A Philips XL30/FEG scanning electron microscope equipped with both energy dispersive and wavelength dispersive spectrometers (EDS and WDS) was used in this study. A cleaved GaAs test specimen was used to measure the current distribution in electron probes at 5 and 20 kV as a function of aperture size and objective lens defocus. The generated Ga K{sub {alpha}} x-ray intensity as measured by WDS was used to indicate the integrated current incident on the specimen as a function of distance relative to the specimen edge. Probe diameters can be estimated from profiles of the generated x-rays in the same manner that such diameters can be estimated from the integrated current profiles. Unfortunately, the x-ray intensity is not always proportional to the incident current. When an electron is incident on the GaAs near the cleaved edge, the x-ray yield is reduced when the electron escapes from the edge. Monte Carlo simulations for GaAs at 20 kV indicate that the normalized yield drops from 1 at {approximately}5 {micro}m from the edge to {approximately}0.2 near the edge. Experimental measurements show a similar decrease in normalized x-ray yield near the specimen edge. Both Monte Carlo simulations and measurements show that the magnitude of this …

This paper gives an overview of the neutrino physics possibilities at a future muon storage ring, which can be either a muon collider ring or a ring dedicated to neutrino physics that uses muon collider technology to store large muon currents. After a general characterization of the neutrino beam and its interactions, some crude quantitative estimates are given for the physics performance of a muon ring neutrino experiment (MURINE) consisting of a high rate, high performance neutrino detector at a 250 GeV muon collider storage ring. The paper is organized as follows. The next section describes neutrino production from a muon storage rings and gives expressions for event rates in general purpose and long baseline detectors. This is followed by a section outlining a serious design constraint for muon storage rings: the need to limit the radiation levels produced by the neutrino beam. The following two sections describe a general purpose detector and the experimental reconstruction of interactions in the neutrino target then, finally, the physics capabilities of a MURINE are surveyed.

This conference provided an opportunity for electrochemists, physicists, materials scientists and engineers to meet and exchange information on different carbon allotropes. The presentations and discussion among the participants provided a forum to develop recommendations on research and development which are relevant to the electrochemistry of carbon allotropes. The following topics which are relevant to the electrochemistry of carbon allotropes were addressed: Graphitized and disordered carbons, as Li-ion intercalation anodes for high-energy-density, high-power-density Li-based secondary batteries; Carbons as substrate materials for catalysis and electrocatalysis; Boron-doped diamond film electrodes; and Electrochemical characterization and electrosynthesis of fullerenes and fullerene-type materials. Abstracts of the presentations are presented.

The EATM method is an evolving attempt to find an efficient method of treating the transport of energetic charged particles in a dynamic magnetized (MHD) plasma for which the mean free path of the particles and the Larmor radius may be long compared to the gradient lengths in the plasma. The intent is to span the range of parameter space with the efficiency and accuracy thought necessary for experimental analysis and design of magnetized fusion targets.

An empirical kinetic rate law was determined for the aqueous oxidation of trichloroethene (TCE). By measuring both the rate of disappearance of TCE and the rate of appearance of carbon dioxide and chloride ion, mass balances were monitored to confirm that `mineralization` was the ultimate reaction. Dilute buffer solutions were used to fix pH and stoichiometrically sufficient amounts of dissolved oxygen were used to make the reactions zero-order in oxygen. Using standard chemical kinetic methods, two orders of magnitude were spanned in initial TCE concentration and used in the resulting double-log plot vs. initial rate (regressed using both linear and polynomial fits) to determine the rate constant and `true` reaction order (i.e., with respect to;concentration, not time). By determining rate constants over the temperature interval 343-373K, an Arrhenius activation energy was determined for the reaction. A study was made of the potential effect of buffer ligand concentration and type (phosphate, borate, acetate, carbonate, sulfate), ionic strength, specific electrolytes, and pH on the rate of TCE. The aqueous oxidation reaction rate was found to be pH dependent over the pH range pH 2 to pH 1O and strongly inhibited by high dissolved bromide concentration. The equilibrium aqueous solubilities of TCE was …

