Coast Guard: Non-Homeland Security Performance Measures Are Generally Sound, but Opportunities for Improvement Exist (open access)

Coast Guard: Non-Homeland Security Performance Measures Are Generally Sound, but Opportunities for Improvement Exist

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Using performance measures, the Coast Guard explains how well its programs are performing. To do so, it reports one "primary" measure for each program (such as percent of mariners rescued) and maintains data on other, "secondary" measures (such as percent of property saved). Concerns have been raised about whether measures for non-homeland security programs accurately reflect performance, that is, they did not rise or fall as resources were added or reduced. For the six non-homeland security programs, GAO used established criteria to assess the soundness of the primary measures--that is, whether measures cover key activities; are clearly stated; and are objective, measurable, and quantifiable--and the reliability of data used to calculate them. GAO also used these criteria to assess the soundness of 23 selected secondary measures. Finally, through interviews and report review, GAO assessed challenges in using measures to link resources to results."
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Layered Materials as High Temperature Membranes in Hydrogen Production (open access)

Layered Materials as High Temperature Membranes in Hydrogen Production

None
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: Sahimi, Muhammad & Tsotsis, Theodore T.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Shape Memory Polymer Dialysis Needle Adapter for the Reduction of Hemodynamic Stress within Arteriovenous Grafts (open access)

A Shape Memory Polymer Dialysis Needle Adapter for the Reduction of Hemodynamic Stress within Arteriovenous Grafts

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 …
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: Ortega, J M; Small, W; Wilson, T S; Benett, W; Loge, J & Maitland, D J
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Joint Urban 2003: Study Overview And Instrument Locations (open access)

Joint Urban 2003: Study Overview And Instrument Locations

Quality-assured meteorological and tracer data sets are vital for establishing confidence that indoor and outdoor dispersion models used to simulate dispersal of potential toxic agents in urban atmospheres are giving trustworthy results. The U.S. Department of Defense-Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security joined together to conduct the Joint Urban 2003 atmospheric dispersion study to provide this critically-needed high-resolution dispersion data. This major urban study was conducted from June 28 through July 31, 2003, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with the participation of over 150 scientists and engineers from over 20 U.S. and foreign institutions. The Joint Urban 2003 lead scientist was Jerry Allwine (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) who oversaw study design, logistical arrangements and field operations with the help of Joe Shinn (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory), Marty Leach (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory), Ray Hosker (Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division), Leo Stockham (Northrop Grumman Information Technology) and Jim Bowers (Dugway Proving Grounds). This report gives a brief overview of the field campaign, describing the scientific objectives, the dates of the intensive observation periods, and the instruments deployed. The data from this field study is available to the scientific community through an on-line database that is managed by …
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: Allwine, K Jerry & Flaherty, Julia E.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Verification of High Temperature Free Atom Thermal Scattering in MERCURY Compared to TART (open access)

Verification of High Temperature Free Atom Thermal Scattering in MERCURY Compared to TART

This is part of a series of reports verifying the accuracy of the relatively new MERCURY [1] Monte Carlo particle transport code by comparing its results to those of the older TART [2] Monte Carlo particle transport code. In the future we hope to extend these comparisons to include deterministic (Sn) codes [3]. Here we verify the accuracy of the free atom thermal scattering model [4] by using it over a very large temperature range. We would like to be able to use these Monte Carlo codes for astrophysical applications, where the temperature of the medium can be extremely high compared to the temperatures we normally encounter in our terrestrial applications [5]. The temperature is so high that is it often defined in eV rather than Kelvin. For a correspondence between the two scale 293.6 Kelvin (room temperature) corresponds to 0.0253 eV {approx} 1/40 eV. So that 1 eV temperature is about 12,000 Kelvin, and 1 keV temperature is about 12 million Kelvin. Here we use a relatively small system measured in cm, but by using {rho}R scaling [6] our results are equally applicable to systems measured in Km or thousands of Km or any size that we need for …
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: Cullen, D E; McKinley, S & Hagmann, C
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
SCENARIOS EVALUATION TOOL FOR CHLORINATED SOLVENT MNA (open access)

