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The first hydrodynamics experiments were performed on the National Ignition Facility. A supersonic jet was formed via the interaction of a laser driven shock ({approx}40 Mbars) with 2D and 3D density perturbations. The temporal evolution of the jet's spatial scales and ejected mass were measured with point projection x-ray radiography. Measurements of the large-scale features and mass are in good agreement with 2D and 3D numerical simulations. These experiments are the first quantitative measurements of the evolution of 3D supersonic jets and provide insight into their 3D behavior.

The edge-plasma profiles and fluxes to the divertor and walls of a divertor tokamak with a magnetic X-point are simulated by coupling a 2D transport code (UEDGE) and a 3D turbulence code (BOUT). An relaxed iterative coupling scheme is used where each code is run on its characteristic time scale, resulting in a statistical steady state. Plasma variables of density, parallel velocity, and separate ion and electron temperatures are included, together with a fluid neutral model for recycling neutrals at material surfaces. Results for the DIII-D tokamak parameters show that the turbulence is preferentially excited in the outer radial region of the edge where magnetic curvature is destabilizing and that substantial plasma particle flux is transported to the main chamber walls. These results are qualitatively consistent with some experimental observations. The coupled transport/turbulence simulation technique provides a strategy to understanding edge-plasma physics in more detailed than previously available and to significantly enhance the realism of predictions of the performance of future devices.

These notes were prepared for presentation at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency's (DTRA) Hard Target Research and Analysis Center (HTRAC), at the occasion of a short course held on June 14-15, 2004. The material is intended for analysts who must evaluate the geo-mechanical characteristics of sites of interest, in order to provide appropriate input to calculations of ground shock effects on underground facilities in rock masses. These analysts are associated with the Interagency Geotechnical Assessment Team (IGAT). Because geological discontinuities introduce scale effects on the mechanical properties of rock formations, these large-scale properties cannot be estimated on the basis of tests on small cores.

A Wolter X-ray optic was the central component of the microscope envisioned to fulfill the imaging requirements of the Characterization SI. After encountering many difficulties and delays, an optic was finally produced that, unfortunately, only partially met its specifications. With the SI halted, and efforts underway to reformulate a LDRD program to support fabrication of X-ray optics, it is useful to examine the previous effort and compile a list of lessons learned during the research.

H-mode confinement is observed for many energy confinement times without edge localized modes (ELMs) in QH (quiescent high-confinement)-mode discharges in DIII-D. To find critical differences between ELMing and QH modes we compared electron temperature (T{sub e}), density (n{sub e}), and ion temperature (T{sub i}), in the pedestal and scrape-off layer (SOL) for a group of discharges. We also compared the electron pressures P{sub ped}, and maximum pressure gradients P{sub e,ped,max grad} because of their importance in confinement and stability. Experimental results show that the core line averaged density, median T{sub e} (pedestal), SOL T{sub e}, and T{sub e} pedestal width, and SOL T{sub i} are nearly the same in QH mode as that during ELMs. The n{sub e} (average pedestal), n{sub e} pedestal width, P{sub ped}, and P{sub e,ped,max grad} are similar to corresponding values in QH mode and at various times between ELMs. However, the pedestal T{sub i} is 1.6 times higher in QH mode than during ELMing.

NAFEMS was originally founded at the United Kingdom's National Engineering Laboratory as the National Agency for Finite Element Methods and Standards. It was subsequently privatized as the not-for-profit organization NAFEMS, Ltd., but retains its mission ''To promote the safe and reliable use of finite element and related technology''. That mission has been pursued in part by sponsoring a series of studies that published benchmarked deemed suitable to assess the basic accuracy of engineering simulation tools. The early studies focused on FEA for linear solid and structural mechanics and then extended to nonlinear solid mechanics, eventually including contact. These benchmarks are complemented by educational materials concerning analysis technologies and approaches. More recently NAFEMS is expanding to consider thermal-fluid problems. Further information is available at www.nafems.org. Essentially all major commercial firms selling FEA for solid mechanics are members of NAFEMS and it seemed clear that Methods Development Group should leverage from this information resource, too. In 2002, W Program ASCI funding purchased a three-year membership in NAFEMS. In the summer of 2003 the first author hosted a summer graduate student to begin modeling some of the benchmark problems. We concentrated on NIKE3D, as the benchmarks are most typically problems most naturally run …

High efficiency frequency conversion while operating at average power is critical for the Mercury laser. We will demonstrate average power frequency conversion of face-cooled DKDP and YCOB crystals using a sapphire heat spreader approach.

