Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

University Of Nevada, Las Vegas Advanced Accelerator Applications University Participation Program: Quarterly Report, Third Quarter (September To November 2001), Anthony Hechanova

Transmutation Research Program Reports (TRP)

This Quarterly Report is a primary deliverable from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA) University Participation Program (UPP) Director to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as described in the UNLV AAA proposal and Statement of Work for the Third Quarter.

The UNLV AAA UPP Director implements the program’s administration using staff from the Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies (HRC) to ensure that work conducted under the UNLV AAA UPP meets program objectives. The UNLV AAA UPP consists of three components: Program Support, Research Infrastructure Augmentation, and Student Research.

Nuclear Criticality Analyses Of Separations Processes For The Transmutation Fuel Cycle: Quaterly Report, William Culbreth, Pang Tao

Separations Campaign (TRP)

During the first quarter of the work, the tasks included training students in the use of Monte Carlo codes used in radiation transport studies and the assessment of neutron multiplication factors for specific problems outlined by ANL-East through Drs. Laidler and Vandegrift.

The proposal also included objectives for the first year of work on this project, as listed below. The work conducted in the first quarter of the project was in partial completion of these objectives.

• Train UNLV students in the use of SCALE and/or MCNP for the assessment of nuclear criticality.

• Assess neutron multiplication factor, k_{eff …}

Radiation Transport Modeling Of Beam-Target Experiments For The Aaa Project: Quaterly Report, William Culbreth

Reactor Campaign (TRP)

The national development of technology to transmute nuclear waste depends upon the generation of high energy neutrons produced by proton spallation. Proton accelerators, such as LANSCE at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, are capable of producing 800 MeV protons. By bombarding a lead/bismuth target, each proton may generate 500 or more neutrons that can activate fission products or induce the fission of transuranic isotopes.

The Monte Carlo radiation transport code MCNPX developed at LANL is an important tool in the design of transmuter technology. It must be validated, however, for the neutron energy that will be employed. Experiments are being …

Institutsdagen At The Royal Institute Of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, May 3, 2000, Otto Vogl, Ann Christine Albertsson

Emeritus Faculty Author Gallery

No abstract provided.

Automated Online News Classification With Personalization, Chee-Hong Chan, Aixin Sun, Ee Peng Lim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Classification of online news, in the past, has often been done manually. In our proposed Categorizor system, we have experimented an automated approach to classify online news using the Support Vector Machine (SVM). SVM has been shown to deliver good classification results when ample training documents are given. In our research, we have applied SVM to personalized classification of online news.

Three Dimensional Hydrodynamic Modeling Study, Craney Island Eastward Expansion, Lower James River And Elizabeth River, Virginia, Harry V. Wang, S. C. Kim, John D. Boon, A. Y. Kuo, G. M. Sisson, J. M. Brubaker, J. P-Y. Maa

Reports

The Craney Island Eastward Expansion Hydrodynamic Model Study was conducted in three phases: 1) model calibration and verification for the Elizabeth River, 2) model testing of four Craney Island expansion options using single variable runs (using a single variable, tidal range, for model input), 3) model testing of two expansion options using historical runs (using multiple variables in real time for model input). The expansion option designs were evaluated for both global and local hydrodynamic change through simulation comparisons with the Base Case condition.

Techniques For The Regeneration Of Wideband Speech From Narrowband Speech, Jason A. Fuemmeler, Russell C. Hardie, William R. Gardner

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper addresses the problem of reconstructing wideband speech signals from observed narrowband speech signals. The goal of this work is to improve the perceived quality of speech signals which have been transmitted through narrowband channels or degraded during acquisition. We describe a system, based on linear predictive coding, for estimating wideband speech from narrowband. This system employs both previously identified and novel techniques. Experimental results are provided in order to illustrate the system’s ability to improve speech quality. Both objective and subjective criteria are used to evaluate the quality of the processed speech signals.

Lower Willamette River Model: Model Calibration, Chris Berger, Robert Leslie Annear, Scott A. Wells

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Water Environment Services of Clackamas County is in the process of planning upgrades on several of its wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) which discharge into the Lower Willamette River. The goals of the modeling effort were to:

• Gather data to construct a computer simulation model of the Lower Willamette River system in order to evaluate the impact of the WWTP discharges on water quality

• Ensure that the model accurately represents the system physics and chemistry (flow, temperature, dissolved oxygen and nutrient dynamics) by model calibration

• Use the model to evaluate how to meet various future discharge scenarios for …

Design And Evaluation Of Processes For Fuel Fabrication: Quarterly Progress Report #1, Georg F. Mauer

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

The first three months of the project covered the following:

• Literature review: A comprehensive study of the pertinent publications pertaining to transmuter fuels composition and manufacturing processes was conducted.

