Evaluation of methods for seismic analysis of mixed-oxide fuel fabrication plants

Guidelines are needed for selecting appropriate methods of structural analyses to evaluate the seismic hazard of mixed-oxide fuel fabrication plants. This study examines the different available methods and their applicability to fabrication plants. These results should provide a basis for establishing guidelines recommending methods of analysis to ensure safe design against seismic hazards. Using the Westinghouse Recycle Fuels Plant as representative of future mixed-oxide fuel fabrication plants, critical structures and equipment (systems, components, and piping/ducting) were identified. These included the manufacturing building and 11 different pieces of equipment. After examination of the dynamic response characteristics of the building and the different methods available to analyze equipment, appropriate methods of analyses were recommended. Because critical equipment analysis and test methods generally use floor-response spectra as their seismic input loading, several methods used to generate floor spectra were also examined. These include the time-history approach and the Kapur and Biggs approximate methods. The examination included the effect of site characteristics and both horizontal and vertical structural response. (auth

Field Estimates of Parentage Reveal Sexually Antagonistic Selection on Body Size in a Population of Anolis Lizards

Sexual dimorphism evolves when selection favors different phenotypic optima between the sexes. Such sexually antagonistic selection creates intralocus sexual conflict when traits are genetically correlated between the sexes and have sex‐specific optima. Brown anoles are highly sexually dimorphic: Males are on average 30% longer than females and 150% heavier in our study population. Viability selection on body size is known to be sexually antagonistic, and directional selection favors large male size whereas stabilizing selection constrains females to remain small. We build on previous studies of viability selection by measuring sexually antagonistic selection using reproductive components of fitness over three generations in a natural population of brown anoles. We estimated the number of offspring produced by an individual that survived to sexual maturity (termed RSV), a measure of individual fitness that includes aspects of both individual reproductive success and offspring survival. We found directional selection on male body size, consistent with previous studies of viability selection. However, selection on female body size varied among years, and included periods of positive directional selection, quadratic stabilizing selection, and no selection. Selection acts differently in the sexes based on both survival and reproduction and sexual conflict appears to be a persistent force in this species

Seismic Safety Study

During the past three decades, the Laboratory has been proactive in providing a seismically safe working environment for its employees and the general public. Completed seismic upgrades during this period have exceeded $30M with over 24 buildings structurally upgraded. Nevertheless, seismic questions still frequently arise regarding the safety of existing buildings. To address these issues, a comprehensive study was undertaken to develop an improved understanding of the seismic integrity of the Laboratory's entire building inventory at the Livermore Main Site and Site 300. The completed study of February 2005 extended the results from the 1998 seismic safety study per Presidential Executive Order 12941, which required each federal agency to develop an inventory of its buildings and to estimate the cost of mitigating unacceptable seismic risks. Degenkolb Engineers, who performed the first study, was recontracted to perform structural evaluations, rank order the buildings based on their level of seismic deficiencies, and to develop conceptual rehabilitation schemes for the most seriously deficient buildings. Their evaluation is based on screening procedures and guidelines as established by the Interagency Committee on Seismic Safety in Construction (ICSSC). Currently, there is an inventory of 635 buildings in the Laboratory's Facility Information Management System's (FIMS's) database, out of which 58 buildings were identified by Degenkolb Engineers that require seismic rehabilitation. The remaining 577 buildings were judged to be adequate from a seismic safety viewpoint. The basis for these evaluations followed the seismic safety performance objectives of DOE standard (DOE STD 1020) Performance Category 1 (PC1). The 58 buildings were ranked according to three risk-based priority classifications (A, B, and C) as shown in Figure 1-1 (all 58 buildings have structural deficiencies). Table 1-1 provides a brief description of their expected performance and damage state following a major earthquake, rating the seismic vulnerability (1-10) where the number 10 represents the highest and worst. Buildings in classifications A and B were judged to require the Laboratory's highest attention towards rehabilitation, classification C buildings could defer rehabilitation until a major remodel is undertaken. Strengthening schemes were developed by Degenkolb Engineers for the most seriously deficient A and B classifications (15 total), which the Laboratory's Plant Engineering Department used as its basis for rehabilitation construction cost estimates. A detailed evaluation of Building 2580, a strengthening scheme, and a construction cost estimate are pending. Specific details of the total estimated rehabilitation costs, a proposed 10-year seismic rehabilitation plan, exemption categories by building, DOE performance guidelines, cost comparisons for rehabilitation, and LLNL reports by Degenkolb Engineers are provided in Appendix A. Based on the results of Degenkolb Engineers evaluations, along with the prevailing practice for the disposition of seismically deficient buildings and risk-based evaluations, it is concluded that there is no need to evacuate occupants from these 58 buildings prior to their rehabilitation