The Safe Sites of Colorado Radiological Safety program has implemented a Safety Coach position, responsible for mentoring workers and line management by providing effective on-the-job radiological skills training and explanation of the rational for radiological safety requirements. This position is significantly different from a traditional classroom instructor or a facility health physicist, and provides workers with a level of radiological safety guidance not routinely provided by typical training programs. Implementation of this position presents a challenge in providing effective instruction, requiring rapport with the radiological worker not typically developed in the routine radiological training environment. The value of this unique training is discussed in perspective with cost-savings through better radiological control. Measures of success were developed to quantify program performance and providing a realistic picture of the benefits of providing one-on-one or small group training. This paper provides a description of the unique features of the program, measures of success for the program, a formula for implementing this program at other facilities, and a strong argument for the success (or failure) of the program in a time of increased radiological safety emphasis and reduced radiological safety budgets.

A project between Fernald EMP and LANL is to field a monitor for the detection of alpha-emitting contamination on a human body. Traditional personnel monitoring for alpha emitters involves either frisking with a probe or pressing against large detectors in order to overcome the short range of alpha particles. These methods have a low alpha collection efficiency, and can miss contamination on less accessible surfaces. The authors have investigated the sensitivity and practicality of measuring the entire subject simultaneously using the technique of ionization monitoring. The goal is to create a booth that personnel step into quickly during egress from radiological facilities. The detection technique relies on a breeze of air passing over the subject. Alpha emission produces copious ions in the ambient air which are transported by the air current to an ion collector, resulting in a small electrical current proportional to the amount of contamination. Results indicate a conservative sensitivity of 3,000 disintegrations per minute localized to one of five areas of the body in a measurement lasting less than 2 minutes.

Ukraine operates pressurized water reactors of the Soviet-designed type, VVER. All Ukrainian plants are currently operating with annually renewable permits until they update their safety analysis reports (SARs). After approval of the SARS by the Ukrainian Nuclear Regulatory Authority, the plants will be granted longer-term operating licenses. In September 1995, the Nuclear Regulatory Authority and the Government Nuclear Power Coordinating Committee of Ukraine issued a new contents requirement for the safety analysis reports of VVERs in Ukraine. It contains requirements in three major areas: design basis accident (DBA) analysis, probabilistic risk assessment (PRA), and beyond design-basis accident (BDBA) analysis. The DBA requirements are an expanded version of the older SAR requirements. The last two requirements, on PRA and BDBA, are new. The US Department of Energy (USDOE), through the International Nuclear Safety Program (INSP), has initiated an assistance and technology transfer program to Ukraine to assist their nuclear power stations in developing a Western-type technical basis for the new SARS. USDOE sponsored In-Depth Safety Assessments (ISAs) have been initiated at three pilot nuclear reactor units in Ukraine, South Ukraine Unit 1, Zaporizhzhya Unit 5, and Rivne Unit 1. USDOE/INSP have structured the ISA program in such a way as to …

The goal of this research project was to create a passive and robust computer vision system for producing 3-D computer models of arbitrary scenes. Although the authors were unsuccessful in achieving the overall goal, several components of this research have shown significant potential. Of particular interest is the application of parametric eigenspace methods for planar pose measurement of partially occluded objects in gray-level images. The techniques presented provide a simple, accurate, and robust solution to the planar pose measurement problem. In addition, the representational efficiency of eigenspace methods used with gray-level features were successfully extended to binary features, which are less sensitive to illumination changes. The results of this research are presented in two papers that were written during the course of this project. The papers are included in sections 2 and 3. The first section of this report summarizes the 3-D modeling efforts.

These lectures contain an introduction to the search for supersymmetry at hadron colliders. The Tevatron is one of high-energy physics most sophisticated tools. The high center-of-mass energy of its proton-antiproton collisions makes it an ideal place to search for physics beyond the Standard Model, such as supersymmetry. Two experiments, CDF and D0, completed a long data taking period in summer of 1995, yielding over 100 pb{sup -1} of proton-antiproton interactions. The data recorded by the experiments are still being analyzed. The lectures outline the strategies in the search for supersymmetry at the Tevatron and examine the major analyses in detail. Results obtained by the two experiments are included where available.

