We present the first large-acceptance measurement of event-wise <p{sub t}> fluctuations in Au-Au collisions at {radical}s{sub NN} = 130 GeV. Significant nonstatistical fluctuations are observed. The measured fractional r.m.s. width excess of the event-wise <p{sub t}> distribution for the 15% most-central events for charged hadrons within |{eta}| < 1 and 0.15 {le} p{sub t} {le} 2 GeV/c is 13.7 {+-} 0.1(stat) {+-}1.3(syst)% relative to a statistical reference. The variation of charge-independent fluctuation excess with centrality is non-monotonic but smooth. Charge-dependent nonstatistical fluctuations are also observed.

No abstract prepared.

A proposed modification to the experiment off-gas system for the EGCR-LITR Capsule Experiment is evaluated by comparing the atmospheric radiation doses to laboratory personnel that could result in the event of an experiment failure while utilizing the present off-gas system to those doses that would result if various modifications to the existing system were effected. The modifications considered include the addition of an iodine vapor adsorber and a krypton-xenon adsorber. The addition of an iodine vapor adsorber to the off-gas system, which presently includes an absolute filter, reduces the atmospheric dose to the thyroid from 510 mr to 1.4mr. The total body dose is also reduced from 2.2 to 1.3 mr. The total body dose can be further reduced to 0.7 mr if a large krypton-xenon adsorber is included. Basd upon these calculated atmospheric radiation doses it is concluded that the addition of an activated charcoal iodine vapor adsorber will reduce the atmospheric hazard to an acceptable level.

This document provides information on software and procedures for Monte Carlo simulations based on the Geant4 toolkit, the ROOT data analysis software and the CRY cosmic ray library. These tools have been chosen for its application to shield design and activation studies as part of the simulation task for the Majorana Collaboration. This document includes instructions for installation, operation and modification of the simulation code in a high cyber-security computing environment, such as the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory network. It is intended as a living document, and will be periodically updated. It is a starting point for information collection by an experimenter, and is not the definitive source. Users should consult with one of the authors for guidance on how to find the most current information for their needs.

None

This report discusses the polar bear that has been protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) since 1972. The polar bear was listed because the bear's primary habitat of sea ice was threatened with destruction due to global climate change.

Plutonium-doped zircon containing about 10 wt% Pu was synthesized in this cooperative project between Russia and the United States conducted at the V. G. Khlopin Radium Institute. The sol-gel method was used for starting precursor preparation to provide complete mixing of initial components and to avoid dust formation inside the glove-box. The sol-gel process also gives interim Pu stabilization in the form of amorphous zirconium hydrosilicate (AZHS), which is a result of gel solidification. AZHS is a solid and relatively durable material that can be easy converted into crystalline zircon by pressureless sintering, thus avoiding significant radioactive contamination of laboratory equipment. A methanol-aqueous solution of tetraethoxysilane Si(OC2H5)4, Pu-nitrate, and zirconil oxynitrate was prepared in final stoichiometry of zircon (Zr,Pu)SiO4 80 wt% + zirconia (Zr,Pu)O2 20 wt%. Gelation occurred after 90 hours at room temperature. AZHS with excess of zirconia 20 wt% was obtained as an interim calcine product and then it was converted into zircon/zirconia ceramic by sintering at 1490 to 1500°C in air for different time periods. The samples obtained were studied by SRD and ESEM methods. It was found that both zircon yield and zircon cell parameters that are correlated with Pu incorporation depend on sintering time.

In the 1990's supercritical light-water reactors were considered in conceptual designs. A nuclear reactor cooled by supercritical waster would have a much higher thermal efficiency with a once-through direct power cycle, and could be based on standardized water reactor components (light water or heavy water). The theoretical efficiency could be improved by more than 33% over that of other water reactors and could be simplified with higher reliability; e.g., a boiling water reactor without steam separators or dryers.

