This report discusses the recommendation made by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Commission) regarding the creation of a board within the executive branch to oversee adherence to guidelines on, and the commitment to defend, civil liberties by the federal government.

From Summary: This report discusses recommendations made by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Commission) which include: "creation of a board within the executive branch to oversee adherence to guidelines on, and commitment to defend, civil liberties by the federal government."

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This supporting document presents a description of the 242-A Evaporator flowsheet. Material balances are calculated for feed, slurry, and effluent streams based on input data for the feed stream.

In July 2005 the North American Solar Challenge (NASC) featured university built solar powered cars ran across the United States into Canada. The competition began in Austin, Texas with stops in Weatherford, Texas; Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; Topeka, Kansas; Omaha, Nebraska; Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Fargo, North Dakota; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Brandon, Manitoba; Regina, Saskatchewan; Medicine Hat, Alberta; mainly following U.S. Highway 75 and Canadian Highway 1 to the finish line in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, for a total distance of 2,500 miles. NASC major sponsors include the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Natural Resources Canada and DOEs National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The event is designed to inspire young people to pursue careers in science and engineering. NASCs predecessors, the American Solar Challenge and Sunrayce, generally have been held every two years since 1990. With each race, the solar cars travel faster and further with greater reliability. The NASC promotes: -Renewable energy technologies (specifically photovoltaic or solar cells) -Educational excellence in science, engineering and mathematics -Creative integration of technical and scientific expertise across a wide-range of disciplines -Hands-on experience for students and engineers to develop and demonstrate their technical and creative abilities. Safety is the first priority for the NASC. Each team put …

This report documents the technical progress through the first six months of this one-year program under DoE Contract which was effective 1 May 1978.

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The Technique for Human Error Analysis (ATHEANA) is a newly developed human reliability analysis (HRA) methodology that aims to facilitate better representation and integration of human performance into probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) modeling and quantification by analyzing risk-significant operating experience in the context of existing behavior science models. The fundamental premise of ATHEANA is that error-forcing contexts (EFCs), which refer to combinations of equipment/material conditions and performance shaping factors (PSFs), set up or create the conditions under which unsafe actions (UAs) can occur. ATHEANA is being developed in the context of nuclear power plant (NPP) PRAs, and much of the language used to describe the method and provide examples of its application are specific to that industry. Because ATHEANA relies heavily on the analysis of operational events that have already occurred as a mechanism for generating creative thinking about possible EFCs, a database, called the Human Events Reference for ATHEANA (HERA), has been developed to support the methodology. Los Alamos National Laboratory`s (LANL) Human Factors Group has recently joined the ATHEANA project team; LANL is responsible for further developing the database structure and for analyzing additional exemplar operational events for entry into the database. The Action Characterization Matrix (ACM) is …

Advanced, coal-based power plants will require durable and reliable hot gas filtration systems to remove particulate contaminants from the gas streams to protect downstream components such as turbine blades from erosion damage. It is expected that the filter elements in these systems will have to be made of ceramic materials to withstand goal service temperatures of 1600 F or higher. Recent demonstration projects and pilot plant tests have indicated that the current generation of ceramic hot gas filters (cross-flow and candle configurations) are failing prematurely. Two of the most promising materials that have been extensively evaluated are clay-bonded silicon carbide and alumina-mullite porous monoliths. These candidates, however, have been found to suffer progressive thermal shock fatigue damage, as a result of rapid cooling/heating cycles. Such temperature changes occur when the hot filters are back-pulsed with cooler gas to clean them, or in process upset conditions, where even larger gas temperature changes may occur quickly and unpredictably. In addition, the clay-bonded silicon carbide materials are susceptible to chemical attack of the glassy binder phase that holds the SiC particles together, resulting in softening, strength loss, creep, and eventual failure.

This report discusses the current political state of Afghanistan, as well as the Afghan government. This report also discusses Afghanistan's relationship with the United States, particularly U.S. efforts to urge President Hamid Karzai to address corruption within the Afghan government.

This report considers the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA). Specifically, the report explores sugar imports, phasing out tariffs and quotas, and how the U.S. can protect the market from an overflow of imported products.

This report provides background information on the C-17 Aircraft program, including previous appropriations, related programs, and issues for Congress. The primary issue for Congress in FY2010 is whether to procure additional C-17s. An additional issue is whether to pass legislation relating to the airlift aircraft force structure. Congress's decisions on these issues could affect DOD capabilities and funding requirements and the U.S. military aircraft industrial base.

This report discusses the Air Force F-22 fighter, also known as the Raptor, which is the world's most capable air-to-air combat aircraft.

This report discusses issues for Congress in FY2011, which are whether to approve, reject, or modify DOD's new KC-X competition strategy, and whether to approve, reject, or modify the Air Force's request for FY2011 research and development funding for the new KC-X program.

This report discusses key issues regarding funding for a next-generation bomber (NGB) program. Congress's decisions on these issues could affect Air Force capabilities and funding requirements, and the U.S. aircraft manufacturing industrial base.

This report reviews the types of air emissions from livestock and poultry operations and their human health and environmental impacts. It then discusses provisions of several federal laws concerned with environmental impacts, beginning with the Clean Water Act, because protecting water resources has been the primary regulatory focus regarding livestock and animal operations.

