Monolithic Nickel (II) Oxide Aerogels Using an Organic Epoxide: The Importance of the Counter Ion (open access)

Monolithic Nickel (II) Oxide Aerogels Using an Organic Epoxide: The Importance of the Counter Ion

The synthesis and characterization of nickel (II) oxide aerogel materials prepared using the epoxide addition method is described. The addition of the organic epoxide propylene oxide to an ethanolic solution of NiCl{sub 2} 6H{sub 2}O resulted in the formation of an opaque light green monolithic gel and subsequent drying with supercritical CO{sub 2} gave a monolithic aerogel material of the same color. This material has been characterized using powder X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, elemental analysis, and nitrogen adsorption/desorption analysis. The results indicate that the nickel (II) oxide aerogel has very low bulk density (98 kg/m{sup 3} ({approx}98 %porous)), high surface area (413 m{sup 2}/g), and has a particulate-type aerogel microstructure made up of very fine spherical particles with an open porous network. By comparison, a precipitate of Ni{sub 3}(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}(OH){sub 4} is obtained when the same preparation is attempted with the common Ni(NO{sub 3}){sub 2} 6H{sub 2}O salt as the precursor. The implications of the difference of reactivity of the two different precursors are discussed in the context of the mechanism of gel formation via the epoxide addition method. The synthesis of nickel (II) oxide aerogel, using the epoxide addition method, is especially unique in our experience. It is …
Date: January 13, 2004
Creator: Gash, A. E.; Satcher, J. H. & Simpson, R. L.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Accounting Data to Web Interface Using PERL (open access)

Accounting Data to Web Interface Using PERL

This document will explain the process to create a web interface for the accounting information generated by the High Performance Storage Systems (HPSS) accounting report feature. The accounting report contains useful data but it is not easily accessed in a meaningful way. The accounting report is the only way to see summarized storage usage information. The first step is to take the accounting data, make it meaningful and store the modified data in persistent databases. The second step is to generate the various user interfaces, HTML pages, that will be used to access the data. The third step is to transfer all required files to the web server. The web pages pass parameters to Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripts that generate dynamic web pages and graphs. The end result is a web page with specific information presented in text with or without graphs. The accounting report has a specific format that allows the use of regular expressions to verify if a line is storage data. Each storage data line is stored in a detailed database file with a name that includes the run date. The detailed database is used to create a summarized database file that also uses run date …
Date: August 13, 2001
Creator: Hargeaves, C
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Matching Shapes Using Local Descriptors (open access)

Matching Shapes Using Local Descriptors

We present a method for comparing shapes of grayscale images in noisy circumstances. By establishing correspondences in a new image with a shape model, we can estimate a transformation between the new region and the model. Using a cost function for deviations from the model, we can rank resulting shape matches. We compare two separate distinct region detectors: Scale Saliency and difference of gaussians. We show that this method is successful in comparing images of fluid mixing under anisotropic geometric distortions and additive gaussian noise. Scale Saliency outperforms the difference of Gaussians in this context.
Date: August 13, 2004
Creator: White, R; Newsam, S & Kamath, C
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Entangled States, Holography and Quantum Surfaces (open access)

Entangled States, Holography and Quantum Surfaces

Starting with an elementary discussion of quantum holography, we show that entangled quantum states of qubits provide a ''local'' representation of the global geometry and topology of quantum Riemann surfaces. This representation may play an important role in both mathematics and physics. Indeed, the simplest way to represent the fundamental objects in a ''theory of everything'' may be as muti-qubit entangled states.
Date: August 13, 2003
Creator: Chapline, G F
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Intracavity adaptive correction of a 10 kW, solid-state, heat-capacity laser (open access)

