This report summarizes the economic and political crisis in Argentina and the policies implemented by President Nestor Kirchner, Argentina's President, winner of the 2003 election.

This report consists of capital punishment with selected opinions of justice O'Connor.

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In order to meet the Department of Energy's (DOE's) FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies (FVCT) goals for volume, weight, efficiency, reliability, and cost, the cooling of the power electronic devices, traction motors, and generators is critical. Currently the power electronic devices, traction motors, and generators in a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) are primarily cooled by water-ethylene glycol (WEG) mixture. The cooling fluid operates as a single-phase coolant as the liquid phase of the WEG does not change to its vapor phase during the cooling process. In these single-phase systems, two cooling loops of WEG produce a low temperature (around 70 C) cooling loop for the power electronics and motor/generator, and higher temperature loop (around 105 C) for the internal combustion engine. There is another coolant option currently available in automobiles. It is possible to use the transmission oil as a coolant. The oil temperature exists at approximately 85 C which can be utilized to cool the power electronic and electrical devices. Because heat flux is proportional to the temperature difference between the device's hot surface and the coolant, a device that can tolerate higher temperatures enables the device to be smaller while dissipating the same amount of heat. Presently, new silicon …

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The burden of cleaning up Superfund and other hazardous waste sites is increasingly shifting to taxpayers, particularly since businesses handling hazardous substances are no longer taxed under Superfund and the backlog of sites needing cleanup is growing. While key environmental laws rely on the "polluter pays" principle, the extent to which liable parties cease operations or restructure--such as through bankruptcy--can directly affect the cleanup costs faced by taxpayers. GAO was asked to (1) determine how many businesses with liability under federal law for environmental cleanups have declared bankruptcy, and how many such cases the government has pursued in bankruptcy court; (2) identify challenges the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) faces in holding bankrupt and other financially distressed businesses responsible for their cleanup obligations; and (3) identify actions EPA could take to better ensure that such businesses pay for their cleanups."

The objective of this project was to evaluate the performance and economics of various domestic hot water distribution systems in representative California residences. While the greatest opportunities for improved efficiency occur in new construction, significant improvements can also be made in some existing distribution systems. Specific objectives of the project tasks were: (1) Simulate potential energy savings of, perform cost-benefit analyses of, and identify market barriers to alternative new systems. (2) Simulate potential energy savings of, perform cost-benefit analyses of, and identify market barriers to maintenance, repair, and retrofit modifications of existing systems. (3) Evaluate potential impact of adopting alternative hot water distribution systems and report project findings. The outcome of this project is to provide homeowners, homebuilders, systems suppliers, municipal code officials and utility providers (both electric and water/sewer) with a neutral, independent, third party, cost-benefit analysis of alternative hot water distribution systems for use in California. The results will enable these stakeholders to make informed decisions regarding which system is most appropriate for use.

We present new observations of the early X-ray afterglows of the first 27 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) detected with the Swift X-ray Telescope (XRT). The early X-ray afterglows show a canonical behavior, where the light curve broadly consists of three distinct power law segments: (1) an initial very steep decay ({infinity} t{sup -a} with 3 {approx}< a{sub 1} {approx}< 5) , followed by (2) a very shallow decay (0.2 {approx}< a{sub 2} {approx}< 0.8), and finally (3) a somewhat steeper decay (1 {approx}< a{sub 3} {approx}< 1.5). These power law segments are separated by two corresponding break times, 300 s {approx}< t{sub break,1} {approx}< 500 s and 10{sup 3} s {approx}< t{sub break,2} {approx}< 10{sup 4} s. On top of this canonical behavior of the early X-ray light curve, many events have superimposed X-ray flares, which are most likely caused by internal shocks due to long lasting sporadic activity of the central engine, up to several hours after the GRB. We find that the initial steep decay is consistent with it being the tail of the prompt emission, from photons that are radiated at large angles relative to our line of sight. The first break in the light curve (t{sub break,1}) …

This report provides an overview on Federal Financial Services Regulatory Consolidation.This provides an overview of the U.S federal financial services regulatory structure.

The House of Representatives follows a well established routine on the opening day of a new Congress. The proceedings include election of the Speaker, swearing in its members, election of administrative officers, and adoption of rules of procedure. Also, resolutions assigning its members to committees may be adopted. The House must take these actions at the beginning of each new Congress because it is not a continuing body. Article 1, Section 2 of Constitution sets terms for Members of the House at two years. Thus, the House ends at the conclusion of each two-year Congress and must reconstitute itself at the beginning of a new Congress. This report focuses on the floor activities of the House during its first formal session in a new Congress, and serves as a guide for participating in or watching those proceedings.

