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We simulate long-period (T > 1.0-2.0 s) and broadband (T > 0.1 s) ground motions for 39 scenarios earthquakes (Mw 6.7-7.2) involving the Hayward, Calaveras, and Rodgers Creek faults. For rupture on the Hayward fault we consider the effects of creep on coseismic slip using two different approaches, both of which reduce the ground motions compared with neglecting the influence of creep. Nevertheless, the scenario earthquakes generate strong shaking throughout the San Francisco Bay area with about 50% of the urban area experiencing MMI VII or greater for the magnitude 7.0 scenario events. Long-period simulations of the 2007 Mw 4.18 Oakland and 2007 Mw 4.5 Alum Rock earthquakes show that the USGS Bay Area Velocity Model version 08.3.0 permits simulation of the amplitude and duration of shaking throughout the San Francisco Bay area, with the greatest accuracy in the Santa Clara Valley (San Jose area). The ground motions exhibit a strong sensitivity to the rupture length (or magnitude), hypocenter (or rupture directivity), and slip distribution. The ground motions display a much weaker sensitivity to the rise time and rupture speed. Peak velocities, peak accelerations, and spectral accelerations from the synthetic broadband ground motions are, on average, slightly higher than the …

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This report provides a description of initiatives within the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Departments of Energy, Homeland Security, and Defense to protect the physical electrical utility infrastructure from outages caused by a range of activities including system operator errors, weather-related damage, and terrorist attacks. While the electric utility industry has primary responsibility, federal and state government agencies also have been addressing physical security concerns.

The polycubes stored at the Hanford Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) have been identified in a Vulnerability Assessment as material that requires a stabilization process in support of the Defense Nuclear Facility Safety Board Recommendation 94-1. The baseline plan involves a pyrolysis process to separate out the plutonium and uranium oxides before the remaining material is packaged for interim storage, in accordance with the Record of Decision (ROD), issued June 25, 1996, for the Plutonium Finishing Plant Stabilization Final Environmental Impact Statement, DOE/EIS-0244-F. The polycubes were manufactured at Hanford in the 1960s for use in criticality studies to determine the hydrogen-to-fissile atom ratios for neutron moderation. A mixture of plutonium and/or uranium oxides and a polystyrene (vinyl benzene) matrix, cast into the shape of cubes, the polycubes simulated solutions containing high concentrations of fissile materials. The polycubes varied in size, typically 1/2 x 2 x 2 in. up to 2 x 2 x 2 in., and were sealed with a coating of aluminum paint and/or tape (PVC or Shurtape). The estimated 1,600 polycubes (calculated 179,165 grams net weight) stored at PFP were packed in vented food cans with five to eight cubes per can to accommodate gas generation by radiolysis. Some …

The degraded polycube samples were tested in air and argon/oxygen atmospheres to determine the effect of size increase on the flammable gases concentrations. Within the size range tested, the flammable gas generation rate increases with increasing size but the extrapolation of the data to actual processing polycube size yielded flammable gas species concentration in the off-gas stream below the lower flammable limit of all the major gas species identified. Extreme surface area increase with a powder sample showed no significant effect on the flammable gas generation rate. The polycube went through the thermal stabilization process by undergoing both pyrolysis and oxidation generating at the end a plutonium oxide powder that showed unmeasurable weight change at 1273 K.

A multi-zone model has been developed that accurately predicts HCCI combustion and emissions. The multizone methodology is based on the observation that turbulence does not play a direct role on HCCI combustion. Instead, chemical kinetics dominates the process, with hotter zones reacting first, and then colder zones reacting in rapid succession. Here, the multi-zone model has been applied to analyze the effect of piston crevice geometry on HCCI combustion and emissions. Three different pistons of varying crevice size were analyzed. Crevice sizes were 0.26, 1.3 and 2.1 mm, while a constant compression ratio was maintained (17:1). The results show that the multi-zone model can predict pressure traces and heat release rates with good accuracy. Combustion efficiency is also predicted with good accuracy for all cases, with a maximum difference of 5% between experimental and numerical results. Carbon monoxide emissions are underpredicted, but the results are better than those obtained in previous publications. The improvement is attributed to the use of a 40-zone model, while previous publications used a 10-zone model. Hydrocarbon emissions are well predicted. For cylinders with wide crevices (1.3 and 2.1 mm), HC emissions do not decrease monotonically as the relative air/fuel ratio ({lambda}) increases. Instead, maximum HC …

Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) is a new combustion technology that may develop as an alternative to diesel engines with high efficiency and low NOx and particulate matter emissions. This paper describes the HCCI research activities being currently pursued at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and at the University of California Berkeley. Current activities include analysis as well as experimental work. On analysis, we have developed two powerful tools: a single zone model and a multi-zone model. The single zone model has proven very successful in predicting start of combustion and providing reasonable estimates for peak cylinder pressure, indicated efficiency and NOX emissions. This model is being applied to develop detailed engine performance maps and control strategies, and to analyze the problem of engine startability. The multi-zone model is capable of very accurate predictions of the combustion process, including HC and CO emissions. The multi-zone model has applicability to the optimization of combustion chamber geometry and operating conditions to achieve controlled combustion at high efficiency and low emissions. On experimental work, we have done a thorough evaluation of operating conditions in a 4-cylinder Volkswagen TDI engine. The engine has been operated over a wide range of conditions by adjusting the intake …

Certain types of infrastructure--critical infrastructure (CI)--play vital roles in underpinning our economy, security and way of life. These complex and often interconnected systems have become so ubiquitous and essential to day-to-day life that they are easily taken for granted. Often it is only when the important services provided by such infrastructure are interrupted--when we lose easy access to electricity, health care, telecommunications, transportation or water, for example--that we are conscious of our great dependence on these networks and of the vulnerabilities that stem from such dependence. Unfortunately, it must be assumed that many terrorists are all too aware that CI facilities pose high-value targets that, if successfully attacked, have the potential to dramatically disrupt the normal rhythm of society, cause public fear and intimidation, and generate significant publicity. Indeed, revelations emerging at the time of this writing about Al Qaida's efforts to prepare for possible attacks on major financial facilities in New York, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia remind us just how real and immediate such threats to CI may be. Simply being aware that our nation's critical infrastructure presents terrorists with a plethora of targets, however, does little to mitigate the dangers of CI attacks. In order …

We present a measurement of relative partial widths and decay rate CP asymmetries in K{sup -}K{sup +} and {pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +} decays of D{sup 0} mesons produced in p{bar p} collisions at {radical}s = 1.96TeV. We use a sample of 2 x 10{sup 5} D*{sup +} {yields} D{sup 0}{pi}{sup +} (and charge conjugate) decays with the D{sup 0} decaying to K{sup -}{pi}{sup +}, K{sup -}K{sup +}, and {pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}, corresponding to 123 pb{sup -1} of data collected by the Collider Detector at Fermilab II experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. No significant direct CP violation is observed. We measure {Lambda}(D{sup 0} {yields} K{sup -}K{sup +})/{Lambda}(D{sup 0} {yields} K{sup -}{pi}{sup +}) = 0.0992 {+-} 0.0011 {+-} 0.0012, {Lambda}(D{sup 0} {yields} {pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +})/{Lambda}(D{sup 0} {yields} K{sup -}{pi}{sup +}) = 0.03594 {+-} 0.00054 {+-} 0.00040, A{sub CP} (K{sup -}K{sup +}) = (2.0 {+-} 1.2 {+-} 0.6)%, and A{sub CP} ({pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}) = (1.0 {+-} 1.3 {+-} 0.6) %, where, in all cases, the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic.

We present first measurements of charge-independent correlations on momentum-space difference variables {eta}{sub 1}-{eta}{sub 2} (pseudorapidity) and {phi}{sub 1}-{phi}{sub 2} (azimuth) for charged primary hadrons with transverse momentum within 0.15 {le} p{sub t} {le} 2 GeV/c and |{eta}| {le} 1.3 from Au-Au collisions at {radical}s{sub NN} = 130 GeV. We observe strong charge-independent correlations associated with minijets and elliptic flow. The width of the minijet peak on {eta}{sub 1}-{eta}{sub 2} increases by a factor 2.3 from peripheral to central collisions, suggesting strong coupling of partons to a longitudinally-expanding colored medium. New methods of jet analysis introduced here reveal nonperturbative medium effects in heavy ion collisions.