Single crystal samples of micron dimensions oriented in the [001] direction were shortened 10 to 40% in uniaxial compression with superposed hydrostatic pressure to begin investigation of how the onset of yielding evolves with pressure. A testing machine based on opposed anvil geometry with precision pneumatic control of the applied force and capability to measure sub micron displacements was developed to produce shape changing deformation at pressure. The experiments extend observations of pressure dependent deformation to {approx}5Gpa at shortening rates of {approx}2*10{sup -4}. Samples have been recovered for post run characterization and analysis to determine if deformation mechanisms are altered by pressure. Experiments under hydrostatic pressure provide insight into the nature of materials under extreme conditions, and also provide a means for altering deformation behavior in a controlled fashion. The approach has a long history demonstrating that pressure enhances ductility in general, and produces enhanced hardening relative to that expected from normal cold work in the BCC metals Mo, Ta and Nb{sup 2}. The pressure hardening is in excess of that predicted from the measured increase in shear modulus at pressure, and therefore is likely due to a dislocation mechanism, such as suppression of kink pair formation or the interaction …

Monoenergetic laser acceleration of trapped microbunches has been demonstrated for the first time. An inverse free electron laser (IFEL) is used to create microbunches, which are then accelerated by a second IFEL using a tapered undulatos. An adjustable magnetic field chicane is located between the two IFELs and is used to control the phase of the microbunches with respect to the laser field in the second IFEL. The IFELs are driven by a single lases beam from a high peak power CO{sub 2} laser. During the experiment, the trapped portion of the microbunch electrons had an energy gain of >16% with an energy width of -0.86% (full width at half-maximum).

Motivated by many design considerations, several conceptual designs for advanced reactors have proposed that the entire reactor building and a significant portion of the steam generator building will be either partially or completely embedded below grade. For the analysis of seismic events, the soil-structure interaction (SSI) effect and passive earth pressure for these types of deeply embedded structures will have a significant influence on the predicted seismic response. Sponsored by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is carrying out a research program to assess the significance of these proposed design features for advanced reactors, and to evaluate the existing analytical methods to determine their applicability and adequacy in capturing the seismic behavior of the proposed designs. This paper summarizes a literature review performed by BNL to determine the state of knowledge and practice for seismic analyses of deeply embedded and/or buried (DEB) nuclear containment type structures. Included in the paper is BNL's review of the open literature of existing standards, tests, and practices that have been used in the design and analysis of DEB structures. The paper also provides BNL's evaluation of available codes and guidelines with respect to seismic design practice of DEB structures. Based …

This report details our assessment of the chemistry of the planned Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP) off-gas system and its impact on the applicability of known iodine removal and control methods. To predict the gaseous species in the off-gas system, we completed thermodynamic calculations to determine theoretical equilibrium concentrations of the various potential chemical species. In addition, we found that HWVP pilot-plant experiments were generally consistent with the known chemistry of the individual elements present in the off gas. Of the known trapping techniques for radioiodine, caustic scrubbing and silver-containing sorbents are, in our opinion, the most attractive methods to reduce the iodine concentration in the HWVP melter off gas (MOG) after it has passed through the high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. These two methods were selected because they (1) have demonstrated retention factors (RFs), ratio of amount in and amount out, of 10 to 1000, which would be sufficient to reduce the iodine concentration in the MOG to below regulatory limits; (2) are simple to apply; (3) are resistant to oxidizing gases such as NOx; (4) do not employ highly hazardous or highly corrosive agents; (5) require containment vessels constructed or common materials; (6) have received extensive laboratory development; …

With the operation of the RHIC heavy ion program, the theoretical understanding of QCD at finite temperature and density has become increasingly important. Though QCD at finite temperature has been extensively studied using lattice Monte-Carlo simulations over the past twenty years, most physical questions relevant for RHIC (and future) heavy ion experiments remain open. In lattice QCD at finite temperature and density there have been at least two major advances in recent years. First, for the first time calculations of real time quantities, like meson spectral functions have become available. Second, the lattice study of the QCD phase diagram and equation of state have been extended to finite baryon density by several groups. Both issues were extensively discussed in the course of the workshop. A real highlight was the study of the QCD phase diagram in (T, {mu})-plane by Z. Fodor and S. Katz and the determination of the critical end-point for the physical value of the pion mass. This was the first time such lattice calculations at, the physical pion mass have been performed. Results by Z Fodor and S. Katz were obtained using a multi-parameter re-weighting method. Other determinations of the critical end point were also presented, in …

