A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Energy (DOE), which carries out its national security, environmental cleanup, and research missions through extensive use of contractors, faces significant costs for postretirement health and pension benefits for contractor employees. Given DOE's long history of using contractors and the rising cost of postretirement benefits, the Chairman, House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, asked GAO to (1) analyze DOE's estimated financial obligation for postretirement health and pension benefits for contractor employees at the end of fiscal year 2003, (2) determine how DOE evaluates its contractor postretirement health and pension benefit programs and assesses the comparative levels of benefits offered by contractors, and (3) assess how DOE's oversight of these benefits could be enhanced."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "From 1993 through 2002, the Department of Defense (DOD) delivered over $150 billion in services and defense articles--including classified spare parts and unclassified items containing military technology--to countries through foreign military sales programs. GAO was asked to review whether the Army's key internal controls adequately restricted blanket orders for (1) classified spare parts and (2) unclassified items containing military technology. GAO was also asked to determine if periodic tests were conducted to validate the Army's system and its logic."

A 200-kW fuel cell produced by International Fuel Cells (IFC), a United Technologies Company, began operation at the National Transportation Research Center (NTRC) in early June 2003. The NTRC is a joint Oak Ridge National laboratory (ORNL) and University of Tennessee research facility located in Knoxville, Tennessee. This research activity investigated the protective relaying functions of this fully commercialized fuel cell power plant, which uses ''synthesized'' protective relays. The project's goal is to characterize the compatibility between the fuel cell's interconnection protection system and the local distribution system or electric power system (EPS). ORNL, with assistance from the Electric Power Research Institute-Power Electronics Applications Center (EPRI-PEAC) in Knoxville, Tennessee, monitored and characterized the system compatibility over a period of 6 months. Distribution utility engineers are distrustful of or simply uncomfortable with the protective relaying and hardware provided as part of distributed generation (DG) plants. Part of this mistrust is due to the fact that utilities generally rely on hardware from certain manufacturers whose reliability is well established based on performance over many years or even decades. Another source of concern is the fact that fuel cells and other types of DG do not use conventional relays but, instead, the protective …

Shimony's method of analysis does not distinguish adequately between a legitimate assumption of no faster-than-light action in one direction and the to-be-proved assertion of faster-than-light transfer of information in the opposite direction. The virtue is noted of replacing the logical framework based counterfactual concepts by one based on the concept of fixed past and open future.

This quarterly report documents significant achievements in the Enhanced Practical Photosynthetic CO{sub 2} Mitigation project during the period from 1/2/2004 through 4/1/2004. Specific results and accomplishments for the first quarter of 2004 include: (1) CRF-2 test system: After the recent successful test results were achieved, the system was taken off-line for re-sealing and other operational improvements to prepare for the next level of testing, which will include direct measurement of carbon uptake in addition to organism mass measurements. (2) 15 biomass slurry samples are currently being analyzed with carbon dating techniques at Galbraith Labs, and statistical analysis of the results will determine if pre and post test carbon analysis is an acceptable means for carbon uptake estimation. (3) Pilot Scale: Quantitative organism growth testing is underway in the pilot scale bioreactor. Problems with uniformity of organism loading delayed the start of quantitative testing, and it remains as a continuing issue that has not been completely resolved. (4) The sustainability test was begun with approximately 30 gallons of algae and 2 Omnisil membranes. The initial mass determination procedure was completed, and the biomass growth over the course of the experiment has been preliminarily quantified.

OAK-B135 DNA Damage Recognition and Repair (DDR and R) proteins play a critical role in cellular responses to low-dose radiation and are associated with cancer. the authors have performed a systematic, genome-wide computational analysis of genomic data for human genes involved in the DDR and R process. The significant achievements of this project include: (1) Construction of the computational pipeline for searching DDR and R genes, building and validation of 3D models of proteins involved in DDR and R; (2) Functional and structural annotation of the 3D models and generation of comprehensive lists of suggested knock-out mutations; (3) Important improvement of macromolecular docking technology and its application to predict the DNA-Protein complex conformation; (4) Development of a new algorithm for improved analysis of high-density oligonucleotide arrays for gene expression profiling; (5) Construction and maintenance of the DNA Damage Recognition and Repair Database; and (6) Producing 14 research papers (10 published and 4 in preparation).

A Saltstone waste form was prepared in the Savannah River Technical Center (SRTC) shielded cells facility from a Tank 41H sample and Z-Area premix material. After a cure of at least 28 days, samples of the Saltstone were collected and characterized. Results showed that a Class 3 Industrial Solid Waste Landfill (ISWLF) would be required for disposal of this Tank 41H Saltstone waste form because of high leachate nitrate and alpha-emitting radionuclide concentrations.

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Three dip samples of suspended sludge slurry were obtained from Tank 51H and sent to the Savannah River Technology Center for analysis. The composite of these samples is intended as a confirmatory sample to evaluate the acceptability of the Tank 51H sludge slurry for transfer to Tank 40H and for eventual processing in the Defense Waste Processing Facility. This report presents results of analyses requested by the Defense Waste Processing Facility for this evaluation. These analyses included the measurement of the concentrations of twenty two elements in the sludge slurry and the determination of the weight percent calcined solids of the slurry.