The cost and physics requirements of the NIF have established two important roles for potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) crystals. 1. To extract more laser energy per unit of flashlamp light and laser glass, the NIF has adopted a multipass architecture as shown in Figure 1. Light is injected in the transport spatial filter, first traverses the power amplifiers, and then is directed to main amplifiers, where it makes four passes before being redirected through the power amplifiers towards the target. To enable the multipass of the main amplifiers, a KDP-containing Pockels cell rotates the polarization of the beam to make it either transmit through or reflect off a polarizer held at Brewster's angle within the main laser cavity. If transmitted, the light reflects off a mirror and makes another pass through the cavity. If reflected, it proceeds through the power amplifier to the target. the original seed crystal as the pyramid faces grow. Unfortunately, this pyramidal growth is very slow, and it takes about two years to grow a crystal to NIF size. To provide more programmatic flexibility and reduce costs in the long run, we have developed an alternative technology commonly called rapid growth. Through a combination of higher …

Monthly newsletter discussing news and activities related to the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program, articles about weather and atmospheric phenomena, and other related topics.

A processing approach has been identified and reduced to practice in which a residual stress profile can be designed such that cracks in a brittle material are arrested or grow in a stable fashion. In the procedure, cracks in the body encounter an increase in the magnitude of residual compression as the crack propagates. If correctly designed, the process increases strength, significantly decreases strength variability and gives rise to multiple cracking. This approach is demonstrated for an ion-exchanged silicate glass using four-point and biaxial flexure strength testing. Optical microscopy was used to study the morphology and development of the multiple cracking that precedes the final failure.

This report includes information regarding strategic petroleum reserve. Background and analysis, purchases of crude oil, and drawdown of the reserve are among topics discussed in this report.

A source-to-target computer model for an induction linac driver for heavy ion fusion has been developed and used to define a reference case driver that meets the requirements of one current target design. Key features of the model are discussed, and the design parameters of the reference case design are described. Examples of the systems analyses leading to the point design are given, and directions for future work are noted.

The authors estimate the energy fluence (energy per unit area) at the focal plane of a beam undergoing neutralized drift compression and neutralized solenoidal final focus, as is being carried out in the Neutralized Drift Compression Experiment (NDCX) at LBNL. In these experiments, in order to reach high beam intensity, the beam is compressed longitudinally by ramping the beam velocity (i.e. introducing a velocity tilt) over the course of the pulse, and the beam is transversely focused in a high field solenoid just before the target. To remove the effects of space charge, the beam drifts in a plasma. The tilt introduces chromatic aberrations, with different slices of the original beam having different radii at the focal plane. The fluence can be calculated by summing the contribution from the various slices. They develop analytic formulae for the energy fluence for beams that have current profiles that are initially constant in time. They compare with envelope and particle-in-cell calculations. The expressions derived are useful for predicting how the fluence scales with accelerator and beam parameters.

The Alternative Motor Fuel Act of 1988 requires the U.S. Department of Energy to demonstrate and evaluate alternative fuels usage in the United States. DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory is conducting the Alternative Fuel Truck Evaluation Project to compare alternative fuel and diesel fuel trucks. Information for the comparison comes from data collected on the operational, maintenance, performance, and emissions characteristics of alternative fuel trucks being used in vehicle fleets and comparable diesel fuel trucks servings as controls within the same fleets. This report highlights the start-up experience and presents the lessons learned from a project that operated a fleet of liquefied natural gas (LNG) refuse haulers in Washington, Pennsylvania.

A sample of {approximately} 400 B{sub d}{sup 0}/{bar B}{sub d}{sup 0} {r_arrow} J/{psi}K{sub s}{sup 0} decays collected in {bar p}p collisions by the CDF detector is used to directly measure the CP-violation parameter sin (2{beta}). They find sin(2{beta}) = 0.79{sub {minus}0.44}{sup + 0.41}, favoring the standard model expectation of a large CP violation in this B{sup 0} decay mode.

