Summary sheet describing the findings of an internal audit by the Texas Department of Health regarding the contract development system, including findings and recommendations.

The idea of producing beams of high energy photons by Compton backscattering of laser photons was proposed over 20 years ago. At the time, producing the required laser pulses was not feasible. However, recent advances in high average power, diode pumped lasers appear to have solved this problem. The US Collaboration is now turning its attention to the engineering requirement of mating the laser and optics components with the accelerator structures in the confined space of the a colliding beam interaction region. The demonstration of a technically feasible interaction region design is planned for the Snowmass conference in 2001.

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is investigating Yucca Mountain, Nevada, for its feasibility as a potential deep geological repository of high-level nuclear waste. In a deep geological repository, radioactive decay heat released from high-level nuclear waste will heat up the rock mass. Although the following discussion about the thermal-hydrological (TH) process may not be directly relate to the topic of this paper, it provides a bigger picture of the processes in a potential repository. The heat will mobilize pore water in the rock mass by evaporation, or boiling if the thermal load is great enough. The water vapor/steam will flow away from the heat source because of pressure and thermal gradients and the effects of buoyancy force. The vapor/steam will flow along fractures or highly permeable zones and condense into liquid water in the cooler regions. Gravity and the fracture network will control the drainage of the condensed water. Some water may flow back toward the waste package and re-evaporate. This TH process will affect the amount of water that may come into contact with the waste package. Water is the main concern in maintaining the integrity of the waste package and the waste form, and the potential …

The authors present a 9 million star color-magnitude diagram (9M CMD) of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) bar. The 9M CMD reveals a complex superposition of different age and metallicity stellar populations, with important stellar evolutionary phases occurring over three orders of magnitude in number density. First, they count the non-variable red and blue supergiants, the associated Cepheid variables, and measure the stellar effective temperatures defining the Cepheid instability strip. Lifetime predictions of stellar evolution theory are tested, with implications for the origin of low-luminosity Cepheids. The highly-evolved asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in the 9M CMD have a bimodal distribution in brightness, which they interpret as discrete old populations ({ge} 1 Gyr). The faint AGB sequence may be metal-poor and very old. Comparing the mean properties of giant branch and horizontal branch (HB) stars in the 9M CMD to those of clusters, they identify NGC 411 and M3 as templates for the admixture of old stellar populations in the bar. However, there are several indications that the old and metal-poor field population has a red HB morphology: the RR Lyrae variables lie preferentially on the red edge of the instability strip, the AGB-bump is very red, and the ratio …

This report discusses particle size and calorimetry analyses performed on single-pull sludge samples collected from the Hanford K East Basin floor and pits. This study was conducted by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in support of the baseline sludge management plan, which calls for the sludge to be packaged, shipped and stored at T Plant in the Hanford 200 West Area until final processing as a future date. These analyses were needed to better understand the K Basin sludge inventory and chemical reactivity.

Highly charged ions are extracted from an electron beam ion trap and guided to Retrap, a cryogenic Penning trap, where they are merged with laser cooled Be{sup +} ions. The Be{sup +} ions act as a coolant for the hot highly charged ions and their temperature is dropped by about 8 orders of magnitude in a few seconds. Such cold highly charged ions form a strongly coupled nonneutral plasma exhibiting, under such conditions, the aggregation of clusters and crystals. Given the right mixture, these plasmas can be studied as analogues of high density plasmas like white dwarf interiors, and potentially can lead to the development of cold highly charged ion beams for applications in nanotechnology. Due to the virtually non existent Doppler broadening, spectroscopy on highly charged ions can be performed to an unprecedented precision. The density and the temperature of the Be{sup +} plasma were measured and highly charged ions were sympathetically cooled to similar temperatures. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed the shape, temperature and density of the highly charged ions. Ordered structures were observed in the simulations.

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is investigating Yucca Mountain, Nevada, for its feasibility as a potential deep geological repository of high-level nuclear waste. In a deep geological repository, the radioactive decay heat released from high-level nuclear waste will heat up the rock mass. The heat will mobilize pore water in the rock mass by evaporation, and even boiling, if the thermal load is great enough. The water vapor/steam will flow away from the heat source because of pressure and thermal gradients and the effects of buoyancy force. The vapor/steam may flow along fractures or highly permeable zones and condense into liquid water in the cooler regions. Gravity and fracture network will control the drainage of the condensed water. Some of the water may flow back toward the waste package and reevaporated. This thermal-hydrological (TH) process will affect the amount of water that may come into contact with the waste package. Water is the main concern for the integrity of the waste package and the waste form, and the potential transport of radioactive nuclides. Thermally driven chemical and mechanical processes may affect the TH process. The coupled thermal-hydrological-mechanical-chemical (THMC) processes need to be understood before the performance of a …

We present a Plasma Wakefield Acceleration (PWFA) scheme that can in principle provide an acceleration gradient above 100 GeV/m, based on a reasonable modification of the existing SLAC beam parameters. We also study a possible up-grade of the Stanford Linear Collider (SLC) to hundreds of GeV center-of-mass energy using such a PWFA as a booster. The emittance degradation of the accelerated beams by the plasma wakefield focus is relatively small due to a uniform transverse distribution of the driving beam and the single stage acceleration.

