• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.195-203
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• 2001

A fine-grid (3 km ${\times}$ 3 km), three-dimensional nowcast system of sea levels, currents, temperature, and salinity is being developed for the Taiwan Strait. The project takes a balanced approach relying equally on models and observations, will have the capacity of real-time data assimilation, and is aimed at both practical and scientific applications. To determine boundary conditions and verify model results, eight coastal tide-gauge stations were first established along both sides of the strait. Strait-wide hydrographic surveys were conducted by research vessels. Currents are being measured using bottom-mounted ADCP moorings in a meridional deep channel off southwest Taiwan and along a traverse section in the central part of the strait. In addition to a fine-resolution three-dimensional model of the Taiwan Strait, an adjoint model and a larger-domain two-dimensional model were used to better determine boundary conditions in the northern and southern boundaries of the strait. In the first stage of model development, barotropic tides were successfully simulated in a hindcast mode. The protocol product has been released to general public, including government agencies, universities and general users.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.1358-1367
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• 2017

The data integration with modeled predictions (DIMP) model is a promising inverse radiation transport method for solving the special nuclear material (SNM) holdup problem. Unlike previous methods, DIMP is a completely passive nondestructive assay technique that requires no initial assumptions regarding the source distribution or active measurement time. DIMP predicts the most probable source location and distribution through Bayesian inference and quasi-Newtonian optimization of predicted detector responses (using the adjoint transport solution) with measured responses. DIMP performs well with forward hemispherical collimation and unshielded measurements, but several considerations are required when using narrow-view collimated detectors. DIMP converged well to the correct source distribution as the number of synthetic responses increased. DIMP also performed well for the first experimental validation exercise after applying a collimation factor, and sufficiently reducing the source search volume's extent to prevent the optimizer from getting stuck in local minima. DIMP's simple point detector response function (DRF) is being improved to address coplanar false positive/negative responses, and an angular DRF is being considered for integration with the next version of DIMP to account for highly collimated responses. Overall, DIMP shows promise for solving the SNM holdup inverse problem, especially once an improved optimization algorithm is implemented.