This report provides an overview of post secondary education.

This report addresses observed ground motions at the site of the proposed surface facilities associated with the designated repository for high-level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. In 2003 an accelerometer array was installed at three boreholes on the pad of the north portal of the ESF (Exploratory Studies Facility) at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, by the Nevada Seismological Laboratory (NSL). These boreholes, roughly 150 m apart and initially used for extensive geological and geophysical surveys, were ideal locations to measure the subsurface ground motions at the proposed site of surface facilities such as the Waste Handling Building. Such measurements will impact the design of the facilities. Accelerometer emplacement depths of approximately 15 m from the surface and then at the bottom of the boreholes, roughly 100 m, were chosen. Accelerometers were also placed at the surface next to the boreholes, for a total of nine accelerometers, all three-component. Data recording was accomplished with onsite recorders, with the onsite data transmitted to a central computer at a trailer on the pad. All requirements were met to qualify these data as ''Q''. Due to the lack of significant recordings during 2003, several low signal-to-noise (S/N) quality events were chosen for processing. The …

The annual consideration of appropriations bills (regular, continuing, and supplemental) by Congress is part of a complex set of budget processes that also encompasses the consideration of budget resolutions, revenue and debt-limit legislation, other spending measures, and reconciliation bills. This report is a guide to one of the regular appropriations bills that Congress considers each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies. It summarizes the status of the Interior and Related Agencies appropriations bill, its scope, major issues, funding levels, and related congressional activity, and is updated as events warrant.

The objective of this calculation is to determine the acceleration of the fuel assemblies contained in a 21-Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) spent nuclear fuel waste package impacting an unyielding surface. A range of initial velocities of the waste package is studied. The scope of this calculation is limited to estimating the acceleration of the fuel assemblies during the impact.

A Working Group Meeting on Heavy Vehicle Aerodynamic Drag was held at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California on May 12th and 13th of 2005. The purpose of the first day's meeting, May 12th, was to provide a summary of achievements, discuss issues, present a general overview of future plans, and to offer a forum for dialogue with the Department of Energy (DOE) and representatives from industry, universities, and research and development organizations performing work related to heavy vehicle aerodynamics. This first meeting day was open to participants from industry and research organizations from both the US and Canada. The second day, May 13th, was attended only by representatives from the 9 organizations that form the DOE Consortium effort and their government sponsors. The purpose of the second day's meeting was to further discuss fiscal year 2005's activities, any further specific pressing issues, identify individual action items, and provide an overview of plans for fiscal year 2006. Based on discussions at the Meeting, the existing project goals remain unchanged and enhancing interactions with fleet owners and operators was emphasized: (1) Perform heavy vehicle computations and experiments, (2) Validate computations using experimental data, (3) Provide design guidance and insight into flow …

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) significantly reformed contracting for the administration of claims for Part A, Medicare's hospital insurance, and Part B, which covers outpatient services such as physicians' care. The MMA required the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)--the agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that administers Medicare--to conduct full and open competition for all of its claims administration contracts and to transfer the work to Medicare administrative contractors (MAC) by October 2011. The MMA required the Secretary of HHS to submit a report to the Congress and GAO on the plan for implementing Medicare contracting reform and for GAO to evaluate the plan. To address this mandate, GAO reviewed the extent to which (1) the plan provides an appropriate framework for implementing Medicare contracting reform and (2) the plan's cost and savings estimates are sound enough to support decisions on implementation."

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A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "As the frontline regulator of mutual funds, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) plays a key role in protecting the nearly half of all U.S. households owning mutual funds, valued around $8 trillion in 2005. Mutual fund abuses raised questions about the integrity of the industry and quality of oversight provided by SEC and self-regulatory organizations (SRO) that regulate broker-dealers selling funds. This report assesses (1) changes SEC has made to, or is planning for, its mutual fund exam program; (2) key aspects of SEC's quality control framework for routine fund exams; and (3) the adequacy of SEC's oversight of NASD and the New York Stock Exchange in protecting shareholders from mutual fund sales abuses."

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This report includes information regarding U.S. relations and bilateral issues within Syria. External relations, Syria's role in Lebanon, and U.S. aid are among topics discussed in this report.