A bench-scale feasibility study on the use of a Wet Air Oxidation (WAO) process to destroy a slurry laden with tetraphenylborate (TPB) compounds has been undertaken. WAO is an aqueous phase process in which soluble and/or insoluble waste constituents are oxidized using oxygen or oxygen in air at elevated temperatures and pressures ranging from 150 C and 1 MPa to 320 C and 22 MPa. The products of the reaction are CO{sub 2}, H{sub 2}O, and low molecular weight oxygenated organics (e.g. acetate, oxalate). Test results indicate WAO is a feasible process for destroying TPB, its primary daughter products [triphenylborane (3PB), diphenylborinic acid (2PB), and phenylboronic acid (1PB)], phenol, and most of the biphenyl byproduct. The required conditions are a temperature of 300 C, a reaction time of 3 hours, 1:1 feed slurry dilution with 2M NaOH solution, the addition of CuSO{sub 4}.5H{sub 2}O solution (500 mg/L Cu) as catalyst, and the addition of 2000 mL/L of antifoam. However, for the destruction of TPB, its daughter compounds (3PB, 2PB, and 1PB), and phenol without consideration for biphenyl destruction, less severe conditions (280 C and 1-hour reaction time with similar remaining above conditions) are adequate.

The B-model topological string theory on a Calabi-Yau threefold X has a symmetry group {Lambda}, generated by monodromies of the periods of X. This acts on the topological string wave function in a natural way, governed by the quantum mechanics of the phase space H{sup 3}(X). We show that, depending on the choice of polarization, the genus g topological string amplitude is either a holomorphic quasi-modular form or an almost holomorphic modular form of weight 0 under {Lambda}. Moreover, at each genus, certain combinations of genus g amplitudes are both modular and holomorphic. We illustrate this for the local Calabi-Yau manifolds giving rise to Seiberg-Witten gauge theories in four dimensions and local IP{sub 2} and IP{sub 1} x IP{sub 1}. As a byproduct, we also obtain a simple way of relating the topological string amplitudes near different points in the moduli space, which we use to give predictions for Gromov-Witten invariants of the orbifold C{sub 3}/ZZ{sub 3}.

Most distributed applications today manage to utilize only a small percentage of the needed and available network bandwidth. Often application developers are not aware of the potential bandwidth of the network, and therefore do not know what to expect. Even when application developers are aware of the specifications of the machines and network links, they have few resources that can help determine why the expected performance was not achieved. What is needed is a ubiquitous and easy-to-use service that provides reliable, accurate, secure, and timely estimates of dynamic network properties. This service will help advise applications on how to make use of the network's increasing bandwidth and capabilities for traffic shaping and engineering. When fully implemented, this service will make building currently unrealizable levels of network awareness into distributed applications a relatively mundane task. For example, a remote data visualization application could choose between sending a wireframe, a pre-rendered image, or a 3-D representation, based on forecasts of CPU availability and power, compression options, and available bandwidth. The same service will provide on-demand performance information so that applications can compare predicted with actual results, and allow detailed queries about the end-to-end path for application and network tuning and debugging.

Communication-driven scheduling is known to be an effective technique to improve the performance of parallel workloads in time-sharing clusters. Although several such coscheduling algorithms have been proposed, to our knowledge, none of these techniques have been adopted in commercial systems. We believe this is primarily because many of these algorithms has not been exhaustively tested on real systems in presence of mixed workloads, and hence, have not been demonstrated as a favorable alternative to the traditional, batch scheduling. Moreover, practical issues like lack of a methodological approach to efficiently implement, port or reuse the necessary software have dissuaded designers from including coscheduling as a feature in the mainstream system software layer. In this paper, we attempt to fill these crucial voids by addressing several key issues. First, we propose a generic framework for deploying coscheduling techniques by providing a reusable and dynamically loadable kernel module. Second, we implement three prior dynamic coscheduling algorithms (Dynamic coscheduling (DCS), Spin Block (SB) and Periodic Boost (PB)) and a new coscheduling technique, called Co-ordinated coscheduling (CC), using the above framework. Then, we demonstrate the effectiveness of these strategies by implementing a prototype on a Myrinet connected 16-node Linux cluster that uses industry standard Virtual …

The primary purpose of the project was to identify materials and methods that will make the envelope of a house flood damage resistant. Flood damage resistant materials and systems are intended to be used to repair houses subsequent to flooding. This project was also intended to develop methods of restoring the envelopes of houses that have been flooded but are repairable and may be subject to future flooding. Then if the house floods again, damage will not be as extensive as in previous flood events and restoration costs and efforts will be minimized. The purpose of the first pair of field tests was to establish a baseline for typical current residential construction practice. The first test modules used materials and systems that were commonly found in residential envelopes throughout the U.S. The purpose of the second pair of field tests was to begin evaluating potential residential envelope materials and systems that were projected to be more flood-damage resistant and restorable than the conventional materials and systems tested in the first pair of tests. The purpose of testing the third slab-on-grade module was to attempt to dry flood proof the module (no floodwater within the structure). If the module could be …

