Significant work has been done by the investigators on the cerium oxide-copper oxide based sorbent/catalysts for the combined removal of sulfur and nitrogen oxides from the flue gases of stationary sources. Evaluation of these sorbents as catalysts for the selective reduction of NO{sub x} gave promising results with methane. Since the replacement of ammonia by methane is commercially very attractive, in this project, the effect of promoters on the activity and selectivity of copper oxide/cerium oxide-based catalysts and the reaction mechanism for the SCR with methane was investigated. Unpromoted and promoted catalysts were investigated for their SCR activity with methane in a microreactor setup and also, by the temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) technique. The results from the SCR experiments indicated that manganese is a more effective promoter than the other metals (Rh, Li, K, Na, Zn, and Sn) for the supported copper oxide-ceria catalysts under study. The effectiveness of the promoter increased with the increase in Ce/Cu ratio. Among the catalysts tested, the Cu1Ce3 catalyst promoted with 1 weight % Mn was found to be the best catalyst for the SCR of NO with methane. This catalyst was subjected to long-term testing at the facilities of our industrial partner TDA Research. …

We have developed tools to help us analyze transfer logs from a production High Performance Storage System (HPSS) system at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC). These tools provide graphical displays of data transfer performance over relatively short (24 hour or less) time spans.

In 1999 Windward Engineering (Windward) was awarded a Cooperative Agreement under the Field Verification Program with the Department of Energy (DOE) to install two Whisper H40 wind turbines, one at the NREL National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) and one at a test site near Spanish Fork, Utah. After installation, the turbine at the NWTC was to be operated, maintained, and monitored by NREL while the turbine in Spanish Fork was to be administered by Windward. Under this award DOE and Windward defined the primary objectives of the project as follows: (1) Determine and demonstrate the reliability and energy production of a furling wind turbine at a site where furling will be a very frequent event and extreme gusts can be expected during the duration of the tests. (2) Make engineering measurements and conduct limited computer modeling of the furling behavior to improve the industry understanding of the mechanics and nature of furling. We believe the project has achieved these objectives. The turbine has operated for approximately three and a half years. We have collected detailed engineering data approximately 75 percent of that time. Some of these data were used in an ADAMS model validation that highlighted the accuracies and inaccuracies …

This paper explores the Heffter Method--an algorithm for finding the height of the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL). The algorithm is applied to the Balloon Borne Sounding System (BBSS) data collected over the Southern Great Plains (SGP) Site of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program. After discussing the successes and shortcomings of the algorithm, the resulting PBL height estimates for dates in May of 2002 are related to CO{sub 2} concentration and wind data. The CO{sub 2} data used is from the Precision Gas System (PGS) while the wind data is a combination of data from the Portable CO{sub 2} Flux System on the SGP site and BBSS.

None

The PHENIX Collaboration has developed a plan for the detailed investigation of quantum chromodynamics in the next decade. The demonstrated capabilities of the PHENIX experiment to measure rare processes in hadronic, leptonic and photonic channels, in combination with RHIC's unparalleled flexibility as a hadronic collider, provides a physics program of extraordinary breadth and depth. A superlative set of measurements to elucidate the states of both hot and cold nuclear matter, and to measure the spin structure of the proton has been identified. The components of this plan include: (1) Definitive measurements that will establish the nature of the matter created in nucleus+nucleus collisions, that will determine if the description of such matter as a quark-gluon plasma is appropriate, and that will quantify both the equilibrium and non-equilibrium features of the produced medium. (2) Precision measurements of the gluon structure of the proton, and of the spin structure of the gluon and sea-quark distributions of the proton via polarized proton+proton collisions. (3) Determination of the gluon distribution in cold nuclear matter using proton+nucleus collisions. Each of these fundamental fields of investigation will be addressed through a program of correlated measurements in some or all of the following channels: (1) Particle production …

