The National Museum of the Pacific War presents and oral interview with Douglas A. Skinner. Born 13 January 1923 in Fleetwood, Oklahoma, Skinner joined the Army 1 April 1943 and was sent to Fort Hood, Texas for basic training. Upon completion of basic, he volunteered for the Parachute Infantry and was sent to Fort Benning, Georgia for airborne training. He describes the training they received. Assigned to the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division he was sent to England. On 6 June 1944 the unit participated in the invasion of Normandy. He recalls the plane in which he was aboard being hit by anti-aircraft fire and going down in flames. Skinner was able to bail out before it crashed. He remembers that only he and two others on the plane survived. Briefly discussing the action in which he was involved, Skinner tells of being wounded. As a result of his wound, he spent six months in the hospital. He was discharged from the Army 2 December 1944.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Tina Burnham. Burnham was born in Sulpher Springs, Texas and graduated from high school in 1940. She attended a trade school in Texarkana, Texas to become a riveter. She was then employed at Spartan Aircraft Industries in Tulsa, Oklahoma as a riveter. On this job she manufactured wings on Grumman Wildcat aircraft. In January 1944 she joined the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve (SPARS) and went to Palm Beach, Florida for six weeks of intensive training. She describes the clothing she was issued and the training she received. Upon completion of boot camp she went to Philadelphia working as a pharmacist’s mate in the St. Agnes Hospital. She was then selected to attend the College of Pharmacy at Columbia University. She graduated 31 December 1944. After spending a short time in the SPARS barracks sick bay in Norfolk, Virginia she was transferred to the Marine Hospital in Norfolk. While at the hospital she rotated through the various departments. She states that surgery was her favorite. She was then sent to the Elizabeth City, North Carolina, Coast Guard Air Station where she served until being discharged 20 May 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joseph Ramos. Ramos joined the Army Air Forces in June of 1942. He served with a troop carrier squadron aboard a C-47, as a radio operator. He attended a number of USO shows. They traveled to northern Morocco, where he was in charge of an identification, friend or foe (IFF) system box. He traveled on to Algeria, Sicily, North Africa, Iran delivering drop tanks. Ramos flew with a photo reconnaissance unit aboard a B-17. His troop carrier squadron supported the invasion of Southern France in August of 1944. Ramos was discharged in September of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Barrington Buetell. Buetell grew up in Georgia and was drafted when he turned 18 in 1944. He trained in Georgia before being shipped to Europe in early 1945. He was attached to a headquarters company and recalls liberating a concentration camp at Mulhausen, Austria. When th ewar ended, Buetell rotated back to tUS where he enrolled in college. While there, he completed the Air Force ROTC course and was commissioned just prior to the outbreak of the war in Korea. He eventually was reassigned to occupation duty in Germany, where he served in a constabulary force in Wiesbaden.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Lane. Lane was attending the University of Texas and tried joining the Marine Corps, but did not pass the physical. He instead opted for the Army, which accepted him. He trained at Fort Custer, Michigan. There he trained as a military policeman and was soon shipped to a prisoner of war camp housing German submarine sailors in New Mexico. After being sent to west coast, Lane boarded a ship and sailed 23 days to New Caledonia, where he was assigned to the Americal Division. From there, Lane went to Guadalcanal in late 1942 and relieved and replaced a Marine unit on the front line. Lane recalls his experiences fighting he Japanese at the Tenaru River on Guadalcanal. He was armed with a Browning Automatic Rifle. Lane also describes some experiences while on R & R in Australia before he headed for Bougainville. After a brief amount of time in the Palau Islands, Lane headed for the invasion of Leyte. Later on, he moved to Luzon and fought in Manila. Lane backtracks and shares some anecdotes about being a personal river for General Douglas MacArthur in Sydney while …

This is a traditional narrative about an orphan boy who finds treasure inside a gourd and becomes rich. The speaker, Vshaq Sangdong Pōng, is from the Mvtjùng valley, and is about 70 years old at the time of recording.

This is a description of the rivers and streams near Dukdang, Putao, and others in surrounding areas. The speaker, Vshaq Sangdong Pōng, is from the Mvtjùng valley, and is about 70 years old at the time of recording. He speaks the lower Mvtjùng variety. He lists the names of different rivers, and describes where they meet, and what roads or villages are near them.

This is a description of the mountains near Dukdang, Putao, and others in surrounding areas. The speaker, Vshaq Sangdong Pōng, is from the Mvtjùng valley, and is about 70 years old at the time of recording. He speaks the lower Mvtjùng variety. He lists the mountains, and the groups that live in those areas. He tells which mountains have roads nearby, and how some have changed names over time.

