The nonlinear Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) equation is solved using Pseudo Transient Continuation. The PB solver is constructed by modifying the nonlinear diffusion module of a 3D, massively parallel, unstructured-grid, finite element, radiation-hydrodynamics code. The solver also computes the electrostatic energy and evaluates the force on a user-specified contour. Either Dirichlet or mixed boundary conditions are allowed. The latter specifies surface charges, approximates far-field conditions, or linearizes conditions ''regulating'' the surface charge. The code may be run in either Cartesian, cylindrical, or spherical coordinates. The potential and force due to a conical probe interacting with a flat plate is computed and the result compared with direct force measurements by chemical force microscopy.

The authors have completed a set of gamma-ray pulse height benchmark experiments using a high purity germanium detector to measure absolute counting rate spectra from {sup 60}Co, {sup 137}Cs and {sup 57}Co isotopic sources. The detector was carefully shielded and collimated so that the geometry of the system was completely known. The measured absolute pulse height spectrum counting rates as a function of detector position relative to the source are compared to energy deposit spectra calculated using the Monte Carlo radiation transport code COG. They present here a small subset of our results. The agreement between the calculated and measured spectra and known sources of discrepancies will be discussed.

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The fundamental differences between energetic composites and energetic materials made from a monomolecular approach are the energy density attainable and the energy release rates. For the past 4 years, we have been exploiting sol-gel chemistry as a route to process energetic materials on a microstructural scale. At the last ISA conference, we described four specific sol-gel approaches to fabricating energetic materials and presented our early work and results on two methods - solution crystallization and powder addition. Here, we detail our work on a third approach, energetic nanocomposites. Synthesis of thermitic types of energetic nanocomposites are presented using transition and main group metal-oxide skeletons. Results on characterization of structure and performance will also be given.

Important preconditions for wide acceptance of virtual reality (VR) systems include their comfort, ease and naturalness to use. Most existing trackers super from discomfort-related issues. For example, body-based trackers (hand controllers, joysticks, helmet attachments, etc.) restrict spontaneity and naturalness of motion, while ground-based devices (e.g., hand controllers) limit the workspace by literally binding an operator to the ground. There are similar problems with controls. This paper describes using real-time video with registered depth information (from a commercially available camera) for virtual reality navigation. Camera-based setup can replace cumbersome trackers. The method includes selective depth processing for increased speed, and a robust skin-color segmentation for accounting illumination variations.

This report describes development of processes for cladding APT Target tungsten components with a thin layer (0.127-mm) of Alloy 718, Alloy 600 or 316L stainless steel alloy. The application requires that the cladding be thermally bonded to the tungsten in order to transfer heat generated in the tungsten volume to a surrounding coolant. High temperature diffusion bonding using the hot isostatic processing (HIP) technique was selected as the method for creating a metallurgical bond between pure tungsten tubes and rods and the cladding materials. Bonding studies using a uniaxially loaded vacuum hot press were conducted in preliminary experiments to determine acceptable time-temperature conditions for diffusion bonding. The results were successfully applied in cladding tungsten rods and tubes with these alloys. Temperatures 800-810 C were suitable for cladding tungsten with Alloy 600 and 316L stainless steel alloy, whereas tungsten was clad with Alloy 718 at 1020 C.

This presentation will be a broad survey of progress in induction technology over the past four years. Much work has been done on accelerators for hydrodynamic test radiography and other applications. Solid-state pulsers have been developed which can provide unprecedented flexibility and precision in pulse format and accelerating voltage for both ion and electron induction machines. Induction linacs can now be built which can operate with MHz repetition rates. Solid-state technology has also made possible the development of fast kickers for precision control of high current beams. New insulator technology has been developed which will improve conventional induction linacs in addition to enabling a new class of high gradient induction linacs.

The goal of this document is to provide detailed instructions to create, modify, interface, and test Aspen User and In-House databanks with minimal frustration. The level of instructions are aimed at a novice Aspen Plus simulation user who is neither a programming nor computer-system expert. The instructions are tailored to Version 10.1 of Aspen Plus and the specific computing configuration summarized in the Title of this document and detailed in Section 2. Many details of setting up databanks depend on the computing environment specifics, such as the machines, operating systems, command languages, directory structures, inter-computer communications software, the version of the Aspen Engine and Graphical User Interface (GUI), and the directory structure of how these were installed.