SCENARIOS EVALUATION TOOL FOR CHLORINATED SOLVENT MNA

None
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: Vangelas, K & Brian02 Looney, B
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Electron Cloud Measurements in Heavy-Ion Driver for HEDP and Inertial Fusion Energy (open access)

Electron Cloud Measurements in Heavy-Ion Driver for HEDP and Inertial Fusion Energy

The High Current Experiment (HCX) at LBNL is a driver scale single beam injector that provides a 1 MeV K+ ion beam current of 0.18 A for 5 {micro}s. It transports high-current beams with large fill factor (ratio of the maximum beam envelope radius to the beam pipe radius) and low emittance growth that are required to keep the cost of the power plant competitive and to satisfy the target requirements of focusing ion beams to high-power density. Beam interaction with the background gas and walls desorbs electrons that can multiply and accumulate, creating an electron cloud. This ubiquitous effect grows at higher fill factors and degrades the quality of the beam. We review simulations and diagnostics tools used to measure electron production, accumulation and its properties.
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: Covo, M K; Molvik, A W; Friedman, A; Cohen, R; Vay, J; Bieniosek, F et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Multilayer High-Gradient Insulators (open access)

Multilayer High-Gradient Insulators

Multilayer High-Gradient Insulators are vacuum insulating structures composed of thin, alternating layers of dielectric and metal. They are currently being developed for application to high-current accelerators and related pulsed power systems. This paper describes some of the High-Gradient Insulator research currently being conducted at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: Harris, J R
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Measurement of the B0 -> Lambda-bar p pi Branching Fraction andStudy of the Decay Dynamics (open access)

Measurement of the B0 -> Lambda-bar p pi Branching Fraction andStudy of the Decay Dynamics

We present a measurement of the B{sup 0} {center_dot} {bar {Lambda}}p{pi}{sup -} branching fraction performed using the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric energy e{sup +}e{sup -} collider. Based on a 232 million B{bar B} pairs data sample we measure: {center_dot} (B{sup 0} {center_dot} {bar {Lambda}}p{pi}{sup -}) = [3.30 {center_dot} 0.53(stat.) {center_dot} 0.31 (syst.)] {center_dot} 10{sup -6}. A measurement of the differential spectrum as a function of the di-baryon invariant mass m({Lambda}p) is also presented; this shows a near-threshold enhancement similar to that observed in other baryonic B decays.
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: Bondioli, M
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
SCENARIOS EVALUATION TOOL FOR CHLORINATED SOLVENT MNA (open access)

SCENARIOS EVALUATION TOOL FOR CHLORINATED SOLVENT MNA

Over the past three decades, much progress has been made in the remediation of chlorinated solvents from the subsurface. Yet these pervasive contaminants continue to present a significant challenge to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), other federal agencies, and other public and private organizations. The physical and chemical properties of chlorinated solvents make it difficult to rapidly reach the low concentrations typically set as regulatory limits. These technical challenges often result in high costs and long remediation time frames. In 2003, the DOE through the Office of Environmental Management funded a science-based technical project that uses the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's technical protocol (EPA, 1998) and directives (EPA, 1999) on Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA) as the foundation on which to introduce supporting concepts and new scientific developments that will support remediation of chlorinated solvents based on natural attenuation processes. This project supports the direction in which many site owners want to move to complete the remediation of their site(s), that being to complete the active treatment portion of the remedial effort and transition into MNA. The overarching objective of the effort was to examine environmental remedies that are based on natural processes--remedies such as Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA) or …
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: Vangelas, K; Brian02 Looney, B; Truex, Michael J. & Newell, Charles J.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Analysis and Interpretation of Hard X-ray Emission from the Bullet Cluster (1E0657-56), the Most Distant Cluster of Galaxies Observed by RXTE (open access)

