Agency strategic plan for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice describing the organization's planned services, activities, and other goals during fiscal years 2007 through 2011.

This report presents the results of a geologic study conducted on the lower slopes of the Columbia River Valley in south-central Washington. The study was designed to investigate glaciofluvial and fluvial sediments and bedforms that are present in the river valley and formed subsequent to Pleistocene large-scale cataclysmic flooding of the region.

A Bayesian inference methodology using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling procedure is presented for estimating the parameters of computational structural models. This methodology combines prior information, measured data, and forward models to produce a posterior distribution for the system parameters of structural models that is most consistent with all available data. The MCMC procedure is based upon a Metropolis-Hastings algorithm that is shown to function effectively with noisy data, incomplete data sets, and mismatched computational nodes/measurement points. A series of numerical test cases based upon a cantilever beam is presented. The results demonstrate that the algorithm is able to estimate model parameters utilizing experimental data for the nodal displacements resulting from specified forces.

We present a variation of an adaptive projection method forcomputing solutions to the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations withsuspended particles. To compute the divergence-free component of themomentum forcing due to the particle drag, we employ an approach whichexploits the locality and smoothness of the Laplacian of the projectionoperator applied to the discretized particle drag force. We presentconvergence and performance results to demonstrate the effectiveness ofthis approach.

The convective period leading up to a Type Ia supernova (SNIa) explosion is characterized by very low Mach number flows, requiringhydrodynamical methods well-suited to long-time integration. We continuethe development of the low Mach number equation set for stellar scaleflows by incorporating the effects of heat release due to externalsources. Low Mach number hydrodynamics equations with a time-dependentbackground state are derived, and a numerical method based on theapproximate projection formalism is presented. We demonstrate throughvalidation with a fully compressible hydrodynamics code that this lowMach number model accurately captures the expansion of the stellaratmosphere as well as the local dynamics due to external heat sources.This algorithm provides the basis for an efficient simulation tool forstudying the ignition of SNe Ia.

This cleanup verification package documents completion of remedial action for the 618-2 Burial Ground, also referred to as Solid Waste Burial Ground No. 2; Burial Ground No. 2; 318-2; and Dry Waste Burial Site No. 2. This waste site was used primarily for the disposal of contaminated equipment, materials and laboratory waste from the 300 Area Facilities.

A novel fiber optic downhole fluid analyzer has been developed for operation in production wells. This device will allow real-time determination of the oil, gas and water fractions of fluids from different zones in a multizone or multilateral completion environment. The device uses near infrared spectroscopy and induced fluorescence measurement to unambiguously determine the oil, water and gas concentrations at all but the highest water cuts. The only downhole components of the system are the fiber optic cable and windows. All of the active components--light sources, sensors, detection electronics and software--will be located at the surface, and will be able to operate multiple downhole probes. Laboratory testing has demonstrated that the sensor can accurately determine oil, water and gas fractions with a less than 5 percent standard error. Once installed in an intelligent completion, this sensor will give the operating company timely information about the fluids arising from various zones or multilaterals in a complex completion pattern, allowing informed decisions to be made on controlling production. The research and development tasks are discussed along with a market analysis.

We present the first comprehensive investigation on water-soluble nanoparticles embedded into a paramagnetic shell and their properties as an MRI contrast agent. The nanoprobes are constructed with an inorganic core embedded into an ultra-thin silica shell covalently linked to chelated Gd{sup 3+} paramagnetic ions that act as an MRI contrast agent. The chelator contains the molecule DOTA and the inorganic core contains a fluorescent CdSe/ZnS qdots in Au nanoparticles. Optical properties of the cores (fluorescence emission or plasmon position) are not affected by the neither the silica shell nor the presence of the chelated paramagnetic ions. The resulting complex is a MRI/fluorescence probe with a diameter of 8 to 15 nm. This probe is highly soluble in high ionic strength buffers at pH ranging from {approx}4 to 11. In MRI experiments at clinical field strengths of 60 MHz, the QDs probes posses spin-lattice (T{sub 1}) and a spin-spin (T{sub 2}) relaxivities of 1018.6 +/- 19.4 mM{sup -1} s{sup -1} and 2438.1 +/- 46.3 mM{sup -1} s{sup -1} respectively for probes having {approx}8 nm. This increase in relaxivity has been correlated to the number of paramagnetic ions covalently linked to the silica shell, ranging from approximately 45 to over 320. We …

The senses of hearing and balance rest upon mechanoelectrical transduction by the hair bundles of hair cells in the inner ear. Located at the apical cellular surface, each hair bundle comprises several tens of stereocilia and a single kinocilium that are interconnected by extracellular proteinaceous links. Using electron-microscopic tomography of bullfrog saccular sensory epithelia, we examined the three-dimensional structures of ankle or basal links, kinociliary links, and tip links. We observed clear differences in the dimensions and appearances of the three links. We found two distinct populations of tip links suggestive of the involvement of two proteins or splice variants. We noted auxiliary links connecting the upper portions of tip links to the taller stereocilia. Tip links and auxiliary links show a tendency to adopt a globular conformation when disconnected from the membrane surface.

