Nevada Test Site-Directed Research and Development: FY 2006 Report

The Nevada Test Site–Directed Research and Development (SDRD) program completed its fifth successful year of research and development activities in FY 2006. Forty new projects were selected for funding this year, and ten FY 2005 projects were brought to conclusion. The total funds expended by the SDRD program were $6 million, for an average per-project cost of$120 thousand. Beginning in May, 2006 programmatic burden rates were applied to SDRD project costs. An external audit conducted in September 2006 verified that appropriate accounting practices were applied to the SDRD program. Highlights for the year included: the filing of 27 invention disclosures for intellectual property generated by FY 2006 projects; programmatic adoption of four FY 2005 SDRD-developed technologies; participation in the tri-Lab Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) and SDRD program review that was broadly attended by NTS, NNSA, LDRD, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security representatives; peer reviews of all FY 2006 projects; and the successful completion of 50 R&D projects, as presented in this report

Towards the development of a strategy for a national spatial data infrastructure

In today's world of ever advancing technology the time is precisely right for investment in the development and implementation of a national spatial data infrastructure. This implies that all spatial data presently scattered in different departments and organisations are coordinated and shared. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia there are a number of different mapping and Geographic Information System (GIS) activities being implemented within various government organisations, each with its own merits. Certain research and pilot projects have also been carried out aiming to provide help and recommendations with regard to spatial data sharing and to promote awareness of the importance of spatial data to the Kingdom's development. However, there is an urgent need for a consolidation of effort to avoid the costly mistake of duplication of work; hence the need for a unified national spatial data infrastructure. This research aims to develop a conceptual framework for a strategy for a national spatial data infrastructure (SNSDI) including its main components. A proposal is presented for a Saudi national spatial data infrastructure (which happens to have the same abbreviation - SNSDI) to consolidate isolated mapping and spatial data efforts in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in place of the current practice of each agency acting independently. This research project will hopefully provide a leadership role in developing a Kingdom-wide spatial data infrastructure

Reaction Volumes of Photoinitiated Reactions, and Their Use As Probes of Reactive Intermediates

Photoacoustic calorimetry is a sensitive method for measuring the enthalpies, kinetics, and changes in volumes for reactions that generate transient intermediates through photoexcitation. This work focuses on building a better understanding of ΔVrxn, to ascertain the importance of accounting for ΔVrxn when measuring enthalpies of reaction via photoacoustic methods. ΔVrxn for three metal carbonyls has been measured. The results presented herein show that to obtain high-quality thermochemical information from photoacoustic measurements, it is necessary to account for the contribution of ΔVrxn. Neither the magnitude nor the sign of this contribution may be predicted without either the direct measurement of ΔVrxn or (as an outcome of the research described in this dissertation) computationally. Failure to account for this contribution may results in errors in the measured ΔHrxn by as much as 79% [e.g. (CH3OC)Mn(CO)5 in octane].This dissertation also lays the groundwork for the use of ΔVrxn to distinguish between possible structures of short-lived intermediates though a combination of photoacoustic measurements and computational chemistry. A protocol is described that will allow molecular dynamics simulations to be used to determine the solvated volume of a molecule, and to combine several of these measurements to allow the volume change accompanying a reaction to be determined computationally. Simulations conducted via this protocol are in good agreement with our experimental results. These simulations will allow experimental results to provide a new window into the nature of short-lived intermediates, and the mechanistic of their reactions. Several unsuccessful molecular dynamics simulations are also described in order to identify cases where simulations may not provide accurate data and how these issues may be addressed

Network knowledge and route choice

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2002.Includes bibliographical references (p. 225-236).Models of urban traveler route choice are reviewed in the context of Intelligent Transportation Systems, particularly Advanced Traveler Information S ystems. Existing models suffer from assumptions of perfect information about travel conditions a nd infinite information processing capabilities of drivers. We present evidence that a majority of travelers fail to minimize travel time or distance. We also show that travelers with more network knowledge appear to vary their commute route to respond to changing travel conditions. Coefficient estimates of a model of network knowledge, based on the geographical idea of spatial ability, are presented. To better understand habitual route choice behavior, we examine many possible route generation algorithms. A simulation approach is preferred because it allows for heterogeneity in driver perceptions and it has a quick computational time. Alternative route choice model specifications such as Multinomial Logit, C-Logit, Path Size Logit, Cross-Nested Logit and Logit Kernel Probit are evaluated. The exponential specification of the Path S ize term, using a large parameter value, offers a considerable improvement in fit over MNL, C -Logit and CNL. A hybrid Path Size Logit and Logit Kernel Probit model offers the best overall fit; however, the stability of these estimates requires further examination. The hybrid Path S ize Logit and CNL model provides the next best empirical fit. Random coefficient specifications of MNL, PS L and LK Probit models were also examined.Significant random coefficient parameter estimates were only obtained for the MNL model. This result suggests that random coefficients capture variation in route choice models that would be more effectively explained by a Path S ize or LK Probit specification. Model fit can be further improved by adding an Implicit Availability/Perception term that includes estimated network knowledge. However, this term provides limited explanatory power, as can be seen by its standard errors and by forecasts that are relatively insensitive to changes in traveler knowledge. These results suggest that continued development of better attitudinal surveys to assess network knowledge and wayfinding strategies would allow estimation of route choice models with better explanatory power.by Michael Scott Ramming.Ph.D