From a public policy perspective, the goals are to ensure that broadband deployment is timely, that industry competes fairly, and that service is provided to all sectors and geographical locations of American society. The federal government -- through Congress and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) -- is seeking to ensure fair competition among the players so that broadband will be available and affordable in a timely manner to all Americans who want it. While the FCC's position is not to intervene at this time, some assert that legislation is necessary to ensure fair competition and timely broadband deployment. One proposal would ease certain legal restrictions and requirements, imposed by the Telecommunications Act of 1996, on incumbent telephone companies who provide high speed data (broadband) access. Another proposal would compel cable companies to provide "open access" to competing Internet service providers.

This paper describes an investigation into the uses of first-order, local sensitivity analysis in a Lagrangian dispersion code. The goal of the project is to gain knowledge not only about the sensitivity of the dispersion code predictions to the specific input parameters of interest, but also to better understand the uses and limitations of sensitivity analysis within such a context. The dispersion code of interest here is LODI, which is used for modeling emergency release scenarios at the Department of Energy's National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center (NARAC) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The NARAC system provides both real-time operational predictions and detailed assessments for atmospheric releases of hazardous materials. LODI is driven by a meteorological data assimilation model and an in-house version of COAMPS, the Naval Research Laboratory's mesoscale weather forecast model.

This report discusses several issues as the Congress considers legislation to reform the voting process, a number of issues have emerged as part of the debate: the reliability of different types of voting technologies; voting problems and irregularities in the 2000 election; problems for militaryand overseas voters; the electoral college; and early media projections of election results. Both sessions of the 107th Congress considered and debated federal election reform legislation, and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA, P.L. 107-252) was enacted in October 2002.

The line of inquiry which the ASU lidar group has been investigating, with collaboration and support from LLNL, is to create approaches and algorithms for better utilizing the rich information available through modern remote sensors in dispersion modeling systems. In particular, our goal is to create a lidar-data-driven dispersion model mode in ADAPT/LODI. This report describes progress towards this goal during the 2002/2003 academic year. Because of the nature of lidar data and the necessity to utilize additional information, both numerical and measured, this is essentially a data retrieval and data fusion project. With the current generation of commercially available lidar, the scope of the domain in which we are interested is initially 4 to 14 kilometers in radius, where the potentially scanned domain is roughly hemispherical. Figure 1, for example, taken from a recent lidar deployment in Oklahoma City, shows visually the most typical range of the domain that can be probed with the ASU lidar. Ranges 2 or 3 times the distance to the cluster of buildings in the photograph can be probed with a properly functioning, commercially available lidar. This could be of significant value for protecting key buildings with roof-top located remote sensors coupled with dispersion …

None

This report provides background information on the location of nuclear weapons at the time of the demise of the Soviet Union and their subsequent relocation to storage and deployment areas in Russia. It also provides a description of the safety, security, and control issues raised in 1991 and in more recent years. It includes a brief listing of the cooperative programs and assistance the United States has provided to Russia and the other former Soviet states in an effort to address concerns about the safety and security of nuclear weapons and materials.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) inaugurated a program addressing research and development for an Exoskeleton for Human Performance Augmentation in FY!2001. A team consisting of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the prime contractor, AeroVironment, Inc., the Army Research Laboratory, the University of Minnesota, and the Virginia Polytechnic Institute has recently completed an 18-month Phase I effort in support of this DARPA program. The Phase I effort focused on the development and proof-of-concept demonstrations for key enabling technologies, laying the foundation for subsequently building and demonstrating a prototype exoskeleton. The overall approach was driven by the need to optimize energy efficiency while providing a system that augmented the operator in as transparent manner as possible (non-impeding). These needs led to the evolution of two key distinguishing features of this team's approach. The first is the ''no knee contact'' concept. This concept is dependent on a unique Cartesian-based control scheme that uses force sensing at the foot and backpack attachments to allow the exoskeleton to closely follow the operator while avoiding the difficulty of connecting and sensing position at the knee. The second is an emphasis on energy efficiency manifested by an energetic, power, actuation and controls approach designed to enhance …

This focus of this project was the investigation of the planets Uranus and Neptune and Saturn's moon Titan using adaptive optics imaging and spectroscopy at the 10-meter W.M. Keck Telescopes. These bodies share a common type of atmosphere, one that is rich in methane and has a hydrocarbon haze layer produced by methane photolysis. Neptune and Uranus have atmospheric features which change on short timescales; we have investigated their altitude, composition, and connection to events occurring deeper in the planets' tropospheres. Titan has a solid surface located under its atmosphere, the composition of which is still quite uncertain. With spectra that sample the vertical structure of the atmosphere and narrowband observations that selectively probe Titan's surface we have determined the surface reflectivity of Titan at near-infrared wavelengths.