The Hanford Site 200 Area Effluent Treatment Facility (ETF) processes contaminated aqueous wastes derived from Hanford Site facilities. The treated wastewater occasionally contains tritium, which is not removed by the ETF, and is discharged to the 200 Area State-Approved Land Disposal Site (SALDS). During fiscal year (FY) 2003 to date (through August 31, 2003), approximately 96-million liters (25.3-million gallons) of water have been discharged to the SALDS. Groundwater monitoring for tritium and other constituents, and water-level measurements are required by the state-issued permit at the SALDS. The current network consists of 3 proximal monitoring wells and 16 tritium-tracking wells. Proximal wells were sampled in October 2002, and January, February, April, and September of 2003. Tritium-tracking wells were sampled in January and September of 2003, but September results were delayed because of fire hazards near the wellheads. Water-level measurements in three wells nearest the SALDS indicate the continuation of a small hydraulic mound beneath the SALDS facility as a result of discharges. This feature is directing groundwater flow radially outward a short distance before the regional northeasterly flow predominates. This condition also places several wells south of the SALDS hydraulically downgradient of the facility. Some of the wells south of the …

An industrial research area of high activity in recent years has been the development of pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) products that do not interfere with the processing of post-consumer waste. The problem of PSA contamination is arguably the most important technical challenge in expanding the use of recycled fiber. The presence of PSAs in recovered paper creates problems that reduce the efficiency of recycling and papermaking operations and diminish product quality. The widespread use of PSAs engineered to avoid these problems, often referred to as environmentally benign PSAs, could greatly increase the commercial viability of utilizing secondary fiber. Much of the research efforts in this area have focused on the development of PSAs that are designed for enhanced removal with cleaning equipment currently utilized by recycling plants. Most removal occurs at the pressure screens with the size and shape of residual contaminants in the process being the primary criteria for their separation. A viable approach for developing environmentally benign PSAs is their reformulation to inhibit fragmentation. The reduction of adhesives to small particles occurs almost exclusively during repulping; a process in which water and mechanical energy are used to swell and reduce paper products to their constituent fiber. Engineering PSA …

None

Adult progenitor cells hold promise for therapeutic treatment where there has been a disabling loss of function due to death of cells from trauma, disease or aging. However, it will be essential in clinical application to be able to follow the fate of the transplanted cells over time using in vivo tracking methods. We have developed protocol for labeling of progenitor cells to monitor cell trafficking by high resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and super high resolution positron emission tomography (PET). We have transfected rat subventricular zone stem cells (SVZ, progenitor cell line) and another control cell line (PC12, pheochromocytoma cells) utilizing super paramagnetic iron oxide and poly-L-lysine complex for MR imaging or radiolabeling with 18F-fluor deoxy-D- glucose for PET imaging. The labeled cells were transplanted into the rostral migratory stream (RMS) or striatum of normal or 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned Spraque-Dawley rats. Longitudinal MRI studies (up to 40 days) showed that transplantation site has significant impact to the fate of the cells; when SVZ cells were transplanted into the RMS, cells migrated several centimeter into the olfactory bulb; after transplantation into the striatum, the migration was minimal, only 2 mm. PC 12 cells grew a massive tumor after the striatal implantation …

None

This report is intended for grant seekers in districts and states. This report has been expanded to include writing proposals for both government and private foundations grants. The report first discusses preliminary information gathering and preparation, developing ideas for the proposal, gathering community support, identifying funding resources, and seeking preliminary review of the proposal and support of relevant administrative officials.

None

GaSb-based semiconductors are of interest for mid-infrared optoelectronic and high-speed electronic devices. Accurate determination of electrical properties is essential for optimizing the performance of these devices. However, electrical characterization of these semiconductors is not straightforward since semi-insulating (SI) GaSb substrates for Hall measurements are not available. In this work, the capability of Raman spectroscopy for determination of the majority carrier concentration in n-GaInAsSb epilayers was investigated. Raman spectroscopy offers the advantage of being non-contact and spatially resolved. Furthermore, the type of substrate used for the epilayer does not affect the measurement. However, for antimonide-based materials, traditionally employed Raman laser sources and detectors are not optimized for the analysis wavelength range dictated by the narrow band gap of these materials. Therefore, a near-infrared Raman spectroscopic system, optimized for antimonide-based materials, was developed. Ga{sub 0.85}In{sub 0.15}As{sub 0.13}Sb{sub 0.87} epilayers were grown by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy with doping levels in the range 2 to 80 x 10{sup 17} cm{sup -3}, as measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry. For a particular nominal doping level, epilayers were grown both lattice matched to n-GaSb substrates and lattice-mismatched to SI GaAs substrates under nominally identical conditions. Single magnetic field Hall measurements were performed on the epilayers …

This report provides an overview and some analysis of the patient safety legislation that is being considered by the 108th Congress. It begins with background information on the nature and causes of medical errors, followed by a brief comparison of the differences between mandatory and voluntary reporting systems. The report then discusses some of the legal and policy issues facing state mandatory reporting systems and major national voluntary reporting systems, and identifies design features of effective reporting programs. It concludes with a discussion and side-by-side comparison of H.R. 663 and S. 720.

