Month

ACRF Instrumentation Status and Information April 2009 (open access)

ACRF Instrumentation Status and Information April 2009

The purpose of this report is to provide a concise but comprehensive overview of Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility instrumentation status. The report is divided into the following five sections: (1) new instrumentation in the process of being acquired and deployed, (2) field campaigns, (3) existing instrumentation and progress on improvements or upgrades, (4) proposed future instrumentation, and (5) Small Business Innovation Research instrument development.
Date: May 7, 2009
Creator: Voyles, JW
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Added Value of Reliability to a Microgrid: Simulations of Three California Buildings (open access)

Added Value of Reliability to a Microgrid: Simulations of Three California Buildings

The Distributed Energy Resources Customer Adoption Model is used to estimate the value an Oakland nursing home, a Riverside high school, and a Sunnyvale data center would need to put on higher electricity service reliability for them to adopt a Consortium for Electric Reliability Technology Solutions Microgrid (CM) based on economics alone. A fraction of each building's load is deemed critical based on its mission, and the added cost of CM capability to meet it added to on-site generation options. The three sites are analyzed with various resources available as microgrid components. Results show that the value placed on higher reliability often does not have to be significant for CM to appear attractive, about 25 $/kWcdota and up, but the carbon footprint consequences are mixed because storage is often used to shift cheaper off-peak electricity to use during afternoon hours in competition with the solar sources.
Date: May 7, 2009
Creator: Marnay, Chris; Lai, Judy; Stadler, Michael & Siddiqui, Afzal
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Advanced Gate Drive for the SNS High Voltage Converter Modulator (open access)

Advanced Gate Drive for the SNS High Voltage Converter Modulator

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is developing a next generation H-bridge switch plate [1], a critical component of the SNS High Voltage Converter Modulator [2]. As part of that effort, a new IGBT gate driver has been developed. The drivers are an integral part of the switch plate, which are essential to ensuring fault-tolerant, high-performance operation of the modulator. The redesigned driver improves upon the existing gate drive in several ways. The new gate driver has improved fault detection and suppression capabilities; suppression of shoot-through and over-voltage conditions, monitoring of dI/dt and Vce(sat) for fast over-current detection and suppression, and redundant power isolation are some of the added features. In addition, triggering insertion delay is reduced by a factor of four compared to the existing driver. This paper details the design and performance of the new IGBT gate driver. A simplified schematic and description of the construction are included. The operation of the fast over-current detection circuits, active IGBT over-voltage protection circuit, shoot-through prevention circuitry, and control power isolation breakdown detection circuit are discussed.
Date: May 7, 2009
Creator: Nguyen, M. N.; Burkhart, C.; Kemp, M. A. & Anderson, D. E.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Alert Systems for Missing Adults in Eleven States: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Alert Systems for Missing Adults in Eleven States: Background and Issues for Congress

This report discusses the emerging development of nationwide alert systems to recover missing adults, such as those with mental impairment (such as Alzheimer's disease), developmental disabilities, or suicidal tendencies. This report provides an overview of such alert systems in 11 states: Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas, and Virginia. This report also provides a discussion of issues for Congress to consider with respect to the federal role, if any, in developing state alert programs for missing adults.
Date: May 7, 2009
Creator: Fernandes, Adrienne L. & Colello, Kirsten J.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Complex Administrative Boundary Survey (open access)

Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Complex Administrative Boundary Survey

A package sent to the Bureau of Land Management containing a property description, a notice of intent to relinquish, aerial photos, and engineering drawings
Date: May 7, 2009
Creator: National Security Technologies, LLC
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Chemical reactions of water molecules on Ru(0001) induced by selective excitation of vibrational modes (open access)

Chemical reactions of water molecules on Ru(0001) induced by selective excitation of vibrational modes

