This letter serves as the post-closure monitoring letter report for the above Corrective Action Unit (CAU) for calendar year 2006. CAU 91 is inspected every six months. The first inspection was conducted on March 23, 2006, and the second inspection was conducted on September 19, 2006. All access roads, fences, gates, and signs were in excellent condition. No settling, cracking, or erosion was observed on the cover, and the use restriction had been maintained. No issues were identified, and no corrective actions were needed. The post-closure inspection checklists for CAU 91 are attached. Photographs and fields notes taken during site inspections are maintained in the project files.

The VACET team would like to add visual spreadsheeting capability to the visualization tool VisIt, to make it be a viable tool for current users of AMRVis and ChomboVis. This document describes AMRVis and ChomboVis approaches to visual spreadsheets and describes a proposed visual spreadsheet mechanism for VisIt.

A highly segmented coaxial HPGe detector was operated in a low background counting facility for over 1 year to experimentally evaluate possible segmentation strategies for the proposed Majorana neutrino-less double-beta decay experiment. Segmentation schemes were evaluated on their ability to reject multi-segment events while retaining single-segment events. To quantify a segmentation scheme's acceptance efficiency the percentage of peak area due to single segment events was calculated for peaks located in the energy region 911-2614 keV. Single interaction site events were represented by the double-escape peak from the 2614 keV decay in {sup 208}Tl located at 1592 keV. In spite of its prototypical nature, the detector performed well under realistic operating conditions and required only minimal human interaction. Though the energy resolution for events with interactions in multiple segments was impacted by inter-segment cross-talk, the implementation of a cross-talk correlation matrix restored acceptable resolution. Additionally, simulations utilizing the MaGe simulation package were performed and found to be in good agreement with experimental observations verifying the external nature of the background radiation.

The decision by India and Pakistan in May 1998 to conduct nuclear weapon tests and declare themselves as nuclear weapon states challenged South Asian regional stability calculations, US nonproliferation policy, and prevailing assumptions about international security. A decade later, the effects of those tests are still being felt and policies are still adjusting to the changed global conditions. This paper will consider non- and counter-proliferation policy options for the United States and Pakistan as they work as partners to prevent the transfer of nuclear technology and further nuclear proliferation.

A new method has been applied to the determination of neutron nonelastic cross sections for iron {sup 56}Fe and lead {sup 208}Pb for energies between 5 and 26 MeV. These data have estimated errors of only a few percent and do not suffer from the ambiguities encountered in earlier nonelastic data. We attempt to fit these high precision data using both a semiclassical single phase shift model (nuclear Ramsauer model) as well as a recent global optical model that well reproduces a wide body of neutron scattering observables. At the 5% uncertainty level, both models produce satisfactory fits. However, neither model gives satisfactory fits to these new precise data. We conclude that fitting precise data, i.e., data with errors of approximately 2% or less, may require a nuclear mass dependence of radii that reflects structure effects such as shell closures.

Lobbyists and interest groups play an active role in the American legislative process. Information on lobbyist registrations and on interest groups in general is available from a variety of online and printed sources, including files available for public inspection. This report is a guide for locating governmental sources that maintain files on lobby groups, their registrations, and finances. Also included in this report are nongovernmental sources that offer background information on the lobbyists and interest groups who focus on legislation in Washington.

The Center for Applied Scientific Computing (CASC) and the LLNL Climate and Carbon Science Group of Energy and Environment (E and E) are working together to improve predictions of future climate by applying the best available computational methods and computer resources to this problem. Over the last decade, researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have developed a number of climate models that provide state-of-the-art simulations on a wide variety of massively parallel computers. We are now developing and applying a second generation of high-performance climate models. Through the addition of relevant physical processes, we are developing an earth systems modeling capability as well.

