One aspect of licensing the high-level nuclear waste repository to be located at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, is the determination of the inclusion of the effects of features, events, and processes (FEPs) on the performance of the repository. Among the FEPs evaluated are the advection of solids and liquids through stress corrosion cracks in waste packages and drip shields. The presence of one or more cracks or other small openings of sufficient size in a waste package or drip shield may provide a pathway for the advective flow of water (e.g., thin films or droplets) or solid material through a waste package or drip shield. The resulting flux may affect drip shield performance and/or subsequent dripping onto or into the waste packages. The objective of this set of tests involved the detection/non-detection of advective water flow through stress cracks similar to those that may occur in the drip shield or waste package. If sufficient flow volume was present then attempts were made to quantify the volume of water flow through a stress crack. Literature was reviewed to identify previous studies and models that may be relevant to the current study of flow through stress corrosion cracks in a drip shield or …

A multi-wavelength laser based system has been constructed to measure defect induced beam modulation (diffraction) from ICF class laser optics. The Nd:YLF-based modulation measurement system (MMS) uses simple beam collimation and imaging to capture diffraction patterns from optical defects onto an 8-bit digital camera at 1053, 527 and 351 nm. The imaging system has a field of view of 4.5 x 2.8 mm{sup 2} and is capable of imaging any plane from 0 to 30 cm downstream from the defect. The system is calibrated using a 477 micron chromium dot on glass for which the downstream diffraction patterns were calculated numerically. Under nominal conditions the system can measure maximum peak modulations of approximately 7:1. An image division algorithm is used to calculate the peak modulation from the diffracted and empty field images after the baseline residual light background is subtracted from both. The peak modulation can then be plotted versus downstream position. The system includes a stage capable of holding optics up to 50 pounds with x and y translation of 40 cm and has been used to measure beam modulation due to solgel coating defects, surface digs on KDP crystals, lenslets in bulk fused silica and laser damage sites …

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In this paper I first address the question of whether theseat of the power radiated by an antenna made of conducting members isdistributed over the "arms" of the antenna according to $ - \bf J \cdotE$, where $\bf J$ is the specified current density and $\bf E$ is theelectric field produced by that source. Poynting's theorem permits only aglobal identification of the total input power, usually from a localizedgenerator, with the total power radiated to infinity, not a localcorrespondence of $- \bf J \cdot E\ d^3x $ with some specific radiatedpower, $r^2 \bf S \cdot \hat r\ d\Omega $. I then describe a modelantenna consisting of two perfectly conducting hemispheres of radius\emph a separated by a small equatorial gap across which occurs thedriving oscillatory electric field. The fields and surface current aredetermined by solution of the boundary value problem. In contrast to thefirst approach (not a boundary value problem), the tangential electricfield vanishes on the metallic surface. There is no radial Poyntingvector at the surface. Numerical examples are shown to illustrate how theenergy flows from the input region of the gap and is guided near theantenna by its "arms" until it is launched at larger \emph r/a into theradiation pattern …

We present a patch-based direct Eulerian adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) algorithm for modeling real equation-of-state, multimaterial compressible flow with strength. Our approach to AMR uses a hierarchical, structured grid approach first developed by (Berger and Oliger 1984), (Berger and Oliger 1984). The grid structure is dynamic in time and is composed of nested uniform rectangular grids of varying resolution. The integration scheme on the grid hierarchy is a recursive procedure in which the coarse grids are advanced, then the fine grids are advanced multiple steps to reach the same time, and finally the coarse and fine grids are synchronized to remove conservation errors during the separate advances. The methodology presented here is based on a single grid algorithm developed for multimaterial gas dynamics by (Colella et al. 1993), refined by(Greenough et al. 1995), and extended to the solution of solid mechanics problems with significant strength by (Lomov and Rubin 2003). The single grid algorithm uses a second-order Godunov scheme with an approximate single fluid Riemann solver and a volume-of-fluid treatment of material interfaces. The method also uses a non-conservative treatment of the deformation tensor and an acoustic approximation for shear waves in the Riemann solver. This departure from a strict …

