This reports contains how the Federal policy maker should look over several issues in the deployment of physician extender under Medicare.

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Historically, federal energy policy, including energy tax policy, promoted the development of oil and gas at the expense of alternative fuels and nonconventional forms of energy. Beginning in the 1970s, there was a shift in the focus of energy tax policy away from oil and gas toward energy conservation and toward the development of alternative fuels and nonconventional forms of energy.

Using an end-pumped technology developed at LLNL we have demonstrated a Yb:YAG laser capable of delivering up to 434 W of CW power and 226 W of Q-switched power. In addition, we have frequency doubled the output to 515 nm using a dual crystal scheme to produce 76 W at 10 kHz in a 30 ns pulse length.

Much has been written about the deterrence strategies that justified the arms race. Walter Slocombe explained that {open_quotes}[t]he dominant problem of U.S. nuclear strategy is credibly using U.S. nuclear power to deter and if necessary resist nonnuclear as well as nuclear threats to America`s allies, forces, and interests overseas.{close_quotes} As a result, the {open_quotes}flexible response{close_quotes} doctrine was developed to declare {open_quotes}that the United States, in consultation with its allies, is prepared to use nuclear weapons should other means of protection from Soviet attack threaten to fail.{close_quotes} In contrast, Freeman Dyson pointed out the Soviet Union was committed to the concept of {open_quotes}counterforce,{close_quotes} which meant that {open_quotes}if the Soviet Union sees a nuclear attack coming or has reason to believe that an attack is about to be launched, the Soviet Union will strike first at the attacker`s weapons with all available forces, and will then do whatever is necessary in order to survive.{close_quotes} Out of these military postures a tense peace ironically emerged, but the terms by which decisions were made about controlling weapons of mass destruction (i.e., nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons) were the terms of war. The thesis of this paper is that the end of the Cold War …

The traditional method for plutonium density determination is by measuring the weight loss of the component when it is immersed in a liquid of known density, Archimedes` Principle. The most commonly used heavy liquids that are compatible for plutonium measurement are freon and monobromobenzene, but these pose serious environmental and health hazards. The contaminated liquid is also a radiological waste concern with difficult disposition. A gaseous medium would eliminate these environmental and health concerns. A collaborative research effort between the Savannah River Technology Center and Los Alamos National Laboratory was undertaken to determine the feasibility of a gaseous density measurement process for plutonium hemishells.

The Evaluated Photon Data Library, 1997 version (EPLD97), is designed for use in photon transport calculations at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This library includes photon interaction data for all elements with atomic number between Z = 1 (hydrogne) and 100 (fermium), including: photoionization, photoexcitation, coherent and incoherent scattering, and pair and triplet porduction cross sections. For use in applications data is provided for all elements over the energy range 1 eV to 100 GeV. This report documents the sources and treatment of the data included inthis library. EPDL97 completely supersedes the earlier 1989 version of EPDL and it is highly recommended that useres only use the most recent version of this library.

This paper is an overview of the low-level radioactive waste management practices and treatment systems at Argonne National Laboratory - East (ANL-E). It addresses the systems, processes, types of waste treated, and the status and performance of the systems. ANL-E is a Department of Energy laboratory that is engaged in a variety of research projects, some of which generate radioactive waste, in addition a significant amount of radioactive waste remains from previous projects and decontamination and decommissioning of facilities where this work was performed.

High power laser diodes at various wavelengths are described. First, performance and reliability of an optimized large transverse mode diode structure at 808 and 941 nm are presented. Next, data are presented on a 9.5 kW peak power array at 900 nm having a narrow emission bandwidth suitable for pumping Yb:S-FAP laser materials. Finally, results on a fiber-coupled laser diode array at {approx}730 nm are presented.

Calculated excitation functions are provided for all proton-induced reactions listed for the Coordinated Research Program (CRP) on Development of a Reference Charge Particle Cross Section Data Base for Medical Radioisotope Production under the IAEA. The excitation functions are compared with experimental data sets as provided to the CRP. We discuss the merit of calculated results with respect to the experimental data.