• Visit at ANL West in Idaho Falls, ID: Dr. Mauer visited the ANL West facility and met with his National Laboratory Collaborator, Dr. Mitchell K. Meyer, Group Leader, Fabrication Development on October 14 and 15, 2001.

• Student Paper Presentation at the ANS Annual Meeting by Ph.D. student Mr. Jae-Kyu Lee. Title: Transmuter Fuel Fabrication Processes.

Environment-Induced Degradation And Crack-Growth Studies Of Candidate Target Materials: Aaa Task-4 Quarterly (September 1 – November 30, 2001) Report, Ajit K. Roy, Brendan O'Toole

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

The primary objective of this task is to evaluate the effect of hydrogen on environment-assisted cracking of candidate materials for applications in spallation-neutron-target (SNT) systems such as accelerator production of tritium (APT) and accelerator transmutation of waste (ATW). The materials selected for evaluation and characterization are martensitic stainless steels including HT- 9, EP 823 and 422. The susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and hydrogen embrittlement (HE) of these alloys will be evaluated in environments of interest using tensile specimens under constant load and slow-strain-rate (SSR) conditions. The extent and morphology of cracking of these alloys will further be evaluated …

Development Of A Mechanistic Understanding Of High-Temperature Deformation Of Alloy Ep-823: Task 10, First Quarter Report, Ajit K. Roy, Brendan O'Toole

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

The objective of this task is to evaluate the elevated temperature tensile properties of Alloy EP-823, a leading target material for accelerator-driven waste transmutation applications. The test material will be thermally treated prior to evaluation of its tensile properties at temperatures relevant to the transmutation applications. The deformation characteristics of tensile specimens, upon completion of testing, will be evaluated by surface analytical techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The overall results are expected to provide a mechanistic understanding of high-temperature deformation behavior of Alloy EP-823 as a function of heat treatment.

Highlights of Accomplishment

• …

Development Of A Systems Engineering Model Of The Chemical Separations Process: Quarterly Progress Report 8/16/01- 11/15/01, Yitung Chen, Randy Clarksean, Darrell Pepper

Separations Campaign (TRP)

The AAA program is developing technology for the transmutation of nuclear waste to address many of the long-term disposal issues. An integral part of this program is the proposed chemical separations scheme.

Two activities are proposed in this Phase I task: the development of a systems engineering model and the refinement of the Argonne code AMUSE (Argonne Model for Universal Solvent Extraction). The detailed systems engineering model is the start of an integrated approach to the analysis of the materials separations associated with the AAA Program. A second portion of the project is to streamline and improve an integral part …

Analysis Of Corrosion Of Steel By Lead Bismuth Eutectic, John Farley, Dale L. Perry

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

We examined stainless samples that were exposed to LBE in experiments conducted by the Russians, under contract to Los Alamos. We examined both corroded and uncorroded samples using the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), the Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDAX) Spectroscopy, and the X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer (XPS). We found that the surface of the corroded sample is covered by oxygen-containing compounds, presumably mostly iron oxide. In samples exposed for shorter times or lower temperatures, we found that some areas were covered by an oxide layer, and some areas was uncovered. We found that the level of Cr in the uncovered area is …

Modeling Corrosion In Oxygen Controlled Lbe Systems With Coupling Of Chemical Kinetics And Hydrodynamics: Quarterly Progress Report August 16,2001- November 15, 2001, Samir Moujaes, Yitung Chen

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

The Lead-Bismuth eutectic (LBE) has been determined from previous experimental studies by the Russians and the European scientific community to be a potential material that can be used as a spallation target and coolant for the AAA proposed application.

Properly controlling the oxygen content in LBE can drastically reduce the LBE corrosion to structural steels. However, existing knowledge of material corrosion performance was obtained from point-wise testing with very limited density. The transport of oxygen and corrosion products, their interaction and variation of corrosion/precipitation along the flow are not well understood.

The first subtask of this project involves using a …

Design And Analysis For Melt Casting Metallic Fuel Pins Incorporating Volatile Actinides: Quarterly Progress Report 8/16/01- 11/15/01, Yitung Chen, Randy Clarksean, Darrell Pepper

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

An important aspect of the Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA) program is the development of a casting process by which volatile actinide element (i.e., americium) can be incorporated into metallic alloy fuel pins. The traditional metal fuel casting process uses an inductively heated crucible. The process involves evacuation of the furnace. The evacuation of the furnace also evacuates quartz rods used as fuel pin molds. Once evacuated the open ends of the molds are lowered into the melt; the casting furnace is then rapidly pressurized, forcing the molten metal up into the evacuated molds where solidification occurs.