Tunneling electrons in a scanning tunneling microscope were used to excite specific vibrational quantum states of adsorbed water and hydroxyl molecules on a Ru(0 0 0 1) surface. The excited molecules relaxed by transfer of energy to lower energy modes, resulting in diffusion, dissociation, desorption, and surface-tip transfer processes. Diffusion of H{sub 2}O molecules could be induced by excitation of the O-H stretch vibration mode at 445 meV. Isolated molecules required excitation of one single quantum while molecules bonded to a C atom required at least two quanta. Dissociation of single H{sub 2}O molecules into H and OH required electron energies of 1 eV or higher while dissociation of OH required at least 2 eV electrons. In contrast, water molecules forming part of a cluster could be dissociated with electron energies of 0.5 eV.
Date: May 7, 2009
Creator: Mugarza, Aitor; Shimizu, Tomoko K.; Ogletree, D. Frank & Salmeron, Miquel
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Chiral Gauge Dynamics and Dynamical Supersymmetry Breaking (open access)

Chiral Gauge Dynamics and Dynamical Supersymmetry Breaking

We study the dynamics of a chiral SU(2) gauge theory with a Weyl fermion in the I = 3/2 representation and of its supersymmetric generalization. In the former, we find a new and exotic mechanism of confinement, induced by topological excitations that we refer to as magnetic quintets. The supersymmetric version was examined earlier in the context of dynamical supersymmetry breaking by Intriligator, Seiberg, and Shenker, who showed that if this gauge theory confines at the origin of moduli space, one may break supersymmetry by adding a tree level superpotential. We examine the dynamics by deforming the theory on S{sup 1} x R{sup 3}, and show that the infrared behavior of this theory is an interacting CFT at small S{sup 1}. We argue that this continues to hold at large S{sup 1}, and if so, that supersymmetry must remain unbroken. Our methods also provide the microscopic origin of various superpotentials in SQCD on S{sup 1} x R{sup 3}--which were previously obtained by using symmetry and holomorphy--and resolve a long standing interpretational puzzle concerning a flux operator discovered by Affleck, Harvey, and Witten. It is generated by a topological excitation, a 'magnetic bion', whose stability is due to fermion pair exchange …
Date: May 7, 2009
Creator: Poppitz, Erich; U., /Toronto; Unsal, Mithat & U., /SLAC /Stanford
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cuban Migration to the United States: Policy and Trends (open access)

Cuban Migration to the United States: Policy and Trends

This report opens with a historical analysis of the unique immigration policy that evolved with Cuba and an explanation of its nexus with other federal policies. It follows with time series analysis of Cuban migration trends. The report concludes by discussing current challenges and issues.
Date: May 7, 2009
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
A DELAUNAY TRIANGULATION APPROACH FOR SEGMENTING CLUMPS OF NUCLEI (open access)

A DELAUNAY TRIANGULATION APPROACH FOR SEGMENTING CLUMPS OF NUCLEI

Cell-based fluorescence imaging assays have the potential to generate massive amount of data, which requires detailed quantitative analysis. Often, as a result of fixation, labeled nuclei overlap and create a clump of cells. However, it is important to quantify phenotypic read out on a cell-by-cell basis. In this paper, we propose a novel method for decomposing clumps of nuclei using high-level geometric constraints that are derived from low-level features of maximum curvature computed along the contour of each clump. Points of maximum curvature are used as vertices for Delaunay triangulation (DT), which provides a setof edge hypotheses for decomposing a clump of nuclei. Each hypothesis is subsequently tested against a constraint satisfaction network for a near optimum decomposition. The proposed method is compared with other traditional techniques such as the watershed method with/without markers. The experimental results show that our approach can overcome the deficiencies of the traditional methods and is very effective in separating severely touching nuclei.
Date: May 7, 2009
Creator: Wen, Quan; Chang, Hang & Parvin, Bahram
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Development of a 10 MW Sheet Beam Klystron for the ILC (open access)

