A linear array of four small biased electrodes was installed in NSTX in an attempt to control the width of the scrape-off layer (SOL) by creating a strong local poloidal electric field. The set of electrodes were separated poloidally by a 1 cm gap between electrodes and were located slightly below the midplane of NSTX, 1 cm behind the RF antenna and oriented so that each electrode is facing approximately normal to the magnetic field. Each electrode can be independently biased to ±100 volts. Present power supplies limit the current on two electrodes to 30 amps the other two to 10 amps each. The effect of local biasing was measured with a set of Langmuir probes placed between the electrodes and another set extending radially outward from the electrodes, and also by the gas puff imaging diagnostic (GPI) located 1 m away along the magnetic field lines intersecting the electrodes. Two fast cameras were also aimed directly at the electrode array. The hardware and controls of the biasing experiment will be presented and the initial effects on local plasma parameters will be discussed.

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The authors report on a search for B{sub s}{sup 0} {yields} {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -} and B{sub d}{sup 0} {yields} {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -} decays in p{bar p} collisions at {radical}s = 1.96 TeV using 171 pb{sup -1} of data collected by the CDF II experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The decay rates of these rare processes are sensitive to contributions from physics beyond the Standard Model. One event survives all the selection requirements, consistent with the background expectation. They derive branching ratio limits of {Beta}(B{sub s}{sup 0} {yields} {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -}) < 5.8 x 10{sup -7} and {Beta}(B{sub d}{sup 0} {yields} {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -}) < 1.5 x 10{sup -7} at 90% confidence level.

Advances in Electron Microscopy and single-particle reconstruction have led to results at increasingly high resolutions. This has opened up the possibility of complete automation of single particle reconstruction. Main bottleneck in automation of single particle reconstruction is manual selection of particles in the micrograph. This paper describes a simple but efficient approach for segmentation of particle projections in the micrographs obtained using cryo-electron microscope. Changing the shape of objects to facilitate segmentation from the cluster and reconstructing its actual shape after isolation is successfully attempted. Both low-level and high-level processing techniques are used and the whole process is made automatic. Over 90 percent success in automatic particle picking is achieved. Several areas for improvement and future research directions are discussed.

The standard cosmological model posits a spatially flat universe of infinite extent. However, no observation, even in principle, could verify that the matter extends to infinity. In this work we model the universe as a finite spherical ball of dust and dark energy, and obtain a lower limit estimate of its mass and present size: the mass is at least 5 x 10{sup 23}M{sub {circle_dot}} and the present radius is at least 50 Gly. If we are not too far from the dust-ball edge we might expect to see a cold spot in the cosmic microwave background, and there might be suppression of the low multipoles in the angular power spectrum. Thus the model may be testable, at least in principle. We also obtain and discuss the geometry exterior to the dust ball; it is Schwarzschild-de Sitter with a naked singularity, and provides an interesting picture of cosmogenesis. Finally we briefly sketch how radiation and inflation eras may be incorporated into the model.

In using the Zircex Process head-end to recover Zr from fuel elements before recovery of U by fluoride volatility, loss of U as UCl/sub 4/ is a problem. The suitability of using a Ni wire filter for trapping entrained UCl/sub 4/, and recovery of the trapped U by direct fluorination of filter and residue is investigated. It is recommended from these studies that water vapor and oxygen should be kept out of the reactor, and that the filter and filter material should be further investigated. (T.R.H.)

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is developing and implementing a customer satisfaction assessment program (CSAP) to assess the quality of research and development provided by the laboratory. We present the customer survey component of the PNNL CSAP. The customer survey questionnaire is composed of 2 major sections, Strategic Value and Project Performance. The Strategic Value section of the questionnaire consists of 5 questions that can be answered with a 5 point Likert scale response. These questions are designed to determine if a project is directly contributing to critical future national needs. The Project Performance section of the questionnaire consists of 9 questions that can be answered with a 5 point Likert scale response. These questions determine PNNL performance in meeting customer expectations. Many approaches could be used to analyze customer survey data. We present a statistical model that can accurately capture the random behavior of customer survey data. The properties of this statistical model can be used to establish a "gold standard'' or performance expectation for the laboratory, and then assess progress. The gold standard is defined from input from laboratory management --- answers to 4 simple questions, in terms of the information obtained from the CSAP customer survey, …

We determine the relative branching fractions of semileptonic B decays to charmed final states. The measurement is performed on the recoil from a fully reconstructed B meson in a sample of 362 million B{bar B} pairs collected at the {Upsilon}(4S) resonance with the BABAR detector. A simultaneous fit to a set of discriminating variables is performed on a sample of {bar B} {yields} DX{ell}{sup -}{bar {nu}}{sub {ell}} decays to determine the contributions from the different channels.