This process works well …

Poly Millennial 2000 Hilton Waikoloa Villages, Hawaii, December 9-13, 2000, Otto Vogl, William Daly

Emeritus Faculty Author Gallery

No abstract provided.

Monitoring Subsurface Drainage Flow At Remote Locations, Stephen R. Workman, Stephen F. Higgins, Scott A. Shearer

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Laboratory evaluations and field results are presented for a slotted weir used to measure discharge from subsurface drains. The head–discharge curve for the vertical slot is a simple power function with an exponent of 1.5. There was excellent agreement (r² > 0.99 and 1:1 slope) between predicted and observed discharge in laboratory testing of 12 test weirs representing five slot widths. The primary advantages of the vertical slot weir are its simplicity, ease of maintenance, and ability to measure small flow rates. Disadvantages include a tendency for the slot to close a small amount over time as a result of …

A Dipolar Coupling Based Strategy For Simultaneous Resonance Assignment And Structure Determination Of Protein Backbones, Fang Tian, Homayoun Valafar, James H. Prestegard

Faculty Publications

A new approach for simultaneous protein backbone resonance assignment and structure determination by NMR is introduced. This approach relies on recent advances in high-resolution NMR spectroscopy that allow observation of anisotropic interactions, such as dipolar couplings, from proteins partially aligned in field ordered media. Residual dipolar couplings are used for both geometric information and a filter in the assembly of residues in a sequential manner. Experimental data were collected in less than one week on a small redox protein, rubredoxin, that was 15N enriched but not enriched above 1% natural abundance in 13C. Given the acceleration possible with partial 13C …

Pickup And Delivery Problem With Time Windows: Algorithms And Test Case Generation, Hoong Chuin Lau, Zhe Liang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In the pickup and delivery problem with time windows (PDPTW), vehicles have to transport loads from origins to destinations respecting capacity and time constraints. In this paper, we present a two-phase method to solve the PDPTW. In the first phase, we apply a novel construction heuristics to generate an initial solution. In the second phase, a tabu search method is proposed to improve the solution. Another contribution of this paper is a strategy to generate good problem instances and benchmarking solutions for PDPTW, based on Solomon's benchmark test cases for VRPTW. Experimental results show that our approach yields very good …

Capillary Flow In Interior Corners: The Infinite Column, Mark M. Weislogel

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Capillary flow of a sinusoidally perturbed liquid column in an interior corner of infinite extent is solved using lubrication theory. Due primarily to the length scales selected to nondimensionalize the momentum equation, an analytic time scale governing the settling of the perturbation is determined. The time scale, which is shown to be independent of a steady base state flow, proves useful in rapidly predicting transients for surface settling in certain liquid-bearing tanks of spacecraft employing interior corners for fluids management purposes. The asymptotic analysis is extended to address flows along interior corners whose faces are slightly nonplanar. The generalized formulation …

Lower Willamette River Model: Boundary Conditions And Model Setup, Herman G. Rodriguez, Robert Leslie Annear, Scott A. Wells, Chris Berger

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Water Environment Services of Clackamas County is in the process of planning upgrades on several of its sewage treatment plants which discharge into the Lower Willamette River. The goals of the modeling effort are to:

• Gather data to construct a computer simulation model of the Lower Willamette River system including part of the Lower Columbia River and the Willamette River above the Oregon City Falls; Because of the tidal influence in the Lower Willamette River, portions of the Columbia River that might affect the Lower Willamette River water quality were also modeled. Also, a section of the Willamette River …

Upper Spokane River Model: Boundary Conditions And Model Setup, 1991 And 2000, Robert Leslie Annear, Chris Berger, Scott A. Wells

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Washington Department of Ecology is interested in a water quality model for the Upper Spokane River system for use in developing Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). The goals of this modeling effort are to:

• Gather data to construct a computer simulation model of the Spokane River system including Long Lake Reservoir and the pools behind Nine Mile dam, Upper Falls dam and Upriver dam

• Ensure that the model accurately represents the system hydrodynamics and water quality (flow, temperature, dissolved oxygen and nutrient dynamics)

A hydrodynamic and water quality model, CE-QUAL-W2 Version 3 (Wells, 1997), is being applied …

Assessment Of Criticality Safety For Cylindrical Containers To Be Used In The Processing Of Spent Fuel, William Culbreth, Daniel R. Lowe, Jason Viggato

Separations Campaign (TRP)

The UREX process separates uranium from transuranic wastes (TRU) and fission products (FP). Nuclear reactors require fissile isotopes that will absorb neutrons and break apart into smaller nuclei while releasing a large amount of energy as well as multiple neutrons. Fissile isotopes in spent fuel include not only ²³⁵U, but also ²³⁹Pu, ²⁴¹Pu, and several isotopes of americium (Am) and curium (Cm).