We report a passively mode-locked fiber-based oscillator that has no internal dispersion-compensating gratings. This design, the first of its kind, produces 25 nJ pulses at 80 MHz with the pulses compressible to 150 fs. The pulses appear to be self-similar and initial data imply that their energy is further scalable.

Energy use of rooftop and other unitary air-conditioners in commercial applications accounts for about 1 quad (10{sup 15} Btu) of primary energy use annually in the U.S. [Reference 7]. The realization that this cooling equipment accounts for the majority of commercial building cooled floorspace and the majority also of commercial building energy use has spurred development of improved-efficiency equipment as well as development of stricter standards addressing efficiency levels. Another key market driver affecting design of rooftop air-conditioning equipment has been concern regarding comfort and the control of humidity. Trends for increases in outdoor air ventilation rates in certain applications, and the increasing concern about indoor air quality problems associated with humidity levels and moisture in buildings points to a need for improved dehumidification capability in air-conditioning equipment of all types. In many cases addressing this issue exacerbates energy efficiency, and vice versa. The integrated dedicated outdoor air system configuration developed in this project addresses both energy and comfort/humidity issues.

Understanding the causes of observed regional temperature trends is essential to projecting the human influences on climate, and the societal impacts of these influences. In their recent study, Christy et al. (2006, hereinafter CRNG06) hypothesized that the presence of irrigated soils is responsible for rapid warming of summer nights occurring in California's Central Valley over the last century (1910-2003), an assumption that rules out any significant effect due to increased greenhouse gases, urbanization, or other factors in this region. We question this interpretation, which is based on an apparent contrast in summer nighttime temperature trends between the San Joaquin Valley ({approx} +0.3 {+-} 0.1 C/decade) and the adjacent western slopes of the Sierra Nevada (-0.25 {+-} 0.15 C/decade), as well as the amplitude, sign and uncertainty of the Sierra nighttime temperature trend itself. We, however, do not dispute the finding of other Sierra and Valley trends. Regarding the veracity of the apparent Sierra nighttime temperature trend, CRNG06 generated the Valley and Sierra time-series using a meticulous procedure that eliminates discontinuities and isolates homogeneous segments in temperature records from 41 weather stations. This procedure yields an apparent cooling of about -0.25 {+-} 0.15 C/decade in the Sierra region. However, because removal …

Decades of underground coal mining has left about 5,000 square miles of abandoned mine workings that are rapidly filling with water. The water quality of mine pools is often poor; environmental regulatory agencies are concerned because water from mine pools could contaminate diminishing surface and groundwater supplies. Mine pools are also a threat to the safety of current mining operations. Conversely, mine pools are a large, untapped water resource that, with treatment, could be used for a variety of industrial purposes. Others have proposed using mine pools in conjunction with heat pumps as a source of heating and cooling for large industrial facilities. The management or use of mine pool water requires accurate maps of mine pools. West Virginia University has predicted the likely location and volume of mine pools in the Pittsburgh Coalbed using existing mine maps, structure contour maps, and measured mine pool elevations. Unfortunately, mine maps only reflect conditions at the time of mining, are not available for all mines, and do not always denote the maximum extent of mining. Since 1999, the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) has been evaluating helicopter-borne, electromagnetic sensing technologies for the detection and mapping of mine pools. Frequency domain electromagnetic sensors …

An international interlaboratory study (ILS) was conducted to evaluate the precision with which single-pass flow-through (SPFT) tests can be conducted by following a method to be standardized by the American Society for Testing and Materials - International. Tests for the ILS were conducted with the low-activity reference material (LRM) glass developed previously for use as a glass test standard. Tests were conducted at 70 {+-} 2 C using a LiCl/LiOH solution as the leachant to impose an initial pH of about 10 (at 70 C). Participants were provided with LRM glass that had been crushed and sieved to isolate the -100 +200 mesh size fraction, and then washed to remove fines. Participants were asked to conduct a series of tests using different solution flow rate-to-sample mass ratios to generate a range of steady-state Si concentrations. The glass dissolution rate under each test condition was calculated using the steady-state Si concentration and solution flow rate that were measured in the test. The glass surface area was estimated from the mass of glass used in the test and the Si content of LRM glass was known. A linear relationship between the rate and the steady-state Si concentration (at Si concentrations less than …

