This report discusses the ongoing major USDA disaster programs designed to help crop producers recover from the financial effects of natural disasters — federal crop insurance, noninsured assistance program (NAP) payments, and emergency disaster loans.

This report provides basic information on several agriculture conservation programs, primarily drawn from agency budget presentations and websites, about each program using a consistent format. This information should help respond to basic questions and resolve many common sources of confusion about the purposes of the program, program participation and policy topics.

Daily newspaper from Altus, Oklahoma that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Recent published work has shown that the phase change of shock compressed iron along the [001] direction does transform to the {epsilon} (HCP) phase similar to the case for static measurements. This article provides an indepth analysis of the experiment and NEMD simulations, using x-ray diffraction in both cases to study the crystal structure upon transition. Both simulation and experiment are consistent with a compression and shuffle mechanism responsible for the phase change from BCC to HCP. Also both show a polycrystalline structure upon the phase transition, due to the four degenerate directions the phase change can occur on, with grain sizes measured of 4nm in the NEMD simulations and {approx} 2nm in the experiment. And looking at the time scale of the transition the NEMD shows the transition from the compressed BCC to HCP is less then 1.2 ps where the experimental data places an upper limit on the transition of 80 ps.

This report discusses the so-called “Article 98 agreements”. The article contains a provision that the Bush Administration has sought bilateral agreements worldwide to exempt U.S. citizens from ICC prosecution. In 2002, Congress passed the American Servicemembers’ Protection Act or ASPA (P.L. 107-206, title II), which prohibits military assistance to countries that are party to the ICC and that do not have Article 98 agreements. Some Members of Congress and Bush Administration officials have expressed concerns about the unintended effects of these sanctions on U.S. relations with Latin America. Policymakers are considering some options to mitigate these effects without undermining ASPA or diplomatic efforts to secure Article 98 agreements.

The use of low dielectric constant materials in the on-chipinterconnect process reduces interconnect delay, power dissipation andcrosstalk noise. To achieve the requirements of the ITRS for 2007-2009minimal sidewall damage from etch, ash or cleans is required. In chemicalvapor deposited (CVD) organo-silicate glass (OSG) which are used asintermetal dielectric (IMD) materials the substitution of oxygen in SiO2by methyl groups (-CH3) reduces the permittivity significantly (from 4.0in SiO2 to 2.6-3.3 in the OSG), since the electronic polarizability islower for Si-C bonds than for Si-O bonds. However, plasma processing forresist stripping, trench etching and post-etch cleaning removes C and Hcontaining molecular groups from the near-surface layer of OSG.Therefore, compositional analysis and chemical bonding characterizationof structured IMD films with nanometer resolution is necessary forprocess optimization. OSG thin films as-deposited and after plasmatreatment are studied using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) andelectron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). In both techniques, the finestructure near the C1s absorption or energy loss edge, respectively,allows to identify C-H, C-C, and C-O bonds. This gives the opportunity todifferentiate between individual low-k materials and their modifications.The O1s signal is less selective to individual bonds. XAS spectra havebeen recorded for non-patterned films and EELS spectra for patternedstructures. The chemical bonding is compared for as-deposited …

The NanoSIMS 50 combines unprecedented spatial resolution (as good as 50 nm) with ultra-high sensitivity (minimum detection limit of {approx}200 atoms). The NanoSIMS 50 incorporates an array of detectors, enabling simultaneous collection of 5 species originating from the same sputtered volume of a sample. The primary ion beam (Cs{sup +} or O{sup -}) can be scanned across the sample to produce quantitative secondary ion images. This capability for multiple isotope imaging with high spatial resolution provides a novel new approach to the study of biological materials. Studies can be made of sub-regions of tissues, mammalian cells, and bacteria. Major, minor and trace element distributions can be mapped on a submicron scale, growth and metabolism can be tracked using stable isotope labels, and biogenic origin can be determined based on composition. We have applied this technique extensively to mammalian and prokaryotic cells and bacterial spores. The NanoSIMS technology enables the researcher to interrogate the fate of molecules of interest within cells and organs through elemental and isotopic labeling. Biological applications at LLNL will be discussed.

