Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information related to the June 22, 1999, hearing on the nomination of Richard C. Holbrooke to be Ambassador to the United Nations, focusing on United Nations reform issues related to: (1) organizational restructuring; (2) reducing overhead; (3) development dividend; (4) the oversight and monitoring of program effectiveness; (5) sunset provisions for program mandates; and (6) personnel."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO examined the General Services Administration's (GSA) retail packaging products program, focusing on whether: (1) GSA is required by law to set its prices for retail packaging products at levels sufficient to ensure that all selling costs are recovered on each item; and (2) GSA's selling prices for these items do recover all costs."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the progress being made in addressing the year 2000 computing challenge, focusing on: (1) the federal government's progress and the challenges that remain in correcting its systems; (2) state and local government year 2000 issues; and (3) the readiness of key public infrastructure and economic sectors."

A weekly publication, the Texas Register serves as the journal of state agency rulemaking for Texas. Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents such as requests for proposals. After adoption, these rulemaking actions are codified into the Texas Administrative Code.

Letter opinion issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether an individual may be compensated for serving both as a constable and as a courtroom bailiff (ID# 39429)

Letter opinion issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether the Pampa Economic Development Corporation may contribute to a Clarendon College center im Pampa, Texas (ID# 39511)

Letter opinion issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether a city council may require that certain or all requests for zoning variances be directed to the city council rather than the zoning board of adjustment (ID# 39261)

Letter opinion issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether the commissioners court in a county with a public defender's office must provide funding to pay court-appointed attorneys who are not members of the public defender's office (RQ-913)

Letter opinion issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Removal of persons appointed to county purchasing board and related questions (ID# 39418)

Letter opinion issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification;Whether county may pay legal expenses incurred by sheriff in defending himself in a prosecution in criminal charges(ID# 39367).

Letter opinion issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether the Texas Hazard Communication Act, chapter 502, Health and Safety Code, which provides "employees" with accessibility to certain information regarding hazardous chemicals at work sites, is applicable to inmates of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (RQ-841)

The roughly 0.5-km{sup 2} (0.2-mi{sup 2}) Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (WHVP) site is located in the Pasco Basin in south-central Washington State at the US Department of Energy`s Hanford Site. The HWVP site is planned for use as a waste treatment facility for treating the high-activity fraction of waste currently stored in underground storage tanks on the Hanford Site. In order to determine the pre-construction chemical properties of the proposed construction site soils and to enable the HWVP to segregate these, as necessary, from any impact of HWVP operations, a soil baseline sampling plan was written and implemented. The report describes the baseline sampling plan.

Molten carbonate fuel cell system is a leading candidate for the utility power generation because of its high efficiency for fuel to AC power conversion, capability for an internal reforming, and a very low environmental impact. However, the performance of the molten carbonate fuel cell is limited by the oxygen reduction reaction and the cell life time is limited by the stability of the cathode material. An elucidation of oxygen reduction reaction in molten alkali carbonate is essential because overpotential losses in the molten carbonate fuel cell are considerably greater at the oxygen cathode than at the fuel anode. Oxygen reduction on a fully-immersed gold electrode in a lithium carbonate melt was investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry to determine electrode kinetic and mass transfer parameters. The dependences of electrode kinetic and mass transfer parameters on gas composition and temperature were examined to determine the reaction orders and the activation energies. The results showed that oxygen reduction in a pure lithium carbonate melt occurs via the peroxide mechanism. A mass transfer parameter, D{sub O}{sup 1/2}C{sub O}, estimated by the cyclic voltammetry concurred with that calculated by the EIS technique. The temperature dependence of the exchange current density and …

The objectives of this project are to test novel fullerene based catalysts for application in methane activation. Fullerenes are a recently discovered allotrope of carbon that have been found to possess unusual properties, some of which may be ideal for methane conversion to higher hydrocarbons. The project is divided into three technical tasks. Task 1 deals with the synthesis and characterization of the fullerenes and fullerene soots, Task 2 with the testing of the catalysts, and Task 3 with the evaluation of the results and technical reporting requirements. This quarter we prepared fullerene soot and conducted experiments to determined its reactivity towards methane, hydrogen, and ethylene. The results are summarized: (1) Soot containing approximately 12-14 wt % fullerenes was prepared by the discharge method of Haufler et al. SRI is in the process of developing methodology to produce large scale amounts of fullerenes and fullerene based materials and is working with a private company to that end. In order to provide a background of fullerene soot and describe some of these methods we have included Appendix A. (2) We conducted some preliminary experiments in order to determine the temperature regime at which fullerene based soot would begin to be active …