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Inadequacies of current recovery and disposal methods for mixed plastic wastes drive the exploration of viable strategies for plastics resource recovery. The combination of diminishing landfill space and increasing usage of plastic products poses a significant dilemma, since current recovery methods are costly and ill-suited to handle contaminants. Coprocessing of polymeric waste with other materials may provide potential solutions to the deficiencies of current resource recovery methods, including unfavorable process economics. By incorporating plastic waste as a minor feed into an existing process, variations in supply and composition could be mediated, permitting continuous operation. One attractive option is the coprocessing of polymeric waste with coal under direct liquefaction conditions, allowing for simultaneous conversion of both feedstocks into high-valued products. Catalyst-directed coliquefaction of coal and polymeric materials not only has attractive environmental implications but also has the potential to enhance the economic viability of traditional liquefaction processes. By exploiting the higher H/C ratio of the polymeric material and using it as a hydrogen source, the overall process demand for molecular hydrogen and hydrogen donor solvents may be reduced. A series of model compound experiments has been conducted, providing a starting point for unraveling the complex chemistry underlying coliquefaction of coal and …

Environmental and economical concerns over diminishing landfill space and the growing abundance of mixed plastic waste mandate development of viable strategies for recovering high-valued resources from waste polymers. Co-processing of waste polymer mixtures with coal allows for the simultaneous conversion of coal and plastics into high-valued fuels. However, there is limited information about the underlying reaction pathways, kinetics, and mechanisms controlling coal liquefaction in the presence of polymeric materials. A series of model compound experiments has been conducted, providing a starting point for unraveling the complex, underlying chemistry. Neat pyrolysis studies of model compounds of polyethylene and coal were conducted in batch reactors. Tetradecane (C{sub 14} H{sub 30} ) was used as a polyethylene mimic, and 4-(naphthylmethyl)bibenzyl (NBBM) was used as a coal model compound. Reaction temperatures were 420 and 500 C, and batch reaction times ranged from 5--150 minutes. Detailed product analysis using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry enabled the reactant conversion and product selectivities to be determined. Reaction of single components and binary mixtures allowed the kinetic coupling between feedstocks to be examined.

FLASH (Free Electron Laser in Hamburg) is a user facility for a high intensity VUV-light source [1]. The radiation wavelength is tunable in the range from about 40 to 13 nm by changing the electron beam energy from 450 to 700 MeV. The accelerator is also a test facility for the European XFEL (X-ray Free Electron Laser) to be built in Hamburg [2] and the project study ILC (International Linear Collider) [3]. The superconducting TESLA technology is tested at this facility, together with other accelerator components.

A heavy Standard Model Higgs boson is not only disfavored by electroweak precision observables but is also excluded by direct searches at the 7 TeV LHC for a wide range of masses. Here, we examine scenarios where a heavy Higgs boson can be made consistent with both the indirect constraints and the direct null searches by adding only one new particle beyond the Standard Model. This new particle should be a weak multiplet in order to have additional contributions to the oblique parameters. If it is a color singlet, we find that a heavy Higgs with an intermediate mass of 200-300 GeV can decay into the new states, suppressing the branching ratios for the standard model modes, and thus hiding a heavy Higgs at the LHC. If the new particle is also charged under QCD, the Higgs production cross section from gluon fusion can be reduced significantly due to the new colored particle one-loop contribution. Current collider constraints on the new particles allow for viable parameter space to exist in order to hide a heavy Higgs boson. We categorize the general signatures of these new particles, identify favored regions of their parameter space and point out that discovering or excluding …

The use of diamond thin films has the potential for major impact in many industrial and scientific applications. These include heat sinks for electronics, broadband optical sensors, windows, cutting tools, optical coatings, laser diodes, cold cathodes, and field emission displays. Attractive properties of natural diamond consist of physical hardness, high tensile yield strength, chemical inertness, low coefficient of friction, high thermal conductivity, and low electrical conductivity. Unfortunately, these properties are not completely realized in currently produced diamond thin films. Chemical vapor deposition, in its many forms, has been the most successful to this point in producing crystalline diamond films microns to millimeters in thickness which are made up of closely packed diamond crystals microns in physical dimension. However, high purity films are difficult to realize due to the use of hydrogen in the growth process which becomes included in the film matrix. These impurities are manifest in film physical properties which are inferior to those of pure crystalline diamond. In addition, the large density of grain boundaries due to the polycrystalline nature of the films reduce the films' diamond-like character. Finally, substrates must be heated to several hundred degrees Celsius which is not suitable for many materials. Pulsed laser deposition …

S>Tables of elementary-particle data in easily accessible form are presented for researchers in highenergy physics. Included are: The Masses used Mean Lives of the Elementary Particles; Atomic and Nuclear Properties of Materials; Particle Scattering; atomic and Nuclear Constants; and Particle Decay and Reaction Dynamics. (T.R.H.)

