Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Delivering high-quality service to the public in the form of fair, timely, and consistent eligibility decisions for disability benefits is one of SSA's most pressing challenges. This testimony discusses (1) the difficulties SSA faces managing disability claims processing; (2) the outmoded concepts of SSA's disability program; and (3) the Commissioner's strategy for improving the disability process and the challenges it faces."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Under the Department of Education's Federal Direct Loan Program (FDLP), students or their parents borrow money directly from the federal government through the vocational, undergraduate, or graduate schools that students attend. FDLP offers four loan types, including consolidation loans, which allow borrowers to combine multiple loans, possibly from different federal student loan programs, into a single loan with one monthly payment and a fixed borrower interest rate. The other three FDLP loan types provide variable borrower interest rates. The reported outstanding gross balance of FDLP loans to borrowers was $84.5 billion as of September 30, 2003, and the related allowance for subsidy--or the cost Education expected to incur on the outstanding loans--was $657 million. The key driver of the FDLP cost to the government is the difference between the borrower interest rate and Education's financing cost or borrowing rate from Treasury. Because of concerns about Education's reliance on estimates to project FDLP costs and a lack of historical information on which to base those estimates, the House Committee on the Budget previously asked us to review key aspects of Education's cost estimates for FDLP. Our January 2001 report …

Numerical weather prediction (NWP) models and atmospheric dispersion models rely on parameterizations of planetary boundary layer height. In the case of a stable boundary layer, errors in boundary layer height estimation can result in gross errors in boundary-layer evolution and in prediction of turbulent mixing within the boundary layer. We use large-eddy simulations (LES) of moderately stable boundary layers to characterize the effects of various physical processes on stable boundary layers. The stable boundary layer height is assumed to be a function of surface friction velocity, geostrophic wind, Monin-Obukhov length, and the strength of the temperature inversion atop the stable boundary layer. This temperature inversion induces gravity waves with a frequency determined by the strength of the temperature inversion.

The groundwater at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) contains many long-lived radionuclides, including {sup 99}Tc (technetium) and {sup 129}I (iodine), as a result of 828 underground nuclear weapons tests conducted between 1951 and 1992. We synthesized a body of data collected on the distribution of {sup 99}Tc and {sup 129}I in groundwater to assess their migration at NTS, at field scales over distances of hundreds of meters and for durations up to forty years and under hydrogeologic conditions very similar to the proposed geological repository at Yucca Mountain. The results of our study show that Tc does not necessarily exist as a mobile and conservative species TcO{sub 4}{sup -}, as has been commonly assumed. This conclusion is corroborated by recent in situ redox potential measurements, which show that groundwaters at multiple locations of the NTS are not oxidizing, and mobility of reduced Tc species (TcO{sub 2} {center_dot} nH{sub 2}O) is greatly decreased. Speciation of iodine and its associated reactivity is also complex in the groundwater at the NTS, and its effect on the mobility of iodine should be the subject of future studies.

This report details the information related to budget allocation for FY 2005 The contents include Budget Action, Outlays, Receipts, deficits, and Surpluses, etc.

Traditionally building simulation models are used at the design phase of a building project. These models are used to optimize various design alternatives, reduce energy consumption and cost. Building performance assessment for the operational phase of a buildings life cycle is sporadic, typically working from historical metered data and focusing on bulk energy assessment. Building Management Systems (BMS) do not explicitly incorporate feedback to the design phase or account for any changes, which have been made to building layout or fabric during construction. This paper discusses a proposal to develop an Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) compliant data visualization tool Building Performance Indicator (BuildingPI) for performance metric and performance effectiveness ratio evaluation.

An In Tank Processing (ITP) technology was developed at the Savannah River Site to remove Cs-137 from high-level waste supernates. During the ITP process monosodium titanate and sodium tetraphenylborate (NaTPB) were added to the salt supernate to adsorb Sr-90/Pu-238 and precipitate Cs-137 as CsTPB, respectively. This process was demonstrated at the SRS in 1983. The demonstration produced 53,000 gallons of 2.5 weight per cent Cs rich precipitate containing TPB, which was later washed and diluted to 250,000 gallons. This material is currently stored in SRS tanks. The washed precipitate was to ultimately be disposed in borosilicate glass in the Defense Waste Processing Facility. Due to safety concerns the ITP process was abandoned in 1998, and new technologies are being researched for Cs-137 removal. In order to make space in the SRS Tank farm, the tank waste must be removed. Therefore, the tank waste must be processed to reduce or eliminate levels of nitrates, nitrites, and sodium tetra phenylborate (NaTPB) in order to reduce impacts of these species before it is vitrified at the DWPF. Fluidized Bed Steam Reforming (FBSR) is being considered as a candidate technology for destroying the nitrates and the NaTPB prior to melting. The purposes of the …