The spectral image of an astronomical scene is reconstructed from noisy tomographic projections using maximum a posteriori (MAP) and filtered backprojection (FBP) algorithms. Both maximum entropy (ME) and Gibbs prior are used in the MAP reconstructions. The scene, which is a uniform background with a localized emissive source superimposed on it, is reconstructed for a broad range of source counts. The algorithms are compared regarding their ability to detect the source in the background. Detectability is defined in terms of a contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) which is a Monte Carlo ensemble average of spatially averaged CNRs for the individual reconstructions. Overall, MAP was found to yield improved CNR relative to FBP. Moreover, as a function of the total source counts, the CNR varies distinctly different for source and background regions. This may be important in separating a weak source from the background.

This report contains top-level requirements for the various areas of radiological protection for workers. Detailed quotations of the requirements for applicable regulatory documents can be found in the Radiological Design Summary Report Implementation Guide. For the purposes of demonstrating compliance with these requirements, per Engineering Standard 01064, ''shall consider / shall evaluate'' indicates that the designer must examine the requirement for the design and either incorporate or provide a technical justification as to why the requirement is not incorporated. This report describes how the Building 512-S, Actinide Removal Process meets the required radiological design criteria and requirements based on 10CFR835, DOE Order 420.1A, WSRC Manual 5Q and various other DOE guides and handbooks. The analyses supporting this Radiological Design Summary Report initially used a source term of 10.6 Ci/gallon of Cs-137 as the basis for bulk shielding calculations. As the project evolved, the source term was reduced to 1.1 Ci/gallon of Cs-137. This latter source term forms the basis for later dose rate evaluations.

Natural gas combustion turbines are rapidly becoming the primary technology of choice for generating electricity. At least half of the new generating capacity added in the US over the next twenty years will be combustion turbine systems. The Department of Energy has cosponsored with Siemens Westinghouse, a program to maintain the technology lead in gas turbine systems. The very ambitious eight year program was designed to demonstrate a highly efficient and commercially acceptable power plant, with the ability to fire a wide range of fuels. The main goal of the Advanced Turbine Systems (ATS) Program was to develop ultra-high efficiency, environmentally superior and cost effective competitive gas turbine systems for base load application in utility, independent power producer and industrial markets. Performance targets were focused on natural gas as a fuel and included: System efficiency that exceeds 60% (lower heating value basis); Less than 10 ppmv NO{sub x} emissions without the use of post combustion controls; Busbar electricity that are less than 10% of state of the art systems; Reliability-Availability-Maintainability (RAM) equivalent to current systems; Water consumption minimized to levels consistent with cost and efficiency goals; and Commercial systems by the year 2000. In a parallel effort, the program was …

The Mission of the ARA Program was to develop the Corporate Infrastructure to mass-produce new bio-based materials from Soybeans. The resins were integrated with the bio-fuels program. (1) to research, develop, and commercialize low cost adhesives and resins from soy oil and protein, the co-products of the soy bio-diesel process. (2) to study structure-functionality of soy oil and proteins at molecular and genomic levels

This report provides an overview of Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spending on HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome) as well as budget numbers for other federal government programs targeting HIV/AIDS.

The dipole mode synchrotron frequency is a basic beam parameter; it and a few similarly basic quantities measured at small time intervals serve to characterize the longitudinal beam dynamics throughout the acceleration cycle. The effective accelerating voltage, in conjunction with the amount of rf voltage required for the acceleration, is important for the estimate of the beam energy loss per turn. The dipole mode frequency can be used to obtain the effective accelerating rf voltage, providing that it can be measured precisely. The synchrotron frequency measured from the synchrotron phase detector signal (SPD) generally agrees well with calculation, and it can be applied for such purposes as inferring the effective rf voltage.

