Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since February 2004, we have issued a series of reports detailing how some organizations and individuals, including defense, civilian agency, and General Services Administration (GSA) contractors; tax-exempt (not-for-profit) organizations; and Medicare physicians, abused the federal tax system at the same time they were doing business with or receiving benefits from the federal government. While we performed this work it came to our attention that some organizations and individuals that were recipients of federal grants and other direct assistance were also abusing the tax system. Thus, Congress asked us to perform additional work and report specifically on organizations and individuals that abuse the federal tax system at the same time they receive federal grants or other similar types of federal assistance, known as direct payments for specified use (direct assistance) programs. Based on Congressional request, we completed a forensic audit and related investigations of unpaid federal taxes owed by recipients of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Individuals and Households Program (IHP) following hurricanes Katrina and Rita. IHP is a federal direct assistance program authorized by the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act), as …

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Women's Business Center (WBC) Program provides training and counseling services to women entrepreneurs, especially those who are socially and economically disadvantaged. In fiscal year 2007, the Small Business Administration (SBA) funded awards to 99 WBCs. However, Congress and WBCs expressed concerns about the uncertain nature of the program's funding structure. Concerns have also been raised about whether the WBC and two other SBA programs, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and SCORE programs, duplicate services. This report addresses (1) uncertainties associated with the funding process for WBCs; (2) SBA's oversight of the WBC program; and (3) actions that SBA and WBCs have taken to avoid duplication among the WBC, SBDC, and SCORE programs. GAO reviewed policies, procedures, examinations, and studies related to the funding, oversight, and services of WBCs and interviewed SBA, WBC, SBDC, and SCORE officials."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since February 2004, GAO has reported that weaknesses in the federal programs and controls that allowed thousands of federal contractors, tax exempt entities, and Medicare providers to receive government money while owing taxes. GAO was asked to determine if these problems exist for entities who receive federal grants or direct assistance and (1) describe the magnitude of taxes owed, (2) provide examples of grant recipients involved in abusive and potentially criminal activity, and (3) assess efforts to prevent delinquent taxpayers from participating in such programs. To perform this work, GAO analyzed data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), three of the largest grant and direct assistance payment systems, representing over $460 billion in payments in fiscal years 2005 and 2006, and the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 8 tenant-based housing program. GAO investigated 20 cases to provide examples of grant recipients involved in abusive activity."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This report responds to certain requirements of the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act (HRIFA) of 1998 that authorized certain Haitian nationals and their dependents to apply to adjust their status to lawful permanent residence. Section 902 (k) of the act requires the Comptroller General to report every 6 months on the number of Haitian nationals who have applied and been approved to adjust their status to lawful permanent residence. The reports are to contain a breakdown of the number of Haitians who applied and the number who were approved as asylum applicants, parolees, children without parents, orphaned children, or abandoned children; or as the eligible dependents of these applicants, including spouses, children, and unmarried sons or daughters. Reports are to be provided until all applications have been finally adjudicated. This is our seventeenth report."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Hurricane Katrina destroyed or damaged 134,000 homes and 10,000 rental units in Mississippi alone. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in part responded by providing displaced individuals with temporary housing in the form of mobile homes and travel trailers, placed on both private property and at FEMA-constructed group sites. In 2006, FEMA awarded 10 contracts in Mississippi to maintain and deactivate (MD) the housing units and 5 for group site maintenance (GSM). GAO was asked to investigate whether there were indications of fraud, waste, and abuse related to FEMA's oversight of these 15 contracts. GAO analyzed FEMA's issuance of task orders, tested a representative sample of monthly maintenance inspections payments, prepared case studies detailing the costs related to trailers placed at group sites, and investigated improper activity related to the contracts."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Established in 1934 to enforce the securities laws and protect investors, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) plays an important role in maintaining the integrity of the U.S. securities markets. Pursuant to the Accountability of Tax Dollars Act of 2002, SEC is required to prepare and submit to Congress and the Office of Management and Budget audited financial statements. GAO agreed, under its audit authority, to perform the audit of SEC's financial statements. GAO's audit was done to determine whether, in all material respects, (1) SEC's fiscal year 2007 financial statements were reliable and (2) SEC's management maintained effective internal control over financial reporting and compliance with laws and regulations. GAO also tested SEC's compliance with certain laws and regulations."