Overview of crash and impact analysis at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

This work provides a brief overview of past and ongoing efforts at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in the area of finite-element modeling of crash and impact problems. The process has been one of evolution in several respects. One aspect of the evolution has been the continual upgrading and refinement of the DYNA, NIKE, and TOPAZ family of finite-element codes. The major missions of these codes involve problems where the dominant factors are high-rate dynamics, quasi-statics, and heat transfer, respectively. However, analysis of a total event, whether it be a shipping container drop or an automobile/barrier collision, may require use or coupling or two or more of these codes. Along with refinements in speed, contact capability, and element technology, material model complexity continues to evolve as more detail is demanded from the analyses. A more recent evolution has involved the mix of problems addressed at LLNL and the direction of the technology thrusts. A pronounced increase in collaborative efforts with the civilian and private sector has resulted in a mix of complex problems involving synergism between weapons applications (shipping container, earth penetrator, missile carrier, ship hull damage) and a more broad base of problems such as vehicle impacts as discussed herein

The role of microparticles in pathomechanisms of diabetic retinopathy : analysis of intercellular communication mechanisms in endothelial aging : case control study in patients with metabolic syndrome, diabetes type 1 and type 2

The project is proposed to explain the role of specific circulating microparticles (MPs) as conveyors in trafficking bio-active molecules in type 1 (T1DM) and type 2 (T2DM) diabetic patients with risk of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and in patients with metabolic syndrome (MS). The possible role of miRNAs as modulators of these processes (in switching on/off mechanism on the molecular level) is proposed. An increased number of MPs with respect to glucose concentrations and levels of proangiogenic factors in vivo (patients’ plasma) is expected. The relationship between age of patents and MP content (cell membrane glycoproteins, phosphatidylserine or miRNA profile) is possible. MPs will be obtained from T1DM (n = 30) T2DM (n = 30), MS (n = 30) and controls (n = 30). Retinopathy in diabetic patients will be assessed by imaging method. Biological profile of MPs will be assessed in vitro by means of flow cytometry, molecular biology methods and cell proliferation assays

Second harmonic generation microscopy investigation of the crystalline ultrastructure of three barley starch lines affected by hydration

Second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy is employed to study changes in crystalline organization due to altered gene expression and hydration in barley starch granules. SHG intensity and susceptibility ratio values (R’(SHG)) are obtained using reduced Stokes-Mueller polarimetric microscopy. The maximum R’(SHG) values occur at moderate moisture indicating the narrowest orientation distribution of nonlinear dipoles from the cylindrical axis of glucan helices. The maximum SHG intensity occurs at the highest moisture and amylopectin content. These results support the hypothesis that SHG is caused by ordered hydrogen and hydroxyl bond networks which increase with hydration of starch granules

A Machine Learning Method to Infer Fundamental Stellar Parameters from Photometric Light Curves

A fundamental challenge for wide-field imaging surveys is obtaining follow-up spectroscopic observations: there are > $10^9$ photometrically cataloged sources, yet modern spectroscopic surveys are limited to ~few x $10^6$ targets. As we approach the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) era, new algorithmic solutions are required to cope with the data deluge. Here we report the development of a machine-learning framework capable of inferring fundamental stellar parameters (Teff, log g, and [Fe/H]) using photometric-brightness variations and color alone. A training set is constructed from a systematic spectroscopic survey of variables with Hectospec/MMT. In sum, the training set includes ~9000 spectra, for which stellar parameters are measured using the SEGUE Stellar Parameters Pipeline (SSPP). We employed the random forest algorithm to perform a non-parametric regression that predicts Teff, log g, and [Fe/H] from photometric time-domain observations. Our final, optimized model produces a cross-validated root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 165 K, 0.39 dex, and 0.33 dex for Teff, log g, and [Fe/H], respectively. Examining the subset of sources for which the SSPP measurements are most reliable, the RMSE reduces to 125 K, 0.37 dex, and 0.27 dex, respectively, comparable to what is achievable via low-resolution spectroscopy. For variable stars this represents a ~12-20% improvement in RMSE relative to models trained with single-epoch photometric colors. As an application of our method, we estimate stellar parameters for ~54,000 known variables. We argue that this method may convert photometric time-domain surveys into pseudo-spectrographic engines, enabling the construction of extremely detailed maps of the Milky Way, its structure, and history