We present first-principles total-energy density-functional theory electronic structure calculations for the neutral and charge states of an oxygen vacancy in KH{sub 2}PO{sub 4} (KDP). Even though the overall DOS profiles for the defective KDP are quite similar to those of the perfect KDP, the oxygen vacancy in the neutral and +1 charge states induces defect states in the band gap. For the neutral oxygen vacancy, the gap states are occupied by two electrons. The difference between the integral of the total density of states (DOS) and the sum of the DOS projected on the atoms of 0.98 |e|, indicates that one of the two electrons resulting from the removal of the oxygen atom is trapped in the vacancy, while the other tends to delocalize in the neighboring atoms. For the +1 charge oxygen vacancy, the addition of the hole reduces the occupation of the filled gap-states in the neutral case from two to one electron and produces new empty states in the gap. The new empty gap states are very close to the highest occupied states, leading to a dramatic decrease of the band gap. The difference between the integral of the total DOS and the sum of the DOS …

We present a family of ordering algorithms that can be used as a preprocessing step prior to performing sparse LU factorization. The ordering algorithms simultaneously achieve the objectives of selecting numerically good pivots and preserving the sparsity. We describe the algorithmic properties and challenges in their implementation. By mixing the two objectives we show that we can reduce the amount of fill-in in the factors and reduce the number of numerical problems during factorization. On a set of large unsymmetric real problems, we obtained the median reductions of 12% in the factorization time, of 13% in the size of the LU factors, of 20% in the number of operations performed during the factorization phase, and of 11% in the memory needed by the multifrontal solver MA41-UNS. A byproduct of this ordering strategy is an incomplete LU-factored matrix that can be used as a preconditioner in an iterative solver.

Similar to the radiative parton energy loss due to gluonbremsstrahlung, elastic energy loss of a parton undergoing multiplescattering in a finite medium is demonstrated to be sensitive tointerference effect. The interference between amplitudes of elasticscattering via a gluon exchange and that of gluon radiation reduces theeffective elastic energy loss in a finite medium and gives rise to anon-trivial length dependence. The reduction is most significant for apropagation length L<4/\pi T in a medium with a temperature T. Thoughthe finite size effect is not significant for the average partonpropagation in the most central heavy-ion collisions, it will affect thecentrality dependence of its effect on jet quenching.

The amount of scientific data generated by simulations orcollected from large scale experiments have reached levels that cannot bestored in the researcher's workstation or even in his/her local computercenter. Such data are vital to large scientific collaborations dispersedover wide-area networks. In the past, the concept of a Gridinfrastructure [1]mainly emphasized the computational aspect ofsupporting large distributed computational tasks, and optimizing the useof the network by using bandwidth reservation techniques. In this paperwe discuss the concept of Storage Resource Managers (SRMs) as componentsthat complement this with the support for the storage management of largedistributed datasets. The access to data is becoming the main bottleneckin such "data intensive" applications because the data cannot bereplicated in all sites. SRMs can be used to dynamically optimize the useof storage resource to help unclog this bottleneck.

The molecular structures of drug target proteins and receptors form the basis for 'rational' or structure guided drug design. The majority of target structures are experimentally determined by protein X-ray crystallography, which as evolved into a highly automated, high throughput drug discovery and screening tool. Process automation has accelerated tasks from parallel protein expression, fully automated crystallization, and rapid data collection to highly efficient structure determination methods. A thoroughly designed automation technology platform supported by a powerful informatics infrastructure forms the basis for optimal workflow implementation and the data mining and analysis tools to generate new leads from experimental protein drug target structures.

The ability to fabricate membranes with arrays of apertures only a few nanometers in diameter are important to many fields of research, including ion beam lithography, DNA sequencing, single ion implantations, and single molecule studies. Because even the state-of-the-art lithography tools are limited in their ability to produce nanoscale features, alternative methods of fabricating single pores of nanometer scale have been developed, using ion-beam sculpting and focused-ion-beam assisted deposition. However, these methods cannot simultaneously produce multiple holes of nanometer dimension. Here we report a means of forming arrays of nanopores simultaneously on a thin, solid-state membrane using plasma-based thin-film deposition. By depositing layers of metallic thin films, the aperture sizes of pores in a pre-fabricated membrane can be reduced from a couple of micrometers down to tens of nanometers and even smaller. The technique offers a way to reduce the sizes of aperture of any shape in a variety of substrate materials, both conducting and insulating. Such arrays of nanopores can serve as membrane channels for DNA sequencing, as masks in ion-beam imprinters, for the fabrication of quantum dots, and in other applications.