Intracavity adaptive correction of a 10 kW, solid-state, heat-capacity laser

The Solid-State, Heat-Capacity Laser (SSHCL), under development at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is a large aperture (100 cm{sup 2}), confocal, unstable resonator requiring near-diffraction-limited beam quality. There are two primary sources of the aberrations in the system: residual, static aberrations from the fabrication of the optical components and predictable, time-dependent, thermally-induced index gradients within the gain medium. A deformable mirror placed within the cavity is used to correct the aberrations that are sensed externally with a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor. Although the complexity of intracavity adaptive correction is greater than that of external correction, it enables control of the mode growth within the resonator, resulting in the ability to correct a more aberrated system longer. The overall system design, measurement techniques and correction algorithms are discussed. Experimental results from initial correction of the static aberrations and dynamic correction of the time-dependent aberrations are presented.
Date: May 13, 2004
Creator: LaFortune, K N; Hurd, R L; Brase, J M & Yamamoto, R M
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Shielding Calculations for the BDMS UF6 Mass Flow Meter (open access)

Shielding Calculations for the BDMS UF6 Mass Flow Meter

We performed Monte Carlo calculations of the neutron and gamma ray spectra and neutron and gamma dose rates outside the shielding of the UF{sub 6} mass flowmeter. The UF{sub 6} mass flowmeter and the UF{sub 6} mass flowmeter are the two main components of the Blend Down Monitoring System (BDMS) equipment. The BDMS equipment is designed to continuously monitor the UF{sub 6} enrichment and mass flow rates in processing pipes at uranium facilities. The UF{sub 6} mass flowmeter incorporates four {sup 252}Cf neutron sources, surrounded by a polyethylene shielding block. The uranium fission products generated by the {sup 252}Cf neutrons are detected down the pipe, thus confirming the UF{sub 6} mass flow rate. The dose calculations used both U.S. and Russian gamma and neutron fluence-to-dose conversion coefficients. The purpose of these calculations was to facilitate proper interpretation of the neutron dose rate measurements from rem meters (e.g., rem balls) outside of BDMS shielding. An accurate determination of the dose rate is particular interest in that it enables dose rates to be compared with the applicable regulatory limit. The calculations show that neutrons outside of BDMS shielding are significantly reduced in energy, i.e., the spectrum is shifted (i.e., moderated) towards lower …
Date: September 13, 2001
Creator: Radev, R & Hall, J
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Surrogate Nuclear Reactions and the Origin of the Heavy Elements (open access)

Surrogate Nuclear Reactions and the Origin of the Heavy Elements

An innovative method for indirectly determining reaction cross sections via Surrogate Nuclear Reactions is presented. Exploring indirect approaches for obtaining reaction cross sections is important since a large number of nuclear reactions relevant to astrophysics cannot be measured with currently available techniques. A program is outlined for developing a comprehensive framework for planning and interpreting experiments that can yield the cross sections of interest. The applications will focus on reactions involving unstable nuclei that play a key role in the production of the elements between iron and uranium.
Date: July 13, 2004
Creator: Escher, J; Ahle, L; Bernstein, L; Church, J; Dietrich, F; Forssen, C et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
J/(ps) Production via Initial State Radiation in e+e- ----> (m)+(m)-y at an e+e- Center-of-Mass Energy near 10.6 GeV (open access)

J/(ps) Production via Initial State Radiation in e+e- ----> (m)+(m)-y at an e+e- Center-of-Mass Energy near 10.6 GeV

The authors have used a study of the process e{sup +}e{sup -} {yields} {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -} {gamma} at a center-of-mass energy near the {Upsilon}(4S) resonance for a {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -} invariant mass range near the J/{psi} mass to extract the cross section {sigma}(e{sup +}e{sup -} {yields} J/{psi}{gamma} {yields} {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -}{gamma}). The data set, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 88.4 fb{sup -1}, was collected using the BABAR detector at the PEP-II collider. They measure the product {Lambda}(J/{psi} {yields} e{sup +}e{sup -}) B(J/{psi} {yields} {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -}) to be 0.330 {+-} 0.008 {+-} 0.007 keV. Using the world averages for B(J/{psi} {yields} {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -}) and B(J/{psi} {yields} e{sup +}e{sup -}), they derive the J/{psi} electronic and total widths: {Lambda}(J/{psi} {yields} e{sup +}e{sup -}) = 5.61 {+-} 0.20 keV and {Lambda} = 94.7 {+-} 4.4 keV.
Date: November 13, 2003
Creator: Wright, D & Collaboration, T B
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Including dislocation flux in a continuum crystal plasticity model to produce size scale effects (open access)