TRU contains the actinides with atomic numbers greater than that of uranium. This includes Pu, Np, Am, and Cm. When TRU is separated from uranium, the TRU still poses a significant risk of sustaining a …

2001 Scholars And Artists Bibliography, Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University, Friends Of The Michael Schwartz Library

Scholars and Artists Bibliographies

This bibliography was created for the annual Friends of the Michael Schwartz Library Scholars and Artists Reception, recognizing scholarly and creative achievements of Cleveland State University faculty, staff and emeriti

University Of Nevada, Las Vegas Advanced Accelerator Applications University Participation Program: Quarterly Report, Second Quarter (June To August 2001), Anthony Hechanova

Transmutation Research Program Reports (TRP)

This Quarterly Report is a primary deliverable from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA) University Participation Program (UPP) Director to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as described in the UNLV AAA proposal.

The UNLV AAA UPP Director implements the program’s administration using staff from the Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies (HRC) to ensure that work conducted under the UNLV AAA UPP meets program objectives. The UNLV AAA UPP consists of three components: Program Administration, Research Infrastructure Augmentation, and Student Research.

Highly Plasma Etch-Resistant Photoresist Composition Containing A Photosensitive Polymeric Titania Precursor, Tony D. Flaim, Douglas J. Guerrero, Michelle R. Fowler, William Joseph James, Vladimir Petrovsky, Harlan U. Anderson

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

A composition is derived from an addition polymerizable organotitanium polymer which upon exposure to an oxygen plasma or baking in air, is converted to titanium dioxide (titania) or is converted to a mixed, titanium-containing metal oxide. The metal oxide formed in situ imparts etch- resistant action to a patterned photoresist layer. The composition may also be directly deposited and patterned into permanent metal oxide device features by a photolithographic process.

Convergence Classes And Spaces Of Partial Functions, Anthony K. Seda, Roland Heinze, Pascal Hitzler

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

We study the relationship between convergence spaces and convergence classes given by means of both nets and filters, we consider the duality between them and we identify in convergence terms when a convergence space coincides with a convergence class. We examine the basic operators in the Vienna Development Method of formal systems development, namely, extension, glueing, restriction, removal and override, from the perspective of the Logic for Computable Functions. Thus, we examine in detail the Scott continuity, or otherwise, of these operators when viewed as operators on the domain (X → Y) of partial functions mapping X into …

On Clustering And Retrieval Of Video Shots, Chong-Wah Ngo, Ting-Chuen Pong, Hong-Jiang Zhang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Clustering of video data is an important issue in video abstraction, browsing and retrieval. In this paper, we propose a two-level hierarchical clustering approach by aggregating shots with similar motion and color features. Motion features are computed directly from 20 tensor histograms, while color features are represented by 30 color histograms. Cluster validity analysis is further applied to automatically determine the number of clusters at each level. Video retrieval can then be done directly based on the result of clustering. The proposed approach is found to be useful particularly for sports games, where motion and color are important visual cues …

Reifying Communication At The Application Level, Andrew P. Black, Jie Huang, Jonathan Walpole

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Middleware, from the earliest RPC systems to recent Object-Oriented Remote Message Sending (RMS) systems such as Java RMI and CORBA, claims transparency as one of its main attributes. Coulouris et al. define transparency as “the concealment from the … application programmer of the separation of components in a distributed system.” They go on to identify eight different kinds of transparency.

We considered titling this paper “Transparency Considered Harmful”, but that title is misleading because it implies that all kinds of transparency are bad. This is not our view. Rather, we believe that the choice of which transparencies should be offered …

Determining Matric Stress With The Modified Cam Clay Energy Relationship, Richard A. Rohlf, Larry G. Wells

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

The stress generated by matric suction, or matric stress, was determined at points along the stress path with an analytical and experimental procedure based on the modified Cam clay energy relationship. Matric stress was found to be approximately constant at large strain for constant water content triaxial compression tests. Matric stress was included in both shear and volume relationships in a critical–state soil model that employed the modified Cam clay yield function. Shear was modeled with a constant matric stress. Slope of the normal compression and recompression lines was adjusted for matric stress using a state function that expressed matric …