Owners of PWRs that are shutdown prior to resolution of interim storage or permanent disposal issues have to make difficult decisions on what to do with their spent fuel. Maine Yankee is currently evaluating multiple options for spent fuel storage. Their spent fuel pool has 1,434 assemblies. In order to evaluate the value to a utility of actinide-only burnup credit, analysis of the number of canisters required with and without burnup credit was made. In order to perform the analysis, loading curves were developed for the Holtec Hi-Star 100/MPC-32. The MPC-32 is hoped to be representative of future burnup credit designs from many vendors. The loading curves were generated using the actinide-only burnup credit currently under NRC review. The canister was analyzed for full loading (32 assemblies) and with partial loadings of 30 and 28 assemblies. If no burnup credit is used the maximum capacity was assumed to be 24 assemblies. this reduced capacity is due to the space required for flux traps which are needed to sufficiently reduce the canister reactivity for the fresh fuel assumption. Without burnup credit the 1,343 assemblies would require 60 canisters. If all the fuel could be loaded into the 32 assembly canisters only …

Neutron cross-section data are important for two distinct purposes: First, they provide insight into the nature of matter, thus assisting in the understanding of fundamental physics. Second, they are needed for practical applications (e.g., for calculating when and how a reactor will become critical, or how much shielding is needed for storage of nuclear materials, and for medical applications). Neutron cross section data in the resolved-resonance region are generally obtained by time-of-flight experiments, which must be carefully analyzed if they are to be properly understood and utilized. In this paper, important features of the analysis process are discussed, with emphasis on the particular techniques used in the analysis code SAMMY. Other features of the code are also described; these include such topics as calculation of group cross sections (including covariance matrices), generation and fitting of integral quantities, and extensions into the unresolved-resonance region and higher energy regions.

Hydrous Pyrolysis / Oxidation (HPO) is an in situ thermal remediation technology that uses hot, oxygenated groundwater to completely mineralize a wide range of organic pollutants. A field demonstration of HPO was performed at a creosote contaminated site during the summer of 1997. The groundwater was heated by steam injections and oxygen was added by coinjection of compressed air. The remediation was monitored from multiple groundwater monitoring wells. Dissolved organic carbon levels increased in response to steam injections as a result of the enhanced dissolution and mobilization of the creosote into the heated groundwater. Elevated concentrations of partially oxidized organic compounds (i.e. phenols, benzoic acid, fluorenone, anthrone and 9,10- anthracenedione), decreased levels of dissolved oxygen and isotopic shifts in the dissolved inorganic pool were indicators of partial to complete oxidative destruction of the creosote in the heated aquifer as a result of the HPO process.

Recent work at the Navy Underwater Weapons Center Keyport test facility showed that existing Navy field equipment could generate Localized Waves. Results of angular scans show a narrowed beam pattern and lowered side lobes relative to standard beams. Results of axial range scans show evidence or an extended near field. Frequency analysis shows that the main beam is a decade wide while the surviving grating lobes are narrow band width, high frequency.

An initial version of an optimization code utilizing two-dimensional radiation transport methods has been completed. This code is capable of predicting material compositions of a beam tube-filter geometry which can be used in a boron neutron capture therapy treatment facility to improve the ratio of the average radiation dose in a brain tumor to that in the healthy tissue surrounding the tumor. The optimization algorithm employed by the code is very straightforward. After an estimate of the gradient of the dose ratio with respect to the nuclide densities in the beam tube-filter geometry is obtained, changes in the nuclide densities are made based on: (1) the magnitude and sign of the components of the dose ratio gradient, (2) the magnitude of the nuclide densities, (3) the upper and lower bound of each nuclide density, and (4) the linear constraint that the sum of the nuclide density fractions in each material zone be less than or equal to 1.0. A local optimal solution is assumed to be found when one of the following conditions is satisfied in every material zone: (1) the maximum positive component of the gradient corresponds to a nuclide at its maximum density and the sum of the …

