None

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

This report consists of a description of the wintertime climatology of wind speed and wind direction around the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Meteorological data for this study were collected at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (Reagan National), Dulles International Airport (Dulles), and a set of surface meteorological stations that are located on a number of building tops around the National Mall. A five-year wintertime climatology of wind speed and wind direction measured at Reagan National and Dulles are presented. A more detailed analysis was completed for the period December 2003 through February 2004 using data gathered from stations located around the National Mall, Reagan National, and Dulles. Key findings of our study include the following: * There are systematic differences between the wind speed and wind direction observed at Reagan National and the wind speed and wind direction measured by building top weather stations located in the National Mall. Although Dulles is located much further from the National Mall than Reagan National, there is better agreement between the wind speed and wind direction measured at Dulles and the weather stations in the National Mall. * When the winds are light (less than 3 ms-1 or 7 mph), there are …

Daily newspaper from Baytown, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Diamond anvil cell (DAC) studies can yield information about the pressure dependence of materials and reactions under conditions comparable to shock loading. The pressure gradient across the face of the diamonds is often deliberately minimized to create uniform pressure over much of the sample and a simplified data set. To reach very high pressures (30-40 GPa), however, it may be necessary to use ''softer'', high nitrogen content diamonds that are more susceptible to bending under pressure. The resulting enhanced pressure gradient then provides a view of high-pressure behavior under anisotropic conditions similar to those found at the burn front in a bulk sample. We discuss visual observations of pressure-induced changes relative to variations in burn rate of several explosives (Triaminotrinitrobenzene, Nitromethane, CL-20) in the DAC. The burn rate behavior of both Nitromethane (NM) and Triaminotrinitrobenzene (TATB) were previously reported for pressures up to {approx}40 GPa. Nitromethane showed a near monotonic increase in burn rate to a maximum at {approx}30 GPa after which the burn rate decreased, all without color change. At higher pressures, the TATB samples had shiny (metallic) polycrystalline zones or inclusions where the pressure was highest in the sample. Around the shiny zones was a gradation of color …

Semiweekly newspaper from Boerne, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

This report discusses the Apprehension of ”Other Than Mexican” Aliens regarding Border Security.

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes "shipping categories" that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the "General Case," which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 …

The chemical composition of water that may be present in the emplacement drifts is a key issue for the isolation of high-level radioactive waste in a proposed mined geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Chemical constituents in water that may contact waste containers may affect rates of corrosion of the container materials. Long-term simulations of the in-drift chemical environment rely on ambient water chemistry, heat perturbations, and the interaction of ambient water with the engineered barriers (e.g. waste containers) and other introduced materials (e.g. rock bolts). In an attempt to induce seepage in the Enhanced Characterization of the Repository Block Cross Drift, bulkheads were constructed to isolate part of the 2.7-km-long drift from active ventilation. The bulkheads were closed and active ventilation ceased for periods up.to 454 days. After opening the bulkheads, water was observed in small puddles on plastic sheets and on rubber conveyor belt surfaces; droplets of water were observed on many surfaces of various construction-related introduced materials. Mold or fungal colonies also were present. The puddles of water were sampled seven times from January 2003 to June 2005; most samples appeared yellow to brown. The water samples were analyzed for major and trace constituents by using ion …

During the first and second years of the Computational Thermochemistry and Benchmarking of Reliable Methods project, we completed several studies using the parallel computing capabilities of the NWChem software and Molecular Science Computing Facility (MSCF), including large-scale density functional theory (DFT), second-order Moeller-Plesset (MP2) perturbation theory, and CCSD(T) calculations. During the third year, we continued to pursue the computational thermodynamic and benchmarking studies outlined in our proposal. With the issues affecting the robustness of the coupled cluster part of NWChem resolved, we pursued studies of the heats-of-formation of compounds containing 5 to 7 first- and/or second-row elements and approximately 10 to 14 hydrogens. The size of these systems, when combined with the large basis sets (cc-pVQZ and aug-cc-pVQZ) that are necessary for extrapolating to the complete basis set limit, creates a formidable computational challenge, for which NWChem on NWMPP1 is well suited.