X-ray imaging will be an important diagnostic tool for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) research at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). However, high neutron yields will make x-ray imaging much more difficult than it is at smaller facilities. We analyze the feasibility and performance of a High-Energy X-Ray Imager (HEXRI) to be used on cryogenic DT implosions at NIF, with particular emphasis on spatial-resolution, field of view, signal-to-background and signal-to-noise ratios. Using a pinhole about 4 {micro}m in diameter a resolution of 5.8 {micro}m is achieved at 9 keV, limited by restrictions in the pinhole positioning. The resolution varies between 8.5 and 4.5 {micro}m in the 5-20 keV spectral range. Different options for the scintillating materials have been evaluated with the goal of having a sufficiently fast phosphor screen to allow time gating for minimizing neutron-induced background. Signal/Background (SBR) and Signal/Noise (SNR) ratios (limited to x-rays) have been calculated for different commercially-available scintillators, both showing adequate values with either a tantalum or a platinum pinhole substrate.

The design of future high energy coolers relies heavily on extending the results of cooling force measurements into new regimes by using simulation codes. In order to carefully benchmark these codes we have accurately measured the longitudinal friction force in CELSIUS by recording the phase shift between the beam and the RF voltage while varying the RF frequency. Moreover, parameter dependencies on the electron current, solenoid magnetic field and magnetic field alignment were carried out.

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The crack tip opening displacements and angles (CTOD/CTOA) are calculated with finite element method based on the test data of a set of constraint-dependent J-R curves for A285 carbon steel. The values of the CTOD/CTOA are initially high at initiation, but rapidly decrease to a nearly constant value. When the common practice is adopted by using only the constant part of CTOD/CTOA as the fracture criterion, the crack growth behavior is shown to be severely underestimated. However, with a bilinear form of CTOD/CTOA fracture criterion which approximates the initial non-constant portion, the experimental load vs. crack extension curves can be closely predicted. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the CTOD/CTOA is crack tip constraint dependent. The values of CTOD/CTOA for specimens with various ratios of crack length to specimen width (a/W) are reflected by the J-R curves and their slopes.

Project Purpose To enhance technological and topical information transfer in support of industry and government efforts to increase geothermal energy use in the United States (power production, direct use, and geothermal groundsource heat pumps). Project Work GRC 2003 Annual Meeting. The GRC convened the meeting on Oct. 12-15, 2003, at Morelia's Centro de Convenciones y ExpoCentro in Mexico under the theme, International Collaboration for Geothermal Energy in the Americas. The event was also sponsored by the Comision Federal de Electricidad. ~600 participants from more than 20 countries attended the event. The GRC convened a Development of Geothermal Projects Workshop and Geothermal Exploration Techniques Workshop. GRC Field Trips included Los Azufres and Paricutin Volcano on Oct. 11. The Geothermal Energy Association (Washington, DC) staged its Geothermal Energy Trade Show. The Annual Meeting Opening Session was convened on Oct. 13, and included the governor of Michoacan, the Mexico Assistant Secretary of Energy, CFE Geothermal Division Director, DOE Geothermal Program Manager, and private sector representatives. The 2003 Annual Meeting attracted 160 papers for oral and poster presentations. GRC 2004. Under the theme, Geothermal - The Reliable Renewable, the GRC 2004 Annual Meeting convened on Aug. 29-Sept. 1, 2004, at the Hyatt Grand Champions …

The sequencing and analysis of two close relatives of Bacillus anthracis are reported. AFLP analysis of over 300 isolates of B.cereus, B. thuringiensis and B. anthracis identified two isolates as being very closely related to B. anthracis. One, a B. cereus, BcE33L, was isolated from a zebra carcass in Nambia; the second, a B. thuringiensis, 97-27, was isolated from a necrotic human wound. The B. cereus appears to be the closest anthracis relative sequenced to date. A core genome of over 3,900 genes was compiled for the Bacillus cereus group, including Banthracis. Comparative analysis of these two genomes with other members of the B. cereus group provides insight into the evolutionary relationships among these organisms. Evidence is presented that differential regulation modulates virulence, rather than simple acquisition of virulence factors. These genome sequences provide insight into the molecular mechanisms contributing to the host range and virulence of this group of organisms.