Karnal bunt is a fungal disease which infects wheat and, when present in wheat crops, yields it unsatisfactory for human consumption. Due to the fact that Karnal bunt (KB) is difficult to detect in the field, samples are taken to laboratories where technicians use microscopes and methodically search for KB teliospores. AlliedSignal Federal Manufacturing and Technologies (FM and T), working with the Kansas Department of Agriculture, created a system which utilizes pattern recognition, feature extraction, and neural networks to prototype an automated detection system for identifying KB teliospores. System hardware consists of a biological compound microscope, motorized stage, CCD camera, frame grabber, and a PC. Integration of the system hardware with custom software comprises the machine vision system. Fundamental processing steps involve capturing an image from the slide, while concurrently processing the previous image. Features extracted from the acquired imagery are then processed by a neural network classifier which has been trained to recognize spore-like objects. Images with spore-like objects are reviewed by trained technicians. Benefits of this system include: (1) reduction of the overall cycle-time; (2) utilization of technicians for intelligent decision making (vs. manual searching); (3) a regulatory standard which is quantifiable and repeatable; (4) guaranteed 100% coverage …

The US Department of Energy (DOE) manages a multibillion dollar environmental management (EM) program. In June 1996, the Assistant Secretary of Energy for EM issued a memorandum with guidance and a vision for a ten year planning process for the EM Program. The purpose of this process, which became known as the Accelerated Cleanup: Focus on 2006, is to make step changes within the DOE complex regarding the approach for making meaningful environmental cleanup progress. To augment the process, Assistant Secretary requested the site contractors to engage in an effort to identify and evaluate integration alternatives for EM waste stream treatment, storage, and disposal (TSD) that would parallel the 2006 Plan. In October 1996, ten DOE contractor installations began the task of identifying alternative opportunities for low level radioactive waste (LLW). Cost effective, efficient solutions were necessary to meet all requirements associated with storing, characterizing, treating, packaging, transporting, and disposing of LLW while protecting the workers` health and safety, and minimizing impacts to the environment. To develop these solutions, a systems engineering approach was used to establish the baseline requirements, to develop alternatives, and to evaluate the alternatives. Key assumptions were that unique disposal capabilities exist within the DOE that …

Using an Atomic Force Microscope with an attachment for indentation, we have measured local, in vitro mechanical properties of healthy femoral artery tissue held in saline solution. The elastic modulus (34. 3 kPa) and viscoelastic response ({tau}sub{epsilon} {equals} 16.9 s and {tau}sub{sigma} {equals} 29.3 s) of the unstretched,intimal vessel wall have been determined using Sneddon theory and a three element model(standard linear solid) for viscoelastic materials. The procedures necessary to employ the indenting attachment to detect elastic moduli in the kPa range in liquid are described.

The Los Alamos opacity data base is now available on the World Wide Web at http://t4.lanl.gov. The data base contains both the original Astrophysical Opacity Library distributed worldwide in the 1980`s (for historical reference) and the new improved opacities from the Light Element Detailed Configuration OPacity (LEDCOP) code. Users can access the opacity data using the multigroup opacity code TOPS to obtain Rosseland and Planck gray opacities, group mean opacities over selected energy ranges, the monochromatic absorption coefficients and the average ionization over a wide range of temperatures and densities. As described in this paper, these quantities are available for all of the elements presently on the data base and TOPS will provide the same quantities for any arbitrary mixture of these elements.