Analysis and Interpretation of Hard X-ray Emission from the Bullet Cluster (1E0657-56), the Most Distant Cluster of Galaxies Observed by RXTE

Evidence for non-thermal activity in clusters of galaxies is well established from radio observations of synchrotron emission by relativistic electrons. New windows in the Extreme Ultraviolet and Hard X-ray ranges have provided for more powerful tools for the investigation of this phenomenon. Detection of hard X-rays in the 20 to 100 keV range have been reported from several clusters of galaxies, notably from Coma and others. Based on these earlier observations we identified the relatively high redshift cluster 1E0657-56 (also known as RX J0658-5557) as a good candidate for hard X-ray observations. This cluster, also known as the bullet cluster, has many other interesting and unusual features, most notably that it is undergoing a merger, clearly visible in the X-ray images. Here we present results from a successful RXTE observations of this cluster. We summarize past observations and their theoretical interpretation which guided us in the selection process. We describe the new observations and present the constraints we can set on the flux and spectrum of the hard X-rays. Finally we discuss the constraints one can set on the characteristics of accelerated electrons which produce the hard X-rays and the radio radiation.
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: Petrosian, Vahe; Madejski, Greg & Luli, Kevin
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Radiological Environmental Protection for PEP-II Ring High Luminosity Operation (open access)

Radiological Environmental Protection for PEP-II Ring High Luminosity Operation

Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) is located in northern California, USA. Radiological environmental protection is one of the main elements of the radiation protection program. One of SLAC's accelerator facilities is B-Factory, whose PEP-II accelerator ring has been operating since 1997 and is being upgraded to higher luminosity operation. Four radiological issues associated with high luminosity operation up to CY2008 are re-evaluated: (1) annual doses in IR halls, (2) annual skyshine doses at site boundaries, (3) potential radioactive air releases, and (4) potential groundwater activation. This paper presents the skyshine doses and air emission doses to the Maximally Exposed Individual (MEI) at SLAC site boundaries. The normal beam loss scenarios around PEP-II ring are presented first. In CY2008, the luminosity is 2 x 10{sup 34} cm{sup -2} s{sup -1}, and the stored current is 4.0-A for low-energy ring (LER ) and 2.2-A for high-energy ring (HER). The beam losses around PEP-II ring include those near injection region in IR10 and IR8 and those at collimators (e.g., HER collimators in IR12, LER collimators in IR4 and IR6). The beam losses in IR8 and IR10 (where injection into ring occurs) are further divided into septum, BAD (beam abort dump) and TD (tune-up …
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: Liu, James C. & Nakao, Noriaki
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Neutron induced inelastic cross sections of 150Sm for En = 1 to 35 MeV (open access)

Neutron induced inelastic cross sections of 150Sm for En = 1 to 35 MeV

Cross-section measurements were made of prompt gamma-ray production as a function of incident neutron energy (E{sub n} = 1 to 35 MeV) on an enriched (95.6%) {sup 150}Sm sample. Energetic neutrons were delivered by the Los Alamos National Laboratory spallation neutron source located at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) facility. The prompt-reaction gamma rays were detected with the large-scale Compton-suppressed Germanium Array for Neutron Induced Excitations (GEANIE). Neutron energies were determined by the time-of-flight technique. The {gamma}-ray excitation functions were converted to partial {gamma}-ray cross sections taking into account the dead-time correction, target thickness, detector efficiency and neutron flux (monitored with an in-line fission chamber). Partial {gamma}-ray cross sections were predicted using the Hauser-Feshbach statistical reaction code GNASH. Above E{sub n} {approx} 8 MeV the pre-equilibrium reaction process dominates the inelastic reaction. The spin distribution transferred in pre-equilibrium neutron-induced reactions was calculated using the quantum mechanical theory of Feshbach, Kerman, and Koonin (FKK). These pre-equilibrium spin distributions were incorporated into a new version of GNASH and the {gamma}-ray production cross sections were calculated and compared with experimental data. The difference in the partial {gamma}-ray cross sections using spin distributions with and without pre-equilibrium effects is discussed.
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: Dashdorj, D.; Mitchell, G. E.; Kawano, T.; Becker, J. A.; Agvaanluvsan, U.; Chadwick, M. B. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Parents’ Work and Family Economic Well-Being (open access)