Including dislocation flux in a continuum crystal plasticity model to produce size scale effects

A novel model has been developed to capture size scale and gradient effects within the context of continuum crystal plasticity by explicitly incorporating details of dislocation transport, coupling dislocation transport to slip, evolving spatial distributions of dislocations consistent with the flux, and capturing the interactions among various dislocation populations. Dislocation flux and density are treated as nodal degrees of freedom in the finite element model, and they are determined as part of the global system of equations. The creation, annihilation and flux of dislocations between elements are related by transport equations. Crystallographic slip is coupled to the dislocation flux and the stress state. The resultant gradients in dislocation density and local lattice rotations are analyzed for geometrically necessary and statistically stored dislocation contents that contribute to strength and hardening. Grain boundaries are treated as surfaces where dislocation flux is restricted depending on the relative orientations of the neighboring grains. Numerical results show different behavior near free surfaces and non-deforming surfaces resulting from differing levels of dislocation transmission. Simulations also show development of dislocation pile-ups at grain boundaries and an increase in flow strength reminiscent of the Hall-Petch model. The dislocation patterns have a characteristic size independent of the numerical discretization.
Date: February 13, 2004
Creator: Becker, R.; Arsenlis, A.; Bulatov, V. V. & Parks, D. M.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Anodic Behavior of Alloy 22 in Calcium Chloride and in Calcium Chloride Plus Calcium Nitrate Brines (open access)

Anodic Behavior of Alloy 22 in Calcium Chloride and in Calcium Chloride Plus Calcium Nitrate Brines

Alloy 22 (UNS N60622) is a nickel-based alloy, which is extensively used in aggressive industrial applications, especially due to its resistance to localized corrosion and stress corrosion cracking in high chloride environments. The purpose of this work was to characterize the anodic behavior of Alloy 22 in concentrated calcium chloride (CaCl{sub 2}) brines and to evaluate the inhibitive effect of nitrate, especially to localized corrosion. Standard electrochemical tests such as polarization resistance and cyclic polarization were used. Results show that the corrosion potential of Alloy 22 was approximately -360 mV in the silver-silver chloride (SSC) scale and independent of the tested temperature. Cyclic polarization tests showed that Alloy 22 was mainly susceptible to localized attack in 5 M CaCl{sub 2} at 75 C and higher temperatures. The addition of nitrate in a molar ratio of chloride to nitrate equal to 10 increased the onset of localized corrosion to approximately 105 C. The addition of nitrate to the solution also decreased the uniform corrosion rate and the passive current of the alloy.
Date: May 13, 2003
Creator: Evans, K. J.; Day, S. D.; Ilevbare, G. O.; Whalen, M. T.; King, K. J.; Hust, G. A. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Block Matching for Object Tracking (open access)

Block Matching for Object Tracking

Models which describe road traffic patterns can be helpful in detection and/or prevention of uncommon and dangerous situations. Such models can be built by the use of motion detection algorithms applied to video data. Block matching is a standard technique for encoding motion in video compression algorithms. We explored the capabilities of the block matching algorithm when applied for object tracking. The goal of our experiments is two-fold: (1) to explore the abilities of the block matching algorithm on low resolution and low frame rate video and (2) to improve the motion detection performance by the use of different search techniques during the process of block matching. Our experiments showed that the block matching algorithm yields good object tracking results and can be used with high success on low resolution and low frame rate video data. We observed that different searching methods have small effect on the final results. In addition, we proposed a technique based on frame history, which successfully overcame false motion caused by small camera movements.
Date: October 13, 2003
Creator: Gyaourova, A; Kamath, C & Cheung, S
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Contribution of Neutron Beta Decay to Radiation Belt Pumping from High Altitude Nuclear Explosion (open access)