Development of a 10 MW Sheet Beam Klystron for the ILC

SLAC is developing a 10 MW, 5 Hz, 1.6 ms, L-band (1.3 GHz) Sheet-Beam Klystron as a less expensive and more compact alternative to the ILC baseline Multiple-Beam Klystron. The Klystron is intended as a plug-compatible device of the same beam current and operating voltage as existing Multiple-Beam Klystrons. At this time, a beam tester has been constructed and currently is in test. The beam tester includes an intercepting cup for making beam quality measurements of the 130 A, 40-to-1 aspect ratio beam. Measurements will be made of the electrostatic beam and of the beam after transporting through a drift tube and magnetic focusing system. General theory of operation, design trade-offs, and manufacturing considerations of both the beam tester and klystron will be discussed.
Date: May 7, 2009
Creator: Sprehn, D.; Jongewaard, E.; Haase, A.; Jensen, A.; Martin, D.; /SLAC et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Digitally Controlled High Availability Power Supply (open access)

Digitally Controlled High Availability Power Supply

This paper will report on the test results of a prototype 1320 watt power module for a high availability power supply. The module will allow parallel operation for N+1 redundancy with hot swap capability. The two quadrant output of each module allows pairs of modules to provide a 4 quadrant (bipolar) operation. Each module employs a novel 4 FET buck regulator arranged in a bridge configuration. Each side of the bridge alternately conducts through a small saturable ferrite that limits the reverse current in the FET body diode during turn off. This allows hard switching of the FETs with low switching losses. The module is designed with over-rated components to provide high reliability and better then 97% efficiency at full load. The modules use a Microchip DSP for control, monitoring, and fault detection. The switching FETS are driven by PWM modules in the DSP at 60 KHz. A Dual CAN bus interface provides for low cost redundant control paths. The DSP will also provide current sharing between modules, synchronized switching, and soft start up for hot swapping. The input and output of each module have low resistance FETs to allow hot swapping and isolation of faulted units.
Date: May 7, 2009
Creator: MacNair, David
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Early Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope Observations of the Quasar 3C454.3 (open access)

Early Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope Observations of the Quasar 3C454.3

This is the first report of Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope observations of the quasar 3C 454.3, which has been undergoing pronounced long-term outbursts since 2000. The data from the Large Area Telescope (LAT), covering 2008 July 7-October 6, indicate strong, highly variable {gamma}-ray emission with an average flux of {approx} 3 x 10{sup -6} photons cm{sup -2} s{sup -1}, for energies > 100 MeV. The {gamma}-ray flux is variable, with strong, distinct, symmetrically-shaped flares for which the flux increases by a factor of several on a time scale of about three days. This variability indicates a compact emission region, and the requirement that the source is optically thin to pair-production implies relativistic beaming with Doppler factor {delta} > 8, consistent with the values inferred from VLBI observations of superluminal expansion ({delta} {approx} 25). The observed {gamma}-ray spectrum is not consistent with a simple power-law, but instead steepens strongly above {approx} 2 GeV, and is well described by a broken power-law with photon indices of {approx} 2.3 and {approx} 3.5 below and above the break, respectively. This is the first direct observation of a break in the spectrum of a high luminosity blazar above 100 MeV, and it is likely direct …
Date: May 7, 2009
Creator: Abdo, A. A.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the 111th Congress: Conflicting Values and Difficult Choices (open access)

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the 111th Congress: Conflicting Values and Difficult Choices

None
Date: May 7, 2009
Creator: Buck, Eugene H.; Corn, M. Lynne; Sheikh, Pervaze A.; Meltz, Robert & Alexander, Kristina
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Environmental Activities of the U.S. Coast Guard (open access)

Environmental Activities of the U.S. Coast Guard

This report discusses the environmental activities of the U.S. Coast Guard, which fall within the service's program for protection of natural resources, and consist of maritime oil spill prevention, marine debris, and pollution response preparedness. Protection of living marine resources and fisheries also falls in this category, but is not discussed here. Marine environmental protection is one of six "non-homeland security missions" specified in the Homeland Security Act of 2002.
Date: May 7, 2009
Creator: Ramseur, Jonathan L.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Evaluate Status of Pacific Lamprey in the Clearwater River and Salmon River Drainages, Idaho, 2009 Technical Report. (open access)

Evaluate Status of Pacific Lamprey in the Clearwater River and Salmon River Drainages, Idaho, 2009 Technical Report.