This paper investigates the impact of proposed repositorythermal-loading on mountain-scale flow and heat transfer in theunsaturated fractured rock of Yucca Mountain, Nevada. In this context, amodel has been developed to study the coupled thermal-hydrological (TH)processes at the scale of the entire Yucca Mountain. This mountain-scaleTH model implements the current geological framework and hydrogeologicalconceptual models, and incorporates the latest rock thermal andhydrological properties. The TH model consists of a two-dimensionalnorth-south vertical cross section across the entire unsaturated zonemodel domain and uses refined meshes near and around the proposedrepository block, based on the current repository design, drift layout,thermal loading scenario, and estimated current and future climaticconditions. The model simulations provide insights into thermallyaffected liquid saturation, gas- and liquid-phase fluxes, and elevatedwater and rock temperature, which in turn allow modelers to predict thechanges in water flux driven by evaporation/condensation processes, anddrainage between drifts.

The problem of laser initiation of high explosives in munitions is considered. In this situation, the laser illuminates a small spot on the casing, and lateral thermal transport affects the initiation temperature. We use a variational method to calculate the critical temperature for explosive initiation as a function the laser spot size, for common high explosives. The effect of the dwelling time of the irradiation is then evaluated. We demonstrate that in typical situations the critical temperature is determined by the dwelling time rather than by the laser spot size.

Cadmium (Cd{sup 2+}), nickel (Ni{sup 2+}) and cobalt (Co{sup 2+}) are human and/or animal carcinogens. Zinc (Zn{sup 2+}) is not categorized as a carcinogen, and rather an essential element to humans. Metals were recently shown to inhibit DNA repair proteins that use metals for their function and/or structure. Here we report that the divalent ions Cd{sup 2+}, Ni{sup 2+}, and Zn{sup 2+} can inhibit the activity of a recombinant human N-methylpurine-DNA glycosylase (MPG) toward a deoxyoligonucleotide with ethenoadenine (var epsilonA). MPG removes a variety of toxic/mutagenic alkylated bases and does not require metal for its catalytic activity or structural integrity. At concentrations starting from 50 to 1000 {micro}M, both Cd{sup 2+} and Zn{sup 2+} showed metal-dependent inhibition of the MPG catalytic activity. Ni{sup 2+} also inhibited MPG, but to a lesser extent. Such an effect can be reversed with EDTA addition. In contrast, Co{sup 2+} and Mg{sup 2+} did not inhibit the MPG activity in the same dose range. Experiments using HeLa cell-free extracts demonstrated similar patterns of inactivation of the var epsilonA excision activity by the same metals. Binding of MPG to the substrate was not significantly affected by Cd{sup 2+}, Zn{sup 2+}, and Ni{sup 2+} at concentrations that …

The phylogenetic relationship of the now fully sequencedspecies Drosophila erecta and D. yakuba with respect to the D.melanogaster species complex has been a subject of controversy. All threepossible groupings of the species have been reported in the past, thoughrecent multi-gene studies suggest that D. erecta and D. yakuba are sisterspecies. Using the whole genomes of each of these species as well as thefour other fully sequenced species in the subgenus Sophophora, we set outto investigate the placement of D. erecta and D. yakuba in the D.melanogaster species group and to understand the cause of the pastincongruence. Though we find that the phylogeny grouping D. erecta and D.yakuba together is the best supported, we also find widespreadincongruence in nucleotide and amino acid substitutions, insertions anddeletions, and gene trees. The time inferred to span the two keyspeciation events is short enough that under the coalescent model, theincongruence could be the result of incomplete lineage sorting.Consistent with the lineage-sorting hypothesis, substitutions supportingthe same tree were spatially clustered. Support for the different treeswas found to be linked to recombination such that adjacent genes supportthe same tree most often in regions of low recombination andsubstitutions supporting the same tree are most enriched roughly on thesame …

The objective is to provide water clarity to the K East Basin via filtration processes. Several activities are planned that will challenge not only the capacity of the existing ion exchange modules to perform as needed but also the current filtration system to maintain water clarity. Among the planned activities are containerization of sludge, removal of debris, and hydrolasing the basin walls to remove contamination.