Parents’ Work and Family Economic Well-Being

None
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Life Expectancy in the United States (open access)

Life Expectancy in the United States

None
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
SPIN FORMALISMS (UPDATED VERSION) (open access)

SPIN FORMALISMS (UPDATED VERSION)

None
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: CHUNG, SUH-URK
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Observation of B+ -> K0bar K+ and B0 -> K0 K0bar (open access)

Observation of B+ -> K0bar K+ and B0 -> K0 K0bar

The authors report observations of the b {yields} d penguin-dominated decays B{sup +} {yields} {bar K}{sup 0}K{sup +} and B{sup 0} {yields} K{sup 0}{bar K}{sup 0} in approximately 350 million {Upsilon}(4S) {yields} B{bar B} decays collected with the BABAR detector. They measure the branching fractions {Beta}(B{sup +} {yields} {bar K}{sup 0}K{sup +}) = (1.61 {+-} 0.44 {+-} 0.09) x 10{sup -6} and {Beta}(B{sup 0} {yields} K{sup 0}{bar K}{sup 0}) = (1.08 {+-} 0.28 {+-} 0.11) x 10{sup -6}, and the CP-violating charge asymmetry {Alpha}{sub CP} ({bar K}{sup 0} K{sup +}) = 0.10 {+-} 0.26 {+-} 0.03. Using a vertexing technique previously employed in several analyses of all-neutral final states containing kaons, they report the first measurement of time-dependent CP-violating asymmetries in B{sup 0} {yields} K{sub S}{sup 0}K{sub S}{sup 0}, obtaining S = -1.28{sub -0.73 -0.16}{sup +0.80 +0.11} and C = -0.40 {+-} 0.41 {+-} 0.06. They also report improved measurements of the branching fraction {Beta}(B{sup +} {yields} K{sup 0} {pi}{sup +}) = (23.9 {+-} 1.1 {+-} 1.0) x 10{sup -6} and CP-violating charge asymmetry {Alpha}{sub CP} (K{sup 0} {pi}{sup +}) = -0.029 {+-} 0.039 {+-} 0.010.
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: Aubert, B.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Final Technical Report (open access)

Final Technical Report

This document presents an annual report on our long-term R&D grant for development of new technology for future colliders. The organizing theme of our development is to develop a compact high-field collider dipole, utilizing wind-and-react Nb3Sn coil fabrication, stress man-agement, conductor optimization, bladder preload, and flux plate suppression of magnetization multipoles . The development trail for this new technology began over four years ago with the successful testing of TAMU12, a NbTi model in which we put to a first test many of the construction details of the high-field design. We have built TAMU2, a mirror-geometry dipole containing a single coil module of the 3-module set required for the 14 Tesla design. This first Nb3Sn model was built using ITER conductor which carries much less current than high-performance conductor but enables us to prove in practice our reaction bake and impregnation strategies with ‘free’ su-perconductor. TAMU2 has been shipped to LBNL for testing. Work is beginning on the con-struction of TAMU3, which will contain two coil modules of the 14 Tesla design. TAMU3 has a design field of 13.5 Tesla, and will enable us to fully evaluate the issues of stress management that will be important to the full design. …
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: McIntyre, Peter
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Thermal Photon and Residual Gas Scattering of the Electrons in the ILC RTML (open access)

Thermal Photon and Residual Gas Scattering of the Electrons in the ILC RTML

The scattering of the primary beam electrons off of thermal photons and residual gas molecules in the projected International Linear Collider (ILC) is a potential source of beam haloes which must be collimated downstream of the linac. In this report we give the analytic estimations of the individual input that each of the main scattering processes makes in the production of off-energy and large amplitude particles in the Damping Ring to Main Linac region (RTML).
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: Seletskiy, S. M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Implementation of Double-Waist Chicane Optics in SPEAR3 (open access)

