid code UEDGE. The work was conducted in the following main areas: (i) improvements of UEDGE model for plasma-lithium interactions, (ii) understanding the physics of low-recycling divertor regime in NSTX caused by lithium pumping, (iii) study of synergistic effects with lithium coatings and non-diffusive ballooning-like cross-field transport, (iv) simulation of experimental multi-diagnostic data on edge plasma with lithium pumping in NSTX via self-consistent modeling of D-Li-C plasma with UEDGE, and (v) working-gas balance analysis. The accomplishments in these areas are given in the corresponding subsections in Section 2. Publications and presentations made under the Grant are listed in Section 3.

We generalize unitarity bounds on operator dimensions in conformal field theory to field theories with spacetime dependent couplings. Below the energy scale of spacetime variation of the couplings, their evolution can strongly affect the physics, effectively shifting the infrared operator scaling and unitarity bounds determined from correlation functions in the theory. We analyze this explicitly for large-N double-trace flows, and connect these to UV complete field theories. One motivating class of examples comes from our previous work on FRW holography, where this effect explains the range of flavors allowed in the dual, time dependent, field theory.

Develop a pilot study that establishes up to 120 acres of cropland in switchgrass and 20 acres on a TN Experiment Station Farm. This subtask would assess production of switchgrass within the state of Tennessee under a variety of conditions and topography through on-farm production totaling 120 acres. Farms would be selected to participate through a bid process. Costs of establishment and maintenance of the switchgrass would be covered. In addition, allowances would be made for covering land rent and providing a yield incentive. An information and education program would be provided to producers prior to the bid process to assist producers in their bid decision. Agronomic, logistic, energy conversion and farming system issues associated with commercialization of a biomass energy industry are evaluated. Information on the opportunities for producing switchgrass as an energy feedstock are extended

For years shipping packages have been used to store radioactive materials at many DOE sites. Recently, the K-Area Material Storage facility at the Savannah River Site became interested in and approved the Model 9977 Shipping Package for use as a storage package. In order to allow the 9977 to be stored in the facility, there were a number of evaluations and modifications that were required. There were additional suggested modifications to improve the performance of the package as a storage container that were discussed but not incorporated in the design that is currently in use. This paper will discuss the design being utilized for shipping and storage, suggested modifications that have improved the storage configuration but were not used, as well as modifications that have merit for future adaptations for both the 9977 and for other shipping packages to be used as storage packages.

10 CFR 850 defines a contractor as any entity, including affiliated entities, such as a parent corporation, under contract with DOE, including a subcontractor at any tier, with responsibility for performing work at a DOE site in furtherance of a DOE mission. The Chronic Beryllium Disease Prevention Program (CBDPP) applies to beryllium-related activities that are performed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The CBDPP or Beryllium Safety Program is integrated into the LLNL Worker Safety and Health Program and, thus, implementation documents and responsibilities are integrated in various documents and organizational structures. Program development and management of the CBDPP is delegated to the Environment, Safety and Health (ES&H) Directorate, Worker Safety and Health Functional Area. As per 10 CFR 850, Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC (LLNS) periodically submits a CBDPP to the National Nuclear Security Administration/Livermore Site Office (NNSA/LSO). The requirements of this plan are communicated to LLNS workers through ES&H Manual Document 14.4, 'Working Safely with Beryllium.' 10 CFR 850 is implemented by the LLNL CBDPP, which integrates the safety and health standards required by the regulation, components of the LLNL Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS), and incorporates other components of the LLNL ES&H Program. As described in …