Contribution of Neutron Beta Decay to Radiation Belt Pumping from High Altitude Nuclear Explosion

In 1962, several satellites were lost following high altitude nuclear tests by the United States and the Soviet Union. These satellite failures were caused by energetic electrons injected into the earth's radiation belts from the beta decay of bomb produced fission fragments and neutrons. It has been 40 years since the last high altitude nuclear test; there are now many more satellites in orbit, and it is important to understand their vulnerability to radiation belt pumping from nuclear explosions at high altitude or in space. This report presents the results of a calculation of the contribution of neutron beta decay to artificial belt pumping. For most high altitude nuclear explosions, neutrons are expected to make a smaller contribution than fission products to the total trapped electron inventory, and their contribution is usually neglected. However, the neutron contribution may dominate in cases where the fission product contribution is suppressed due to the altitude or geomagnetic latitude of the nuclear explosion, and for regions of the radiation belts with field lines far from the detonation point. In any case, an accurate model of belt pumping from high altitude nuclear explosions, and a self-consistent explanation of the 1962 data, require inclusion of the …
Date: November 13, 2002
Creator: Marrs, R
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Measurement of the Branching Fraction and Polarization for the Decay B- ---> D*0K*- (open access)

Measurement of the Branching Fraction and Polarization for the Decay B- ---> D*0K*-

None
Date: November 13, 2003
Creator: Aubert, B; Wright, D & Collaboration, T B
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
FY2002 Progress Summary Program Plan, Statement of Work and Deliverables for Development of High Average Power Diode-Pumped Solid State Lasers, and Complementary Technologies, for Applications in Energy and Defense (open access)

FY2002 Progress Summary Program Plan, Statement of Work and Deliverables for Development of High Average Power Diode-Pumped Solid State Lasers, and Complementary Technologies, for Applications in Energy and Defense

The High Average Power Laser Program (HAPL) is a multi-institutional, coordinated effort to develop a high-energy, repetitively pulsed laser system for Inertial Fusion Energy and other DOE and DOD applications. This program is building a laser-fusion energy base to complement the laser-fusion science developed by DOE Defense programs over the past 25 years. The primary institutions responsible for overseeing and coordinating the research activities are the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and LLNL. The current LLNL proposal is a companion proposal to that submitted by NRL, for which the driver development element is focused on the krypton fluoride excimer laser option. Aside from the driver development aspect, the NRL and LLNL companion proposals pursue complementary activities with the associated rep-rated laser technologies relating to target fabrication, target injection, final optics, fusion chamber, materials and power plant economics. This report requests continued funding in FY02 to support LLNL in its program to build a 1kW, 100J, diode-pumped, crystalline laser. In addition, research in high gain laser target design, fusion chamber issues and survivability of the final optic element will be pursued. These technologies are crucial to the feasibility of inertial fusion energy power plants and also have relevance in rep-rated stewardship experiments.
Date: December 13, 2001
Creator: Bayramian, A.; Bibeau, C.; Beach, R.; Behrendt, B.; Ebbers, C.; Latkowski, J. et al.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
DOE Advanced Controls R&D Planning Workshop, June 11, 2003, Washington DC: Workshop Results (open access)

DOE Advanced Controls R&D Planning Workshop, June 11, 2003, Washington DC: Workshop Results

On June 11, 2003, representatives from universities, federal and state government agencies, Department of Energy national laboratories, and the private sector attended a one-day workshop in Washington, DC. The objective of the workshop was to review and provide input into DOE's assessment of the market for advanced sensors and controls technology and potential R&D pathways to enhance their success in the buildings market place. The workshop consisted of two sessions. During the morning session, participants were given an overview on the following topics: market assessment, current applications and strategies for new applications, sensors and controls, networking, security, and protocols and standards, and automated diagnostics, performance measurement, commissioning and optimal control and tools. In the sessions, workshop participants were asked to review the potential R&D pathways, identify high priority activities, and outline a five year path for each of these activities. Priorities were as follows: largest and quickest impact; best use of finite resources; greatest likelihood for market penetration; and ability to replicate results. The participants identified several promising R&D opportunities.
Date: April 13, 2005
Creator: Brambley, Michael R.; Haves, Philip; McDonald, Sean C.; Torcellini, Paul; Hansen, David G.; Holmberg, David et al.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Effect of Small-Size Habitat Disturbances on Population Density and Time to Extinction of the Prairie Vole (open access)

