Today's insurance industry strongly emphasizes developing cost-effective hazard mitigation programs, increasing and retaining commercial and residential customers through better service, educating customers on their exposure and vulnerabilities to natural disasters, collaborating with government agencies and emergency management organizations, and exploring the use of new technologies to reduce the financial impact of disasters. In June of 1998, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the National Association of Independent Insurers (NAII) sponsored a seminar titled, ''Solar Technology and the Insurance Industry.'' Presentations were made by insurance company representatives, insurance trade groups, government and state emergency management organizations, and technology specialists. The meeting was attended by insurers, brokers, emergency managers, and consultants from more than 25 US companies. Leading insurers from the personal line and commercial carriers were shown how solar technology can be used in underwriting, claims, catastrophe response, loss control, and risk management. Attendees requested a follow-up report on solar technology, cost, and applications in disasters, including suggestions on how to collaborate with the utility industry and how to develop educational programs for business and consumers. This report will address these issues, with an emphasis on pre-disaster planning and mitigation alternatives. It will also discuss how energy efficiency and renewable …

The mechanisms of proton radioactivity from deformed rare earth nuclei are discussed and preliminary results on the fine structure decay of {sup 131}Eu are presented.

As III-V nitride device structures become more complicated and design rules shrink, well-controlled etch processes are necessary. Due to limited wet chemical etch results for the group-III nitrides, a significant amount of effort has been devoted to the development of dry etch processing. Dry etch development was initially focused on mesa structures where high etch rates, anisotropic profiles, smooth sidewalls, and equi-rate etching of dissimilar materials were required. For example, commercially available LEDs and laser facets for GaN-based laser diodes have been patterned using reactive ion etching (RIE). With the recent interest in high power, high temperature electronic devices, etch characteristics may also require smooth surface morphology, low plasma-induced damage, and selective etching of one layer over another. The principal criteria for any plasma etch process is its utility in the fabrication of a device. In this study, we will report plasma etch results for the group-III nitrides and their application to device structures.

The sonic reaction zone length may be measured by four methods: (1) size effect, (2) detonation front curvature, (3) crystal interface velocity and (4) in-situ gauges. The amount of data decreases exponentially from (1) to (4) with there being almost no gauge data for prompt detonation at steady state. The ease and clarity of obtaining the reaction zone length increases from (1) to (4). The method of getting the reaction zone length, <x{sub e}>, is described for the four methods. A measure of non-ideality is proposed: the reaction zone length divided by the cylinder radius. N = <x{sub e}>/R{sub o}. N = 0 for true ideality. It also decreases with increasing radius as it should. For N < 0.10, an equilibrium EOS like the JWL may be used. For N > 0.10, a time-dependent description is essential. The crystal experiment, which measures the particle velocity of an explosive-transparent material interface, is presently rising in importance. We examine the data from three experiments and apply: (1) an impedance correction that transfers the explosive C-J particle velocity to the corresponding value for the interface, and (2) multiplies the interface time by 3/4 to simulate the explosive speed of sound. The result is …

Several ultrasonic inspection methods were developed at the Federal Aviation Administration's Airworthiness Assurance NDI Validation Center (AANC) to easily and rapidly detect hidden stress corrosion cracks in all vertical windshield posts on the US Coast Guard (USCG) HU-25 Guardian aircraft. The inspection procedure locates cracks as small as 2.0 millimeters emanating from internal fastener holes and determines their length. A test procedure was developed and a baseline assessment of the USCG fleet was conducted. Inspection results on twenty-five aircraft revealed a good correlation with results made during subsequent structural disassembly and visual inspection.

In listing web sites that are of special interest to the Affordable Comfort community, we will try to categorize sites in six major areas: Green Building Product Directories, Software Tools on the Web, Good Places for Learning, Health and Indoor Environment Information, Important Discussion Groups and E-mail Lists, and Sites of Sites. Since we can not help but leave out a great deal, we invite the reader to contact us for lists of sites that we could not include.

This paper presents a summary of information available on hyperon decays and some of the relevant physics issues for these decays.