The full funding policy is a federal budgeting rule imposed on the Department of Defense (DOD) by Congress in the 1950s that requires the entire procurement cost of a weapon or piece of military equipment to be funded in the year in which the item is procured. This policy relates to Congress's power of the purse and its responsibility for conducting oversight of DOD programs. In recent years, some DOD weapons--specifically, certain Navy ships--have not been procured in accordance with the above policy. The DOD is requesting that certain procurements take place without keeping with the above and precedented policy. The full funding policy helps keeps DOD procurements streamlined so that they can be easily followed and recorded; deviations from this policy would limit and complicate Congress's oversight of DOD procedures.

The full funding policy is a federal budgeting rule imposed on DOD by Congress in the 1950s that requires the entire procurement cost of a weapon or piece of military equipment to be funded in the year in which the item is procured. Although technical in nature, the policy relates to Congress’ power of the purse and its responsibility for conducting oversight of Department of Defense (DOD) programs. Support for the policy has been periodically reaffirmed over the years by Congress, the Government Accountability Office, and DOD.

The potential for deflagration-to-detonation transition (DDT) in LX-04 (85/15 HMX/Viton) is being evaluated as a function of loading density, temperature, and confinement. In the high confinement arrangement, a matrix of tests is nearly completed with the LX-04 loaded at {approx} 51, 70, 90, and {approx} 99% of theoretical maximum density (TMD); and temperatures of ambient, 160 C, and 190 C at each loading density. A more limited set of tests with {approx}99 %TMD loadings at medium confinement were conducted at temperatures of ambient and 186 C. LX-04 does not undergo DDT at near TMD loadings in both medium and high confinement, although the latter still results in significant fragmentation. Most porous beds in high confinement undergo DDT, with the minimum run distance to detonation (l) for a 70 %TMD loading at ambient temperature. LX-04 does not transit to detonation for a pour density (51.3 %TMD) loading at 160 C, but does at 190 C with a longer l than at ambient. The limited ambient temperature measurements for l in high confinement are similar to previous data for 91/9 HMX/wax, which has nearly the same %volume of HMX as LX-04.

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In creating the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the wake of September 11, 2001, some in Congress were concerned that the Department might not be able to conduct acquisitions with sufficient speed, particularly in an emergency. To that end, Congress enacted section 833 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which provides DHS with special streamlined acquisition authorities. Before those authorities could be used, however, the Secretary of Homeland Security or a delegate would have to determine in writing that the DHS mission would be seriously impaired without the use of the authorities. The special streamlined acquisition authorities including the following three items. First, increasing the micro-purchase threshold from $2,500 to $7,500. Purchases below the micro-purchase threshold do not require competitive quotes or compliance with the "Buy America" act. Only certain employees would be authorized to make procurements under this authority. Second, increasing the limit on the use of simplified acquisition procedures from $100,000 to $200,000 for contracts awarded and performed within the United States, and to $300,000 for contracts awarded and performed outside the United States. Simplified acquisition procedures permit agencies to use streamlined techniques to …

The heat generated from the radioactive waste to be placed in the proposed geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, will affect the thermal-hydrology of the Yucca Mountain stratigraphic layers. In order to assess the effect of the movement of repository heat into the fractured rocks accurate determination of thermodynamic and hydraulic properties is important. Heat capacity is one of the properties that are required to evaluate energy storage in the fractured rock. Rock-grain heat capacity, the subject of this study, is the heat capacity of the solid part of the rock. Yucca Mountain consists of alternating lithostratigraphic units of welded and non-welded ash-flow tuff, mainly rhyolitic in composition and displaying varying degrees of vitrification and alteration. A number of methods exist that can be used to evaluate heat capacity of the stratigraphic layers that consist of different compositions. In this study, the mineral summation method has been used to quantify the heat capacity of the stratigraphic layers based on Kopp's rule. The mineral summation method is an addition of the weighted heat capacity of each mineral found in a specific layer. For this study the weighting was done based on the mass percentage of each mineral in the layer. The …