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In April 2003, Congress enacted the Postal Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) Funding Reform Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-18), which\ lowered the Postal Service's (Service) annual payment for its CSRS obligation by over $2.5 billion beginning in fiscal year 2003. P.L. 108-18 includes requiring (1) the Service to begin making payments into an escrow account in fiscal year 2006, (2) the Service to issue a report on its proposed use of "savings" resulting from the lower CSRS payments, and (3) GAO to evaluate the Service's report and present its findings to Congress. GAO evaluated whether the Service's proposals were consistent with P.L. 108-18; the impact of the escrow account; and whether the proposals were fair to current and future ratepayers, affordable, and helped achieve transformation goals."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Postal Civil Service Retirement System Funding Reform Act of 2003 (the Act) required the United States Postal Service, Department of the Treasury, and Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to prepare proposals detailing whether and to what extent the Treasury and Postal Service should fund the benefits attributable to the military service of the Postal Service's current and former Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) employees. The Act required GAO to evaluate the proposals. Our objective in doing so was to assess the agencies' positions and provide additional information where it may be useful."

OAK-B135

Plasma neutralization of an intense ion beam pulse is of interest for many applications, including plasma lenses, heavy ion fusion, high energy physics, etc. Comprehensive analytical, numerical, and experimental studies are underway to investigate the complex interaction of a fast ion beam with a background plasma. The positively charged ion beam attracts plasma electrons, and as a result the plasma electrons have a tendency to neutralize the beam charge and current. A suite of particle-in-cell codes has been developed to study the propagation of an ion beam pulse through the background plasma. For quasi-steady-state propagation of the ion beam pulse, an analytical theory has been developed using the assumption of long charge bunches and conservation of generalized vorticity. The analytical results agree well with the results of the numerical simulations. The visualization of the data obtained in the numerical simulations shows complex collective phenomena during beam entry into and ex it from the plasma.

Recent experiments in the low aspect ratio National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) [M. Ono et al., Nucl. Fusion 40 (2000) 557] have achieved normalized beta values twice the conventional tokamak limit at low internal inductance and with significant bootstrap current. These experimental results have motivated a computational re-examination of the plasma aspect ratio dependence of ideal no-wall magnetohydrodynamic stability limits. These calculations find that the profile-optimized no-wall stability limit in high bootstrap fraction regimes is well described by a nearly aspect ratio invariant normalized beta parameter utilizing the total magnetic field energy density inside the plasma. However, the scaling of normalized beta with internal inductance is found to be strongly aspect ratio dependent at sufficiently low aspect ratio. These calculations and detailed stability analyses of experimental equilibria indicate that the nonrotating plasma no-wall stability limit has been exceeded by as much as 30% in NSTX in a high bootstrap fraction regime.

This report provides basic eligibility rules, recipient numbers, and FY2000-FY2002 expenditure data for 80 programs that have provided cash or non-cash benefits to low-income persons.

This report presents the Summary of the Clean Water Act Law describing the essence of the statute.

In a broad effort to obtain U.S. exemptions from International Criminal Court (ICC) jurisdiction, the Bush Administration has sought to conclude bilateral agreements worldwide that would prohibit the transfer of U.S. citizens to the ICC. The European Union has strongly promoted the ICC and is opposed to the U.S.- proposed agreements. This report addresses twelve countries of east central Europe affected by the U.S. and European policies – Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, and Slovenia – and the status of their varied approaches to the transatlantic disagreement over the ICC.

This report includes background and analysis on the debate on energy policy, as well as Omnibus energy legislation. Electricity restructuring, nuclear energy, and renewable energy and fuels are among topics discussed in this report.