This report is part of the Web-at-Risk project. This report summarizes the results of the interviews with content providers. Section 2 identifies the interview methodology. Section 3 describes the results and Section 4 discusses the major findings.

Corrosion costs the Department of Defense billions of dollars every year, with an immense quantity of material in various structures undergoing corrosion. For example, in addition to fluid and seawater piping, ballast tanks, and propulsions systems, approximately 345 million square feet of structure aboard naval ships and crafts require costly corrosion control measures. The use of advanced corrosion-resistant materials to prevent the continuous degradation of this massive surface area would be extremely beneficial. The potential advantages of amorphous metals have been recognized for some time [Latanison 1985]. Iron-based corrosion-resistant, amorphous-metal coatings under development may prove important for maritime applications [Farmer et al. 2005]. Such materials could also be used to coat the entire outer surface of containers for the transportation and long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel, or to protect welds and heat affected zones, thereby preventing exposure to environments that might cause stress corrosion cracking [Farmer et al. 1991, 2000a, 2000b]. In the future, it may be possible to substitute such high-performance iron-based materials for more-expensive nickel-based alloys, thereby enabling cost savings in a wide variety of industrial applications. It should be noted that thermal-spray ceramic coatings have also been investigated for such applications [Haslam et al. 2005]. This …

One legacy of the nuclear age is radioactive waste and it must be stabilized to be stored in a safe manner. An important part of the stabilization process is the separation of radioactive solids from the liquid wastes by cross-flow ultrafiltration. The performance of this technology with the wastes to be treated was unknown and, therefore, had to be obtained. However, before beginning a filter study the question of experimental scale had to be addressed. Of course, carrying out experiments using full-size equipment is always ideal, but rarely practical when dealing with plant size processes. Flow loops that will handle millions of liters of slurries, which are either highly caustic or acidic, with flow rates of 10,000 lpm make full-scale tests prohibitively expensive. Moreover, when the slurries happen to be radioactive such work is also very dangerous. All of these considerations lend themselves to investigations at smaller scales and in many situations can be treated with computational analyses. Unfortunately, as scale is reduced it becomes harder to provide prototypic results and the two and three phase multi-component mixtures challenge accurate computational results. To obtain accurate and representative filter results the use of two scales were chosen: (1) Small-scale--would allow the …

Mechanically alloyed oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) Fe-Cr-Al alloy thin walled tubes and sheets, produced via powder processing and consolidation methodologies, are promising materials for eventual use at temperatures up to 1200 C in the power generation industry, far above the temperature capabilities of conventional alloys. Target end-uses range from gas turbine combustor liners to high aspect ratio (L/D) heat exchanger tubes. Grain boundary creep processes at service temperatures, particularly those acting in the hoop direction, are the dominant failure mechanisms for such components. The processed microstructure of ODS alloys consists of high aspect ratio grains aligned parallel to the tube axis, a result of dominant axial metal flow which aligns the dispersoid particles and other impurities in the longitudinal direction. The dispersion distribution is unaltered on a micro scale by recrystallization thermal treatments, but the high aspect ratio grain shape typically obtained limits transverse grain spacing and consequently the hoop creep response. Improving hoop creep in ODS-alloy components will require understanding and manipulating the factors that control the recrystallization behavior, and represents a critical materials design and development challenge that must be overcome in order to fully exploit the potential of ODS alloys. The objectives of this program are to …

News release promoting the use of DART Rail to transport passengers to the Blackland Prairie Festival, a 1900s historical reenactment festival.

