Semiannual report providing tabular statistical information about motor vehicle accidents in Texas involving DWI (driving while impaired) during 1999, with data broken out by various criteria including number of persons, locations, types of accidents, time of day, and other factors.

Semiannual report providing tabular statistical information about motor vehicle accidents that involved motorcycles in Texas during calendar year 2000, with data broken out by various criteria including number of persons, locations, types of accidents, time of day, and other factors.

Annual report providing tabular statistical information about motor vehicle accidents involving military drivers in Texas during 2000, with data broken out by various criteria including number of persons, locations, types of accidents, time of day, and other factors.

Semiannual report providing tabular statistical information about motor vehicle accidents in Texas during 2000, with data broken out by various criteria including number of persons, locations, types of accidents, time of day, and other factors.

Semiannual report providing tabular statistical information about motor vehicle accidents in rural areas of Texas during 2000, with data broken out by various criteria including number of persons, locations, types of accidents, time of day, and other factors.

The use of isoconversional, sometimes called model-free, kinetic analysis methods have recently gained favor in the thermal analysis community. Although these methods are very useful and instructive, the conclusion that model fitting is a poor approach is largely due to improper use of the model fitting approach, such as fitting each heating rate separately. The current paper shows the ability of model fitting to correlate reaction data over very wide time-temperature regimes, including simultaneous fitting of isothermal and constant heating rate data. Recently published data on cellulose pyrolysis by Capart et al. (TCA, 2004) with a combination of an autocatalytic primary reaction and an nth-order char pyrolysis reaction is given as one example. Fits for thermal decomposition of Estane, Viton-A, and Kel-F over very wide ranges of heating rates is also presented. The Kel-F required two parallel reactions--one describing a small, early decomposition process, and a second autocatalytic reaction describing the bulk of pyrolysis. Viton-A and Estane also required two parallel reactions for primary pyrolysis, with the first Viton-A reaction also being a minor, early process. In addition, the yield of residue from these two polymers depends on the heating rate. This is an example of a competitive reaction between …

The large strain deformation response of 6061-T6 and Ti-6Al-4V has been evaluated over a range in strain rates from 10{sup -4} s{sup -1} to over 10{sup 4} s{sup -1}. The results have been used to critically evaluate the strength and damage components of the Johnson-Cook (JC) material model. A new model that addresses the shortcomings of the JC model was then developed and evaluated. The model is derived from the rate equations that represent deformation mechanisms active during moderate and high rate loading. Another model that accounts for the influence of void formation on yield and flow behavior of a ductile metal (the Gurson model) was also evaluated. The characteristics and predictive capabilities of these models are reviewed.

Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is an approach whereby procedures conventionally performed with large and potentially traumatic incisions are replaced by several tiny incisions through which specialized instruments are inserted. Early MIS, often called laparoscopic surgery, used video cameras and laparoscopes to visualize and control the medical devices, which were typically cutting or stapling tools. More recently, catheter-based procedures have become a fast growing sector of all surgeries. In these procedures, small incisions are made into one of the main arteries (e.g. femoral artery in the thigh), and a long thin hollow tube is inserted and positioned near the target area. The key advantage of this technique is that recovery time can be reduced from months to a matter of days. In the United States, over 700,000 catheter procedures are performed annually representing a market of over $350 million. Further growth in this area will require significant improvements in the current catheter technology. In order to effectively navigate a catheter through the tortuous vessels of the body, two capabilities must exist: imaging and positioning. In most cases, catheter procedures rely on radiography for visualization and manual manipulation for positioning of the device. Radiography provides two-dimensional, global images of the vasculature and …

Better devices are needed for the detection of aerosolized biological warfare agents. Advances in the ongoing development of one such device, the BioAerosol Mass Spectrometry (BAMS) system, are described here in detail. The system samples individual, micrometer-sized particles directly from the air and analyzes them in real-time without sample preparation or use of reagents. At the core of the BAMS system is a dual-polarity, single-particle mass spectrometer with a laser based desorption and ionization (DI) system. The mass spectra produced by early proof-of-concept instruments were highly variable and contained limited information to differentiate certain types of similar biological particles. The investigation of this variability and subsequent changes to the DI laser system are described. The modifications have reduced the observed variability and thereby increased the usable information content in the spectra. These improvements would have little value without software to analyze and identify the mass spectra. Important improvements have been made to the algorithms that initially processed and analyzed the data. Single particles can be identified with an impressive level of accuracy, but to obtain significant reductions in the overall false alarm rate of the BAMS instrument, alarm decisions must be made dynamically on the basis of multiple analyzed particles. …