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The new silicon detector design for CDF relies on advanced packaging solutions in order to attain the strict small size and low mass requirements dictated by the experiment's physics program. The silicon strip detector at CDF is composed of overlaying silicon sensors in the form of a barrel around the colliding beam. The electronic instrumentation (sensors, readout and transceiver chips) is assembled into the staves of this barrel. In this paper we describe the development of the mini port card (MPC). The MPC is located at one of the ends of the stave, and it is responsible for signal translation and repetition from the readout chips to and from the data acquisition system (DAQ). The MPC's development has taken two approaches that use different technologies. One of the approaches uses BeO as the board substrate (BeO-MPC), while the other approach uses a hybrid rigid-flexible polyimide substrate (Poly-MPC). We present test results of pre-production parts, each one assembled with a different MPC packaging technology. Complete thermal and electrical characterization of the MPC is shown, and the advantages and disadvantages of both technologies, as well as their influence in the overall system performance, are presented.

OAK-B135 Quarterly Technical Report summarizing BBN's support of the DOE/NNSA GNEM program. This report details BBN's efforts to improve the modeling of explosions and other events underwater and their propagation to hydroacoustic sensor networks. OK to release, no restriction on copyright

GRETINA is a gamma-ray detector array capable of reconstructing the energy and spatial positions of gamma-ray interactions within the germanium crystals. It will be used to study the structure and stability of nuclei under various conditions. The new capabilities provided by gamma-ray tracking will give large gains in sensitivity for a large number of experiments, particularly those aimed at nuclei far from beta stability. A proposal for GRETINA was submitted to DOE in June 2003. It presented the scientific case, the readiness of technical development, the design, the suggested management organizations, and a proposed cost and schedule. The GRETINA proposal received its CD0 approval in August 2003. The CD-1 review will be held on December 3 and 4, 2003, and will be handled by the DOE-N. This report presents the charge to the GRETINA vetting review committee, and the findings, comments and recommendations of this committee. The purpose of this project vetting review was to assure that the GRETINA project is on track to provide DOE and the nuclear physics community with the agreed upon deliverables within the agreed upon budget and schedule. The vetting review committee was asked to cover both technical and management aspects of the GRETINA Project. …

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear facilities are categorized by the level of hazard they pose to workers, the general public, and the environment. This paper applies the methodology outlined in DOE-STD-1027-92 and interpreted in recent DOE guidance to a nuclear material storage facility at the Savannah River Site to reduce the category of the facility to below HC-3.

Residual radioactive waste was removed from Tank 18F in the F-Area Tank Farm at Savannah River Site (SRS), using the advanced design mixer pump (ADMP). Known as a slurry pump, the ADMP is a 55 foot long pump with an upper motor mounted to a steel super structure, which spans the top of the waste tank. The motor is connected by a long vertical drive shaft to a centrifugal pump, which is submerged in waste near the tank bottom. The pump mixes, or slurries, the waste within the tank so that it may be transferred out of the tank. Tank 18F is a 1.3 million gallon, 85 foot diameter underground waste storage tank, which has no internal components such as cooling coils or structural supports. The tank contained a residual 47,000 gallons of nuclear waste, consisting of a gelatinous radioactive waste known as sludge and particulate zeolite. The prediction of the ADMP success was based on nearly twenty five years of research and the application of that research to slurry pump technology. Many personnel at SRS and Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL) have significantly contributed to these efforts. This report summarizes that research which is pertinent to the ADMP performance …

In this report we develop a view of the Grid based on the application service provider (ASP) model. This view enables the user to see the Grid as a collection of application services that can be published, discovered, and accessed in a relatively straightforward manner, hiding much of the complexity involved in using computational Grids and thus making it simpler and more accessible to a wider range of users. However, in order to satisfy the requirements of real-time scientific application clients, we combine the ASP model with representation of quality of service about the execution of services and the results they produce. Specifically, we focus on real-time, deadline-bound execution as the quality of service derived by a client. We describe an architecture implementing these ideas and the role of client and server in the context of the functionality we develop. We also describe preliminary experiments using an equilibrium fitting application for magnetic fusion in our architecture.

A statistical study was performed on two candidate methods for measuring the weight percentage insoluble solids in ITP slurry samples. This work was necessary because the preferred method for using a microwave power weight percentage solids analyzer was unsuccessful. The weight percentage solids measurements are needed to provide process control information during the ITP cold runs.