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is an inertial confinement fusion project being built at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) for the Department of Energy (DOE). The project is comprised of two buildings and the high technology equipment. The NIF houses 192 separate laser beams that generate approximately two megajoules of energy and 500 terawatts of power. The laser beams travel through a large optical system that contains over 7,500 large-aperture optical components (40 cm by 40 cm) and approximately 30,000 small-aperture optical components (less than 20 cm diameter). The NIF laser will be enclosed in a building that is approximately 200 meters in length (l) by 100 meters in width (w) by 15 meters in height (h) scheduled for completion by the end of 2002. A 0.5 mm target will be positioned inside a 10 meter sphere in the Target Building which measures approximately 35 meters (l) by 90 meters (w) by 30 meters (h). To achieve optimum laser operation the optics will require precision positioning and alignment. As a result, the mechanical components that support the optics require accurate positioning. State-of-the-art surveying, measuring techniques, and uncertainty and error analyses are being used to measure the control network and mechanical …

The goal of this document is to provide detailed instructions to create, modify, interface, and test Aspen User and In-House databanks with minimal frustration. The level of instructions are aimed at a novice Aspen Plus simulation user who is neither a programming nor computer-system expert. The instructions are tailored to Version 10.1 of Aspen Plus and the specific computing configuration summarized in the Title of this document and detailed in Section 2. Many details of setting up databanks depend on the computing environment specifics, such as the machines, operating systems, command languages, directory structures, inter-computer communications software, the version of the Aspen Engine and Graphical User Interface (GUI), and the directory structure of how these were installed.

The edge plasma plays key roles in tokamak devices: generates the edge transport-barrier yielding the L-H core confinement transition, distributes the core charged-particle energy to surrounding material surfaces, shields the core from impurities, and removes helium ash in fusion plasmas. The transport of density, momentum, and energy in the near-separatrix edge region, and the corresponding self-consistent electrostatic potential, require a two-dimensional description, here incorporated into the UEDGE code. In the direction across the B-field, both turbulent transport and classical cross-field flows are important. The role of classical flows is analyzed in detail in the presence of an assumed diffusive turbulent transport. Results and explanations are given for the generation of radial electric field near the separatrix, edge plasma asymmetries and differences between double-null DIII-D and NSTX devices, comparisons with DIII-D diagnostics for single-null divertor, and core/edge transport coupling.

Effective investigative analysis requires proper selection of sample-collection procedures, preservation, and analysis methods. To achieve these objectives it is essential to tailor the collection and analysis methods to the application requirements, which are constrained by different parameters such as analysis time, sample concentration, matrix interferences, and analyte stability (e.g., surface activity (''stickiness'') and chemical reactivity). In addition, method optimization must be accomplished without compromising sample integrity. Maintaining sample integrity requires minimizing and characterizing contamination as well as reducing sample degradation and loss to prevent both false positive and negative detection, respectively. When specific constraints are defined, depending on target chemical(s) and application scenarios, it is sometimes necessary to modify or develop new equipment and methods to best satisfy the application requirements. For this work, we are interested in real-time monitoring of airborne chemicals, which are commonly referred to as volatile organic compounds (VOC). Although there are a number of techniques for remote analysis of VOCs, many of these applications do not provide the specificity and sensitivity needed in real-time application scenarios. For example, spectroscopic techniques are capable of providing low part-per-billion volume/volume (ppb v/v) detection if a compound is distributed over a large area, however, they provide limited compound structural …

We use regional waveform data from the Nevada Test Site (NTS) to investigate phenomenological relationships between recorded amplitude and explosion yield as well as test regional depth estimation procedures. Our goal is to better understand the performance of seismic observables in other regions of monitoring interest, especially at small magnitudes (m{sub b}<<4.5). Some of the topics we are studying include: stable yield estimation, depth estimation, and M{sub g}:m{sub b} performance. We use Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's NTS explosion database, which consists of several hundred events ranging from {approx}200 to {approx}1500-m depth and yields ranging from a few tenths of a kiloton to the megaton range. In addition to the broadband explosion data, we have a large dataset of well-located earthquakes on the test site with depths ranging from 2 to 17 km and magnitudes ranging between M{sub w}1.5 and 5.7. For yield estimation the relation between teleseismic body wave magnitude (mb) and nuclear explosion yield has been studied extensively over the past several decades for a number of test sites for large (>1 kt) explosions. In this paper we will look at broadband coda, P{sub g,} and L{sub g} from over 260 nuclear explosions to study yield estimation capability by …

This document addresses hydrogen generation in TRU waste transportation packages. The potential sources of hydrogen generation are summarized with a special emphasis on radiolysis. After defining various TRU wastes according to groupings of material types, bounding radiolytic G-values are established for each waste type. Analytical methodologies are developed for prediction of hydrogen gas concentrations for various packaging configurations in which hydrogen generation is due to radiolysis. Representative examples are presented to illustrate how analytical procedures can be used to estimate the hydrogen concentration as a function of time. Methodologies and examples are also provided to show how the time to reach a flammable hydrogen concentration in the innermost confinement layer can be estimated. Finally, general guidelines for limiting the hydrogen generation in the payload and hydrogen accumulation in the innermost confinement layer are described.