Neutron capture for incident neutron energies <1eV up to 100 keV has been measured for {sup 151,153}Eu targets. The highly efficient DANCE (Detector for Advanced Neutron Capture Experiments) array coupled with the intense neutron beam at Los Alamos Neutron Science Center is used for the experiment. Stable Eu isotopes mass separated and electroplated on Be backings were used. Properties of well-resolved, strong resonances in two Eu nuclei are examined. The parameters for most of these resonances are known. Detailed multiplicity information for each resonance is obtained employing the high granularity of the DANCE array. The radiative decay cascades corresponding to each resonance are obtained in the experiment. The measurements are compared to simulation of these cascades which calculated with various models for the radiative strength function. Comparison between the experimental data and simulation provides an opportunity to investigate the average quantities.

Radiative strength functions in {sup 152,154}Eu nuclei for {gamma}-ray energies below 6 MeV have been investigated. Neutron capture for incident neutron energies <1eV up to 100 keV has been measured for {sup 151,153}Eu targets. Properties of resonances in these two nuclei are examined. The measurements are compared to simulation of cascades performed with various models for the radiative strength function. Comparison between experimental data and simulation suggests an existence of the low-energy resonance in these two nuclei.

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Presently the Heavy Ion Fusion Virtual National Laboratory is researching ion sources and injector concepts to understand how to optimize beam brightness over a range of currents (50-2000 mA argon equivalent). One concept initially accelerates millimeter size, milliamp beamlets to 1 MeV before merging them into centimeter size, ampere beams. Computer simulations have shown the final brightness of the merged beams is dominated by the emittance growth of the merging process, as long as the beamlets ion temperature is below a few eV. Thus, a RF multicusp source capable of high current density can produce beams with better brightness compared to ones extracted from a colder source with a large aperture and lower current density. As such, experiments have begun to develop a RF multicusp source capable of delivering one amp of extracted beam current. It is expected that it will require 10 kW of 13 MHz RF power delivered via a quartz shielded, one and half turn, four inch diameter antenna. Important considerations in the development of the source include the dependence of current density and beam ion temperature on consumed RF power and gas pressure. A fast rise time ({approx} 100 ns) for the extracted beam pulse must …

The Department of Energy's Office of Advanced Automotive Technologies has been supporting the development of fuel-flexible fuel processors at Argonne National Laboratory. These fuel processors will enable fuel cell vehicles to operate on fuels available through the existing infrastructure. The constraints of on-board space and weight require that these fuel processors be designed to be compact and lightweight, while meeting the performance targets for efficiency and gas quality needed for the fuel cell. This paper discusses the performance of a prototype fuel processor that has been designed and fabricated to operate with liquid fuels, such as gasoline, ethanol, methanol, etc. Rated for a capacity of 10 kWe (one-fifth of that needed for a car), the prototype fuel processor integrates the unit operations (vaporization, heat exchange, etc.) and processes (reforming, water-gas shift, preferential oxidation reactions, etc.) necessary to produce the hydrogen-rich gas (reformate) that will fuel the polymer electrolyte fuel cell stacks. The fuel processor work is being complemented by analytical and fundamental research. With the ultimate objective of meeting on-board fuel processor goals, these studies include: modeling fuel cell systems to identify design and operating features; evaluating alternative fuel processing options; and developing appropriate catalysts and materials. Issues and outstanding …

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Heating by irradiation of a solid surface in vacuum with 5 x 10{sup 20} W cm{sup -2}, 0.8 ps, 1.05 {micro}m wavelength laser light is studied by x-ray spectroscopy of the K-shell emission from thin layers of Ni, Mo and V. A surface layer is heated to {approx} 5 keV with an axial temperature gradient of 0.6 {micro}m scale length. Images of Ni Ly{sub {alpha}} show the hot region has a {approx} 25 {micro}m diameter, much smaller than {approx} 70 {micro}m region of K{sub {alpha}} emission. 2D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations suggest that the surface heating is due to a light pressure driven shock.

The Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at SLAC will be the brightest X-ray laser in the world when it comes on line. In order to achieve the brightness a 200fS length electron bunch is passed through an undulator. To create the 200fS, 3kA bunch, a 10pS electron bunch, created from a photo cathode in an RF gun, is run off crest on the RF to set up a position to energy correlation. The bunch is then compressed by chicanes. The stability of the RF system is critical in setting up the position to energy correlation. Specifications derived from simulations require the RF system to be stable to below 200fS in several critical injector stations and the last kilometer of linac. The SLAC linac RF system is being upgraded to meet these requirements.