Recent attention has been given to the proper treatment of the planar traction-free surfaces which typically bound a computational box in three-dimensional dislocation dynamics. This paper presents an alternative to the use of the finite-element method for this purpose. Here, to annul the tractions produced by a sub-surface dislocation segment on a finite-area free surface S, a combination of an image dislocation segment, and a distribution of N prismatic rectangular Volterra dislocation loops meshing S is utilized. The image dislocation segment, with the proper sign selection of the Burgers vector components, annuls the shear stresses, and the normal stress component is annulled discretely at N collocation points representing the centers of the loops. The unknowns in this problem are the magnitudes of the N Burgers vectors for the loops. Once these are determined, one can back calculate the Peach-Koehler force acting on the sub-surface segment and representing the effect of the free surface. As expected, the accuracy of the method improves as the loops continuously decrease in size.

A model based on SUSY SO(10) combined with SU(2) family symmetry is constructed. In contrast with the commonly used effective operator approach, 126-dimensional Higgs fields are utilized to construct the Yukawa sector. R-parity symmetry is thus preserved at low energies. The symmetric mass textures arising from the left-right symmetry breaking chain of SO(10) give rise to very good predictions for quark and lepton masses and mixings. The prediction for sin2{beta} agrees with the average of current bounds from BaBar and Belle. In the neutrino sector, our predictions are in good agreement with results from atmospheric neutrino experiments. Our model accommodates the LMA solution to the solar neutrino anomaly. The prediction of our model for the |U{sub ev{sub 3}}| element in the MNS matrix is close to the sensitivity of current experiments; thus the validity of our model can be tested in the near future. We also investigate the correlation between the |U{sub ev{sub 3}}| element and tan{sup 2} {theta}{sub {circle_dot}} in a general two-zero neutrino mass texture.

ArchGenXML is a tool that allows easy creation of Zope products through the use of Archetypes. The Integrated Design and Production Reference (IDPR) should be highly configurable in order to meet the needs of a diverse engineering community. Ease of configuration is key to the success of IDPR. The purpose of this paper is to describe a method of using a UML diagram editor to configure IDPR through ArchGenXML and Archetypes.

The goal of this dissertation is twofold. The first part concerns the development of a numerical method for solving Maxwell's equations on unstructured hexahedral grids that employs both high order spatial and high order temporal discretizations. The second part involves the use of this method as a computational tool to perform high fidelity simulations of various electromagnetic devices such as optical transmission lines and photonic crystal structures to yield a level of accuracy that has previously been computationally cost prohibitive. This work is based on the initial research of Daniel White who developed a provably stable, charge and energy conserving method for solving Maxwell's equations in the time domain that is second order accurate in both space and time. The research presented here has involved the generalization of this procedure to higher order methods. High order methods are capable of yielding far more accurate numerical results for certain problems when compared to corresponding h-refined first order methods , and often times at a significant reduction in total computational cost. The first half of this dissertation presents the method as well as the necessary mathematics required for its derivation. The second half addresses the implementation of the method in a parallel …

Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs) under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) address the political goal of alleviating compliance concerns raised by chemical explosions and the technical goal of calibrating the International Monitoring System (IMS; ref. Article IV, E, and Part 111 of the Protocol to the treaty). The term ''calibration'' only appears in the treaty associated with CBMs and On-Site Inspection and has different meanings in each case. This difference can be illustrated through the use of a simple, conceptual equation:

Since the mid-l980's, assessment of the wind and tornado risks at the Department of Energy (DOE) high and moderate hazard facilities has been based on the straight wind/tornado hazard curves given in UCRL-53526 (Coats, 1985). These curves were developed using a methodology that utilized a model, developed by McDonald, for severe winds at sub-tornado wind speeds and a separate model, developed by Fujita, for tornado wind speeds. For DOE sites not covered in UCRL-53526, wind and tornado hazard assessments are based on the criteria outlined in DOE-STD-1023-95 (DOE, 1996), utilizing the methodology in UCRL-53526; Subsequent to the publication of UCRL53526, in a study sponsored by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the Pacific Northwest Laboratory developed tornado wind hazard curves for the contiguous United States, NUREG/CR-4461 (Ramsdell, 1986). Because of the different modeling assumptions and underlying data used to develop the tornado wind information, the wind speeds at specified exceedance levels, at a given location, based on the methodology in UCRL-53526, are different than those based on the methodology in NUREG/CR-4461. In 1997, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) was funded by the DOE to review the current methodologies for characterizing tornado wind hazards and to develop a state-of-the-art wind/tornado characterization methodology …