The Effect of Small-Size Habitat Disturbances on Population Density and Time to Extinction of the Prairie Vole

We present a study, based on simulations with SERDYCA, a spatially-explicit individual-based model of rodent dynamics, on the relation between population persistence and the presence of numerous isolated disturbances in the habitat. We are specifically interested in the effect of disturbances that do not fragment the environment on population persistence. Our results suggest that the presence of disturbances in the absence of fragmentation can actually increase the average time to extinction of the modeled population. The presence of disturbances decreases population density but can increase the chance for mating in monogamous species and consequently, the ratio of juveniles in the population. It thus provides a better chance for the population to restore itself after a severe period with critically low population density. We call this the ''disturbance-forced localization effect''.
Date: December 13, 2004
Creator: Kostova, T & Carlsen, T
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Accelerator and Ion Beam Tradeoffs for Studies of Warm Dense Matter (open access)

Accelerator and Ion Beam Tradeoffs for Studies of Warm Dense Matter

One approach for heating a target to ''Warm Dense Matter'' conditions (similar, for example, to the interiors of giant planets or certain stages in Inertial Confinement Fusion targets), is to use intense ion beams as the heating source (see refs.[6] and [7] and references therein for motivation and accelerator concepts). By consideration of ion beam phase space constraints, both at the injector, and at the final focus, and consideration of simple equations of state and relations for ion stopping, approximate conditions at a target foil may be calculated. Thus target temperature and pressure may be calculated as a function of ion mass, ion energy, pulse duration, velocity tilt, and other accelerator parameters. We connect some of these basic parameters to help search the extensive parameter space (including ion mass, ion energy, total charge in beam pulse, beam emittance, target thickness and density).
Date: May 13, 2005
Creator: Barnard, J. J.; Briggs, R. J.; Callahan, D. A.; Davidson, R. C.; Friedman, A.; Grisham, L. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Femtosecond laser writing of waveguide structures in sodium calcium silicate glasses (open access)

Femtosecond laser writing of waveguide structures in sodium calcium silicate glasses

Waveguides were written in soda lime silicate glasses with a composition of xNa{sub 2}O xCaO (1-2x)SiO{sub 2}, where x = 15 and 20, using an amplified femtosecond laser. The waveguides formed around, not inside the exposed regions. This is similar to the waveguide behavior our group first observed in a phosphate glass, Schott IOG-1, and is distinctly different from fused silica in which the waveguides are inside the exposed regions. This data supports the rapid quenching theory, i.e. that the exposed regions cool rapidly, locking in a glass structure with a high fictive temperature, with the dependence of the refractive index on the glass cooling rate determining the qualitative behavior of the waveguides.
Date: December 13, 2004
Creator: Reichman, W J; Click, C A & Krol, D M
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Beam Simulations for IRE and Driver - Status and Strategy (open access)

Beam Simulations for IRE and Driver - Status and Strategy

The methods and codes employed in the U.S. Heavy Ion Fusion program to simulate the beams in an Integrated Research Experiments (IRE) facility and a fusion driver are presented in overview. A new family of models incorporating accelerating module impedance, multi-beam, and self-magnetic effects is described, and initial WARP3d particle simulations of beams using these models are presented. Finally, plans for streamlining the machine-design simulation sequence, and for simulating beam dynamics from the source to the target in a consistent and comprehensive manner, are described.
Date: March 13, 2001
Creator: Friedman, A; Grote, D P & Lee, E P
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Comparison of up-scaling methods in poroelasticity and its generalizations (open access)

