Magazine for Texas Lottery retailers that contains news, retailer spotlights, and a list of lottery winners.

Magazine discussing natural resources, parks, hunting and fishing, and other information related to the outdoors in Texas.

Bimonthly magazine containing news and information that pertains to Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers. "The magazine's goals are to help organizations function professionally as EMS providers, to educate individuals so they can perform lifesaving prehospital skills under stressful conditions, and to help the public get into the EMS system when they need it" (p. 4).

Semi-annual report documenting statistics and analysis of contracts awarded to historically underutilized business (HUBs) by Texas state agencies, including statewide analysis, analysis summary.

Quarterly newsletter of the general manage at the Edwards Aquifer Authority discussing news and activities of the organization as well as other information related to water in southern Texas.

Workbook outlining topics for couples to discuss before getting married, including personal expectations, lifestyle choices, finances, and legal obligations under state law.

Workbook outlining topics for couples to discuss before getting married, including personal expectations, lifestyle choices, finances, and legal obligations under state law.

Localization of targets imbedded in a heterogeneous background medium is a common problem in seismic, ultrasonic, and electromagnetic imaging problems. The best imaging techniques make direct use of the eigenfunctions and eigenvalues of the array response matrix, as recent work on time-reversal acoustics has shown. Of the various imaging functionals studied, one that is representative of a preferred class is a time-domain generalization of MUSIC (MUltiple Signal Classification), which is a well-known linear subspace method normally applied only in the frequency domain. Since statistical stability is not characteristic of the frequency domain, a transform back to the time domain after first diagonalizing the array data in the frequency domain takes optimum advantage of both the time-domain stability and the frequency-domain orthogonality of the relevant eigenfunctions.

We report on the subject of temperature and/or pressure induced solid-solid phase transitions of energetic molecular crystals. Over the last three years we have applied experimental techniques that when used simultaneously provide insight into some of the complexities that govern reaction rate processes. After more than 55 years of study a global kinetics model describing the P-T phase space transition kinetics of such materials as HMX (octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine) is not only missing, but from a formal perspective is perhaps as many years away from completion. The essence of this report describes what material parameters affect first-order reaction rates of the CHNO moiety of molecular crystals and introduces the application of new experimental tools thus permitting quantifiable studies of important rate limiting mechanisms.

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the Sandia National Laboratory (SNL) are located at the eastern end of the City of Livermore. Recently the research facilities have been placed on heightened security alerts due to the events of September 11. To respond to the security concerns, LLNL and SNL have proposed to place East Avenue between South Vasco Road and Greenville Road under administrative control. This type of control would require security check points at both ends of this segment of East Avenue, including a truck inspection facility west of the Greenville Road intersection. In this configuration, East Avenue would be closed to general public traffic. The purpose of this traffic study is to determine the potential traffic impact of placing East Avenue under administrative control. The primary focus of the traffic study is to evaluate the proposed modifications to the geometry and operation of East Avenue between South Vasco Road and Greenville Road. The study also includes a review of a traffic study prepared for the closure of East Avenue in 1989 to determine if the assumptions and conclusions of that study remain valid.

This project is concerned with the research and development of a technique to manipulate small particles using acoustic energy coupled into a fluid filled plastic or glass sample chamber. These resulting miniaturized systems combine high functionality with an inexpensive, disposable sample chamber. Our approach to this problem is based on a combination of sophisticated modeling tools in conjunction with laboratory experiments. The design methodology is summarized in Figure 1. The process begins by investigating a wide range of device parameters using a one-dimensional analytical approximation. The results of these initial parameter studies are incorporated into a sophisticated three-dimensional multi-physics finite element code. From these simulations the optimized designs are prototyped and experimentally tested. The results of the experimental observations are then used to improve analytical approximations and the process is repeated as necessary.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has been actively and continuously engaged in Russian geologic disposal activities since 1995. The first joint US-Russian meeting on Disposition of Excess Weapons Plutonium was held in January 1995 at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The meeting resulted in the appointment of Dr. L. J. Jardine from LLNL and Dr. T. A. Gupalo from the All-Russian Research and Design Institute of Production Engineering (VNIPIPT) as the US-Russian Federation (RF) joint co-chairs for geologic disposal of plutonium-containing materials, respectively. The initial joint studies focused on the geologic disposal of plutonium-containing materials and immobilized plutonium waste forms. These studies started in 1995, and continue in 2002. The first joint work of LLNL and VNIPIPT was documented in the October 1996 Paris P8 Nuclear Experts Meeting [1]. In summary, LLNL has been actively and continuously involved in various ways since 1995 in developing and participating in the current Russian geologic disposal program activities near the Mayak and MCC K-26 sites. Figure 1 illustrates how these various LLNL activities have been integrated, coordinated, and focused on developing geologic disposal in Russia. The various LLNL contracts are shown in the figure with the specific LLNL contract number. Reference 13 provides …

