Both chemical weathering rates and fluid flow are difficultto measure in natural systems. However, these parameters are critical forunderstanding the hydrochemical evolution of aquifers, predicting thefate and transport of contaminants, and for water resources/water qualityconsiderations. 87Sr/86Sr and (234U/238U) activity ratios are sensitiveindicators of water-rock interaction, and thus provide a means ofquantifying both flow and reactivity. The 87Sr/86Sr values in groundwaters are controlled by the ratio of the dissolution rate to the flowrate. Similarly, the (234U/238U) ratio of natural ground waters is abalance between the flow rate and the dissolution of solids, andalpha-recoil loss of 234U from the solids. By coupling these two isotopesystems it is possible to constrain both the long-term (ca. 100's to1000's of years) flow rate and bulk dissolution rate along the flow path.Previous estimates of the ratio of the dissolution rate to theinfiltration flux from Sr isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) are combined with a modelfor (234U/238U) to constrain the infiltration flux and dissolution ratefor a 70-m deep vadose zone core from Hanford, Washington. The coupledmodel for both (234U/238U) ratios and the 87Sr/86Sr data suggests aninfiltration flux of 5+-2 mm/yr, and bulk silicate dissolution ratesbetween 10-15.7 and 10-16.5 mol/m2/s. The process of alpha-recoilenrichment, while primarily responsible for the observed variation …

A search for nuclear resonance fluorescence excitations in {sup 235}U and {sup 239}Pu within the energy range of 1.0- to 2.5-MeV was performed using a 4-MeV continuous bremsstrahlung source at the High Voltage Research Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Measurements utilizing high purity Ge detectors at backward angles identified 9 photopeaks in {sup 235}U and 12 photopeaks in {sup 239}Pu in this energy range. These resonances provide unique signatures that allow the materials to be non-intrusively detected in a variety of environments including fuel cells, waste drums, vehicles and containers. The presence and properties of these states may prove useful in understanding the mechanisms for mixing low-lying collective dipole excitations with other states at low excitations in heavy nuclei.

The nonlinear Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) equation is solved using Pseudo Transient Continuation. The PB solver is constructed by modifying the nonlinear diffusion module of a 3D, massively parallel, unstructured-grid, finite element, radiation-hydrodynamics code. The solver also computes the electrostatic energy and evaluates the force on a user-specified contour. Either Dirichlet or mixed boundary conditions are allowed. The latter specifies surface charges, approximates far-field conditions, or linearizes conditions ''regulating'' the surface charge. The code may be run in either Cartesian, cylindrical, or spherical coordinates. The potential and force due to a conical probe interacting with a flat plate is computed and the result compared with direct force measurements by chemical force microscopy.

We have developed an Integrated Vehicle Simulation Testbed (InVeST). InVeST is based on the concept of Co-simulation, and it allows the development of virtual vehicles that can be analyzed and optimized as an overall integrated system. The virtual vehicle is defined by selecting different vehicle components from a component library. Vehicle component models can be written in multiple programming languages running on different computer platforms. At the same time, InVeST provides full protection for proprietary models. Co-simulation is a cost-effective alternative to competing methodologies, such as developing a translator or selecting a single programming language for all vehicle components. InVeST has been recently demonstrated using a transmission model and a transmission controller model. The transmission model was written in SABER and ran on a Sun/Solaris workstation, while the transmission controller was written in MATRIXx and ran on a PC running Windows NT. The demonstration was successfully performed. Future plans include the applicability of Co-simulation and InVeST to analysis and optimization of multiple complex systems, including those of Intelligent Transportation Systems.

We report a kinematically complete experiment on the production of CO{sup +} autoionizing states following photoionization of carbon monoxide below its vertical double ionization threshold. Momentum imaging spectroscopy is used to measure the energies and body-frame angular distributions of both photo- and autoionization electrons, as well as the kinetic energy release (KER) of the atomic ions. This data, in combination with ab initio theoretical calculations, provides insight into the nature of the cation states produced and their subsequent dissociation into autoionizing atomic (O*) fragments.