Comparison of up-scaling methods in poroelasticity and its generalizations

Four methods of up-scaling coupled equations at the microscale to equations valid at the mesoscale and/or macroscale for fluid-saturated and partially saturated porous media will be discussed, compared, and contrasted. The four methods are: (1) effective medium theory, (2) mixture theory, (3) two-scale and multiscale homogenization, and (4) volume averaging. All these methods have advantages for some applications and disadvantages for others. For example, effective medium theory, mixture theory, and homogenization methods can all give formulas for coefficients in the up-scaled equations, whereas volume averaging methods give the form of the up-scaled equations but generally must be supplemented with physical arguments and/or data in order to determine the coefficients. Homogenization theory requires a great deal of mathematical insight from the user in order to choose appropriate scalings for use in the resulting power-law expansions, while volume averaging requires more physical insight to motivate the steps needed to find coefficients. Homogenization often is performed on periodic models, while volume averaging does not require any assumption of periodicity and can therefore be related very directly to laboratory and/or field measurements. Validity of the homogenization process is often limited to specific ranges of frequency - in order to justify the scaling hypotheses that …
Date: December 13, 2003
Creator: Berger, E. L.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Dynamics of Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Variability (open access)

Dynamics of Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Variability

None
Date: February 13, 2004
Creator: Sperber, K.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Stochastic Kinetic Monte Carlo algorithms for long-range Hamiltonians (open access)

Stochastic Kinetic Monte Carlo algorithms for long-range Hamiltonians

We present a higher order kinetic Monte Carlo methodology suitable to model the evolution of systems in which the transition rates are non- trivial to calculate or in which Monte Carlo moves are likely to be non- productive flicker events. The second order residence time algorithm first introduced by Athenes et al.[1] is rederived from the n-fold way algorithm of Bortz et al.[2] as a fully stochastic algorithm. The second order algorithm can be dynamically called when necessary to eliminate unproductive flickering between a metastable state and its neighbors. An algorithm combining elements of the first order and second order methods is shown to be more efficient, in terms of the number of rate calculations, than the first order or second order methods alone while remaining statistically identical. This efficiency is of prime importance when dealing with computationally expensive rate functions such as those arising from long- range Hamiltonians. Our algorithm has been developed for use when considering simulations of vacancy diffusion under the influence of elastic stress fields. We demonstrate the improved efficiency of the method over that of the n-fold way in simulations of vacancy diffusion in alloys. Our algorithm is seen to be an order of magnitude …
Date: October 13, 2003
Creator: Mason, D R; Rudd, R E & Sutton, A P
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Error Sources in the ETA Energy Analyzer Measurement (open access)

Error Sources in the ETA Energy Analyzer Measurement

At present the ETA beam energy as measured by the ETA energy analyzer and the DARHT spectrometer differ by {approx}12%. This discrepancy is due to two sources, an overestimate of the effective length of the ETA energy analyzer bending-field, and data reduction methods that are not valid. The discrepancy can be eliminated if we return to the original process of measuring the angular deflection of the beam and use a value of 43.2cm for the effective length of the axial field profile.
Date: December 13, 2004
Creator: Nexsen, W E
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Progressive Subdivision Paradigm (PSP) (open access)

A Progressive Subdivision Paradigm (PSP)

The increasing rate of growth in size of currently available datasets is a well known issue. The possibility of developing fast and easy to implement frameworks able to visualize at least part of a tera-sized volume is a challenging task. Subdivision methods in recent years have been one of the most successful techniques applied to the multiresolution representation and visualization of surface meshes. Extensions of these techniques to the volumetric case presents positive effects and major challenges mainly concerning the generalization of the combinatorial structure of the refinement procedure and the analysis of the smoothness of the limit mesh. In this paper we address mainly the first part of the problem, presenting a framework that exploits a subdivision scheme suitable for extension to 3D and higher dimensional meshes.
Date: December 13, 2004
Creator: Borgo, R.; Scopigno, R.; Cignoni, P. & Pascucci, V.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library