Pacific lamprey Lampetra tridentata have received little attention in fishery science until recently, even though abundance has declined significantly along with other anadromous fish species in Idaho. Pacific lamprey in Idaho have to navigate over eight lower Snake River and Columbia River hydroelectric facilities for migration downstream as juveniles to the Pacific Ocean and again as adults migrating upstream to their freshwater spawning grounds in Idaho. The number of adult Pacific lamprey annually entering the Snake River basin at Ice Harbor Dam has declined from an average of over 18,000 during 1962-1969 to fewer than 600 during 1998-2006. Based on potential accessible streams and adult escapement over Lower Granite Dam on the lower Snake River, we estimate that no more than 200 Pacific lamprey adult spawners annually utilize the Clearwater River drainage in Idaho for spawning. We utilized electrofishing in 2000-2006 to capture, enumerate, and obtain biological information regarding rearing Pacific lamprey ammocoetes and macropthalmia to determine the distribution and status of the species in the Clearwater River drainage, Idaho. Present distribution in the Clearwater River drainage is limited to the lower sections of the Lochsa and Selway rivers, the Middle Fork Clearwater River, the mainstem Clearwater River, the South …
Date: May 7, 2009
Creator: Cochnauer, Tim & Claire, Christopher
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Register, Volume 74, Number 87, May 7, 2009, Pages 21245-21532 (open access)

Federal Register, Volume 74, Number 87, May 7, 2009, Pages 21245-21532

Daily publication of the U.S. Office of the Federal Register contains rules and regulations, proposed legislation and rule changes, and other notices, including "Presidential proclamations and Executive Orders, Federal agency documents having general applicability and legal effect, documents required to be published by act of Congress, and other Federal agency documents of public interest" (p. ii). Table of Contents starts on page iii.
Date: May 7, 2009
Creator: United States. Office of the Federal Register.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The UNT Digital Library
Final Report for Project FG02-05ER25685 (open access)

Final Report for Project FG02-05ER25685

In this report, the PI summarizes the results and achievements obtained in the sponsored project. Overall, the project has been very successful and produced both research results in massive data-intensive computing and data management for large scale supercomputers today, and in open-source software products. During the project period, 14 conference/journal publications, as well as two PhD students, have been produced due to exclusive or shared support from this award. In addition, the PI has recently been granted tenure from NC State University.
Date: May 7, 2009
Creator: Ma, Xiaosong
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Financial Management Systems: OMB's Financial Management Line of Business Initiative Continues but Future Success Remains Uncertain (open access)

Financial Management Systems: OMB's Financial Management Line of Business Initiative Continues but Future Success Remains Uncertain

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In March 2004, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) launched the financial management line of business (FMLOB) initiative, in part, to reduce the cost and improve the quality and performance of federal financial management systems by leveraging shared service solutions and implementing other reforms. In March 2006, GAO reported that OMB's approach did not fully integrate certain fundamental system implementation-related concepts and recommended OMB take specific actions. This report discusses (1) OMB's progress in addressing GAO's prior FMLOB recommendations and implementation challenges and (2) the effectiveness of OMB's monitoring of financial management system modernization projects and their costs. GAO's methodology included reviewing OMB's FMLOB-related guidance and reports and interviewing OMB and Financial Systems Integration Office (FSIO) staff."
Date: May 7, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Fishery, Aquaculture, and Marine Mammal Issues in the 111th Congress (open access)

Fishery, Aquaculture, and Marine Mammal Issues in the 111th Congress

This report provides the information related to the fishery, aquaculture, and marine mammal issues in the 111th Congress
Date: May 7, 2009
Creator: Buck, Eugene H. & Upton, Harold F.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Global Positioning System: Significant Challenges in Sustaining and Upgrading Widely Used Capabilities (open access)

Global Positioning System: Significant Challenges in Sustaining and Upgrading Widely Used Capabilities