Evolving challenges and solid accomplishments define the year 2003 for us. Our scientific breakthroughs validate our strategic directions and reaffirm our critical role in fulfilling the Laboratory's missions. Our growth continues in new research projects and significant new programmatic support. Our mission is clear: to enable the Laboratory to accomplish its primary mission through excellence in the chemical and materials sciences. The directorate's common theme and determination has remained constant: Deliver on our commitments, while anticipating and capitalizing on opportunities through innovation in science and technology. In this, the 2003 Annual Report, we describe how our science is built around a strategic plan with four organizing themes, each with key scientific accomplishments by our staff and collaborators. Our strategic plan is synergistic with the Laboratory's Long-Range Science and Technology Plan, which identifies six areas of institutional research and development strategy. This 2003 CMS Annual Report is organized into two major sections: research themes and dynamic teams. The research-theme section addresses challenges, achievements, and new frontiers within each of the four research themes. The dynamic-teams section illustrates the directorate's organizational structure of divisions, centers, and institutes that supports a team environment across disciplinary and institutional boundaries. The research presented gives substantive …

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's mission is as clear today as it was in 1952 when the Laboratory was founded--to ensure our country's national security and the safety and reliability of its nuclear deterrent. As a laboratory pursuing applied science in the national interest, we strive to accomplish our mission through excellence in science and technology. We do this while developing and implementing sound and robust business practices in an environment that emphasizes security and ensures our safety and the safety of the community around us. Our mission as a directorate derives directly from the Laboratory's charter. When I accepted the assignment of Associate Director for Chemistry and Materials Science (CMS), I talked to you about the need for strategic balance and excellence in all our endeavors. We also discussed how to take the directorate to the next level. The long-range CMS strategic plan presented here was developed with this purpose in mind. It also aligns with the Lab's institutional long-range science and technology plan and its 10-year facilities and infrastructure site plan. The plan is aimed at ensuring that we fulfill our directorate's two governing principles: (1) delivering on our commitments to Laboratory programs and sponsors, and (2) anticipating change …

The CTR Vehicle Systems and Fuels team a diesel hybrid powertrain. The goal of this experiment was to investigate and demonstrate the potential of diesel engines for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) in a fuel economy and emissions. The test set-up consisted of a diesel engine coupled to an electric motor driving a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). This hybrid drive is connected to a dynamometer and a DC electrical power source creating a vehicle context by combining advanced computer models and emulation techniques. The experiment focuses on the impact of the hybrid control strategy on fuel economy and emissions-in particular, nitrogen oxides (NO{sub x}) and particulate matter (PM). The same hardware and test procedure were used throughout the entire experiment to assess the impact of different control approaches.

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Discrimination in housing on the basis of race, sex, family status, and other grounds is illegal in the United States. Each year, the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) and related agencies carry out enforcement activities for several thousand complaints of housing discrimination. The timeliness and effectiveness of the enforcement process have been continuing concerns. GAO describes the stages and practices of the fair housing enforcement process, looks at recent trends, and identifies factors that may influence the length and thoroughness of the process."

This report discusses significant legislative provisions in the two provisional bills that are likely to be the subject of congressional discussion to reauthorize federal highway, highway safety, and transit programs.

None

This report "reviews the management and performance of the Marble Falls Independent School District's (MFISD's) educational,financial, and operations. functions" (Legislative Budget Board Letter).

None

This report outlines how the Department of Defense (DOD) has organized to gather and analyze Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) related data and document the process. It also describes DOD's selection criteria process, and the Secretary of Defense's requirement to certify the need for a BRAC round. The report then explains how the list of recommended BRAC actions will be drawn together for submission by the Secretary of Defense to the President.

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Fiscal Year 2003 National Defense Authorization Act directed the Department of Defense (DOD) to assess whether general and flag officer authorizations were sufficient to meet all requirements. GAO's objectives were to determine whether DOD (1) fully disclosed the results of its study in its March 2003 report to Congress and explained the rationale for any recommendations, (2) used an established methodology to meet the objectives of its study, and (3) incorporated lessons learned from a GAO review of DOD's 1997 general and flag officer study. The 2003 act also directed DOD to review legislation affecting general and flag officer management. DOD included the results of its review in the March 2003 report, making several recommendations. GAO plans a separate review of these issues and recommendations."