COGEMA Engineering Corporation (COGEMA), under a contract from CH2M Hill Hanford Group (CH2M Hill), has performed an ultrasonic nondestructive examination of selected portions of Double-Shell Tank 241-SY-102. The purpose of this examination was to provide information that could be used to evaluate the integrity of the wall of the primary tank. The requirements for the ultrasonic examination of Tank 241-SY-102 were to detect, characterize (identify, size, and locate), and record measurements made of any wall thinning, pitting, or cracks that might be present in the wall of the primary tank. Any measurements that exceed the requirements set forth in the Engineering Task Plan (ETP), RPP-17750 (Jensen 2003) and summarized on page 1 of this document, are reported to CH2M Hill and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for further evaluation. Under the contract with CH2M Hill, all data is to be recorded on disk and paper copies of all measurements are provided to PNNL for third-party evaluation. PNNL is responsible for preparing a report that describes the results of the COGEMA

Detailed and global models are presented for thermodynamically inhibited nucleation-growth reactions and applied to the {beta}-{delta} Phase Transition of HMX (nitramine octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine). The detailed model contains separate kinetic parameters for the nucleation process, including an activation energy distribution resulting from a distribution of defect energies, and for movement of the resulting reaction interface within a single particle. A thermodynamic inhibition term is added to both processes so that the rates go to zero at the transition temperature. The global model adds the thermodynamic inhibition term to the extended Prout-Tompkins nucleation-growth formalism for single particles or powders. Model parameters are calibrated from differential scanning calorimetry data. The activation energy for nucleation (333 kJ/mol) is substantially higher than that for growth (29.3 kJ/mol). Use of a small activation energy distribution ({approx}400 J/mol) for the defects improves the fit to a powered sample for both the early and late stages of the transition. The effective overall activation energy for the global model (208.8 kJ/mol) is in between that of nucleation and growth. Comparison of the two models with experiment indicates the thermodynamic inhibition term is more important than the energy distribution feature for this transition. Based on the applicability of the Prout-Tompkins kinetics …

Vacuum degrades the transmittance and catastrophic damage performance of fused-silica surfaces, both bare and silica-sol anti-reflective coated. These effects may be important in certain space application of photonics devices. When exposed to hundreds of 355-rim, 10-ns laser pulses with fluences in the 2-15 J/cm{sup 2} range, transmittance loss is due to both increased reflectance and absorption at the surface. Spectroscopic measurements show that the absorbed light induces broadband fluorescence from the visible to infrared and that the peak photoluminescence wavelength depends cumulative fluence. The effect appears to be consistent with the formation of surface SiO{sub x} (x<2) with progressively lower x as cumulative fluence increases. Conversely, low fluence CW UV irradiation of fluorescent sites in air reduces the fluorescence signal, which suggests a photochemical oxidation reaction back to Si0{sub 2}. The occurrence of catastrophic damage (craters that grow on each subsequent pulse) also increases in a vacuum relative to air for both coated and uncoated samples. In both cases, the 50% damage probability for 100 one-mm sites decreases from about 45 to 35 J/cm{sup 2} for superpolished fused silica at pressures in the 10{sup -6} Torr range. The damage probability distribution in 10 Torr of air is close to that …

The alignment of high energy laser beams for potential fusion experiments demand high precision and accuracy by the underlying positioning algorithms whether it be for actuator control or monitoring the beam line for potential anomalies. This paper discusses the feasibility of employing on-line optimal position estimators in the form of model-based processors to achieve the desired results. Here we discuss the modeling, development, implementation and processing of model-based processors applied to both simulated and actual beam line data.

The 2175 {angstrom} extinction feature is by far the strongest spectral signature of interstellar dust observed by astronomers. Forty years after its discovery the origin of the feature and the nature of the carrier remain controversial. The feature is enigmatic because although its central wavelength is almost invariant its bandwidth varies strongly from one sightline to another, suggesting multiple carriers or a single carrier with variable properties. Using a monochromated transmission electron microscope and valence electron energy-loss spectroscopy we have detected a 5.7 eV (2175 {angstrom}) feature in submicrometer-sized interstellar grains within interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) collected in the stratosphere. The carriers are organic carbon and amorphous silicates that are abundant and closely associated with one another both in IDPs and in the interstellar medium. Multiple carriers rather than a single carrier may explain the invariant central wavelength and variable bandwidth of the astronomical 2175 {angstrom} feature.

