A pressure-induced crossover from normal Ferroelectric-to-Relaxer behavior has been observed in single crystal [Pb(Zn{sub 1/3}Nb{sub 2/3})O{sub 3}]{sub 0.905}(PbTiO{sub 3}){sub 0.0095}, or PZN - 9.5% PT. Analogy with similar observations for other perovskites indicates that this crossover is a general feature of compositionally-disordered soft mode ferroelectrics. The Pressure-Temperature phase diagram has been also determined.

Oxidation testing of K Basin-stored N Reactor fuel in dry air, moist air, and moist helium provided reaction rate data for the Spent Nuclear Fuel Project. The tests were performed on small samples from two spent nuclear fuel elements retrieved from the closed canisters of the K West Basin. The spent nuclear fuel samples were tested using a thermogravimetric analysis system modified for moist-gas operation to allow testing in moist environments. The tests were run at constant temperature and water vapor pressure. The moist helium tests used 6.5 H a water vapor, producing seventeen data between 75 C and 210 C. Eight of these data were excluded from primary consideration due to testing anomalies and balance drift issues. Regression analysis of the nine acceptable data provided good assurance that the moist-helium results are consistent with literature data within the temperature range of 25 C to 210 C. Concerns about possible oxygen poisoning from air in-leakage and mass transfer limitations on the test data were reviewed. If oxygen poisoning occurred it was not likely to have biased the data sufficiently to change the basic conclusions of comparability to the literature data. Mass transfer limitations did not appear to have had significant …

This document provides a description of design verification and validation activities implemented by the Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Project. During the execution of early design verification, a management assessment (Bergman, 1999) and external assessments on configuration management (Augustenburg, 1999) and testing (Loscoe, 2000) were conducted and identified potential uncertainties in the verification process. This led the SNF Chief Engineer to implement corrective actions to improve process and design products. This included Design Verification Reports (DVRs) for each subproject, validation assessments for testing, and verification of the safety function of systems and components identified in the Safety Equipment List to ensure that the design outputs were compliant with the SNF Technical Requirements. Although some activities are still in progress, the results of the DVR and associated validation assessments indicate that Project requirements for design verification are being effectively implemented. These results have been documented in subproject-specific technical documents (Table 2). Identified punch-list items are being dispositioned by the Project. As these remaining items are closed, the technical reports (Table 2) will be revised and reissued to document the results of this work.

In May of 1989, a six month-long small magnitude earthquake swarm began beneath the Pleistocene-aged dacitic cumulovolcano Mammoth Mountain. The following year, increased mortality of trees in the Horseshoe Lake region was observed. Their deaths were initially attributed to the Sierran drought of the 1980's. In 1994 however, soil gas measurements made by the USGS confirmed that the kills were due to asphyxiation of the vegetation via the presence of 30-96 % CO{sub 2} in ground around the volcano[1]. Physiological changes in vegetation due to negative inputs into the ecological system such as anomalously high levels of magmatic CO{sub 2}, can be seen spectrally. With this phenomena in mind, as well as many other unanswered geological and geobotanical questions, seven lines of hyperspectral 5-meter HyMap data were flown over Long Valley Caldera located in eastern California on September 7, 1999. HyMap imagery provides the impetus to address geobotanical questions such as where the treekills are currently located at Mammoth and other locales around the caldera as well as whether incipient kills can be identified. The study site of the Horseshoe Lake treekills serves as a focus to the initial analyses of this extensive HyMap dataset due to both the treekill's …

The aim of the work here was to understand both the yield anomaly in FeAl, which was first noted by the P.I. and collaborators, and the effect of environment on the fracture of FeAl. The progress in these areas is outlined below. A model for the yield anomaly developed as part of this work served as the basis for a successful proposal to NSF to study the yield anomaly in other B2 compounds. The effects of vacancies and of boron on flow and fracture at room temperature were also addressed. Recrystallization and grain growth were studied In both FeAl and Ni{sub 3}Al. Strain-induced ferromagnetism was studied in FeAl and a model for the paramagnetic-to-ferromagnetic transition was developed based on antiphase boundary tubes. A successful proposal was also submitted to NSF on this topic. Finally, in addition to a number of papers and Presentations on our experimental work, several invited presentations and published reviews, including a major review in International Material Reviews, on the mechanical properties of either FeAl or B2 compounds were made.

Document issued by the Open Records Division at the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an informal interpretation of Texas law related to a request of information with the City of Highland Village for the name or phone or address of person complaining about a tree house built on a vacant lot.

One of the key elements of the Stochastic Finite Element Method, namely the polynomial chaos expansion, has been utilized in a nonlinear shock and vibration application. As a result, the computed response was expressed as a random process, which is an approximation to the true solution process, and can be thought of as a generalization to solutions given as statistics only. This approximation to the response process was then used to derive an analytically-based design specification for component shock response that guarantees a balanced level of marginal reliability. Hence, this analytically-based reference SRS might lead to an improvement over the somewhat ad hoc test-based reference in the sense that it will not exhibit regions of conservativeness. nor lead to overtesting of the design.

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By 2050, when cleanup of the Hanford Site is expected to be completed, large worldwide demands to increase the global production of animalhlish protein, food, and fiber are anticipated, despite advancements in crop breeding, genetic engineering, and other technologies. World population is projected to double to more than 12 billion people, straining already stressed worldwide agricultural resources. The current world surpluses in many commodities will not last when faced with increasing population, decreasing ocean fisheries, and rapid loss of productive lands from soil salivation and erosion. The production of pharmaceuticals from bioengineered plants and animals will undoubtedly add more pressure on the already limited (and declining) arable land base. In addition there will be pressure to produce crops that can help reduce the world's dependence on petroleum and be used for chemical plant feedstock. These external, formidable pressures will necessitate increasing investments in irrigation infi-a-structures in many areas of the world to increase productivity. Intensive greenhouse culture and aqua-culture also will be greatly expanded. There will be large economic and social pressures to expand production in areas such as the Pacific Northwest. Agricultural exports will continue to be important The most likely large areas for expanded irrigation in the Pacific …

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This report provides a brief overview of the Eleventh Amendment to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Renewable energy is derived from resources that are generally not depleted by human use, such as the sun, wind, and water movement. This report discusses various aspects of policy regarding renewable energy including tax credits and budget legislation.

Appropriations are one part of a complex federal budget process that includes budget resolutions, appropriations (regular, supplemental, and continuing) bills, rescissions, and budget reconciliation bills. This report is a guide to one of the 13 regular appropriations bills that Congress passes each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Treasury, Postal Service, Executive Office of the President, and General Government.

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Gender-based discrimination, harassment, and violence against women in the home, workplace, and society at large are continuing topics of legislative and judicial concern. Legal doctrines condemning the extortion of sexual favors as a condition of employment or job advancement, and other sexually offensive workplace behaviors resulting in a "hostile environment," have evolved from judicial decisions under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and related federal laws.

This report outlines cuts made in the federal budget for FY2000. The 0.38% cut was expected to yield savings of $2.4 billion in budget authority and $1.4 billion in outlays for the fiscal year. Departments with cuts in excess of $100 million included the Departments of Defense, Transportation, Health and Human Services, and Education.