This is a description of marriage customs. Both families send 'go-betweens' to mediate the agreement and discuss dowry. For the ceremony, the bride passes through a bundle of reeds, and a gift called "geumbang siya" is given. Sometimes, there are other gifts as well, and a feast. If someone cannot pay the dowry, elders may allow them to pay something later, at a time when they can afford it. He also describes the different practices of groups in surrounding areas, and compares traditional marriage customs to current ones affected by Christian influence. The speaker is from Krangku originally, but had moved to Putao several years before the time of recording.

This is a narrative about how the Vzeu dance originated, recorded in Myitkyina. The Vzeu dance started when people wanted to express gratitude, so they imitated the butterflies and eagles. The speaker is from Krangku originally, but had moved to Putao several years before the time of recording. He also briefly describes the different beliefs and dances of groups in surrounding areas.

This is a narrative about how people started building houses after the world was flooded. They watched animals build their houses, like wild boars and birds, and then collected the tools and materials to build houses. Then, they blessed the house.

This is a monologue about the teachings of elders. He warns that people need to think carefully before judging. The speaker, Vshaq Sangdong Pōng, is from the Mvtjùng valley, and is about 70 years old at the time of recording. He speaks the lower Mvtjùng variety.

News release about DART's annual senior health fair.

News release about a DART auction where vehicles, including trolley buses, will be sold to the highest bidder.

Closing report for project DOE-FG02-03ER15436. The project studied obligate autotrophy in the ammonia oxidizing bacterium Nitrosomonas europaea. Nitrosomonas europaea can obtain all of its energy and reductant for growth from the oxidation of ammonia to nitrite and is, therefore, classified as a chemolithotroph. This bacterium is also an autotroph, which can derive all cellular carbon from carbon dioxide. N. europaea seems incapable of growth with other carbon or energy sources. This restricted capability is surprising given that ammonia is a poor energy source. The main goal of the project was to examine the basis of autotrophy in N. europaea or, thought of another way, to determine the barriers to heterotrophy. The approach was enabled by the N. europaea genome sequence, stimulating new ways of thinking about this physiological paradox—an insistence on a single, albeit poor, energy source. Objective 1 was to examine the expression and regulation of the genes coding for alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, determine if the enzyme’s activity is present, and determine whether alteration of the expression levels influences autotrophic growth. Although Nitrosomonas europaea lacks measurable alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase activity, the genome sequence revealed the presence of the genes encoding the enzyme. A knockout mutation was created in the sucA gene …

This report presents and discusses results from Task 6 of the study 'Fate of Mercury in Synthetic Gypsum Used for Wallboard Production,' performed at a full-scale commercial wallboard plant. Synthetic gypsum produced by wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems on coal-fired power plants is commonly used in the manufacture of wallboard. This practice has long benefited the environment by recycling the FGD gypsum byproduct, which is becoming available in increasing quantities, decreasing the need to landfill this material, and increasing the sustainable design of the wallboard product. However, new concerns have arisen as recent mercury control strategies involve the capture of mercury in FGD systems. The objective of this study is to determine whether any mercury is released into the atmosphere when the synthetic gypsum material is used as a feedstock for wallboard production. The project is being co-funded by the U.S. DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory (Cooperative Agreement DE-FC26-04NT42080), USG Corporation, and EPRI. USG Corporation is the prime contractor, and URS Group is a subcontractor. The project scope now includes six discrete tasks, each conducted at various USG wallboard plants using synthetic gypsum from different FGD systems. The project was originally composed of five tasks, which were to include …

PCQUEST, a package of eight predictive indices, was developed with U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) support by the Energy and Environmental Research Center to predict fireside performance in coal-fired utility boilers more reliably than traditional indices. Since the development of PCQUEST, the need has arisen for additional fuel types into the program database. PCQUEST was developed using combustion inorganic transformation theory from previous projects and from empirical data derived from laboratory experiments and coal boiler field observations. The goal of this joint venture project between commercial industry clients and DOE is to further enhance PCQUEST and improve its utility for a variety of new fuels and systems. Specific objectives include initiating joint venture projects with utilities, boiler vendors, and coal companies that involve real-world situations and needs in order to strategically improve algorithms and input-output functions of PCQUEST, as well as to provide technology transfer to the industrial sector. The main body of this report provides a short summary of the projects that were closed from February 1999 through June 2006. All of the reports sent to the commercial clients can be found in the appendix.