In this paper we present an occlusion culling method that uses hardware-based depth queries on oriented bounding boxes to cull unseen geometric primitives efficiently. An out-of-core design enables this method to interactively display data sets that are too large to fit into main memory. During a preprocessing phase, a spatial subdivision (such as an octree or BSP tree) of a given data set is constructed where, for each node, an oriented bounding box containing mesh primitives is computed using principal component analysis (PCA). At runtime, the tree indicated by the spatial subdivision is traversed in front-to-back order, and only nodes that are determined to be visible, based on a hardware accelerated depth query, are rendered.

The 1.9 {angstrom} native structure of pyrimidine biosynthesis regulatory protein encoded by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis pyrR gene (Rv1379) is reported. Because pyrimidine biosynthesis is an essential step in the progression of TB, pyrR is an attractive antitubercular drug target. The Mycobacterium tuberculosis pyrR gene (Rv1379) encodes a protein that regulates expression of pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthesis (pyr) genes in a UMP-dependent manner. Because pyrimidine biosynthesis is an essential step in the progression of TB, the gene product pyrR is an attractive antitubercular drug target. We report the 1.9 {angstrom} native structure of Mtb pyrR determined by the TB Structural Genomics Consortium facilities (PDB entry 1W30) in trigonal space group P3{sub 1}21, with cell dimensions at 120K of a = 66.64 {angstrom}, c = 154.72 {angstrom}, and two molecules in the asymmetric unit. The 3D structure and residual uracil phosphoribosyltransferase activity point to a common PRTase ancestor for pyrR. However, while PRPP and UMP binding sites have been retained in Mtb pyrR, a novel dimer interaction among subunits creates a deep, positively charged cleft capable of binding pyr mRNA. In silico screening of pyrimidine nucleoside analogs has revealed a number of potential leads compounds that, if bound to Mtb pyrR, could facilitate …

Quantitative knowledge of the fundamental structure and substrate binding, as well as the direct measurement of conformational changes, are essential to the development of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and surface-attached interlocking molecules, catenanes and rotaxanes. These monolayers are vital to development of nano-mechanical, molecular electronic, and biological/chemical sensor applications. This dissertation investigates properties of functionalized SAMs in sulfur-gold based adsorbed molecular monolayers using quantitative spectroscopic techniques including near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The stability of the gold-thiolate interface is addressed. A simple model SAM consisting of dodecanethiol adsorbed on Au(111) degrades significantly in less than 24 hours under ambient laboratory air. S 2p and O 1s XPS show the gold-bound thiolates oxidize to sulfinates and sulfonates. A reduction of organic material on the surface and a decrease in order are observed as the layer degrades. The effect of the carboxyl vs. carboxylate functionalization on SAM structure is investigated. Carboxyl-terminated layers consisting of long alkyl-chain thiols vs. thioctic acid with short, sterically separated, alkyl groups are compared and contrasted. NEXAFS shows a conformational change, or chemical switchability, with carboxyl groups tilted over and carboxylate endgroups more upright. Surface-attached loops and simple surface-attached rotaxanes are quantitatively …

The development of the Snake River hydroelectric system has affected fall chinook salmon smolts by shifting their migration timing to a period when downstream reservoir conditions are unfavorable for survival. Subsequent to the Snake River chinook salmon fall-run Evolutionary Significant Unit being listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act, recovery planning has included changes in hydrosystem operations to improve water temperature and flow conditions during the juvenile chinook salmon summer migration period. In light of the limited water supplies from the Dworshak reservoir for summer flow augmentation, and the associated uncertainties regarding benefits to migrating fall chinook salmon smolts, additional approaches for improved smolt survival need to be evaluated. This report describes research conducted by PNNL that evaluated relationships among river discharge, hyporheic zone characteristics, and egg pocket water temperature in Snake River fall chinook salmon spawning areas. The potential for improved survival would be gained by increasing the rate at which early life history events proceed (i.e., incubation and emergence), thereby allowing smolts to migrate through downstream reservoirs during early- to mid-summer when river conditions are more favorable for survival. PNNL implemented this research project throughout 160 km of the Hells Canyon Reach (HCR) of the Snake River. …

This months issue has the following articles: (1)''Computing Science: One Arrow in the Quiver for Homeland Security''--Commentary by Wayne Shotts; (2) ''On the Front Lines of Biodefense''--The Laboratory's pathogen bioinformatics group is developing ways to rapidly identify microbes that could pose a threat to the nation's citizens, livestock, and crops. (3) ''Defending against Corrosion''--Livermore researchers are designing a rugged system to prevent nuclear wastes from seeping into the environment at the proposed underground repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. (4) ''Engine Shows Diesel Efficiency without the Emissions''--Computer models are helping Laboratory engineers better understand the homogeneous compression charge ignition engine, a fuel-efficient engine with reduced emissions.