The Project provides for the design, procurement, construction, assembly, installation, and acceptance testing of the National Ignition Facility (NIF), an experimental inertial confinement fusion facility intended to achieve controlled thermonuclear fusion in the laboratory by imploding a small capsule containing a mixture of the hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium. The NIF will be constructed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, California as determined by the Record of Decision made on December 19, 1996, as a part of the Stockpile Stewardship and Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement. Safety: On January 13, 2000, a worker received a back injury when a 42-in.-diameter duct fell during installation. He was taken by helicopter to the hospital and released on January 16, 2000. All work in the area was suspended, and the construction contractors went through a thorough safety review before work was started. A DOE occurrence report was filed. An independent LLNL Incident Analysis Team is reviewing the cause of the accident and will report out on March 1. A Project management review team is reviewing construction line management and safety support and will also report out on March 1. Several changes in work planning and site management have been incorporated to …

In an effort to develop a more extensive model for the thermomechanical behavior of shape memory alloy (SMA) films, a novel characterization method has been developed. This automated test has been tailored to characterize films for use in micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) actuators. The shape memory effect in NiTiCu is seen in the solid-state phase transformation from an easily deformable low-temperature state to a 'shape remembering' high-temperature state. The accurate determination of engineering properties for these films necessitates measurements of both stress and strain in microfabricated test structures over the full range of desired deformation. Our various experimental methods (uniaxial tensile tests, bimorph curvature tests and diaphragm bulge tests) provide recoverable stress and strain data and the stress-strain relations for these films. Tests were performed over a range of temperatures by resistive heating or ambient heating. These measurements provide the results necessary for developing active SMA structural film design models.

A burst of x rays and vaporized debris from high yield targets can damage the final optics in laser inertial fusion energy (IFE) power plants and in laboratory experimental facilities such as the National Ignition Facility (NIF) or Laser MegaJoule (LMJ). Noble gases such as Xe or Kr have been proposed to protect final optics from target-produced x rays and debris. Some problems with the use of such ambient gas fills are the large amount of gas involved, heat transfer to a cryogenic target, potential resonant reradiation of x rays absorbed, and a nonuniform index of refraction due to turbulence interfering with the focusing of laser light. Also the fast igniter laser intensity may be too great for propagation through an ambient gas. We propose to provide the gas in the form of many small closely spaced liquid droplets injected in front of the optics. In the case of NIF, the droplets would be injected only when needed just before a high yield shot. The laser light that is absorbed will cause evaporation of the liquid and spreading of this gas. The liquid droplets intercept only {approx}5% of the laser light allowing {approx}95% to pass through to the target. The …

The Electron Cyclotron Emission (ECE) diagnostic on FTU tokamak is routinely performed with a Michelson interferometer with spectral range extending up to 1300 GHz. The diagnostic allowed accurate electron temperature measurements during the recent 140 Ghz Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH) experiments on FTU. Very accurate measurements have been performed on a wide range of electron temperatures and profile peaking. The ECE measurements have been compared with Thomson Scattering and with observations of X-ray spectra from highly stripped molybdenum ions. The suprathermal emission in these conditions has been studied.

The release of a biological agent by terrorists represents a serious threat to the safety of US citizens. At present there are over 50 pathogens and toxins on various agency threat lists. Most of these pathogens are rarely seen by public health personnel so the ability to rapidly identify their infection is limited. Since many pathogenic infections have symptomatic delays as long as several days, effective treatment is often compromised. This translates into two major deficiencies in our ability to counter biological terrorism (1) the lack of any credible technology to rapidly detect and identify all the pathogens or toxins on current threat lists and (2) the lack of a credible means to rapidly diagnose thousands of potential victims. In this SI we are developing a rapid, flexible, inexpensive, high throughput, and deeply multiplex-capable biological assay technology. The technology, which we call the Liquid Array (LA), utilizes optical encoding of small diameter beads which serve as the templates for biological capture assays. Once exposed to a fluid sample these beads can be identified and probed for target pathogens at rates of several thousand beads per second. Since each bead can be separately identified, one can perform parallel assays by assigning …

The transition metals exist in several crystal structures due to the influence of the d-bands on bonding. The central transition metals are stabilized in the body-centered-cubic (BCC) structure due to the approximately half filled d-bands. The d-bands have an inherent structure which imparts a directional dependence to the interatomic interactions [1]. These electronic effects, through their influence on the core structure of dislocations, cause the unusual mechanical properties observed in these metals [2]. The purpose of this project was the validation of the predictive abilities of the newly developed MGPT potentials in simulating the defect structures of BCC metals. The validation of these potentials will allow them to be applied with confidence in the simulation of materials behaviors under conditions that are not easily accessible to experimental confirmation.