The work presented here can be divided into two parts: 1) an experimental and analysis section dealing with the investigation of small molecules such as methyl bromide, carbon dioxide, diatomic nitrogen, methane and methane?s photochemical derivative methyl radical adsorbed onto the Pt(111) surface, and 2) A detailed explanation of the current STM and chamber, with included designs and detailed instructions for operation and maintenance of both the STM and chamber. The investigations of the methyl bromide molecule show interesting dipole-dipole interactions on the Pt(111) surface. With a (6 x 3) lattice being described as the full monolayer that was created by overdosing and annealing to 104 K. The (6 x 3) lattice is shown to occupy top sites and three fold hollow sites on the Pt(111) surface giving rise to a very sharp and symmetrically split ν2 RAIRS mode, and the absence of the ν5 mode in RAIRS is indicative that the molecules are all aligned with their C-Br bond parallel to the surface normal. Additional sub-monolayer structures were observed that had components that were not aligned with the surface normal. The submonolayer lattices ranging from a structured 0.12 ML to a random coverages estimated at 0.20 ML, to a …

Policymakers have been talking for years about measures to cut back how much petroleum we use. Interest has spiked recently, with government and private companies coming together to push forward scientific research and development of alternative fuel products such as ethanol. Biotechnology is helping make alternative energy sources easier - and more affordable - to produce. Most of the world's energy needs are met with oil and natural gas, which come from fossil fuel. No one knows how long the supply can last. Biobased fuels come from natural sources that can be replaced quickly. Along with corn, there are many other grains, grasses, trees, and even agricultural wastes being investigated for their usefulness and environmental friendliness as alternative fuel sources. Careers in this emerging new field emphasize chemistry and engineering. Look into it for a potential career - it's definitely a job full of energy.

This is a report on the International Trade Corridor Plan. It consists of topics of trade, Texas roads, and truck traffic. There are charts and graphs showing the levels of trade between Mexico and the United States.

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The wildland fire problems facing our nation continue to grow. The number of acres burned by wildland fires annually from 2000 to 2005 was 70 percent greater than the average burned annually during the 1990s, while appropriations for the federal government's wildland fire management activities tripled from about $1 billion in fiscal year 1999 to nearly $3 billion in fiscal year 2005. Experts believe that catastrophic damage from wildland fire probably will continue to increase until an adequate long-term federal response, coordinated with others, is implemented and has had time to take effect. In the past 7 years, the federal government has made important progress in putting into place basic components of a framework for managing and responding to the nation's wildland fire problems. Many challenges lie ahead, however, if the federal agencies having primary responsibility for managing wildland fire issues--the Forest Service within the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and National Park Service (NPS) within the Department of the Interior--are to address the problems in a timely and effective manner. Most notably, …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO has undertaken a body of work to address federal, state, and local preparations for, response to, and recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This correspondence contains GAO's preliminary findings."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides a uniform set of health care services to eligible veterans who enroll to receive such care and seek it from VA. These services include preventive and primary health care, a full range of outpatient and inpatient services, and prescription drugs. VA provides additional services, such as nursing home and dental care and other services, as required by law for some veterans and makes these services available to other veterans on a discretionary basis as resources permit. Most of the nation's 24 million veterans are eligible for some aspect of VA's health care services if they choose to enroll. In fiscal year 2005, about 7 million veterans were enrolled to receive VA health care services. In that year, VA planned to provide health care services to about 5 million veterans based on its initial budget request of $ 30.2 billion. Funding for VA's health care program has increased substantially in recent years. Congress appropriates funds annually for VA to provide health care services to eligible veterans. Congressional budget deliberations start when the President submits his annual budget request to Congress as the …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "On April 6, 2006, we testified before Congress on the Department of Defense's (DOD) space acquisitions. In fiscal year 2007, DOD expects to spend nearly $7 billion to acquire space-based capabilities to support current military and other government operations as well as to enable DOD to transform the way it collects and disseminates information, gathers data on its adversaries, and attacks targets. Despite its growing investment in space, however, DOD's space system acquisitions have experienced problems over the past several decades that have driven up costs by hundreds of millions, even billions, of dollars; stretched schedules by years; and increased performance risks. In some cases, capabilities have not been delivered to the warfighter after decades of development. Within this context, Congress requested that we provide additional comments regarding the need for better program management, space acquisition policy, and DOD's Space Radar and Transformational Satellite Communications System acquisitions."