The ''Seismic Evaluation of Hydrocarbon Saturation in Deep-Water Reservoirs'' (Grant/Cooperative Agreement DE-FC26-02NT15342) began September 1, 2002. During this second quarter: A Direct Hydrocarbon Indicator (DHI) symposium was held at UH; Current DHI methods were presented and forecasts made on future techniques; Dr. Han moved his laboratory from HARC to the University of Houston; Subcontracts were re-initiated with UH and TAMU; Theoretical and numerical modeling work began at TAMU; Geophysical Development Corp. agreed to provide petrophysical data; Negotiations were begun with Veritas GDC to obtain limited seismic data; Software licensing and training schedules were arranged with Paradigm; and Data selection and acquisition continues. The broad industry symposium on Direct Hydrocarbon Indicators was held at the University of Houston as part of this project. This meeting was well attended and well received. A large amount of information was presented, not only on application of the current state of the art, but also on expected future trends. Although acquisition of appropriate seismic data was expected to be a significant problem, progress has been made. A 3-D seismic data set from the shelf has been installed at Texas A&M University and analysis begun. Veritas GDC has expressed a willingness to provide data in the …

Characterization of deposits from the reactor system provides a means of directly assessing corrosion and chemistry conditions within the system. The recent analysis of debris vacuumed from the bottom of K-Reactor tank provided information and reassurance about the conditions within the tank that would affect corrosion or moderator chemistry. Further opportunity for surveillance within the reactor system was recognized when solid deposits were found on the moderator side of the K-Reactor heat exchanger 4A that failed in December 1991. A sample of deposited material from the face of the tube sheet at the inlet end was removed under the direction of Equipment Engineering Section personnel. The material was analyzed by the Analytical Development Section by techniques used earlier for the K-tank debris. Elemental content was determined by Scanning Electron Microscopy/Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM/EDS). Total chlorine content was determined by neutron activation analysis. Crystalline components were identified by X-Ray diffraction, and radionuclidic content characterized by alpha pulse height analysis, beta counting, scintillation counting, and gamma spectroscopy. The purpose of this memorandum is to report the results of these analyses.

Characterization of deposits from the reactor system provides a means of directly assessing corrosion and chemistry conditions within the system. The recent analysis of debris vacuumed from the bottom of K-Reactor tank provided information and reassurance about the conditions within the tank that would affect corrosion or moderator chemistry. Further opportunity for surveillance within the reactor system was recognized when solid deposits were found on the moderator side of the K-Reactor heat exchanger 4A that failed in December 1991. A sample of deposited material from the face of the tube sheet at the inlet end was removed under the direction of Equipment Engineering Section personnel. The material was analyzed by the Analytical Development Section by techniques used earlier for the K-tank debris. Elemental content was determined by Scanning Electron Microscopy/Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM/EDS). Total chlorine content was determined by neutron activation analysis. Crystalline components were identified by X-Ray diffraction, and radionuclidic content characterized by alpha pulse height analysis, beta counting, scintillation counting, and gamma spectroscopy. The purpose of this memorandum is to report the results of these analyses.

An effort has been started to measure the short pulse laser absorption and energy partition at relativistic laser intensities up to 10{sup 21} W/cm{sup 2}. Plasma polarization spectroscopy is expected to play an important role in determining fast electron generation and measuring the electron distribution function.

We introduce a numerical model for the simulation of nuclear flames in Type Ia supernovae. This model is based on a low Mach number formulation that analytically removes acoustic wave propagation while retaining the compressibility effects resulting from nuclear burning. The formulation presented here generalizes low Mach number models used in combustion that are based on an ideal gas approximation to the arbitrary equations of state such as those describing the degenerate matter found in stellar material. The low Mach number formulation permits time steps that are controlled by the advective time scales resulting in a substantial improvement in computational efficiency compared to a compressible formulation. We briefly discuss the basic discretization methodology for the low Mach number equations and their implementation in an adaptive projection framework. We present validation computations in which the computational results from the low Mach number model are compared to a compressible code and present an application of the methodology to the Landau-Darrieus instability of a carbon flame.

This characterization report summarizes information on the historical uses, current status, and sampling and analysis results of waste stored in tank 241-U-108.

This characterization report summarizes information on the historical uses, current status, and sampling and analysis results of waste stored in tank 241-U-110.

This Interim Operational Safety Requirements document supports the authorization basis for interim operations and identifies restrictions on interim operations for the disposal and storage of solid waste in the Central Waste Complex. The Central Waste Complex Interim Operational Safety Requirements provide the necessary controls on operations in the Central Waste Complex to ensure the radiological and hazardous material exposure will be acceptable from an overall health and safety standpoint to the worker, the onsite personnel, 1327 the public and the environment.

Laboratory experiments on wave propagation through saturated and partially saturated porous media have often been conducted on porous cylinders that were initially fully saturated and then allowed to dry while continuing to acquire data on the wave behavior. Since it is known that drying typically progresses from the outside to the inside, a sensible physical model of this process is concentric cylinders having different saturation levels--the simplest example being a fully dry outer cylindrical shell together with a fully wet inner cylinder. We use this model to formulate the equations for wave dispersion in porous cylinders for patchy saturation (i.e., drainage) conditions. In addition to multiple modes of propagation obtained numerically from these dispersion relations, we find two distinct analytical expressions for torsional wave modes.