The GLAST LAT Collaboration is one among several experimental groups, covering a wide range of approaches, pursuing the search for the nature of dark matter. The GLAST LAT has the unique ability to find new sources of high energy gamma radiation emanating directly from WIMP annihilations in situ in the universe. Using it's wide band spectral and full sky spatial capabilities, the GLAST LAT can form ''images'' in high energy gamma-rays of dark matter substructures in the gamma-ray sky. We describe a preliminary feasibility study for indirect detection of milky way dark matter satellites using the GLAST LAT.

This topical report presents work completed to characterize lithium stearate so a replacement supplier could be identified. Lithium stearate from Alfa Aesar and Chemtura was obtained and characterized along with the current material from Witco. Multiple methods were used to characterize the materials including Karl Fischer, FT-IR, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis.

Test Area North (TAN) -607, the Technical Support Facility, is located at the north end of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Site. U.S. Department of Energy Idaho Operations Office (DOE-ID) is proposing to decommission the northern section of the TAN-607 facility, hereinafter referred to as TAN-607 Hot Shop Area, under a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) non-time-critical removal action (NTCRA). Despite significant efforts by the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) to secure new business, no future mission has been identified for the TAN-607 Hot Shop Area. Its disposition has been agreed to by the Idaho State Historical Preservation Office documented in the Memorandum of Agreement signed October 2005 and it is therefore considered a surplus facility. A key element in DOE's strategy for surplus facilities is decommissioning to the maximum extent possible to ensure risk and building footprint reduction and thereby eliminating operations and maintenance cost. In addition, the DOE's 2006 Strategic Plan is ''complete cleanup of the contaminated nuclear weapons manufacturing and testing sites across the United States. DOE is responsible for the risk reduction and cleanup of the environmental legacy of the Nation's nuclear weapons program, one of the largest, most diverse, and …

A geologic/geochemical investigation in the vicinity of UPR-200-E-82 was performed using pairs of cone-penetrometer probe holes. A total of 41 direct-push cone-penetrometer borings (19 pairs to investigate different high moisture zones in the same sampling location and 3 individual) were advanced to characterize vadose zone moisture and the distribution of contaminants. A total of twenty sample sets, containing up to two split-spoon liners and one grab sample, were delivered to the laboratory for characterization and analysis. The samples were collected around the documented location of the C-152 pipeline leak, and created an approximately 120-ft diameter circle around the waste site. UPR-200-E-82 was a loss of approximately 2,600 gallons of Cs-137 Recovery Process feed solution containing an estimated 11,300 Ci of cesium-137 and 5 Ci of technetium-99. Several key parameters that are used to identify subsurface contamination were measured, including: water extract pH, electrical conductivity, nitrate, technetium-99, sodium, and uranium concentrations and technetium-99 and uranium concentrations in acid extracts. All of the parameters, with the exception of electrical conductivity, were elevated in at least some of the samples analyzed as part of this study. Specifically, soil pH was elevated (from 8.69 to 9.99) in five samples collected northeast and southwest of …

The objective of this work is to develop dense ceramic membranes for separating hydrogen from other gaseous components in a nongalvanic mode, i.e., without using an external power supply or electrical circuitry. This goal of this project is to develop two types of dense ceramic membrane for producing hydrogen nongalvanically, i.e., without electrodes or external power supply, at commercially significant fluxes under industrially relevant operating conditions. The first type of membrane, hydrogen transport membranes (HTMs), will be used to separate hydrogen from gas mixtures such as the product streams from coal gasification, methane partial oxidation, and water-gas shift reactions. Potential ancillary uses of HTMs include dehydrogenation and olefin production, as well as hydrogen recovery in petroleum refineries and ammonia synthesis plants, the largest current users of deliberately produced hydrogen. The second type of membrane, oxygen transport membranes (OTMs), will produce hydrogen by nongalvanically removing oxygen that is generated when water dissociates at elevated temperatures. This report describes progress that was made during FY 2006 on the development of OTM and HTM materials.