There is a need to reduce emissions from conventional wood stoves in the short-term while stove replacement takes place over the longer term. One possible is to use fuels that would burn cleaner than cordwood. Densified fuels have been commercially available for years and offer such a possibility. The objective of this project was to evaluate the emissions and efficiency performance of two commercially available densified log types in homes and compare their performance with cordwood. Researchers measured particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), and volatile organic matter (VOC) emissions. Both total VOC and methane values are presented. Each home used an Automated Woodstove Emissions Sampler system, developed for the EPA and Bonneville Power Administration, in a series of four week-long tests for each stove. The sequence of tests in each stove was cordwood, Pres-to-Logs, Eco-Logs, and a second, confirming test using Pres-to-Logs. Results show an average reduction of 52% in PM grams per hour emissions overall for the nine stoves using Pres-to-Logs. All nine stoves displayed a reduction in PM emissions. CO emissions were more modestly reduced by 27%, and VOCs were reduced 39%. The emissions reduction percentage was similar for both types of stoves.

Lifetimes and masses of B mesons have been measured in exclusively reconstructed decays including J/{psi} {yields} {mu}{sup +} decays. In 19.3 pb{sup {minus}1} of {bar p}p collisions at {radical}s = 1.8 TeV taken in 19920--93 at the Fermilab Tevatron collider, approximately 300 B mesons have been fully reconstructed. The measurements require precise determination of the helical track parameters of charged particle tracks. We find M(B{sub S}{sup O}) = 5367.7 {plus_minus} 2.4 {plus_minus} 4.8 MeV/c{sup 2}, {tau}(B{sup +}) = 1.61 {plus_minus} 0.16 {plus_minus} 0.05 ps, and {tau}(B{sup O}) = 1.57 {plus_minus} 0.18 {plus_minus} 0.08 ps.

Molten carbonate fuel cell system is a leading candidate for the utility power generation because of its high efficiency for fuel to AC power conversion, capability for an internal reforming, and a very low environmental impact. However, the performance of the molten carbonate fuel cell is limited by the oxygen reduction reaction and the cell life time is limited by the stability of the cathode material. An elucidation of oxygen reduction reaction in molten alkali carbonate is essential because overpotential losses in the molten carbonate fuel cell are considerably greater at the oxygen cathode than at the fuel anode. Oxygen reduction on a fully-immersed gold electrode in a lithium carbonate melt was investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry to determine electrode kinetic and mass transfer parameters. The dependences of electrode kinetic and mass transfer parameters on gas composition and temperature were examined to determine the reaction orders and the activation energies. The results showed that oxygen reduction in a pure lithium carbonate melt occurs via the peroxide mechanism. A mass transfer parameter, D{sub O}{sup 1/2}C{sub O}, estimated by the cyclic voltammetry concurred with that calculated by the EIS technique. The temperature dependence of the exchange current density and …

There is a need to reduce emissions from conventional wood stoves in the short-term while stove replacement takes place over the longer term. One possible is to use fuels that would burn cleaner than cordwood. Densified fuels have been commercially available for years and offer such a possibility. The objective of this project was to evaluate the emissions and efficiency performance of two commercially available densified log types in homes and compare their performance with cordwood. Researchers measured particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), and volatile organic matter (VOC) emissions. Both total VOC and methane values are presented. Each home used an Automated Woodstove Emissions Sampler system, developed for the EPA and Bonneville Power Administration, in a series of four week-long tests for each stove. The sequence of tests in each stove was cordwood, Pres-to-Logs, Eco-Logs, and a second, confirming test using Pres-to-Logs. Results show an average reduction of 52% in PM grams per hour emissions overall for the nine stoves using Pres-to-Logs. All nine stoves displayed a reduction in PM emissions. CO emissions were more modestly reduced by 27%, and VOCs were reduced 39%. The emissions reduction percentage was similar for both types of stoves.

