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• Practice and theory of bioregional assessments-- learning from the past and moving to the future-- assessing for understanding in complex regional systems-- the role of science in bioregional assessments-- a political context model for bioregional assessments-- case histories and reviews-- Forest Ecosystem Management Assessment Team (FEMAT) assessment-- Great Lakes-- St Lawrence River Basin assessments-- Everglades-- South Florida assessments-- northern forest lands assessments-- Southern California Natural Community Conservation Planning (NCCP)-- interior Columbia Basin ecosystem management project-- Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project (SNEP)-- management review-- policy review-- synthesis-- understanding bioregional assessments.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

Bioregional assessment is the effort to build knowledge about a region prior to decision-making and management action; it is an essential part of ecosystem management which gives science and scientists a crucial role in the policy-making process. Bringing together experts on a range of issues to assess existing ecological and social conditions - and providing a base of knowledge from which to develop policy options and management decisions, this volume offers a tool to anyone involved or interested in ecosystem management.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

This report concludes that thick salt deposits of the Palo Duro basin, and, to a lesser extent, those of the Dalhart basin, have many features that would be favorable for underground storage of radioactive waste. The principal parameters used in evaluating these basins for radioactive-waste storage include salt thickness, depth, tectonic and seismic history, lithology, permeability, proximity to aquifers, mineral-resource content, extent of drilling and mining, and remoteness. Properties of salt (halite) that make it desirable as host rock for underground waste emplacement include its low permeability, low moisture content, high plasticity, and high gamma-ray shielding. A thickness of 200 feet of salt-bearing rock is herein considered minimal for insuring isolation of waste material that is buried 1,000 to 3,000 feet below the surface. Emplacement of radioactive-waste products can be accomplished by forming an underground cavern in a salt bed, using standard mining techniques. By creating the cavern about 1,000 to 3,000 feet below the surface, and by backfilling and sealing the cavern after the waste is emplaced, the radioactive material can be effectively isolated. The Permian salt deposits in about 50,000 square miles of the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma were studied to determine whether the region contained any areas that might be suitable for waste storage. No comprehensive study of the salts in this region had been done previously. A major part of this project involved a study of electric logs and some sample logs for about 300 wells drilled in the region. The results of this geologic study are presented on plates 1 through 8 (in the pocket), and these data are also generalized in a series of figures in the text and show the general character, thickness, distribution, depth, and structure of the salt deposits.

Idaho National Laboratory (INL), along with Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Idaho State University’s Idaho Accelerator Center (IAC), are developing an electron accelerator-based, photonuclear inspection technology for the detection of smuggled nuclear material within air-, rail-, and especially, maritime-cargo transportation containers. This CY04 report describes the latest developments and progress with the development of the Pulsed, Photonuclear Assessment (PPA) nuclear material inspection ystem, such as: (1) the identification of an optimal range of electron beam energies for interrogation applications, (2) the development of a new “cabinet safe” electron accelerator (i.e., Varitron II) to assess “cabinet safe-type” operations, (3) the numerical and experimental validation responses of nuclear materials placed within selected cargo configurations, 4) the fabrication and utilization of Calibration Pallets for inspection technology performance verification, 5) the initial technology integration of basic radiographic “imaging/mapping” with induced neutron and gamma-ray detection, 6) the characterization of electron beam-generated photon sources for optimal performance, 7) the development of experimentallydetermined Receiver-Operator-Characterization curves, and 8) several other system component assessments. This project is supported by the Department of Homeland Security and is a technology component of the Science & Technology Active Interrogation Portfolio entitled “Photofission-based Nuclear Material Detection and Characterization.”

A search for nuclear resonance fluorescence excitations in ²³⁵U and ²³⁹Pu within the energy range of 1.0- to 2.5-MeV was performed using a 4-MeV continuous bremsstrahlung source at the High Voltage Research Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Measurements utilizing high purity Ge detectors at backward angles identified 9 photopeaks in ²³⁵U and 12 photopeaks in ²³⁹Pu in this energy range. These resonances provide unique signatures that allow the materials to be non-intrusively detected in a variety of environments including fuel cells, waste drums, vehicles and containers. The presence and properties of these states may prove useful in understanding the mechanisms for mixing low-lying collective dipole excitations with other states at low excitations in heavy nuclei.