A distributed, scaleable architecture for the modeling and simulation of Intelligent Transportation Systems on a network of workstations or a parallel computer has been developed at Argonne National Laboratory. The resulting capability provides a modular framework supporting plug-in models, hardware, and live data sources; visually realistic graphics displays to support training and human factors studies; and a set of basic ITS models. The models and capabilities are described, along with atypical scenario involving dynamic rerouting of smart vehicles which send probe reports to and receive traffic advisories from a traffic management center capable of incident detection.

Late in 1997, EPA announced new allowances for voluntary emission control programs. As a result, the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Clean Cities and other metro areas that have made an ongoing commitment to increasing participation by alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) in local fleets have the opportunity to estimate the magnitude and obtain emission reduction credit for following through on that commitment. Unexpectedly large reductions in key ozone precursor emissions in key locations and times of the day can be achieved per vehicle-mile by selecting specific light duty AFV offerings from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in lieu of their gasoline-fueled counterparts. Additional benefit accrues from the fact that evaporative emissions of non-methane hydrocarbons (generated in the case of CNG, LNG, and LPG by closed fuel-system AFV technology) can be essentially negligible. Upstream emissions from fuel storage and distribution with the airshed of interest are also reduced. This paper provides a justification and outlines a method for including AFVs in the mix of strategies to achieve local and regional improvements in ozone air quality, and for quantifying emission reduction credits. At the time of submission of this paper, the method was still under review by the US EPA Office of Mobile …

The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider RHIC will collide polarized proton beams up to a maximum beam energy of 250 GeV [1]. The invariant spin field in a high energy ring can vary substantially across the beam. This decreases the amount of polarization provided to experiments and makes the polarization strongly dependent on the position in phase space. This paper describes a method to compute the invariant spin field by adiabatically blowing up the beam with an rf dipole. This method will also allow measuring the invariant spin field in RHIC.

Small-angle neutron scattering has been used to study the effect of temperature and pressure on the phase behavior of semidilute solutions of polymers dissolved in organic and supercritical solvents. Above the theta temperature (To), these systems exhibit a ''good solvent'' domain, where the molecules expand beyond the unperturbed dimensions in both organic solvents and in COZ. However, this transition can be made to occur at a critical ''theta pressure'' (PO) in CO2 and this represents a new concept in the physics of polymer-solvent systems. For T < To, and P < Po, the system enters the ''poor solvent'' domain where diverging concentration fluctuations prevent the chains from collapsing and allow them to maintain their unperturbed dimensions.

The authors discuss the structure of the ''forward visible'' (FW) parts of double and skewed distributions related to usual distributions through reduction relations. They use factorized models for double distributions (DDs) {tilde f}(x,{alpha}) in which one factor coincides with the usual (forward) parton distribution and another specifies the profile characterizing the spread of the longitudinal momentum transfer. The model DDs are used to construct skewed parton distributions (SPDs). For small skewedness, the FW parts of SPDs H ({tilde x},{xi}) can be obtained by averaging forward parton densities f({tilde x}-{xi}{alpha}) with the weight {rho}({alpha}) coinciding with the profile function of the double distribution {tilde f}(x, {alpha}) at small x. They show that if the x{sup n} moments {tilde f}{sub n}({alpha}) of DDs have the asymptotic (1-{alpha}{sup 2}){sup n+1} profile, then the {alpha}-profile of {tilde f}(x,{alpha}) for small x is completely determined by small-x behavior of the usual parton distribution. They demonstrate that, for small {xi}, the model with asymptotic profiles for {tilde f}{sub n}({alpha}) is equivalent to that proposed recently by Shuvaev et al., in which the Gegenbauer moments of SPDs do not depend on {xi}. They perform a numerical investigation of the evolution patterns of SPDs and give interpretation of …