This report assesses the potential impact of recent Federal and state regulations for airborne toxic substances on the production and consumption of heavy fuel oils. Emissions of nickel from heavy oil production in California are considered in some detail, in conjunction with California state regulations for toxic emissions. Although the use of thermal energy from heavy crude oils could in theory be impacted by toxic air pollution regulations, recent trends towards the use of natural gas for the required extraction energy appear to provide substantial relief, in addition to reducing emissions of criteria air pollutants. However, the consumption of residual fuel oils containing toxic metals could result in higher population exposures to these substances and their attendant risks may be worthy of more detailed analysis.

Panelist attendance at the National Science Foundation Plasma Panel.

This issue brief discusses the Airport Improvement Program and its complement, the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC). After a brief history of federal support for airport construction and improvement, the report describes AIP funding, its source of revenues, the impact of the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (FAIR21, P.L. 106-181), funding distribution, the types of projects the program funds, AIP and PFC policy issues, and the allowable use of AIP funds for airport security purposes.

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Nitric acid solutions will be created from the dissolution of Hanford K Basin sludge. These acidic dissolver solutions must be made alkaline by treatment with NaOH solution before they are disposed to ~ the Tank Waste Remediation System on the Hanford Site. During the alkali treatments, sodium diuranate, hydroxides of iron and aluminum, and radioelements (uranium, plutonium, and americium) will precipitate from the dissolver solution. Laboratory tests, discussed here, were pefiormed to provide information on these precipitates and their precipitation behavior that is important in designing the engineering flowsheet for the treatment process. Specifically, experiments were conducted to determine the optimum precipitation conditions; the completeness of uranium, plutonium, and americium precipitation; the rate of sedimentation; and the physico-chemical characteristics of the solids formed by alkali treatment of simulated acidic dissolver solutions. These experiments also determined the redistribution of uranium, plutonium, and americium flom the sodium di~ate and iron and al&inurn hydroxide precipitates upon contact with carbonate- and EDTA-bearing simulated waste solutions. Note: EDTA is the tetrasodium salt of ethylenediaminetetraacetate.

The results of several studies of the 200-MeV (LINAC), AGS (E880), and RHIC polarimeter data from the polarized proton run in 2001/2002 are presented. Much of this work occurred during or immediately after the run. Some of these analyses have implications for the understanding of the performance of the polarized ion source, AGS, and RHIC with polarized protons. Some of the conclusions include: (A) A recalibration of the 200-MeV polarimeter gives results consistent with the older calibration, but high rates in the 200-MeV polarimeter are still a problem. (B) No evidence of sizable systematic effects was found in several tests of the AGS polarimeter with a thin carbon fiber target. (C) Significant polarization loss in the AGS was observed above G{sub {gamma}} = 7.5 but not between injection and G{sub {gamma}} = 7.5. (D) The magnitude of the flattop asymmetry in the RHIC polarimeters decreases with time in a fill. (E) The RHIC polarimeter analyzing power on flattop is greater than or equal to that at injection. (F) Unexplained systematic effects were observed in the RHIC polarimeter, but the implications for the measured polarization asymmetry are not clear. These effects were not isolated events, but occurred throughout the run. Conceivably …

This is a summarizing and reviewing report in which almost all the experimental data representing Project work done prior to 1949 on the corrosion of pure uranium are brought together and analyzed. New data obtained in this laboratory on corrosion rates in laboratory atmosphere and on the identification of corrosion products by electron diffraction are included. The data for corrosion in each of several different media have been plotted according to logarithm-of-the-rate versus reciprocal-temperature coordinates; and from these plots values for the energies and entropies of activation of the corrosion reactions have been obtained. By theoretical treatment of the role of oxygen as a negative catalyst, it is shown that this element may be expected to "poison" the corrosion rection and then act as a corrosion inhibitor. A practical significance of these data analyses is that they explain why machined uranium parts stored in inert atmospheres (helium or argon) containing only very small amounts of water vapor will corrode relatively rapidly with the formation of loose powdery oxide, whereas similar parts may be kept in dry air almost indefinitely with formation on their surface of only a discoloring, but adhered, oxide coating.

Seismic monitoring at the Hanford Site was established in 1969 by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) under a contract with theJ.J.S. Atomic Energy Commission. In 1975, the University of Washington (UW) assumed responsibility for the network and subsequently expanded it. In 1979, the Basalt Waste o Isolation Program (13WIP) became responsible for collecting seismic data for the Hdord Site as part of site " characterization activities. Rockwell Htiord Operations, followed by Westinghouse Ha&ord Company . (WHC), operated the local network and were the contract technical advisors for the Eastern Washington Regional Network @wRN) operated and maintained by the UW. Funding for BWIP ended in December 1988. Seismic Monitoring and responsibility for the University of Washington contract were then trans- ferred to WHC'S Environmental Division. Maintenance responsibilities for the EWRN were also Assigned to WHC, who made major upgrades to EWRN sites. Effective October 1,1996, Seismic Monitoring was transfemed to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PI@lL*). Seismic Monitoring is part of PNNL's Applied Geology and Geochemistry Group, Energy Technology Division. The Hanford Strong Motion Accelerometer network was constructed during 1997 and came online in May 1997. It operated continuously until September 30, 1997, when it was mothballed due to can- …