Geological, geophysical, and engineering-geological research conducted at the 'Yeniseisky' site obtained data on climatic, geomorphologic, geological conditions, structure and properties of composing rock, and conditions of underground water recharge and discharge. These results provide sufficient information to make an estimate of the suitability of locating a radioactive waste (R W) underground isolation facility at the Nizhnekansky granitoid massif

A new version of the Community Climate System Model (CCSM) has been developed and released to the climate community. CCSM3 is a coupled climate model with components representing the atmosphere, ocean, sea ice, and land surface connected by a flux coupler. CCSM3 is designed to produce realistic simulations over a wide range of spatial resolutions, enabling inexpensive simulations lasting several millennia or detailed studies of continental-scale climate change. This paper will show results from the configuration used for climate-change simulations with a T85 grid for atmosphere and land and a 1-degree grid for ocean and sea-ice. The new system incorporates several significant improvements in the scientific formulation. The enhancements in the model physics are designed to reduce or eliminate several systematic biases in the mean climate produced by previous editions of CCSM. These include new treatments of cloud processes, aerosol radiative forcing, land-atmosphere fluxes, ocean mixed-layer processes, and sea-ice dynamics. There are significant improvements in the sea-ice thickness, polar radiation budgets, equatorial sea-surface temperatures, ocean currents, cloud radiative effects, and ENSO teleconnections. CCSM3 can produce stable climate simulations of millenial duration without ad hoc adjustments to the fluxes exchanged among the component models. Nonetheless, there are still systematic biases in …

High-resolution spectroscopy of hot tokamak plasma seeded with argon ions and interacting with an energetic, short-pulse neutral hydrogen beam was used to obtain the first high-resolution K-shell x-ray spectrum formed solely by charge exchange. The observed K-shell emission of Ar{sup 16+} is dominated by the intercombination and forbidden lines, providing clear signatures of charge exchange. Results from an ab initio atomic cascade model provide excellent agreement, validating a semiclassical approach for calculating charge exchange cross sections.

The collapse of the Soviet Union sparked fears throughout the world that rogue nations and terrorist organizations would gain access to weapons of mass destruction (WMD). One specific concern has been 'WMD brain drain.' Russians with knowledge about nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons could now depart to any country of their choice, including rogue nations seeking to produce WMD. Meanwhile, Russian science fell into a protracted crisis, with plummeting salaries, little funding for research, and few new recruits to science. These developments increased both the incentives and the opportunities for scientists to sell their knowledge to governments and terrorist organizations with hostile intentions toward the United States. Recognizing the threat of WMD brain drain from Russia, the United States, and other governments implemented a host of programs designed to reduce the risk. Despite, or perhaps partly because of, massive assistance from the West to prevent scientists with WMD knowledge from emigrating, the threat of Russian WMD brain drain has recently faded from view. Yet we have seen no evidence that these programs are effective and little systematic assessment of the current threat of WMD migration. Our data from an unprecedented survey of 602 Russian physicists, biologists, and chemists suggest that …

A gamma-ray survey and analysis of sixteen riverbed samples from the Reedy River watershed near Simpsonville, SC were conducted and compared with national and international studies of primordial radionuclides. The study reported here follows on a recent discovery of anomalously high uranium concentrations in several private well waters in the area near Simpsonville, SC. A HPGe spectrometer was used for quantification of gamma emitting radionuclides in the sediments. All sediments contained radionuclides from the uranium and thorium series as well as {sup 40}K. Uranium-238 concentrations in sediment samples ranged from 11.1 to 74.2 Bq kg{sup -1}. The measured radionuclide concentrations were compared with data from UNSCEAR and NURE reports. The river and stream sediment data were augmented by in situ NaI(Tl) gamma-ray spectrometer measurements. Comparisons between the ex-situ and in-situ measurements indicate equivalently distributed uranium in the surface soils and stream sediments, the source of which is likely attributed to the monazite belts that are known to exist in the area.