Nanocrystalline materials with grain sizes smaller than 100 nm have attracted extensive research in the past decade. Due to their high strength, these materials are good candidates for high pressure shock loading experiments. In this paper, we investigated the microstructural evolutions of nanocrystalline nickel with grain sizes of 10-50 nm, shock-loaded in a range of pressures (20-70 GPa). A laser-driven isentropic compression process was applied to achieve high shock-pressures in a timescale of nanoseconds and thus the high-strain-rate deformation of nanocrystalline nickel. Postmortem transmission electron microscopy (TEM) examinations reveal that the nanocrystalline structures survive the shock deformation and that dislocation activity is the prevalent deformation mechanism when the grain sizes are larger than 30 nm, without any twinning activity at twice the stress threshold for twin formation in micrometer-sized polycrystals. However, deformation twinning becomes an important deformation mode for 10-20 nm grain-sized samples.

Lecture recital presented at the UNT College of Music Recital Hall in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree

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We observe the assembly of CdS nanorod superlattices by thecombination of a DC electric field and solvent evaporation. In eachelectric field (1 V/um) assisted assembly, CdS nanorods (5 x 30 nm)suspended initially in toluene were observed to align perpendicularly tothe substrate. Azimuthal alignment along the nanorod crystal faces andthe presence of stacking faults indicate that both 2D and 3D assemblieswere formed by a process of controlled super crystal growth.

This report summarizes and analyzes a proposed policy for enhancement-of-survival permits for foreign species listed under the Endangered Species Act.

A controlled Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) spill experiment was conducted in a multi-layer formation consisting of sand and clayey-sandlayers. The purpose of the work was to determine the detection limits and capability of various geophysical methods. Measurements were made with ten different geophysical techniques before, during, and after the PCE injection. This experiment provided a clear identification of any geophysical anomalies associated with the presence of the PCE. During the injection period all the techniques indicated anomalies associated with the PCE. In order to quantify the results and provide an indication of the PCE detection limits of the various geophysical methods, the tank was subsequently excavated and samples of the various layers were analyzed for residual PCE concentration with gas chromatography (GC). This paper presents some of the results of five of the techniques: cross borehole complex resistivity (CR) also referred to as spectral induced polarization (SIP), cross borehole high resolution seismic (HRS), borehole self potential (SP), surface ground penetration radar (GPR), and borehole video (BV).

Daily newspaper from Chickasha, Oklahoma that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

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The authors have conducted Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of hydrogen fluoride (HF) at pressures of 5-66 GPa along the 900 K isotherm. They predict a superionic phase at 33 GPa, where the fluorine atoms are fixed in a bcc lattice while the hydrogen atoms diffuse rapidly with a diffusion constant of between 2 x 10{sup -5} and 5 x 10{sup -5} cm{sup 2}/s. They find that a transformation from asymmetric to symmetric hydrogen bonding occurs in HF at 66 GPa and 900 K. With superionic HF they have discovered a model system where symmetric hydrogen bonding occurs at experimentally achievable conditions. Given previous results on superionic H{sub 2}O[1,2,3] and NH{sub 3}[1], they conclude that high P,T superionic phases of electronegative element hydrides could be common.

Funeral program for Deacon MSST (Retired) Jesse James Adams, Sr., born June 30, 1930 and died April 4, 2006. The funeral was held April 10, 2006 at Friendship Baptist Church, officiated by Rev. R. L. Archield, Sr. Funeral arrangements were made through Lewis Funeral Home and he was buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery near San Antonio, Texas.

Student newspaper from St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas that includes news and information of interest to the college community along with advertising.

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The devastation experienced throughout the Gulf Coast region in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita has called into question the government's ability to effectively respond to such disasters. The government needs to understand what went right and what went wrong, and to apply these lessons to strengthen its disaster response and recovery operations. The federal government relies on partnerships across the public and private sectors to achieve critical results in preparing for and responding to natural disasters, with an increasing reliance on contractors to carry out specific aspects of its missions. At the same time, the acquisition functions at several agencies are on GAO's high-risk list, indicating a vulnerability to fraud, waste, and abuse. This testimony discusses how three agencies--the General Services Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps)--conducted oversight of key contracts used in response to the hurricanes. Efforts are ongoing by these agencies to address issues GAO and others have identified."