Commercial telemedicine systems are increasingly functional, incorporating video-conferencing capabilities, diagnostic peripherals, medication reminders, and patient education services. However, these systems (1) rarely utilize information architectures which allow them to be easily integrated with existing health information networks and (2) do not always protect patient confidentiality with adequate security mechanisms. Using object-oriented methods and software wrappers, we illustrate the transformation of an existing stand-alone telemedicine system into `plug-and-play' components that function in a distributed medical information environment. We show, through the use of open standards and published component interfaces, that commercial telemedicine offerings which were once incompatible with electronic patient record systems can now share relevant data with clinical information repositories while at the same time hiding the proprietary implementations of the respective systems. Additionally, we illustrate how leading-edge technology can secure this distributed telemedicine environment, maintaining patient confidentiality and the integrity of the associated electronic medical data. Information surety technology also encourages the development of telemedicine systems that have both read and write access to electronic medical records containing patient-identifiable information. The win-win approach to telemedicine information system development preserves investments in legacy software and hardware while promoting security and interoperability in a distributed environment.

Adsorption and film formation are key processes associated with the passivation and inhibition of metallic corrosion. New experimental approaches are needed to advance our knowledge in these areas. We have developed the technique of Synchrotron Far Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (SFIRS) for in situ investigations of the structure and composition of surface films and adsorbed layers on metals. We demonstrate its application to the determination of the nature of surface films on copper in aqueous solutions and the adsorption of anions on gold. The anodic corrosion films on copper in alkaline solution were found to consist of Cu{sub 2}O in the passive region at about {minus}0.05 V vs SCE and CUO, together with CU(OH){sub 2}, at 0.30 V. We have also observed for the first time the adsorption of anions at monolayer coverage on the surface of a gold electrode in perchloric acid solution. Halides (Cl-, Br-), nitrate, sulfate, and phosphate have been studied. When two different anions are present in solution, the more strongly adsorbed species determines the corrosion behavior of the metal. This is illustrated in the competitive adsorption of bromide and phosphate on gold.

The Sandia ACRR (a Hazard Category 2 Nuclear Reactor Facility) was defueled in June 1997 to modify the reactor core and control system to produce medical radioisotopes for the Department of Energy (DOE) Isotope Production Program. The DOE determined that an Operational Readiness Review (ORR) was required to confirm readiness to begin operations within the revised safety basis. This paper addresses the ORR Process, lessons learned from the Sandia and DOE ORRS of the ACRR, and the use of the ORR to confirm authorization basis implementation.

This is a period of ever-tightening defense budgets and continuing pressure on the public sector to be more commercial-like, Property policies, practices, and regulations are increasingly being challenged and changed. In these times, we must be leaders in understanding and defining the value of our profession from a commercial standpoint so that we can provide the right services to our customers and explain and defend the value of those services. To do so, we must step outside current property management practices, regulations, and oversight. We must learn to think and speak in the language of those who fund us--a financial language of risk, cost, and benefit. Regardless of regulation and oversight, our bosses are demanding that we demonstrate (financially) the benefits of current practice, or else. This article is intended to be the beginning of an effort to understand and define our profession in terms of risk, cost, and benefit so that we can meet these new challenges. The first step in this effort must be defining and measuring risk, cost, and benefit. Our costs, although sometimes difficult to capture, are easy to understand: they are almost exclusively the effort, both within and without the property management organization, involved in …

Interest in the critical dynamics of superfluid <SUP>4</SUP> He in microgravity conditions has motivated the development of new high resolution thermometry technol- ogy for use in space experiments near 2K. The current material commonly used as the temperature sensing element for high resolution thermometers (HRTs) is copper ammonium bromide [Cu(NH<SUB>4</SUB>)<SUB>2</SUB>Br<SUB>4</SUB>2H<SUB>2</SUB>0) or "CAB", which undergoes a ferromagnetic phase transition at 1.8K1. HRTs made from CAB have demonstrated low drift (< 10fK/s) and a temperature resolu- tion of O.lnK. Unfortunately, paramagnetic salts such as CAB are difficult to prepare and handle, corrosive to most metals, and become dehydrated if kept, under vacuum conditions at room temperature. We have developed a magnetic thermometer using dilute magnetic alloys of Mn or Fe dissolved in a pure Pd matrix. These metallic thermometers are easy to fabricate, chemically inert, and mechanically robust. Unlike salts, they may be directly soldered to the stage to be measured. Also, the Curie temperature can be varied by changing the concentration of Fe or Mn, making them available for use in a wide temperature range. Susceptibility measurements, as well as preliminary noise and drifl measurements, show them, to have sub-nK resolution, with a drift of less than 10<SUP>-13</SUP> K/s.