To quantify metal natural attenuation processes in terms of environmental availability, sequential extraction experiments were carried out on subsurface soil samples impacted by a low pH, high sulfate, metals (Be, Ni, U, As) plume associated with the long-term operation of a coal plant at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. Despite significant heterogeneity resulting both from natural and anthropogenic factors, sequential extraction results demonstrate that pH is a controlling factor in the prediction of the distribution of metal contaminants within the solid phases in soils at the site as well as the contaminant partitioning between the soil and the soil solution. Results for beryllium, the most mobile metal evaluated, exhibit increasing attenuation along the plume flow path which corresponds to an increasing plume pH. These laboratory- and field-scale studies provide mechanistic information regarding partitioning of metals to soils at the site (one of the major attenuation mechanisms for the metals at the field site). Subsequently, these data have been used in the definition of the contaminant source terms and contaminant transport factors in risk modeling for the site.

Several similarity laws for the collisionless interaction of ultra-intense electromagnetic fields with a plasma of an arbitrary initial shape is presented. Both ultra-relativistic and non-relativistic cases are covered. The ion motion is included. A brief discussion of possible ways of experimental verification of scaling laws is presented. The results can be of interest for experiments and numerical simulations in the areas of particle acceleration, harmonic generation, and Coulomb explosion of clusters.

The objective of this task is to identify potential waste streams that could be treated with the Small Column Ion Exchange (SCIX) and perform an initial assessment of the impact of doing so on the High-Level Waste (HLW) system. Design of the SCIX system has been performed as a backup technology for decontamination of High-Level Waste (HLW) at the Savannah River Site (SRS). The SCIX consists of three modules which can be placed in risers inside underground HLW storage tanks. The pump and filter module and the ion exchange module are used to filter and decontaminate the aqueous tank wastes for disposition in Saltstone. The ion exchange module contains Crystalline Silicotitanate (CST in its engineered granular form is referred to as IONSIV{reg_sign} IE-911), and is selective for removal of cesium ions. After the IE-911 is loaded with Cs-137, it is removed and the column is refilled with a fresh batch. The grinder module is used to size-reduce the cesium-loaded IE-911 to make it compatible with the sludge vitrification system in the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF). If installed at the SRS, this SCIX would need to operate within the current constraints of the larger HLW storage, retrieval, treatment, and disposal …

A critical component of the State Water Resource Control Board's Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program is to assess the major threats to groundwater resources that supply drinking water to Californians (Belitz et al., 2004). Nitrate concentrations approaching and greater than the maximum contaminant level (MCL) are impairing the viability of many groundwater basins as drinking water sources Source attribution and nitrate fate and transport are therefore the focus of special studies under the GAMA program. This report presents results of a study of nitrate contamination in the aquifer beneath the City of Livermore, where high nitrate levels affect both public supply and private domestic wells. Nitrate isotope data are effective in determining contaminant sources, especially when combined with other isotopic tracers such as stable isotopes of water and tritium-helium ages to give insight into the routes and timing of nitrate inputs to the flow system. This combination of techniques is demonstrated in Livermore, where it is determined that low nitrate reclaimed wastewater predominates in the northwest, while two flowpaths with distinct nitrate sources originate in the southeast. Along the eastern flowpath, {delta}{sup 15}N values greater than 10{per_thousand} indicate that animal waste is the primary source. Diminishing concentrations over …

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Several indirect approaches for obtaining reaction cross sections are briefly reviewed. The Surrogate Nuclear Reactions method, which aims at determining cross sections for compound-nuclear reactions, is discussed in some detail. The validity of the Weisskopf-Ewing approximation in the Surrogate approach is studied for the example of neutron-induced fission of an actinide nucleus.

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