The discovery that ultra-intense laser pulses (I > 10{sup 18} W/cm{sup 2}) can produce short pulse, high energy proton beams has renewed interest in the fundamental mechanisms that govern particle acceleration from laser-solid interactions. Experiments have shown that protons present as hydrocarbon contaminants on laser targets can be accelerated up to energies > 50 MeV. Different theoretical models that explain the observed results have been proposed. One model describes a front-surface acceleration mechanism based on the ponderomotive potential of the laser pulse. At high intensities (I > 10{sup 18} W/cm{sup 2}), the quiver energy of an electron oscillating in the electric field of the laser pulse exceeds the electron rest mass, requiring the consideration of relativistic effects. The relativistically correct ponderomotive potential is given by U{sub p} = ([1 + I{lambda}{sup 2}/1.3 x 10{sup 18}]{sup 1/2} - 1) m{sub o}c{sup 2}, where I{lambda}{sup 2} is the irradiance in W {micro}m{sup 2}/cm{sup 2} and m{sub o}c{sup 2} is the electron rest mass. At laser irradiance of I{lambda}{sup 2} {approx} 10{sup 20} W {micro}m{sup 2}/cm{sup 2}, the ponderomotive potential can be of order several MeV. A few recent experiments--discussed in Chapter 3 of this thesis--consider this ponderomotive potential sufficiently strong to accelerate …

Chandra HETG spectra of the prototypical dwarf novae SS Cyg and U Gem in quiescence and outburst are presented and discussed. When SS Cyg goes into outburst, it becomes dimmer in hard X-rays and displays a dramatic shift in its relative line strengths, whereas when U Gem goes into outburst, it becomes brighter in hard X-rays and displays only a minor shift in its relative line strengths. In both systems, the emission lines become significantly broader in outburst, signaling the presence of high velocity gas either in Keplerian orbits around the white dwarf or flowing outward from the system.

Bellows are frequently required in accelerators and colliders. Usually RF-shields with spring fingers are employed to screen the bellows. The lack of accessibility in cryogenic systems can be a problem and asks for alternate solutions to eliminate possible overheating, sparking, etc that occurred in intensive beams. This note addresses an alternate kind of RF shield, which uses capacitive contact instead of mechanical contact. The analysis, as well as numerical example of a superconducting cavity structure, shows that the capacitive RF shield satisfies the impedance requirements of both beam and HOMs. The capability of thermal isolation is also analyzed.

This document describes measurements that characterize an Advanced Research Systems DE204S cryocooler system. The data is relevant to the thermal performance and vibration characteristics of the cold-head. The thermal measurements include heat load mapping of the 1st and 2nd stage, and temperature fluctuation measurement of the 2nd stage heat station. A comparison of fluctuation measurements by four different sensors is also included to support the 2nd stage fluctuation results. Finally, optical measurement of the cyclic 2nd stage heat station deflection is described.

Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, is a highly uniform clone that diverged recently from the enteric pathogen Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. Despite their close genetic relationship, they differ radically in their pathogenicity and transmission. Here we report the complete genomic sequence of Y. pseudotuberculosis IP32953 and its use for detailed genome comparisons to available Y. pestis sequences. Analyses of identified differences across a panel of Yersinia isolates from around the world reveals 32 Y. pestis chromosomal genes that, together with the two Y. pestis-specific plasmids, represent the only new genetic material in Y. pestis acquired since the divergence from Y. pseudotuberculosis. In contrast, 149 new pseudogenes (doubling the previous estimate) and 317 genes absent from Y. pestis were detected, indicating that as many as 13% of Y. pseudotuberculosis genes no longer function in Y. pestis. Extensive IS-mediated genome rearrangements and reductive evolution through massive gene loss, resulting in elimination and modification of pre-existing gene expression pathways appear to be more important than acquisition of new genes in the evolution of Y. pestis. These results provide a sobering example of how a highly virulent epidemic clone can suddenly emerge from a less virulent, closely related progenitor.

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