At the microscopic scale, the strength of a crystal derives from the motion, multiplication and interaction of distinctive line defects--dislocations. First theorized in 1934 to explain low magnitudes of crystal strength observed experimentally, the existence of dislocations was confirmed only two decades later. Much of the research in dislocation physics has since focused on dislocation interactions and their role in strain hardening: a common phenomenon in which continued deformation increases a crystal's strength. The existing theory relates strain hardening to pair-wise dislocation reactions in which two intersecting dislocations form junctions tying dislocations together. Here we report that interactions among three dislocations result in the formation of unusual elements of dislocation network topology, termed hereafter multi-junctions. The existence of multi-junctions is first predicted by Dislocation Dynamics (DD) and atomistic simulations and then confirmed by the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) experiments in single crystal molybdenum. In large-scale Dislocation Dynamics simulations, multi-junctions present very strong, nearly indestructible, obstacles to dislocation motion and furnish new sources for dislocation multiplication thereby playing an essential role in the evolution of dislocation microstructure and strength of deforming crystals. Simulation analyses conclude that multi-junctions are responsible for the strong orientation dependence of strain hardening in BCC crystals.

Many of today's advanced building control systems are designed to improve granularity of control for energy efficiency. Examples include direct digital controls for building heating, ventilation, and cooling systems (HVAC), and dimmable ballasts for continuous dimming for daylighting applications. This paper discusses recent research on the use of new and existing controls in commercial buildings for integrated energy efficiency and demand response (DR). The paper discusses the use of DR controls strategies in commercial buildings and provides specific details on DR control strategy design concepts for a new building in New York. We present preliminary results from EnergyPlus simulations of the DR strategies at the New York Times Headquarters building currently under construction. The DR strategies at the Times building involve unique state of the art systems with dimmable ballasts, movable shades on the glass facade, and underfloor air HVAC. The simulation efforts at this building are novel, with an innovative building owner considering DR and future DR program participation strategies during the design phase. This paper also discusses commissioning plans for the DR strategies. The trends in integration of various systems through the EMCS, master versus supervisory controls and dynamic operational modes concepts are presented and future research directions …

A thermal-hydrologic natural-ventilation model is configured for simulating temperature, humidity, and condensate distributions in the coupled domains of the in-drift airspace and the near-field rockmass. Meaningful results are obtained from the model for a practical application in which the beneficial effects of unheated drift sections are analyzed. Sensitivity to the axial dispersion coefficient is also studied with the model.

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

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The judiciary pays over $900 million in rent annually to GSA for court-related space, and this amount represents a growing proportion of the judiciary's budget. The judiciary's rent payments are deposited into GSA's Federal Buildings Fund (FBF), a revolving fund used to finance GSA's real property services, including the construction and repair of federal facilities under GSA control. In December 2004, the judiciary requested a $483 million dollar permanent, annual rent exemption, which GSA denied, saying that it undermined the intent of FBF and that GSA was unlikely to obtain appropriations to replace lost FBF income. GAO identified (1) recent trends in the judiciary's rent and space occupied and (2) challenges that the judiciary faces in managing its rent costs."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has faced several challenges in recent years, including rising default rates, higher-than-expected program costs, and a sharp decline in program participation. To help FHA adapt to market changes, HUD has proposed a number of changes to the National Housing Act that would raise FHA's mortgage limits, allow greater flexibility in setting insurance premiums, and reduce down-payment requirements. Implementing the proposed reforms would require FHA to manage new risks and estimate the costs of program changes. To assist Congress in considering issues faced by FHA, this testimony provides information from recent reports GAO has issued that address FHA's risk management and cost estimates. Specifically, this testimony looks at (1) FHA's development and use of its mortgage scorecard, (2) FHA's consistent underestimation of program costs, (3) instructive practices for managing risks of new mortgage products, and (4) weaknesses in FHA's management of risks related to loans with down-payment assistance."

None

This report serves as a resource for the annual congressional debate on foreign policy spending, providing context and a trend analysis of the past 30 years. It considers the full scope of the International Affairs Budget, or Budget Function 150, as foreign policy spending is designated within the context of the Congressional Budget Resolution. It also illustrates spending trends of the major components that make up Budget Function 150. Other relevant “snapshots” of international spending are also examined, including how foreign aid resources have been allocated across several sub-categories and trends that are especially applicable to current funding priorities such as confronting global health problems and increasing aid to Africa.

Free weekly newspaper that includes business and classified advertising.