SANS experiments on blends of linear, high density (HD) and long chain branched, low density (LD) polyethylenes indicate that these systems form a one-phase mixture in the melt. However, the maximum spatial resolution of pinhole cameras is approximately equal to 10³Å and it has therefore been suggested that data might also be interpreted as arising from a bi-phasic melt with large a particle size (~ 1 µm), because most of the scattering from the different phases would not be resolved. We have addressed this hypothesis by means of USANS experiments, which confirm that HDPEILDPE blends are homogenous in the melt on length scales up to 20 µm. We have also studied blends of HDPE and short-chain branched linear low density polyethylenes (LLDPEs), which phase separate when the branch content is sufficiently high. LLDPEs prepared with Ziegler-Natta catalysts exhibit a wide distribution of compositions, and may therefore be thought of as a �blend� of different species. When the composition distribution is broad enough, a fraction of highly branched chains may phase separate on µm-length scales, and USANS has also been used to quantify this phenomenon.

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The longitudinal profile of an 10 nC electron bunch of a few picoseconds duration will be measured by electro-optic detection of the wakefield. The polarization of a short in-frared probe laser pulse (derived from the photocathode excitation laser) is modulated in a LiTaO3 crystal by the transient electric field of the bunch. The bunch profile is measured by scanning the delay between the laser and the bunch, and is sensitive to head/tail asymmetries. A single-shot extension of the technique is possible using a longer chirped laser pulse.

Trapped protons and electrons in the Earth's radiation belts and cosmic rays present significant challenges for electronics that must operate reliably in the natural space environment. Single event effects (SEE) can lead to sudden device or system failure, and total dose effects can reduce the lifetime of a telecommmiications system with significant space assets. One of the greatest sources of uncertainty in developing radiation requirements for a space system is accounting for the small but finite probability that the system will be exposed to a massive solar particle event. Once specifications are decided, standard laboratory tests are available to predict the total dose response of MOS and bipolar components in space, but SEE testing of components can be more challenging. Prospects are discussed for device modeling and for the use of standard commercial electronics in space.

In order to enhance Fermilab hadron research program and to provide a proton source to a future muon storage ring or a muon collider, the study of a new high intensity proton ma-chine called the Proton Driver is being pursued at Fermilab. It would replace the present linac and 8 GeV Booster and produce 20 times the proton intensity as the Booster. This paper gives a status report on a number of design issues of this machine.

In order to collide polarized protons, the RHIC project will have two snakes in each ring and four rotators around each of two interaction regions. Two snakes on opposite sides of each ring can minimize depolarization during acceleration by keeping the spin tune at a half. Since the spin direction is normally along the vertical direction in a flat ring, spin rotators must be used around an interaction point to have longitudinal polarization in a collider experiment. Each snake or rotator will be composed of four helical dipoles to provide the required rotation of spin with minimal transverse orbit excursions in a compact length of 10m. The basic helical dipole is a superconducting magnet producing a transverse dipole field which is twisted about the magnet axis through 360{degree} in a length of 2.4 m. The design and construction of the magnets is described in this paper.

Some recent theoretical work on inclusive B decays relevant for the model independent determination of {vert_bar}V{sub ub}{vert_bar} and {vert_bar}V{sub cb}{vert_bar} is summarized. The theoretical predictions and their reliability for several differential decay distributions in {anti B}{yields}X{sub c,u}e{anti {nu}} and {anti B}{yields}X{sub s}{gamma} are reviewed. These can be used to determine certain important HQET matrix elements. The upsilon expansion and ways of testing it are discussed.