This document presents the results of operational testing of the 241-C-106 In-Tank Video Camera Imaging System. This imaging system was installed as a component of Project W-320 to monitor sluicing and waste retrieval activities in Tank 241-C-106.

The purpose of this inspection was to review the economy and efficiency of Idaho`s Fiscal Year 1992 Cost Reduction Incentive Program, as well as to provide information to Departmental officials regarding any difficulties in administering these types of programs. The report is of the findings and recommendations. According to Idaho officials, their Cost Reduction Incentive Program was designed to motivate and provide incentives to management and operating contractors which would result in cost savings to the Department while increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the contractors` operations. Idaho officials reported that over $22.5 million in costs were saved as a result of the Fiscal Year 1992 Cost Reduction Incentive Program. It was found that: (1) Idaho officials acknowledged that they did not attempt a full accounting records validation of the contractor`s submitted cost savings; (2) cost reduction incentive programs may result in conflicts of interest--contractors may defer work in order to receive an incentive fee; (3) the Department lacks written Department-wide policies and procedures--senior Procurement officials stated that the 1985 memorandum from the then-Assistant Secretary for Management and Administration was not the current policy of the Department; and (4) the Department already has the management and operating contract award fee …

A Treatability Study planned for the demonstration of the in situ electromagnetic (EM) heating process to remove organic solvents is described in this Work Plan. The treatability study will be conducted by heating subsurface vadose-zone soils in an organic plume adjacent to the Classified Burial Ground K-1070-D located at K-25 Site, Oak Ridge. The test is scheduled to start during the fourth quarter of FY94 and will be completed during the first quarter of FY95. The EM heating process for soil decontamination is based on volumetric heating technologies developed during the `70s for the recovery of fuels from shale and tar sands by IIT Research Institute (IITRI) under a co-operative program with the US Department of Energy (DOE). Additional modifications of the technology developed during the mid `80s are currently used for the production of heavy oil and waste treatment. Over the last nine years, a number of Government agencies (EPA, Army, AF, and DOE) and industries sponsored further development and testing of the in situ heating and soil decontamination process for the remediation of soils containing hazardous organic contaminants. In this process the soil is heated in situ using electrical energy. The contaminants are removed from the soil due …

Laboratory experiments have been performed to evaluate the performance of a premixed low-swirl burner (LSB) in configurations that simulate commercial heating appliances. Laser diagnostics were used to investigate changes in flame stabilization mechanism, flowfield, and flame stability when the LSB flame was confined within quartz cylinders of various diameters and end constrictions. The LSB adapted well to enclosures without generating flame oscillations and the stabilization mechanism remained unchanged. The feasibility of using the LSB as a low NO{sub x} commercial burner has also been verified in a laboratory test station that simulates the operation of a water heater. It was determined that the LSB can generate NO{sub x} emissions < 10 ppm (at 3% O{sub 2}) without significant effect on the thermal efficiency of the conventional system. The study has demonstrated that the lean premixed LSB has commercial potential for use as a simple economical and versatile burner for many low emission gas appliances.

Recently, an interesting class of the direct gauge mediation supersymmetry (SUSY) breaking models are proposed, in which the minimum of the potential of the SUSY breaking field is determined by the inverted hierarchy mechanism. We consider their cosmological implications. In this class of models, SUSY breaking field has a very flat potential, which may have a cosmological importance. Assuming the initial amplitude of the SUSY breaking field to be of the order of the Planck scale, it can be a source of a large entropy production. A special attention is paid to the cosmological moduli problem, and we will see the cosmological mass density of the moduli field can be significantly reduced.

A total of 56 author authority records were created or revised in the Fermilab online catalog. An example of a correct author authority record is given. Since the author authority records used 400 fields and thus pipe all the variant names to the one record, any additions of records with any of these variants will be handled by the online catalog. It is likely that we have included most of the common variants of key Fermilab authors' names, so the database should stay cleaner and more functional for years to come. This project was a success. Therefore an immediate future plan is to implement additional author authority records for the remainder of the authors in the database. Afterwards, authority maintenance should be built in to Library work processes as an ongoing task.