Advanced Technology Systems, Inc. (ATS), with Desert Research Institute (DRI) and Ohio University as subcontractors, was contracted by the NETL in September 1998 to manage the Upper Ohio River Valley Project (UORVP), which included the establishment and operation of four ambient air monitoring sites located in the Upper Ohio River Valley (UORV). Two urban and two rural monitoring sites were included in the UORVP. The four sites selected for the UOVRP were collocated at existing local and/or state air quality monitoring stations. The goal of the UORVP was to characterize the nature and composition of PM{sub 2.5} and its precursor gases. In the process, the objectives of the UORVP were to examine the ambient air concentrations of PM{sub 2.5} as compared with the promulgated PM{sub 2.5} standards, the geographical, seasonal and temporal variations of ambient air concentrations of PM{sub 2.5}, the primary chemical constituents of PM{sub 2.5}, and the correlations between ambient air concentrations of PM{sub 2.5} and its precursor gases, other gaseous pollutants and meteorological parameters. A variety of meteorological and pollutant measurement devices, including several different PM{sub 2.5} samplers that provided either real-time or integrated concentration data, were deployed at the monitoring sites. The frequency of integrated sampling …

A one-year non-cost extension has been granted for this project. In this quarter, the field, theoretical and programming works have been performed toward achieving the research goals set in the proposal. The main accomplishments in this quarter included: (1) laboratory tests have been conducted, (2) with the added trendline analysis method, the accuracy of the data interpretation methodology will be improved and the interfaces and voids can be more reliably detected, (3) method to use torque to thrust ratio as indicator of rock relative hardness has also been explored, and (3) about 80% of the development work for the roof geology mapping program, MRGIS, has completed and a special version of the program is in the field testing stage.

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Plasma neutralization of an intense ion pulse is of interest for many applications, including plasma lenses, heavy ion fusion, cosmic ray propagation, etc. An analytical electron fluid model has been developed to describe the plasma response to a propagating ion beam. The model predicts very good charge neutralization during quasi-steady-state propagation, provided the beam pulse duration {tau}{sub b} is much longer than the electron plasma period 2{pi}/{omega}{sub p}, where {omega}{sub p} = (4{pi}e{sup 2}n{sub p}/m){sup 1/2} is the electron plasma frequency and n{sub p} is the background plasma density. In the opposite limit, the beam pulse excites large-amplitude plasma waves. If the beam density is larger than the background plasma density, the plasma waves break. Theoretical predictions are compared with the results of calculations utilizing a particle-in-cell (PIC) code. The cold electron fluid results agree well with the PIC simulations for ion beam propagation through a background plasma. The reduced fluid description derived in this paper can provide an important benchmark for numerical codes and yield scaling relations for different beam and plasma parameters. The visualization of numerical simulation data shows complex collective phenomena during beam entry and exit from the plasma.

In the first quarter of this DOE NETL project, we have initiated Phase I activities for researching and developing new technology to quantitatively model the rock physics effects of CO{sub 2} injection (both miscible and immiscible) in porous reservoir/aquifer rock systems containing oil-water phases. We have begun a thorough literature search to investigate all current, published methodologies and their limitations for calculating CO{sub 2}-oil and CO{sub 2}-brine properties, including currently available equation-of-state (EOS) models.

This report discusses the roles of trade, productivity, and recession regarding deindustrialization of the U.S. Economy.

This Institutional Plan for FY 2004-2008 is the principal annual planning document submitted to the Department of Energy's Office of Science by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington. This plan describes the Laboratory's mission, roles, and technical capabilities in support of Department of Energy priorities, missions, and plans. It also describes the Laboratory strategic plan, key planning assumptions, major research initiatives, and program strategy for fundamental science, energy resources, environmental quality, and national security.

As requested by the Savannah River Technology Center, Groundwater Services, Inc. (GSI), has conducted a historical analysis of Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA) application at chlorinated solvent sites. The objective of the analysis was to document trends, characteristics, successes, and barriers in the use of MNA as a remedy at chlorinated solvent sites. The analysis consisted of the following: (1) a review of recent literature regarding application of natural attenuation at chlorinated solvent sites, (2) a review of regulatory and industry guidance directing evaluation and implementation of MNA as a remedy at chlorinated solvent sites, and (3) a historical survey distributed to MNA experts, which requested data relating to the evaluation and implementation of MNA at chlorinated solvent sites.

This report examines nonproliferation assistance programs, including cooperative threat reduction, to help reduce the risk of terrorist access to weapons of mass destruction (WMD). In the FY2004 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress authorized the Bush Administration to spend $50 million of unobligated funds from the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program in states outside the former Soviet Union. A key underlying issue is whether countries that pose particular risks are prepared to provide adequate cooperation to achieve CTR objectives.

Foreign assistance is a fundamental component of the international affairs budget and is viewed by many as an essential instrument of U.S foreign policy. This report provides an overview of the U.S. foreign aid program, by addressing a number of the more frequently asked questions regarding the subject.