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Global Positioning System (GPS), which provides position, navigation, and timing data to users worldwide, has become essential to U.S. national security and a key tool in an expanding array of public service and commercial applications at home and abroad. The United States provides GPS data free of charge. The Air Force, which is responsible for GPS acquisition, is in the process of modernizing GPS. In light of the importance of GPS, the modernization effort, and international efforts to develop new systems, GAO was asked to undertake a broad review of GPS. Specifically, GAO assessed progress in (1) acquiring GPS satellites, (2) acquiring the ground control and user equipment necessary to leverage GPS satellite capabilities, and evaluated (3) coordination among federal agencies and other organizations to ensure GPS missions can be accomplished. To carry out this assessment, GAO's efforts included reviewing and analyzing program documentation, conducting its own analysis of Air Force satellite data, and interviewing key officials."
Date: May 7, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Hedge Funds: Overview of Regulatory Oversight, Counterparty Risks, and Investment Challenges (open access)

Hedge Funds: Overview of Regulatory Oversight, Counterparty Risks, and Investment Challenges

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In 2008, GAO issued two reports on hedge funds--pooled investment vehicles that are privately managed and often engage in active trading of various types of securities and commodity futures and options contracts--highlighting the need for continued regulatory attention and for guidance to better inform pension plans on the risks and challenges of hedge fund investments. Hedge funds generally qualified for exemption from certain securities laws and regulations, including the requirement to register as an investment company. Hedge funds have been deeply affected by the recent financial turmoil. But an industry survey of institutional investors suggests that these investors are still committed to investing in hedge funds in the long term. For the first time hedge funds are allowed to borrow from the Federal Reserve under the Term-Asset Backed Loan Facility. As such, the regulatory oversight issues and investment challenges raised by the 2008 reports still remain relevant. This testimony discusses: (1) federal regulators' oversight of hedge fund-related activities; (2) potential benefits, risks, and challenges pension plans face in investing in hedge funds; (3) the measures investors, creditors, and counterparties have taken to impose market discipline on hedge funds; …
Date: May 7, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security (open access)

Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security

This report discusses the current political and social climate of Iraq, specifically in regards to the influence of the U.S. military presence over recent years. This report addresses planned and possible future efforts under the Obama Administration, including the scheduled gradual troops withdrawal.
Date: May 7, 2009
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Measurements, Analysis, and Simulation of Microwave Instability in the Low Energy Ring of KEKB* (open access)

Measurements, Analysis, and Simulation of Microwave Instability in the Low Energy Ring of KEKB*

Using a streak camera, we measured the longitudinal profiles of a positron bunch in the Low Energy Ring (LER) of KEKB at various currents. The measured charge densities were used to construct a simple Q=1 broadband impedance model. The model, with three parameters, not only gave an excellent description of longitudinal dynamics for positive momentum compaction factor but also for the negative ones, including bunch shortening below a threshold and bursting modes above the threshold. Furthermore, our study indicated that the threshold of microwave instability was about 0.5 mA in bunch current in the LER. At the nominal operating current 1.0 mA, there was a 20% increase of the energy spread. The results of measurement, analysis, and simulations will be presented in this paper.
Date: May 7, 2009
Creator: Cai, Yunhai; Flanagan, J.; Fukuma, H.; Funakoshi, Y.; Ieiri, T.; Ohmi, K. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Measurements of CKM angles beta/phi_1 and alpha/phi_2 at the Babar and Belle experiments. (open access)

Measurements of CKM angles beta/phi_1 and alpha/phi_2 at the Babar and Belle experiments.

We report measurements of the CKM angles {beta}/{phi}{sub 1} and {alpha}/{phi}{sub 2} done by the BABAR and Belle experiments. Both experiments have collected large data samples, corresponding to a total of more than 1 billion of B{bar B} pairs, at the e{sup +}e{sup -} asymmetric-energy colliders PEP-II (SLAC) and KEK-B (KEK), respectively.
Date: May 7, 2009
Creator: Lazzaro, A.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library