We have produced single bursts of helicity from the source in the SSPX spheromak in order to study the efficiency of the simplest example of helicity injection. We find that the helicity injection rate can be written in terms of the injected current and an inductance, and that a simple circuit analogue demonstrates unambiguously the relationship of helicity to energy: helicity injection is the addition of inductive loops. While helicity balance points to the conservation of helicity, the electrical efficiency is around 15%. However, in the expulsion of the loop, electrical energy is converted to directional motion, which may be recoverable usefully as heat by collisions, thus the efficiency of the injection process is arguably quite high. Integral to this notion of helicity injection is the idea that reconnection is necessary: without disconnection from the source by a reconnection event, the spheromak fields are just proportional to the injected current. Sometimes the multiple bursts occur spontaneously and cause a step-wise increase in the field (and helicity). However, in all instances when the current remains above the ejection threshold for t > 50 {micro}s, the n=l mode initiates and builds field, although with much reduced efficiency, and to a level which …

The goal of this Strategic Initiative LDRD project was to establish at LLNL a new core capability in computational biology, combining laboratory strengths in high performance computing, molecular biology, and computational chemistry and physics. As described in this report, this project has been very successful in achieving this goal. This success is demonstrated by the large number of referred publications, invited talks, and follow-on research grants that have resulted from this project. Additionally, this project has helped build connections to internal and external collaborators and funding agencies that will be critical to the long-term vitality of LLNL programs in computational biology. Most importantly, this project has helped establish on-going research groups in the Biology and Biotechnology Research Program, the Physics and Applied Technology Directorate, and the Computation Directorate. These groups include three laboratory staff members originally hired as post-doctoral researchers for this strategic initiative.

The fundamentals of welding-induced phase transformations in metals and alloys are being investigated using a combination of advanced synchrotron based experimental methods and modem computational science tools. In-situ experimental methods have been developed using a spatially resolved x-ray probe to enable direct observations of phase transformations under the real non- isothermal conditions experienced during welding. These experimental techniques represent a major step forward in the understanding of phase transformations that occur during welding, and are now being used to aid in the development of models to predict microstructural evolution under the severe temperature gradients, high peak temperatures and rapid thermal fluctuations characteristic of welds. Titanium alloys, stainless steels and plain carbon steels are currently under investigation, and the phase transformation data being obtained here cannot be predicted or measured using conventional metallurgical approaches. Two principal synchrotron-based techniques have been developed and refined for in-situ investigations of phase transformation dynamics in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) and fusion zone (FZ) of welds: Spatially Resolved X-Ray Diffraction (SRXRD) and Time Resolved X-Ray Diffraction (TRXRD). Both techniques provide real-time observations of phases that exist during welding, and both have been developed at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL) using a high flux wiggler beam …

Targeted radionuclide therapy promises to expand the role of radiation beyond the treatment of localized tumors. This novel form of therapy targets metastatic cancers by combining radioactive isotopes with tumor-seeking molecules such as monoclonal antibodies and custom-designed synthetic agents. Ultimately, like conventional radiotherapy, the effectiveness of targeted radionuclide therapy is limited by the maximum dose that can be given to a critical, normal tissue, such as bone marrow, kidneys, and lungs. Because radionuclide therapy relies on biological delivery of radiation, its optimization and characterization are necessarily different than for conventional radiation therapy. We have initiated the development of a new, Monte Carlo transport-based treatment planning system for molecular targeted radiation therapy as part of the MINERVA treatment planning system. This system calculates patient-specific radiation dose estimates using a set of computed tomography scans to describe the 3D patient anatomy, combined with 2D (planar image) and 3D (SPECT, or single photon emission computed tomography) to describe the time-dependent radiation source. The accuracy of such a dose calculation is limited primarily by the accuracy of the initial radiation source distribution, overlaid on the patient's anatomy. This presentation provides an overview of MINERVA functionality for molecular targeted radiation therapy, and describes early validation …

We demonstrate the application code ''rap'' which is part of the ''Overture'' library. A CAD geometry imported from an IGES file is first cleaned up and simplified to suit the needs of mesh generation. Thereafter, the topology of the model is computed and a water-tight surface triangulation is created on the CAD surface. This triangulation is used to speed up the projection of points onto the CAD surface during the generation of overlapping surface grids. From each surface grid, volume grids are grown into the domain using a hyperbolic marching procedure. The final step is to fill any remaining parts of the interior with background meshes.

The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) has long been active in development of advanced Monte-Carlo based computational dosimetry and treatment planning methods and software for advanced radiotherapy, with a particular focus on Neutron Capture Therapy (NCT) and, to a somewhat lesser extent, Fast-Neutron Therapy. The most recent INEEL software product system of this type is known as SERA, Simulation Environment for Radiotherapy Applications. SERA is at a mature level in its life cycle, it has been licensed for research use worldwide, and it has become well established as a computational tool for research. However, along with its strengths, SERA also has some limitations in its structure and computational methodologies. More specifically, it is optimized only for neutron-based applications. Although photon transport can be computed with SERA, the simplified model that is used is designed primarily for photons produced in the neutron transport process. Thus SERA is not appropriate for applications to, for example, standard external-beam photon radiotherapy, which is by far more commonly used in the clinic than neutron based therapy.