This report describes the work performed to determine the performance and fate of several commercial antifoams during evaporation of various simulants of Envelope A, B, and C mixed with simulated River Protection Project Waste Treatment Plant (RPP-WTP) recycle streams. Chemical and radiation stability of selected antifoams was also investigated.Contributors to this effort include: Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), DOW Corning Analytical, and Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC).

Uranium contamination of soils and sediments often originates from acidic or alkaline waste sources, with diffusion being a major transport mechanism. Measurements of U(VI) diffusion from initially pH 2 and pH 11 solutions into a slightly alkaline Altamont soil and a neutral Oak Ridge soil were obtained through monitoring uptake from boundary reservoirs and from U concentration profiles within soil columns. The soils provided pH buffering, resulting in diffusion at nearly constant pH. Micro x-ray absorption near edge structure spectra confirmed that U remained in U(VI) forms in all soils. Time trends of U(VI) depletion from reservoirs, and U(VI) concentration profiles within soil columns yielded K{sub d} values consistent with those determined in batch tests at similar concentrations ({approx} 1 mM), and much lower than values for sorption at much lower concentrations (nM to {mu}M). These results show that U(VI) transport at high concentrations can be relatively fast at non-neutral pH, with negligible surface diffusion, because of weak sorption.

Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) has developed a process to immobilize waste salt containing fission products, uranium, and transuranic elements as chlorides in a glass-bonded ceramic waste form. This salt was generated in the electrorefining operation used in the electrometallurgical treatment of spent Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II) fuel. The ceramic waste process culminates with an elevated temperature operation. The processing conditions used by the furnace, for demonstration scale and production scale operations, are to be developed at Argonne National Laboratory-West (ANL-West). To assist in selecting the processing conditions of the furnace and to reduce the number of costly experiments, a finite difference model was developed to predict the consolidation of the ceramic waste. The model accurately predicted the heating as well as the bulk density of the ceramic waste form. The methodology used to develop the computer model and a comparison of the analysis to experimental data is presented.

Minimizing building life cycle energy consumption is becoming of paramount importance. Performance metrics tracking offers a clear and concise manner of relating design intent in a quantitative form. A methodology is discussed for storage and utilization of these performance metrics through an Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) instantiated Building Information Model (BIM). The paper focuses on storage of three sets of performance data from three distinct sources. An example of a performance metrics programming hierarchy is displayed for a heat pump and a solar array. Utilizing the sets of performance data, two discrete performance effectiveness ratios may be computed, thus offering an accurate method of quantitatively assessing building performance.

Daily newspaper from Baytown, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

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I present a promising route to harmonize distance measurements based on clump giants and RR Lyrae stars. This is achieved by comparing the brightness of these distance indicators in three environments: the solar neighborhood, Galactic bulge and Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). As a result of harmonizing the distance scales in the solar neighborhood and Baade's Window, I derive the new absolute magnitude of RR Lyrae stars, M{sub v}(RR) at [Fe/H] = -1.6 (0.59 {+-} 0.05, 0.70 {+-} 0.05). Being somewhat brighter than the statistical parallax solution, but fainter than typical results of the main sequence fitting to Hipparcos data, these values of M{sub V}(RR) favor intermediate or old ages of globular clusters. Harmonizing the distance scales in the LMC and Baade's Window, I show that the most likely distance modulus to the LMC, {mu}{sub LMC} is in the range 18.24 - 18.44. The Hubble constant of about 70 km/s/Mpc reported by the HST Key Project is based on the assumption that the distance modulus to the LMC equals 18.50. The results presented here indicate that the Hubble Constant may be up to 12% higher. This in turn would call for a younger Universe and could result in some tension between …

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This paper presents a summary of the performance of our 2 kHz rotary fast tool servo and an overview of its control systems. We also discuss the loop shaping techniques used to design the power amplifier current control loop and the implementation of that controller in an op-amp circuit. The design and development of the control system involved a long list of items including: current compensation; tool position compensation; notch filter design and phase stabilizing with an additional pole for a plant with an undamped resonance; adding viscous damping to the fast tool servo; voltage budget for driving real and reactive loads; dealing with unwanted oscillators; ground loops; digital-to-analog converter glitches; electrical noise from the spindle motor switching power supply; and filtering the spindle encoder signal to generate smooth tool tip trajectories. Eventually, all of these topics will be discussed in detail in a Ph.D. thesis that will include this work. For the purposes of this paper, rather than present a diluted discussion that attempts to touch on all of these topics, we will focus on the first item with sufficient detail for providing insight into the design process.