The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina reaches beyond the borders of the states directly affected by the wind, rain, and floods. Before the storm reached the coast, thousands of residents of Louisiana and Mississippi evacuated to other states, including Texas and Oklahoma. Many people, for a variety of reasons, chose to disregard the mandatory evacuation orders issued by state and local officials. In general, evacuation policy is set and enforced by state and local officials. Federal policy provides for various aspects of civilian evacuation. As Members of Congress explore the challenges and losses in the states affected directly or indirectly by Hurricane Katrina, they may be called upon to consider federal policy options to more fully integrate federal and state authorities.

This report is one of a series that profiles the emergency management and homeland security statutory authorities of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and three territories (American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). Each profile identifies the more significant elements of state statutes, generally as codified. This report focuses on the state of Alabama.

The extent to which emissions from motor vehicles and the amount of sulfur in commercial gasoline should be regulated has become a controversial issue. The EPA is proposing national limits on gasoline sulfur levels which would become effective in 2004. This report provides background information on the regulation of vehicle emissions in the United States, analyzes key elements of the National Low Emission Vehicle (LEV) program and the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Tier 2 proposal, summarizes major views on the proposal that have been expressed by the automobile industry, the oil refining industry, and some environmental organizations, and discusses relevant legislative activity in the 106th Congress.

Liquid mixed, high-level radioactive waste has been stored in underground single-shell tanks at the US Department of Energy`s (DOE`s) Hanford Site. After retrieval of the waste from the single-shell tanks, the DOE will proceed with closure of the tank farm. The 241-AX Tank Farm includes four one-million gallon single-shell tanks in addition to sluice lines, transfer lines, ventilation headers, risers, pits, cribs, catch tanks, buildings, well and associated buried piping. This equipment is classified as ancillary equipment. This document addresses the requirements for regulatory close of the ancillary equipment in the Hanford Site 241-AX Tank Farm. The options identified for physical closure of the ancillary equipment include disposal in place, disposal in place after treatment, excavation and disposal on site in an empty single-shell tank, and excavation and disposal outside the AX Tank Farm. The document addresses the background of the Hanford Site and ancillary equipment in the AX Tank Farm, regulations for decontamination and decommissioning of radioactively contaminated equipment, requirements for the cleanup and disposal of radioactive wastes, cleanup and disposal requirements governing hazardous and mixed waste, and regulatory requirements and issues associated with each of the four physical closure options. This investigation was conducted by the Sandia National …

This report discusses a variety of animal agriculture issues that generated debate during the 106th Congress, including low livestock prices, especially for hogs. Economic difficulties have revived questions such as the impacts of consolidation in the livestock industry, and the price effects of animal imports from Canada and Mexico. This report also discusses a number of legislative proposals to assist livestock producers and enforce sanitary and phytosanitary standards, as well as continuing trade disputes and negotiations with China, the European Union, New Zealand, and Australia.

U.S. animal agriculture is seeking to improve its ability to trace the movement of livestock from their birthplace to slaughter. The livestock and meat industries are working with the U.S. government to develop a national animal identification (ID) plan for livestock disease tracking purposes. This report focuses on animal ID and, to a lesser extent, on meat traceability.

Excellent progress has been made in the operation of the BNL Electron Beam Ion Source (EBIS), which is a prototype for an EBIS that could meet requirements for a RHIC preinjector. We have achieved very stable operation of the electron beam at 10 A through the EBIS trap. Ion injection of low charge gold ions from a LEVA [1] ion source and subsequent extraction of these ions with most probable charge state AU{sup 34+} has been demonstrated with electron beams up to 8A. The total ion charge for gold measured on current transformer at the EBIS exit was 55nC after a 30ms confinement period. This corresponds to {approx}85% of the theoretical ion trap capacity and exceeds our goal of 50% neutralization. The collected ion charge is proportional to the electron current and the gold charge state scales with the electron current density. Details of the EBIS configuration, total charge measurements, and TOF spectra are given.

In the ninth year of operations since the 9/11 attacks while troops are being withdrawn in Iraq and increased in Afghanistan, the cost of war continues to be a major issue including the total amount appropriated, the amount for each operation, average monthly spending rates, and the scope and duration of future costs. This report analyzes war funding for the Defense Department and tracks funding for USAID and VA Medical funding.