We have searched for the violation of baryon number B and lepton number L in the (B - L)-conserving modes {tau}{sup -} {yields} {bar {Lambda}}{pi}{sup -} and {tau}{sup -} {yields} {bar {Lambda}}K{sup -} as well as the (B - L)-violating modes {tau}{sup -} {yields} {Lambda}{pi}{sup -} and {tau}{sup -} {yields} {Lambda}K{sup -} using 237 fb{sup -1} of data collected with the BaBar detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e{sup +}e{sup -} storage rings. We do not observe any signal and we determine preliminary upper limits on the branching fractions {Beta}({tau}{sup -} {yields} {bar {Lambda}}{pi}{sup -}) < 5.9 x 10{sup -8}, {Beta}({tau}{sup -}{yields} {Lambda}{pi}{sup -}) < 5.8 x 10{sup -6}, {Beta}({tau}{sup -} {yields} {bar {Lambda}}K{sup -}) < 7.2 x 10{sup -8}, and {Beta}({tau}{sup -} {yields} {Lambda}K{sup -}) < 15 x 10{sup -8} at 90% confidence level.

The Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) is a SASE xray Free-Electron Laser (FEL) project presently under construction at SLAC. The injector section, from drive-laser and RF photocathode gun through first bunch compressor chicane, was installed in fall 2006. Initial system commissioning with an electron beam has recently been completed. The second phase of construction, including second bunch compressor and full linac, is planned for 2008. In this paper, we report experimental results and experience gained during the first phase of machine commissioning. This includes the cathode, drive laser, RF photocathode gun, linac booster section, S-band and X-band RF systems, first bunch compressor, and the various beam diagnostics.

Although significant hydrate deposits are known to exist in the Ulleung Basin of the Korean East Sea, their survey and evaluation as a possible energy resource has not yet been completed. However, it is possible to develop preliminary estimates of their production potential based on the limited data that are currently available. These include the elevation and thickness of the Hydrate-Bearing Layer (HBL), the water depth, and the water temperature at the sea floor. Based on this information, we developed estimates of the local geothermal gradient that bracket its true value. Reasonable estimates of the initial pressure distribution in the HBL can be obtained because it follows closely the hydrostatic. Other critical information needs include the hydrate saturation, and the intrinsic permeabilities of the system formations. These are treated as variables, and sensitivity analysis provides an estimate of their effect on production. Based on the geology of similar deposits, it is unlikely that Ulleung Basin accumulations belong to Class 1 (involving a HBL underlain by a mobile gas zone). If Class 4 (disperse, low saturation accumulations) deposits are involved, they are not likely to have production potential. The most likely scenarios include Class 2 (HBL underlain by a zone of …

In this article, I review the most recent results in radiative penguin decays from the B factories Belle and BABAR. Most notably, I will talk about the recent new observations in the decays B {yields} ({rho}/{omega}) {gamma}, a new analysis technique in b {yields} s{gamma}, and first measurements of radiative penguin decays in the B{sup 0}{sub s} meson system. Finally, I will summarize the current status and future prospects of radiative penguin B physics at the B factories.

We propose a novel approach to derive longitudinal shower development information from a longitudinally unsegmented calorimeter such as the BaBar electromagnetic calorimeter by utilizing tracking information in conjunction with that of calorimetry. We show that using this information as part of an electron identification algorithm results in a significant reduction in the pion misidentification probability for low momentum particles. We also demonstrate how this information provides general charged particle separation at low momentum, particularly between pions and muons.