There are three tanks in the 241-SY tank farm. Tank 241-SY101 and 241-SY-103 are flammable gas watch list tanks. Tank 241-SY-102 is included in the ventilation improvement process in an effort to further control air flow in the tank farm. This tank farm has only one outlet ventilation port for all three tanks. Flammable gas is released (may be steady and/or periodic) from the waste in the primary tank vapor space. The gas is removed from the tank by an active ventilation system. However, maintaining consistent measurable flow through the tank can be problematic due to the poor control capabilities of existing equipment. Low flow through the tank could allow flammable gas to build up in the tank and possibly exceed the lower flammability limit (LFL), prevent the most rapid removal of flammable gas from the tank after a sudden gas release, and/or cause high vacuum alarms to sound. Using the inlet and outlet down stream butterfly valves performs the current method of controlling flow in tank farm 241-SY. A filter station is installed on the inlet of each tank, but controlling air flow with its 12 inch butterfly valve is difficult. There is also in-leakage through pump and valve …

The Environmental Sciences Section (ESS), now known as the Environmental Sciences and Technology Department (ES{ampersand}TD) of the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) conducted a quarterly monitoring program of the Fourmile Branch (FMB) stream and its associated seepline located down gradient from the F- and H-Area Seepage Basins beginning May 1992 and ending in May 1995. The quarterly tritium survey was changed to a semi-annual schedule in 1996. This report details the results of the second semi-annual event in 1996 and summarizes the tritium data beginning with the baseline 1989 and 1992 sampling events. The primary focus of this program is to measure and track changes in tritium levels. Specific conductivity and pH were also measured and tracked. The measurements from this survey (September 1996) exhibited similar tritium levels, conductivity measurements, and pH values to data from the previous tritium surveys. The results of this tritium survey and stream monitoring data (Looney et al., 1993) indicate that the tritium plume resulting from the past operation of the seepage basins continues to flush from the seeplines and wetlands to Fourmile Branch. The overall summary results indicate that the tritium plumes are surfacing in somewhat localized areas along the F-Area and 643-E seeplines.

The mission of Landlord Project is to preserve, upgrade, maintain, and forecast cost effective general infrastructure activities to facilitate the Hanford Site cleanup mission. Specific functions and services provided by Landlord Project include utilities (i.e. steam, water, sanitary sewer, solid waste disposal, electrical and telecommunication distribution), transportation, general purpose facilities (includes general support shops and laboratories), services, and energy and land use management. All Landlord Project activities will be performed in an environmentally sound, safe, economical, prudent, and reliable manner. The Hanford Site Landlord Project will be competitive with commercially provided services to offer the best price, quality, and service available.

The objective of this project is to investigate styles of reservoir heterogeneity found in low permeability pelleted wackestone/packstone facies and mixed carbonate/clastic facies found in Permian Basin reservoirs by studying similar facies exposed in the Guadalupe Mountains. Specific objectives for the outcrop study include construction of a stratigraphic framework, petrophysical quantification of the framework, and testing the outcrop reservoir model for effects of reservoir heterogeneity on production performance. Specific objectives for the subsurface study parallel objectives for the outcrop study. Subsurface Activities - We continue to prepare two final reports that summarize research results of the South Cowden Field study. One report summarizes results of the petrophysical characterization research, and one summarizes results of the fluid-flow modeling research. Outcrop Activities - We also continue to prepare the final report, which summarizes the research results of the Grayburg outcrop reservoir study.

Environmental accounting represents a major paradigm shift in the way most companies account for costs and benefits. However, it is a change that must be made if pollution prevention is to become institutionalized into the corporate and government mainstream. Pollution prevention investments must be justified on an economic basis; without environmental accounting tools, pollution prevention investments cannot show their true profitability. This is because traditional accounting methods only track billable costs, thus ignoring some of the major benefits of pollution prevention investments, which are indirect savings resulting from a lessening of a company`s regulatory compliance burden and present and future liabilities. This paper discusses how to apply environmental accounting principles to pollution prevention assessments to improve the outcome of profitability analyses.

Tetraphenylborate solids provide a potentially large source of benzene in the slurries produced in the In-Tank Precipitation process. The stability of the solids is an important consideration in the safety analysis of the process and we desire an understanding of the factors that influence the rate of conversion of the solids to benzene.

This document serves as a notice of construction (NOC), pursuant to the requirements of Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 246-247-060, and as a request for approval to construct, pursuant to 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 61.96, portable exhausters for use on single-shell tanks (SSTs) during salt well pumping and other activities. The reference to `other activities` throughout this NOC means those activities described in Appendix A. The use of portable exhausters represents a cost savings feature because one portable exhauster can be moved back and forth between SSTS as schedules for salt well pumping or other activities dictate. A portable exhauster also could be used to simultaneously exhaust more than one SST during salt well pumping or during performance of other activities. The primary objective of providing active ventilation to these SSTS is to reduce the risk of postulated accidents to remain within risk guidelines. It is anticipated that salt well pumping will release gases entrapped within the waste as the liquid level is lowered, because of less hydrostatic force keeping the gases in place. Other activities also have the potential to release trapped gases by interrupting gas pockets within the waste. Hanford Site waste tanks must comply with the …