The purpose of this report is to conduct a limit scope risk assessment by generating event trees for the accident scenarios described in table 4-2 of the HEAF SAR, ref 1. Table 4-2 lists the postulated event/scenario descriptions for non-industrial hazards for HEAF. The event tree analysis decomposes accident scenarios into basic causes that appear as branches on the event tree. Bold downward branches indicate paths leading to the accident. The basic causes include conditions, failure of administrative controls (procedural or human error events) or failure of engineered controls (hardware, software or equipment failure) that singly or in combination can cause an accident to occur. Event tree analysis is useful since it can display the minimum number of events to cause an accident. Event trees can address statistical dependency of events such as a sequence of human error events conducted by the same operator. In this case, dependent probabilities are used. Probabilities/frequencies are assigned to each branch. Another example of dependency would be when the same software is used to conduct separate actions such as activating a hard and soft crow bar for grounding detonator circuits. Generally, the first event considered in the event tree describes the annual frequency at …

Inertial fusion targets can be categorized by the ignition scheme, the implosions mechanism and the driver technology used to supply the compression and the ignition energy. We will briefly review each of these elements. There are two ignition methods currently being considered. The first, called hotspot ignition, heats a central core of the compressed fuel to ignition temperatures. The assembly of a sufficiently large hotspot is accomplished by stagnation of a convergent flow. The assembled configuration of the hotspot, and surrounding compressed, low temperature fuel, will be approximately isobaric. The second ignition technique, called fast ignition, heats cold compressed fuel to ignition temperatures directly with an external source of heat. This technique has become practicable by the advent of short-pulse, high-intensity lasers using chirped-pulse-amplification (CPA), that can compress laser pulses to extremely high power. If focused appropriately, these fast-ignition laser beams can provide the same power densities as result from the hydrodynamic flow stagnation of the first technique. Inertial fusion fuel can be compressed by two techniques, referred to as direct and indirect drive. Directly driven capsules directly absorb energy delivered by the external compression driver and use it to implode the fusion fuel. Indirectly driven targets absorb the external …

This report details work funded by the West Valley Support Project (WVSP) and the Tanks Focus Area Retrieval and Closure Program. The work was conducted by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and is in support of the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP). The WVDP site in New York was originally the site of a commercial nuclear fuel reprocessing plant. The high-level waste (HLW), approximately 2 million liters, produced during plutonium-uranium extraction (PUREX) and thorium extraction (THOREX) reprocessing campaigns at the plant and subsequent HLW preprocessing, was stored on site in three tanks identified as 8D-1, 8D-2, and 8D-4. Waste from the PUREX process was neutralized with NaOH for storage in a carbon steel tank designated as 8D-2. Neutralization resulted in a precipitated hydroxide sludge that settled to the bottom of the tank and was covered by a supernatant salt solution. The acidic THOREX waste, approximately 55,000 L, was first stored in a stainless steel tank (8D-4) and then added to the PUREX waste in Tank 8D-2. Supernatant decontamination, primarily cesium removal, was conducted by ion-exchange using in-tank columns suspended in Tank 8D-1. The cesium-loaded zeolite, resulting from the supernatant decontamination process, was dumped to the bottom of Tank 8D-1. …

Real prices of major appliances (refrigerators, dishwashers, heating and cooling equipment) have been falling since the late 1970s despite increases in appliance efficiency and other quality variables. This paper demonstrates that historic increases in efficiency over time, including those resulting from minimum efficiency standards, incur smaller price increases than were expected by Department of Energy (DOE) forecasts made in conjunction with standards. This effect can be explained by technological innovation, which lowers the cost of efficiency, and by market changes contributing to lower markups and economies of scale in production of higher efficiency units. We reach four principal conclusions about appliance trends and retail price setting: 1. For the past several decades, the retail price of appliances has been steadily falling while efficiency has been increasing. 2. Past retail price predictions made by DOE analyses of efficiency standards, assuming constant prices over time, have tended to overestimate retail prices. 3. The average incremental price to increase appliance efficiency has declined over time. DOE technical support documents have typically overestimated this incremental price and retail prices. 4. Changes in retail markups and economies of scale in production of more efficient appliances may have contributed to declines in prices of efficient appliances.