As part of continuing compliance, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to provide information on any change in conditions or activities pertaining to the disposal system since the most recent compliance application. This requirement is identified in Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Section 194.4(b)(4), which states: "No later than six months after the administrator issues a certification, and at least annually thereafter, the Department shall report to the Administrator, in writing, any changes in conditions or activities pertaining to the disposal system that were not required to be reported by paragraph (b)(3) of this section and that differ from information contained in the most recent compliance application." In meeting the requirement, the DOE provides an annual report each November of all applicable changes under the above requirement. This annual report informs the EPA of changes to information in the most recent compliance recertification (the 2004 Compliance Recertification). Significant planned changes must be reported to the EPA prior to implementation by the DOE. In addition, Title 40 CFR, Section 194.4(b)(3) requires that significant unplanned changes be reported to the EPA within 24 hours or ten days, depending on the severity of the …

Inspection of United States-Department of Energy (US-DOE) model 9975 nuclear materials shipping package revealed corrosion of the lead shielding induced by off-gas constituents from organic components in the package. Experiments were performed to determine the corrosion rate of lead when exposed to off-gas or degradation products of these organic materials. The results showed that the room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) sealant was the most corrosive organic species followed by the polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) glue. The fiberboard material induced corrosion to a much lesser extent than the PVAc glue and RTV, and only in the presence of condensed water. The results indicated faster corrosion at temperatures higher than ambient and with condensed water as expected. A corrosion rate of 0.05 mm/year measured for coupons exposed to the most aggressive conditions was recommended as a conservative estimate for use in package performance calculations.

In a large region of the supersymmetry parameter space, the annihilation cross section for neutralino dark matter is strongly dependent on the relative velocity of the incoming particles. We explore the consequences of this velocity dependence in the context of indirect detection of dark matter from the galactic center. We find that the increase in the annihilation cross section at high velocities leads to a flattening of the halo density profile near the galactic center and an enhancement of the annihilation signal.

High energy-density physics (HEDP) experiments examine the properties of materials under extreme conditions. These experiments rely on the measurement of one or two velocities. These velocities are used to obtain Hugoniot relationships and thermodynamic equations of state. This methodology is referred to as 'velocimetry' and an instrument used to measure the shock wave is called a 'velocimeter' or a '(velocity) diagnostic'. The two most-widely used existing velocity diagnostics are; photonic Doppler velocimetry (PDV) and velocity interferometer system for any reflector (VISAR). PDV's advantages are a fast rise-time and ease of implementation but PDV has an upper velocity limit. Traditional implementations of VISAR have a rise time 10 times slower than PDV and are not easily implemented but are capable of measuring any velocity produced during HEDP experiments. This thesis describes a novel method of combining the positive attributes of PDV and VISAR into a more cost effective diagnostic called a Single-Mode VISAR (SMV). The new diagnostic will consist of PDV parts in a VISAR configuration. This configuration will enable the measurement of any velocity produced during shock physics experiments while the components used to build the diagnostic will give the diagnostic a fast rise time and make it easy to …

Recently it was suggested that the dark energy maybe related to the well-known hierarchy between the Planck scale ({approx} 10{sup 19} GeV) and the TeV scale. The same brane-world setup to address this hierarchy problem may also in principle address the smallness problem of dark energy. Specifically, the Planck-SM hierarchy ratio was viewed as a quantum gravity-related, dimensionless fine structure constant where various physical energy scales in the system are associated with the Planck mass through different powers of the 'gravity fine structure constant'. In this paper we provide a toy model based on the Randall-Sundrum geometry where SUSY-breaking is induced by the coupling between a SUSY-breaking Higgs field on the brane and the KK gravitinos. We show that the associated Casimir energy density indeed conforms with the dark energy scale.

An evaluation of the immunomodulatory peptide SCV-07 was conducted as a possible therapeutic treatment for tuberculosis. This evaluation included mouse models, clinical trials and various forms of the drug such as liquid injection and development of an oral pill. It was found that SCV-07 significantly increased the survival rate of animals infected with lethal doses of Mycobacterium bovis. It enhanced the functional activity of macrophages in a dose-dependent fashion. The combination of SCV-07 with bacteriostatic drugs, such as izoniazid, was particularly effective. Phase II clinical trials in a TB clinic demonstrated that the usage of the injection form of SCV-07 for lung TB treatment in combination with standard chemotherapy decreased the quantity of patients with positive sputum assays for Mycobacteria, promoted healing of cavities in lungs, stabilized parameters of cell immunity, and resulted in a significant improvement in the general condition of patients. Clinical trials results of the oral drug form are still being evaluated.