The management of the Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) project at the Hanford K-Basin in the 100 N Area has successfully restructured the preventive maintenance, spare parts inventory requirements, and the operator rounds data requirements. In this investigation, they continue to examine the different facets of the operations and maintenance (O&M) of the K-Basin cleanup project in search of additional reliability and cost savings. This report focuses on the initial findings of a team of PNNL engineers engaged to identify potential opportunities for reducing the cost of O&M through the application of advanced diagnostics (fault determination) and prognostics (residual life/reliability determination). The objective is to introduce predictive technologies to eliminate or reduce high impact equipment failures. The PNNL team in conjunction with the SNF engineers found the following major opportunities for cost reduction and/or enhancing reliability: (1) Provide data routing and automated analysis from existing detection systems to a display center that will engage the operations and engineering team. This display will be operator intuitive with system alarms and integrated diagnostic capability. (2) Change operating methods to reduce major transients induced in critical equipment. This would reduce stress levels on critical equipment. (3) Install a limited sensor set on failure prone …

Carbonaceous aerosols from anthropogenic activities act to both scatter and absorb solar radiation. It has been postulated that absorption by aerosols might significantly alter both the vertical temperature structure of the atmosphere and cloud fraction [Hansen et al. 1997, Ackerman et al, 2000]. Since both effects may alter the assessment of climate change associated with human activities, it is very important to understand both the magnitude and the mechanism by which carbonaceous aerosols affect climate. In this paper, we used a coupled climate and chemistry transport model to estimate the effects of carbonaceous aerosols on the vertical temperature structure and their effects on cloud fraction. A series Of control simulations were also carried out to compare the results of the model in which carbonaceous aerosols interact with climate with those in which they do not. We will present the temperature difference between simulations that include the effect of black carbon on the radiation field and those that do not, both at the surface and in the free troposphere. We will also discuss the change of temperature lapse rate and changes of cloud fraction associated with black carbon.

We present direct numerical simulations of a shock tube experiment in which a cylindrical laminar jet of helium doped with biacetyl is injected into air and subjected to a weak shock wave. Computed species distributions in a planar cross section of the jet are compared to planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) images produced by the experiment. The calculations are in excellent agreement with the experimental images. We find that differential diffusion of species is an important feature of this experiment.

Dimensional changes in PBX materials resulting from temperature change are of interest to engineers, designers and modelers. In this paper we present data from recent measurements made on LX17-1, as well as on the material's binder and its energetic constituent. LX17-1 is made from 7.5% KEL-F 800 binder combined with 92.5% wet aminated TATB energetic crystals. Due apparently to the anisotropic expansionary behavior of the TATB, the material exhibits irreversible growth, in addition to the usual reversible expansions and contractions associated with temperature change. In an effort understand reversible and irreversible growth behavior and to verify consistency between our measurements and those made historically, measurements were performed on billet pressed LX17-1, on die pressed TATB, and on KEL-F alone. It is important to realize that, for materials involving TATB, expansionary behavior results from the combined effects of reversible and irreversible (ratchet growth) phenomena.

''The LLNL Site-Specific Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASCI) Software Quality Engineering Recommended Practices VI.I'' document describes a set of recommended software quality engineering (SQE) practices for ASCI code projects at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). In this context, SQE is defined as the process of building quality into software products by applying the appropriate guiding principles and management practices. Continual code improvement and ongoing process improvement are expected benefits. Certain practices are recommended, although projects may select the specific activities they wish to improve, and the appropriate time lines for such actions. Additionally, projects can rely on the guidance of this document when generating ASCI Verification and Validation (VSrV) deliverables. ASCI program managers will gather information about their software engineering practices and improvement. This information can be shared to leverage the best SQE practices among development organizations. It will further be used to ensure the currency and vitality of the recommended practices. This Overview is intended to provide basic information to the LLNL ASCI software management and development staff from the ''LLNL Site-Specific ASCI Software Quality Engineering Recommended Practices VI.I'' document. Additionally the Overview provides steps to using the ''LLNL Site-Specific ASCI Software Quality Engineering Recommended Practices VI.I'' document. For …

This study presents a technique that can significantly improve the performance of a distributed application by allowing the application to locally adapt to architectural characteristics of distinct resources in a distributed system. Application performance is sensitive to application parameter--system architecture pairings. In a distributed or Grid enabled applciation, a single parameter configuration for the whole application will not always be optimal for every participating resource. In particular, some configurations can significantly degrade performance. Furthermore, the behavior of a system may change during the course of the run. The technique described here provides an automated mechanism for run-time adaptation of application parameters to the local system architecture. Using a simulation of a Monte Carlo physics code, the authors demonstrate that this technique can achieve speedups of 18%-37% on individual resources in a distributed environment.