Complementary experiments and simulations are conducted to characterize the microstructure and mechanisms involved in recompression of spalled ductile metals. Soft capture experiments performed on copper targets in a gas gun include a dense secondary plate spaced behind the customary flyer to recompress the voids in the wake of the spall induced by the flyer. Control experiments are run without the secondary plate to obtain spall damage without recompression. The simulations feature explicit representation of void nucleating particles in a narrow strip of material spanning the flyer package and target. Analysis of the spall closure in the simulations reveals the void collapse mechanisms and the origin of features observed experimentally. The experiments and simulations show little trace of the prior voids, and a thin ribbon of highly strained material is the only readily observable remnant of the spall surface.

In early 2005, Argonne National Laboratory conducted an Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis (EE/CA; Argonne 2005b) to address carbon tetrachloride contamination identified in groundwater and surface water at Murdock, Nebraska, approximately 22 mi east-northeast of Lincoln (Figure 1.1). The EE/CA study was performed for the Commodity Credit Corporation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (CCC/USDA), as the technical basis for a proposed removal action for the Murdock site. The EE/CA was conducted in compliance with an Administrative Order on Consent issued for Murdock by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA 1991). Three removal action alternatives were examined through the use of site-specific data and predictive simulations of groundwater flow and contaminant transport performed with calibrated numerical models. The alternatives were evaluated individually and compared against performance criteria established under the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). On the basis of these evaluations, an alternative employing phytoremediation in conjunction with seasonal groundwater extraction and treatment by spray irrigation was recommended by the CCC/USDA to permanently reduce the carbon tetrachloride contaminant levels in groundwater and surface water at the site. The proposed alternative is being implemented in cooperation with the EPA. Under …

The injection and storage of anthropogenic CO2 in deepgeologic formations is a potentially feasible strategy to reduce CO2emissions and atmospheric concentrations. While the purpose of geologiccarbon storage is to trap CO2 underground, CO2 could migrate away fromthe storage site into the shallow subsurface and atmosphere if permeablepathways such as well bores or faults are present. Large-magnitudereleases of CO2 have occurred naturally from geologic reservoirs innumerous volcanic, geothermal, and sedimentary basin settings. Carbondioxide and natural gas have also been released from geologic CO2reservoirs and natural gas storage facilities, respectively, due toinfluences such as well defects and injection/withdrawal processes. Thesesystems serve as natural and industrial analogues for the potentialrelease of CO2 from geologic storage reservoirs and provide importantinformation about the key features, events, and processes (FEPs) that areassociated with releases, as well as the health, safety, andenvironmental consequences of releases and mitigation efforts that can beapplied. We describe a range of natural releases of CO2 and industrialreleases of CO2 and natural gas in the context of these characteristics.Based on this analysis, several key conclusions can be drawn, and lessonscan be learned for geologic carbon storage. First, CO2 can bothaccumulate beneath, and be released from, primary and secondaryreservoirs with capping units located at …

Variations in groundwater redox chemistry in the saturated zone near Yucca Mountain could have significant repository to the accessible environment. This study examines geochemical data relevant to the distribution of redox impacts on processes associated with the potential transport of redox-sensitive radionuclides from the proposed conditions in the saturated zone, the relationships between redox state and solubility and sorption coefficients for technetium and neptunium, and sensitivity in transport model simulations. Results indicate evidence for a zone of reducing conditions in the volcanic rocks of the saturated zone located to the east and south of the repository and along the inferred flow paths from the repository. A working hypothesis is that these reducing conditions are related to the presence of minor pyrite in the matrix of some volcanic units. Chemical equilibrium modeling of technetium solubility using EQ3/6 software codes is used to estimate the value of solubility limits as a function of Eh. Surface complexation modeling with the EQ3 code is used to estimate neptunium sorption coefficient values as a function of Eh. A general analytical approach, one-dimensional reactive transport modeling, and the three-dimensional saturated zone site-scale transport model using the FEHM software code are used to evaluate the impacts of …

The objective of this work is to improve the process for CO{sub 2} capture by alkanolamine absorption/stripping by developing an alternative solvent, aqueous K{sub 2}CO{sub 3} promoted by piperazine. The final campaign of the pilot plant was completed in February 2006 with 5m K{sup +}/2.5m PZ and 6.4m K{sup +}/1.6m PZ using Flexipac AQ Style 20. The new cross-exchanger reduced the approach temperature to less than 9 C. Stripper modeling has demonstrated that a configuration with a ''Flashing Feed'' requires 6% less work that a simple stripper. The oxidative degradation of piperazine proceeds more slowly than that of monoethanolamine and produces ethylenediamine and other products. Uninhibited 5 m KHCO{sub 3}/2.5 m PZ corrodes 5 to 6 times faster that 30% MEA with 0.2 mol CO{sub 2}/mol MEA.