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

The results of a feasibility study for a demonstration plant for the liquefaction of waste plastic and tires and the coprocessing of these waste polymers with coal are presented. The study was conducted by a committee that included nine representatives from the CFFS, six from the U.S. Department of Energy - Federal Energy Technology Center (FETC), and four from Burns and Roe, Inc. The study included: (1) An assessment of current recycling practices, particularly feedstock recycling in Germany; (2) A review of pertinent research, and a survey of feedstock availability for various types of waste polymers; and (3) A conceptual design for a demonstration plant was developed and an economic analysis for various feedstock mixes. The base case for feedstock scenarios was chosen to be 200 tons per day of waste plastic and 100 tons per day of waste tires. For this base case with oil priced at $20 per barrel, the return on investment (ROI) was found to range from 9% to 20%, using tipping fees for waste plastic and tires typical of those existing in the U.S. The most profitable feedstock appeared to waste plastic alone, with a plant processing 300 t/d of plastic yielding ROI's from 13 …

Document in the case no. 99-1178, "Solid Waste Agency of Norther Cook County v. United States Army Corps of Engineers et al." in the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

The 200 Area State-Approved Land Disposal Site (SALDS) is a drainfield which receives treated wastewater, occasionally containing high levels of tritium from treatment of Hanford Site liquid wastes. Only the SALDS proximal wells (699-48-77A, 699-48-77C, and 699-48-77D) have been affected by tritium from the facility thus far; the highest activity observed (2.1E+6 pCi/L) occurred in well 699-48-77D in February 1998. Analytical results of groundwater geochemistry since groundwater monitoring began at the SALDS indicate that all constituents with permit enforcement limits have been below those limits with the exception of one measurement of total dissolved solids (TDS) in 1996. The revised groundwater monitoring sampling and analysis plan eliminates chloroform, acetone, tetrahydrofuran, benzene, and ammonia as constituents. Replicate field measurements will replace laboratory measurements of pH for compliance purposes. A deep companion well to well 699-51-75 will be monitored for tritium deeper in the uppermost aquifer.

Cool storage technology can be used to significantly reduce energy costs by allowing energy-intensive, electrically driven cooling equipment to be predominantly operated during off peak hours when electricity rates are lower. This Federal Technology Alert, which is sponsored by DOE's Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), describes the basic types of cool storage technologies and cooling system integration options. In addition, it defines the savings potential in the federal sector, presents application advice, and describes the performance experience of specific federal users. The results of a case study of a GSA building using cool storage technology are also provided.

The primary objective for vitrifying the LAW samples is to generate glass products for subsequent product testing. The work presented in this report is divided into 6 work elements: 1) Glass Fabrication, 2) Chemical Composition, 3) Radiochemical Composition, 4) Crystalline and Non-crystalline Phase Determination, and 5) Release Rate (Modified PCT). These work elements will help demonstrate the RPP-WTP projects ability to satisfy the product requirements concerning, chemical and radionuclide reporting, waste loading, identification and quantification of crystalline and non-crystalline phases, and waste form leachability. VOA, SVOA, dioxins, furans, PCBs, and total cyanide analyses will be reported in as separate document (WTP-RPT-005).

Consolidated sludge samples described in this report were collected from the Hanford K East Basin fuel storage pool in March and April 1999. Material for the samples was collected from both the basin floor and fuel canisters within the basin. Analyses persented include weight percent solids determination, uranium analysis by kinetic phosphorescence (KPA), plutonium isotope analysis by alpha energy analysis (AEA), gross beta analysis, gamma energy analysis (GEA), and metals analysis by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES).

This report summarizes data on the organic vapors in the single-shell high level radioactive waste tanks at the Hanford site to support a forthcoming toxicological study. All data were obtained from the Tank Characterization Database (PNNL 1999). The TCD contains virtually all the available tank headspace characterization data from 1992 to the present, and includes data for 109 different single-shell waste tanks. Each single-shell tank farm and all major waste types are represented. Descriptions of the sampling and analysis methods have been given elsewhere (Huckaby et al. 1995, Huckaby et al. 1996), and references for specific data are available in the TCD. This is a revision of a report with the same title issued on March 1, 2000 (Stock and Huckaby 2000).

Low cross section experiments to produce super-heavyelements have increased the demand for high intensity heavy ion beams atenergies of about 5 MeV/nucleon at the 88-Inch Cyclotron at the LawrenceBerkeley National Laboratory. Therefore, efforts are underway to increasethe overall ion beam transmission through the axial injection line andthe cyclotron. The ion beam emittance has been measured for various ionmasses and charge states. Beam transport simulations including spacecharge effects were performed for both of the injection line and the ionsource extraction. The relatively low nominal injection voltage of 10 kVwas found to be the main factor for ion beam losses, because of beam blowup due to space charge forces at higher intensities. Consequently,experiments and simulations have been performed at higherinjectionenergies, and it was demonstrated that the ion beams could still becentered in the cyclotron at these energies. Therefore, the new injectorion source VENUS and its ion beam transport system (currently underconstruction at the 88-Inch Cyclotron) are designed for extractionvoltages up to 30 kV.

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