The entropy bounds for constructive upper bound on the needed number-of-bits for solving a dichotomy is represented by the quotient of two multidimensional solid volumes. For minimization of this upper bound exact calculation of the volume of this quotient is needed. Three methods for exact computing of the volume of a given nD volume are presented: (1) general method for calculation any nD volume by slicing it into volumes of decreasing dimension is presented; (2) a method applying appropriate curvilinear coordinate system is described for volume bounded by symmetrical curvilinear hypersurfaces (spheres, cones, hyperboloids, ellipsoids, cylinders, etc.); and (3) an algorithm for dividing any nD complex into simplices and computing of the volume of the simplices is presented, supplemented by a general formula for calculation of volume of an nD simplex. These mathematical methods enable exact calculation of volume of any complicated multidimensional solids. The methods allow for the calculation of the minimal volume and lead to tighter bounds on the needed number-of-bits.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) examined the waste stream from a water jet cutting operation, to evaluate the possible reuse of waste garnet sand. The sand is a cutting agent used to shape a variety of materials, including metals. Nearly 70,000 pounds of waste sand is generated annually by the cutting operation. The Environmental Protection Department evaluated two potential reuses for the spent garnet sand: backfill in utility trenches; and as a concrete constituent. In both applications, garnet waste would replace the sand formerly purchases by LLNL for these purposes. Findings supported the reuse of waste garnet sand in concrete, but disqualified its proposed application as trench backfill. Waste sand stabilized in ac concrete matrix appeared to present no metals-leaching hazard; however, unconsolidated sand in trenches could potentially leach metals in concentrations high enough to threaten ground water quality. A technical report submitted to the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board was reviewed and accepted by that body. Reuse of waste garnet cutting sand as a constituent in concrete poured to form walkways and patios at LLNL was approved.

This paper discusses fundamental concepts of uncertainty analysis relevant to both stochastic simulation models and deterministic models. A stochastic simulation model, called a simulation model, is a stochastic mathematical model that incorporates random numbers in the calculation of the model prediction. Queuing models are familiar simulation models in which random numbers are used for sampling interarrival and service times. Another example of simulation models is found in probabilistic risk assessments where atmospheric dispersion submodels are used to calculate movement of material. For these models, randomness comes not from the sampling of times but from the sampling of weather conditions, which are described by a frequency distribution of atmospheric variables like wind speed and direction as a function of height above ground. A common characteristic of simulation models is that single predictions, based on one interarrival time or one weather condition, for example, are not nearly as informative as the probability distribution of possible predictions induced by sampling the simulation variables like time and weather condition. The language of model analysis is often general and vague, with terms having mostly intuitive meaning. The definition and motivations for some of the commonly used terms and phrases offered in this paper lead to …

A nuclear weapons identification system (NWIS), under development since 1984 at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant and presently in use there, uses active neutron interrogation with low-intensity {sup 252}Cf sources in ionization chambers to provide a timed source of fission neutrons from the spontaneous fission of {sup 252}Cf. To date, measurements have been performed on {approximately}15 different weapons systems in a variety of configurations both in and out of containers. Those systems included pits and fully assembled systems ready for deployment at the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, and weapons components at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant. These measurements have shown that NWIS can identify nuclear weapons and/or components; nuclear weapons/components can be distinguished from mockups where fissile material has been replaced by nonfissile material; omissions of small amounts (4%) of fissile material can be detected; changes in internal configurations can be determined; trainer parts can be identified as was demonstrated by verification of 512 containers with B33 components at the Y-12 Plant (as many as 32 in one 8-hour shift); and nonfissile components can be identified. The current NWIS activities at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant include: (1) further development of the system for more portability and lower power …

In a three dimensional atom probe, the identity and spatial coordinates of the atoms field evaporated from the specimen are determined. Their identity is calculated from the flight time from the specimen to the single atom detector. The x and y coordinates of the atom in the specimen are determined from the coordinates of its impact position on the position-sensitive detector and the z coordinate is determined from its position in the evaporation sequence. These data may then be reconstructed to visualize and quantify the distribution of all the elements in the specimen. Several types of position-sensitive detectors have been used including a wedge-and-strip detector (position- sensitive atom probe), a 10 by 10 array of anodes (tomographic atom probe), and a gateable CCD camera (optical atom probe). The wedge-and strip and the CCD camera detectors both suffer from the limitation that if more than one atom strikes the detector on a field evaporation pulse then the impact positions cannot be determined in many cases. In order to minimize this limitation, Cerezo et al. have developed a dual detector system (optical position-sensitive atom probe) that uses both an 8 by 10 multianode array and an intensified CCD camera. This dual detector …