Research done by the Infrared Photonics team at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is focused on developing miniaturized integrated optics for mid-wave infrared (MWIR) and long-wave infrared (LWIR) sensing applications by exploiting the unique optical and material properties of chalcogenide glass. PNNL has developed thin-film deposition capabilities, direct laser writing techniques, infrared photonic device demonstration, holographic optical element design and fabrication, photonic device modeling, and advanced optical metrology—all specific to chalcogenide glass. Chalcogenide infrared photonics provides a pathway to quantum cascade laser (QCL) transmitter miniaturization. QCLs provide a viable infrared laser source for a new class of laser transmitters capable of meeting the performance requirements for a variety of national security sensing applications. The high output power, small size, and superb stability and modulation characteristics of QCLs make them amenable for integration as transmitters into ultra-sensitive, ultra-selective point sampling and remote short-range chemical sensors that are particularly useful for nuclear nonproliferation missions. During FY 2005, PNNL’s Infrared Photonics research team made measurable progress exploiting the extraordinary optical and material properties of chalcogenide glass to develop miniaturized integrated optics for mid-wave infrared (MWIR) and long-wave infrared (LWIR) sensing applications. We investigated sulfur purification methods that will eventually lead to routine production of optical quality chalcogenide glass. We also discovered a glass degradation phenomenon and our investigation uncovered the underlying surface chemistry mechanism and developed mitigation actions. Key research was performed to understand and control the photomodification properties. This research was then used to demonstrate several essential infrared photonic devices, including LWIR single-mode waveguide devices and waveguide couplers. Optical metrology tools were also developed to characterize optical waveguide structures and LWIR optical components.

Through the duration of the NNSA Office of Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and development (NA-22) ITAS lifecycle project, the Infrared Photonics research has been focused on developing integrated quantum cascade (QC) laser technology to enable next-generation remote sensing designs. Our team developed the concept of the integrated QC laser transmitter and originated and promoted the vision of mid-infrared (3–12 μm) wavelength photonics. Sustained NA-22 project funding produced the QC laser transmitter that is now deployed in follow-on projects. Our team produced nationally recognized cutting-edge research in the area of infrared transparent chalcogenide photonics. Three technical staff were recruited from outside PNNL and hired to support this research. This project also supported student research at the national laboratory, including high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. This provided a derivative benefit to NA-22, PNNL, and the educational institutions through training and mentoring next-generation students in science and technology. The student support was also the catalyst to develop research collaborations with two universities that are internationally recognized for their chalcogenide glass research.

The Idaho National Laboratory, along with Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Idaho State University’s Idaho Accelerator Center, are developing electron accelerator-based, photonuclear inspection technologies for the detection of shielded nuclear material within air-, rail-, and especially, maritime-cargo transportation containers. This paper describes a developing prototypical cargo container inspection system utilizing the Pulsed Photonuclear Assessment (PPA) technology, incorporates interchangeable, well-defined, contraband shielding structures (i.e., "calibration" pallets) providing realistic detection data for induced radiation signatures from smuggled nuclear material, and provides various shielded nuclear material detection results. Using a 4.8-kg quantity of depleted uranium, neutron and gamma-ray detection responses are presented for well-defined shielded and unshielded configurations evaluated in a selected cargo container inspection configuration. © 2001 Elsevier Science. All rights reserved

Idaho National Laboratory, along with Idaho State University’s Idaho Accelerator Center and Los Alamos National Laboratory, is developing an electron accelerator-based, photonuclear inspection technology, called the Pulsed Photonuclear Assessment (PPA) system, for the detection of nuclear material concealed within air-, rail-, and, primarily, maritime-cargo transportation containers. This report summarizes the advances and progress of the system’s development in 2005. The contents of this report include an overview of the prototype inspection system, selected Receiver-Operator-Characteristic curves for system detection performance characterization, a description of the approach used to integrate the three major detection components of the PPA inspection system, highlights of the gray-scale density mapping technique being used for significant shield material detection, and higher electron beam energy detection results to support an evaluation for an optimal interrogating beam energy. This project is supported by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Research and Development and, more recently, the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office.

Research done by the Infrared Photonics team at PNNL is focused on developing miniaturized integrated optics for the MWIR and LWIR by exploiting the unique optical and material properties of chalcogenide glass. PNNL has developed thin film deposition capabilities, direct-laser writing techniques, IR photonic device demonstration, holographic optical element design and fabrication, photonic device modeling, and advanced optical metrology - all specific to chalcogenide glass. Chalcogenide infrared photonics provides a pathway to Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) transmitter miniaturization. QCLs provide a viable infrared laser source for a new class of laser transmitters capable of meeting the performance requirements for a variety of national security sensing applications. The high output power, small size, and superb stability and modulation characteristics of QCLs make them amenable for integration as transmitters into ultra-sensitive, ultra-selective point sampling and remote short-range chemical sensors that are particularly useful for nuclear nonproliferation missions.

• Mathematical tables and measuring units ; Mathematics ; Mechanics of solids and fluids ; Heat ; Strength of materials ; Materials of engineering ; Fuels and furnaces ; Machine elements ; Power generation ; Materials handling ; Transportation ; Building construction and equipment ; Manufacturing processes ; Fans, pumps, and compressors ; Electrical and electronics engineering ; Instruments and controls ; Industrial engineering ; Regulatory environment ; Refrigeration, cryogenics, and optics ; Emerging technologies and miscellany.

Solve any mechanical engineering problem quickly and easily with the world's leading engineering handbook. Nearly 1800 pages of mechanical engineering facts, figures, standards, and practices, 2000 illustrations, and 900 tables clarifying important mathematical and engineering principle, and the collective wisdom of 160 experts help you answer any analytical, design, and application question you will ever have.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)