Presentation on renewable energy innovations and policies by Dr. Dan Arvizu of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Under the Federal Clean Water Act (CWA) states are required to develop and implement Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for waters that are not achieving water quality standards. A TMDL specifies the maximum amount of a pollutant that a water body can receive, and allocates the pollutant loadings to point and non-point sources. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) developed a tool to assist in improving the TMDL process. We developed a stakeholder allocation model (SAM) which uses multi-attribute utility theory to quantitatively structure the preferences of the major stakeholder groups. We then applied a Geographic Information System (GIS) to visualize the results. We used the Dominguez Channel Watershed in Los Angeles County, CA as our case study.

The purpose of this report is to update parameters utilized in Human Health Exposure calculations and Bioaccummulation Transfer Factors utilized at SRS for Performance Assessment model.

A unique, large release of radiocarbon occurred near the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR), Oak Ridge, TN in July/August 1999. Measurements of 14C in tree ring cellulose throughout the ORR area demonstrate that the 1999 release was unprecedented in its uptake by vegetation. We are taking advantage of the whole-ecosystem isotopic label generated by this release to address five outstanding issues in the terrestrial carbon cycle: (1) partitioning of soil respiration between autotrophic and heterotrophic sources, and quantification of that partitioning seasonally and inter-annually, (2) partitioning of heterotrophic respiration sources between above-ground litter decomposition and below-ground root detritus decomposition, (3) identification of pathways leading from leaf and root detritus to long-term stabilization of soil organic matter, including the role of soil fauna, (4) the role of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) transport in distributing carbon within the soil profile, and (5) the longevity and turnover time of fine roots. The first four issues are being addressed through a reciprocal litter transplant experiment set up at four sites on the ORR encompassing two soil types and two levels of 14C exposure in 1999. The fifth issue, longevity and turnover of fine roots, is being addressed by tracing the radiocarbon label through the fine …

Indirect detection of particle dark matter relies upon pair annihilation of Weakly Interaction Massive Particles (WIMPs), which is complementary to the well known techniques of direct detection (WIMP-nucleus scattering) and collider production (WIMP pair production). Pair annihilation of WIMPs results in the production of gamma-rays, neutrinos, and anti-matter. Of the various experiments sensitive to indirect detection of dark matter, the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) may play the most crucial role in the next few years. After launch in late 2007, The GLAST Large Area Telescope (LAT) will survey the gamma-ray sky in the energy range of 20MeV-300GeV. By eliminating charged particle background above 100 MeV, GLAST may be sensitive to as yet to be observed Milky Way dark matter subhalos, as well as WIMP pair annihilation spectral lines from the Milky Way halo. Discovery of gamma-ray signals from dark matter in the Milky Way would not only demonstrate the particle nature of dark matter; it would also open a new observational window on galactic dark matter substructure. Location of new dark matter sources by GLAST would dramatically alter the experimental landscape; ground based gamma ray telescopes could follow up on the new GLAST sources with precision measurements of …

This month's issue has the following articles: (1) Partnering to Enhance Americans Health--Commentary by Tomas Diaz de la Rubia; (2) Advancing the Frontiers in Cancer Research--Researchers at the University of California Davis Cancer Center and Lawrence Livermore are teaming up to fight cancer; (3) On the Leading Edge of Atmospheric Predictions--Continual research and development at the National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center help mitigate the consequences of toxic airborne hazards; (4) Climate and Agriculture: Change Begets Change--A Livermore researcher is using computer models to explore how a warmer climate may affect crop yields in California; (5) New Routes to High Temperatures and Pressures--With functionally graded density impactors composed of thin metal and polyethylene films, researchers can explore new areas of experimental physics; and (6) From Sound Waves to Stars: Teller's Contributions to Shock Physics--Edward Teller's interest in shock physics led to significant developments in both basic and applied science.

This report presents the budget summary for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including programs and goals.

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This report is an overview of the Administrations FY2008 budget request for 11 homeland security programs designed to provide assistance to state and local first responders.

This report highlights efforts by affected countries to control the spread of the avian influenza (H5N1) virus. Included is statistical information on confirmed human cases and deaths through January 2007.

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This report consists of changes to the OMB regulatory review process by executive order 13422.