We have undertaken an adaptive optics imaging survey of extrasolar planetary systems and stars showing interesting radial velocity trends from high precision radial velocity searches. Adaptive Optics increases the resolution and dynamic range of an image, substantially improving the detectability of faint close companions. This survey is sensitive to objects less luminous than the bottom of the main sequence at separations as close as 1 inch. We have detected stellar companions to the planet bearing stars HD 114762 and Tau Boo. We have also detected a companion to the non-planet bearing star 16 Cyg A.

The purpose of this report is to summarize research activities carried out under Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) research subcontract B501073. This contract supported the principal investigator (P1), Dr. Calvin Ribbens, during his sabbatical visit to LLNL from August 1999 through June 2000. Results and conclusions from the work are summarized below in two major sections. The first section covers contributions to the Scalable Linear Solvers and hypre projects in the Center for Applied Scientific Computing (CASC). The second section describes results from collaboration with Patrice Turchi of LLNL's Chemistry and Materials Science Directorate (CMS). A list of publications supported by this subcontract appears at the end of the report.

Volume rendering converts a scalar function on a 3D volume into varying colors and opacities, and creates an image by integrating the color and opacity effects along viewing rays through each pixel [1]. For data specified on a regular grid, the ray tracing is straightforward [2,3,4,5], and similar effects can be obtained with 3D textures [6]. For curvilinear or irregular grids, these methods are only applicable after the data has been resampled. An alternative, which works directly on these more general grids, is cell projection [7,8,9]. The cells composited onto the image in back to front sorted order. The projections of the edges of a single cell divide the image plane into polygons, which can be scan converted and composited by standard graphics hardware. In references [9,10,11], we assumed that the cells were polyhedra with planar faces. A curvilinear grid maps a rectangular grid onto a curved volume, for example to fit next to an airplane wing or ship hull, and quadrilateral faces may map to non-planar surfaces. Irregular grids are fitted to complex geometries, for example mechanical parts, and even initially flat faces may become non-planar as the grid elements deform, for example, in a car crash simulation. Non-planar …

The US Government has declared that approximately 50 tons of plutonium is surplus to US needs and should be set aside for eventual disposition. The US is currently following a dual path for the disposition of this plutonium: immobilization and irradiation of mixed-oxide fuel. Some fraction of this plutonium material that is undesirable for use in mixed-oxide fuel will be immobilized in a titanate ceramic and disposed of in a geologic repository for high level waste. The reminder of Pu will be fabricated into mixed-oxide fuel and irradiated in domestic light-water reactors. The resulting spent fuel would also be disposed of in a geologic repository for high level waste. The proposed US repository would be at the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada. Plutonium present in the disposal forms, either ceramics or spent fuel, must remain isolated from the biosphere over the geologic repository regulatory performance period, which is currently 10,000 years. Contamination of the biosphere could result from slow dissolution of the disposal forms followed by transport of the dissolution products into the biosphere by flowing ground water. Measurable amounts of apparently soluble plutonium can be released if plutonium dioxide is exposed to water under some conditions. Furthermore, recent studies …

Analysis of Several Hazardous Conditions for Large Transfer and Back-Dilution Sequences in Tank 241-SY-101

At the current time the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) prototype for the Automated Radioxenon Sampler/Analyzer (ARSA) automatically transmits, on a daily basis, a subset of all state-of-health (SOH) data in an e-mail data file to a limited distribution of participants.

Qualification of the Lasentec M600P Particle Size Analyzer and the Red Valve Model 1151 Pressure Sensor

Newsletter of the Texas Department of Health discussing the news, activities, and events of the organization and other information related to health in Texas.

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This primer is a tool to help prepare scientists for meetings with stakeholders. It was prepared for staff involved with the Natural and Accelerated Bioremediation Research (NABIR) program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. It discusses why some efforts in science communication may succeed while others fail, provides methods of approaching group interactions about science that may better orient expert participants, and summarizes experience drawn from observations of groups interacting about topics in bioremediation or the NABIR program. The primer also provides brief, useful models for interacting with either expert or non-expert groups. Finally, it identifies topical areas that may help scientists prepare for public meetings, based on the developers' ongoing research in science communication in public forums.