Implementation of Double-Waist Chicane Optics in SPEAR3

The SPEAR3 accelerator upgrade opened up two 7.6m racetrack straights in the magnet lattice. In one of these straights, we recently added a magnetic chicane to separate two insertion device (ID) beam lines by 10mrad. A quadrupole triplet in the center creates a ''double focus'' optics with {beta}y = 1.6m at the middle of each ID, hence the term ''double-waist chicane''. The new optics also reduced {beta}y in the four matching straights adjacent to the racetrack straights to 2.5m. In this paper, we outline design features of the optics and physical implementation of the lattice.
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: Corbett, J.; Cornacchia, M.; Dao, T.; Dell'Orco, D.; Rafael, F.; Harrington, D. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Transportation System Concept of Operations (open access)

Transportation System Concept of Operations

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA), as amended, authorized the DOE to develop and manage a Federal system for the disposal of SNF and HLW. OCRWM was created to manage acceptance and disposal of SNF and HLW in a manner that protects public health, safety, and the environment; enhances national and energy security; and merits public confidence. This responsibility includes managing the transportation of SNF and HLW from origin sites to the Repository for disposal. The Transportation System Concept of Operations is the core high-level OCRWM document written to describe the Transportation System integrated design and present the vision, mission, and goals for Transportation System operations. By defining the functions, processes, and critical interfaces of this system early in the system development phase, programmatic risks are minimized, system costs are contained, and system operations are better managed, safer, and more secure. This document also facilitates discussions and understanding among parties responsible for the design, development, and operation of the Transportation System. Such understanding is important for the timely development of system requirements and identification of system interfaces. Information provided in the Transportation System Concept of Operations includes: the functions and key components of the Transportation System; system component …
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: Slater-Thompson, N.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Active Detection of Small Quantities of Shielded Highly-Enriched Uranium Using Low-Dose 60-keV Neutron Interrogation (open access)

Active Detection of Small Quantities of Shielded Highly-Enriched Uranium Using Low-Dose 60-keV Neutron Interrogation

Active interrogation with low-energy neutrons provides a search technique for shielded highly-enriched uranium. We describe the technique and show initial results using a low-dose 60 keV neutron beam. This technique produces a clear induced fission signal in the presence of small quantities of {sup 235}U. The technique has been validated with low-Z and high-Z shielding materials. The technique uses a forward-directed beam of 60 keV neutrons to induce fission in {sup 235}U. The induced fission produces fast neutrons which are then detected as the signature for {sup 235}U. The beam of neutrons is generated with a 1.93 MeV proton beam impinging on a natural lithium target. The proton beam is produced by a radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) LINAC. The 60 keV neutron beam is forward directed because the {sup 7}Li(p,n) reaction is just at threshold for the proton energy of 1.93 MeV.
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: Kerr, P.; Rowland, M.; Dietrich, D.; Stoeffl, W.; Wheeler, B.; Nakae, L. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal and State Quarantine and Isolation Authority (open access)

Federal and State Quarantine and Isolation Authority

This report provides an overview of federal and state public health laws as they relate to the quarantine and isolation of individuals, a discussion of constitutional issues that may be raised should individual liberties be restricted in a quarantine situation, and federalism questions that may arise where federal and state authorities overlap. In addition, the possible role of the armed forces in enforcing public health measures is discussed, specifically whether the Posse Comitatus Act would constrain any military role, and other statutory authorities that may be used for the military enforcement of health measures.
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: Swendiman, Kathleen S. & Elsea, Jennifer K.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nuclear Weapons: Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (open access)

Nuclear Weapons: Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

A comprehensive test ban treaty, or CTBT, is the oldest item on the nuclear arms control agenda. Three treaties currently limit testing to underground only, with a maximum force equal to 150,000 tons of TNT. This report outlines the CTBT and related legislation.
Date: August 16, 2006
Creator: Medalia, Jonathan
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library