Twenty one hundred metric tons of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) are currently stored in the Hanford Site K Basins near the Columbia River. The deteriorating conditions of the fuel and the basins provide engineering and management challenges to assure safe current and future storage. DE and S Hanford, Inc., part of the Fluor Daniel Hanford, Inc. lead team on the Project Hanford Management Contract, is constructing facilities and systems to move the fuel from current pool storage to a dry interim storage facility away from the Columbia River, and to treat and dispose of K Basins sludge, debris and water. The process starts in K Basins where fuel elements will be removed from existing canisters, washed, and separated from sludge and scrap fuel pieces. Fuel elements will be placed in baskets and loaded into Multi-Canister Overpacks (MCOs) and into transportation casks. The MCO and cask will be transported to the Cold Vacuum Drying Facility, where free water within the MCO will be removed under vacuum at slightly elevated temperatures. The MCOs will be sealed and transported via the transport cask to the Canister Storage Building.

A Draft Technical Information Document (HNF-1855) is being prepared to evaluate proposed interim tritium and medical isotope production at the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF). This assessment examines the potential health and safety impacts of transportation operations associated with the production of medical isotopes. Incident-free and accidental impacts are assessed using bounding source terms for the shipment of nonradiological target materials to the Hanford Site, the shipment of irradiated targets from the FFTF to the 325 Building, and the shipment of medical isotope products from the 325 Building to medical distributors. The health and safety consequences to workers and the public from the incident-free transportation of targets and isotope products would be within acceptable levels. For transportation accidents, risks to works and the public also would be within acceptable levels. This assessment is based on best information available at this time. As the medical isotope program matures, this analysis will be revised, if necessary, to support development of a final revision to the Technical Information Document.

This document contains the sampling procedure, analytical results, and source term estimate from sampling work conducted on the main stack for the 340 Facility`s vault ventilation system. Several air filter and carbon cartridges were collected upstream of the KI off-gas control modules in order to determine the challenge source terms associated with various operating modes (e.g., under routine waste storage, during waste mixing, during waste transfer, etc.)

The mission of the Hanford Fire Department (HFD) is to support the safe and timely cleanup of the Hanford site by providing fire suppression, fire prevention, emergency rescue, emergency medical service, and hazardous materials response; and to be capable of dealing with and terminating emergency situations which could threaten the operations, employees, or interest of the U.S. Department of Energy operated Hanford site. This includes response to surrounding fire departments/districts under mutual aid and state mobilization agreements and fire fighting, hazardous materials, and ambulance support to Washington Public Power Supply System (Supply System) and various commercial entities operating on site through Requests for Service from DOE-RL. This fire department also provides site fire marshal overview authority, fire system testing and maintenance, respiratory protection services, building tours and inspections, ignitable and reactive waste site inspections, prefire planning, and employee fire prevention education. This plan provides a program overview, program baselines, and schedule baseline.

The Nuclear Criticality Safety Organization (NCSO) is committed to developing and maintaining a staff of highly qualified personnel to meet the current and anticipated needs in Nuclear Criticality Safety (NCS) at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant. This document defines the Qualification Program to address the NCSO technical and managerial qualification as required by the Y-12 Training Implementation Matrix (TIM). It is implemented through a combination of LMES plant-wide training courses and professional nuclear criticality safety training provided within the organization. This Qualification Program is applicable to technical and managerial NCSO personnel, including temporary personnel, sub-contractors and/or LMES employees on loan to the NCSO, who perform the NCS tasks or serve NCS-related positions as defined in sections 5 and 6 of this program.

Absorption lines in the Ly{alpha} forest can be thought of as peaks in neutral hydrogen density along lines of sight. The column density distribution (the number density of absorption lines as a function of column density) is then a statistic of density peaks, which contains information about the underlying power spectrum. In particular, we show that the slope of the distribution provides a measure of power on scales smaller than those probed by studies of present day large scale structure. 2 refs., 1 fig.

The Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) has adopted a data quality objective (DQO) process to define informational needs required to address waste tank safety issues. This document, the Organic Solvent DQO, provides a process to resolve the Organic Solvent Safety Issue. Organic solvents in the presence of air (a source of oxidizer) in a waste tank headspace can combust when heated to the flash point of the solvent. Separable phase organic liquids can form a combustible situation by being present as a pool on the waste surface, or by collecting in sufficient concentration entrained in the waste solids to form a combustible mixture at the waste surface by capillary or wicking behavior. Organic solvent combustion would result in an increase in pressure and temperature of the gas in the waste tank headspace. A significant pressure increase could result in the release of radionuclides and toxic materials to the environment. The Organic Solvent DQO is based on several technical documents, summarized and referenced throughout, that provide the technical bases for threshold values (decision limits) used to develop decision rules that address the problem statement. Likewise, this DQO supports characterization documents, such as the tank sampling analysis plan (TSAP) and tank characterization …