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) has collaborated with various international institutes for many years on radioactive waste management challenges of mutual concern. Currently, DOE-EM is performing collaborative work with researchers at the Khlopin Radium Institute and the SIA Radon Institute in Russia and the Ukraine's International Radioecology Laboratory to explore issues related to high-level waste and to investigate experience and technologies that could support DOE-EM site cleanup needs. Specific initiatives include: (1) Application of the Cold Crucible Induction Heated Melter to DOE Wastes--SIA Radon and Savannah River National Laboratory; (2) Improved Solubility and Retention of Troublesome Components in SRS and Hanford Waste Glasses--Khlopin Radium Institute, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Savannah River National Laboratory; and (3) Long-term Impacts from Radiation/Contamination within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone--International Radioecology Laboratory and Savannah River National Laboratory. This paper provides an overview of the status of the current International Program task activities. The paper will also provide insight into the future direction for the program. Specific ties to the current DOE-EM technology development multi-year planning effort will be highlighted as well as opportunities for future international collaborations.

Hydrogen storage is recognized as a key technical hurdle that must be overcome for the realization of hydrogen powered vehicles. Metal hydrides and their doped variants have shown great promise as a storage material and significant advances have been made with this technology. In any practical storage system the rate of H2 uptake will be governed by all processes that affect the rate of mass transport through the bed and into the particles. These coupled processes include heat and mass transfer as well as chemical kinetics and equilibrium. However, with few exceptions, studies of metal hydrides have focused primarily on fundamental properties associated with hydrogen storage capacity and kinetics. A full understanding of the complex interplay of physical processes that occur during the charging and discharging of a practical storage system requires models that integrate the salient phenomena. For example, in the case of sodium alanate, the size of NaAlH4 crystals is on the order of 300nm and the size of polycrystalline particles may be approximately 10 times larger ({approx}3,000nm). For the bed volume to be as small as possible, it is necessary to densely pack the hydride particles. Even so, in packed beds composed of NaAlH{sub 4} particles alone, …

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In early 2007, SLAC was faced with a shortage of both electrical power and cooling in the main computer building, at the same time that the BaBar collaboration needed a new cluster of 250 batch machines installed. A number of different options were explored for the expansion. Provision of additional electrical power to the building was estimated to take one to two years, and cost several million dollars; additional cooling was even worse. Space in a Silicon Valley co-location facilities was reasonable on a one-year timescale, but broke even in costs by the end of three years, and were more expensive after that. There were also unresolved questions about the affects of additional latency from an offsite compute cluster to the onsite disk servers. The option of converting existing experimental hall space into computer space was estimated at one year, with uncertain availability. An option to aggressively replace several existing clusters with more power-efficient equipment was studied closely, but was disruptive to continued operations, expensive, and didn't provide any additional headroom. Finally, the installation of a Sun Project Blackbox (PBB) unit was selected as providing the capacity on a timescale of six months for a reasonable cost with minimal disruption …

It is recognized that detailed models of proposed hydrogen storage systems are essential to gain insight into the complex processes occurring during the charging and discharging processes. Such insight is an invaluable asset for both assessing the viability of a particular system and/or for improving its design. The detailed models, however, require time to develop and run. Clearly, it is much more efficient to begin a modeling effort with a good system design and to progress from that point. To facilitate this approach, it is useful to have simplified models that can quickly estimate optimal loading and discharge kinetics, effective hydrogen capacities, system dimensions and heat removal requirements. Parameters obtained from these models can then be input to the detailed models to obtain an accurate assessment of system performance that includes more complete integration of the physical processes. This report describes three scoping models that assess preliminary system design prior to invoking a more detailed finite element analysis. The three models address the kinetics, the scaling and heat removal parameters of the system, respectively. The kinetics model is used to evaluate the effect of temperature and hydrogen pressure on the loading and discharge kinetics. As part of the kinetics calculations, …

The layered III-VI semiconductor Gallium Telluride has potential for room temperature gamma ray spectroscopy applications due to its band gap of 1.67 eV, and average atomic number of 45:31 (Ga) and 52 (Te). The physical properties of GaTe are highly anisotropic due to covalent bonding within the layer and van der Waals bonding between layers. This work reports the results of surface and bulk processing, surface characterization, and electrical characterization of diodes formed on both the laminar and non-laminar GaTe surfaces. Alpha detection measurements were also performed.

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