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This report summarizes the data analysis achieved during Heather Bedle's eleven-week Technical Scholar internship at Lawrence Livermore National Labs during the early summer 2006. The work completed during this internship resulted in constraints on the crustal and upper mantle S-velocity structure in Northern Africa, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Europe, through the fitting of regional waveform data. This data extends current raypath coverage and will be included in a joint inversion along with data from surface wave group velocity measurements, S and P teleseismic arrival time data, and receiver function data to create an improved velocity model of the upper mantle in this region. The tectonic structure of the North African/Mediterranean/Europe/Middle Eastern study region is extremely heterogeneous. This region consists of, among others, stable cratons and platforms such as the West Africa Craton, and Baltica in Northern Europe; oceanic subduction zones throughout the Mediterranean Sea where the African and Eurasian plate collide; regions of continental collision as the Arabian Plate moves northward into the Turkish Plate; and rifting in the Red Sea, separating the Arabian and Nubian shields. With such diverse tectonic structures, many of the waveforms were difficult to fit. This is not unexpected as the waveforms are …

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Sudan has been ravaged by civil war intermittently for four decades. An estimated 2 million people have died over the past two decades due to war-related causes and famine, and millions have been displaced from their homes. The ongoing crisis in Darfur in western Sudan has led to a major humanitarian disaster, with an estimated 1.9 million people displaced and more than 213,000 people forced into neighboring Chad. This report outlines the Darfur crisis as well as the current political climate of Sudan overall, as well as international efforts to send economic aid and peacekeeping forces to Sudan.

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An array of bilateral issues continue to affect relations between the United States and Syria: the course of Arab-Israeli talks; questions of arms proliferation; Syrian connections with terrorist activity; Syria's role in Lebanon; and Syria's opposition to the U.S. occupation in Iraq. A variety of U.S. legislative provisions and executive directives prohibit direct aid to Syria and restrict bilateral trade relations between the two countries, due largely to Syria's designation by the U.S. State Department as a sponsor of international terrorism. This report outlines in detail U.S.-Syrian relations, including discussion of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, the outbreak of Hezballah-related violence, and related legislation.

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A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Donor-advised funds and supporting organizations are two charitable-giving options that have received attention from Congress and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for their potential to facilitate noncompliance with tax law. As requested, GAO is providing information on donor-advised funds and supporting organizations related to (1) federal laws and regulations, compared to private foundations; (2) financial and organizational characteristics; and (3) types of noncompliance and promotion methods and challenges identifying them."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "U.S. Postal Service (USPS) delivery performance standards and results, which are central to its mission of providing universal postal service, have been a long-standing concern for mailers and Congress. Standards are essential to set realistic expectations for delivery performance and organize activities accordingly. Timely and reliable reporting of results is essential for management, over-sight, and accountability purposes. GAO was asked to assess (1) USPS's delivery performance standards for timely mail delivery, (2) delivery performance information that USPS collects and reports on timely mail delivery, and (3) progress made to improve delivery performance information."

Paper summarizes the literature about geologic CO2 storage potential in South Korea.

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In 1987, the United States began providing economic aid to the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) through a Compact of Free Association. In 2004, through amended compacts with the FSM and the RMI, the United States committed to provide more than $3.5 billion until 2023. Joint U.S-FSM and U.S.-RMI compact management committees are required, among other things, to monitor progress toward specified development goals and address implementation of policy reforms to stimulate investment. The legislation implementing the amended compacts (P.L. 108-188) requires that GAO periodically report on political, social, and economic conditions in the FSM and the RMI. In compliance with this requirement, GAO examined each country's (1) political and social environment, (2) economic environment, and (3) status of economic policy reforms."

Our objective was to develop new, self-assembling conducting polymer-inorganic nanoparticle nanoarrays (CPIN nanoarrays) comprised of nanoparticles of inorganic Li+ insertion compounds that are “wired” together with oligomeric chains of derivatives of polythiophene. Using these nanoarrays, we developed an understanding of the relationship between structure and electrochemical function for nanostructured materials. Such nanoarrays are expected to have extremely high specific energy and specific power for battery applications due to the unique structural characteristics that derive from the nanoarray. Under this award we developed several synthetic approaches to producing manganese dioxide nanoparticles (NPs). We also developed a layer-by-layer approach for immobilizing these NPs so they could be examined electrochemically. We also developed new synthetic procedures for encapsulating manganese dioxide nanoparticles within spheres of polyethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT), a conducting polymer with excellent charge-discharge stability. These have a unique manganese dioxide core-PEDOT shell structure. We examined the structures of these systems using transmission electron microscopy, various scanning probe microscopies, and electrochemical measurements. Various technical reports have been submitted that describe the work, including conference presentations, publications and patent applications. These reports are available through http://www.osti.gov, the DOE Energy Link System.

The United States has deployed long-range ballistic missiles as a part of its strategic offensive nuclear forces for more than 40 years. In recent years, analysts both inside and outside the government have suggested that the United States deploy conventional warheads on these missiles. This would provide the United States with the ability to strike promptly anywhere in the world, regardless of the presence of overseas bases or nearby naval forces. Many have expressed concerns about the possibility that other nations, such as Russia or China might misinterpret the launch of a conventionally-armed ballistic missile and conclude that they are under attack with nuclear weapons.

This report provides an overview of the Administration’s rationale for the possible deployment of conventional warheads on long-range ballistic missiles. It then reviews the Air Force and Navy efforts to develop these systems. It summarizes congressional reaction to these proposals, then provides a more detailed account of the issues raised by these concepts and programs.

This report provides an overview of the Administration’s rationale for the possible deployment of conventional warheads on long-range ballistic missiles. It then reviews the Air Force and Navy efforts to develop these systems. It summarizes congressional reaction to these proposals, then provides a more detailed account of the issues raised by these concepts and programs.

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A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "According to the Department of Defense's (DOD) fiscal year 2006 budget estimates, working capital fund activity groups (depot maintenance, ordnance, and research and development) will have about $6.3 billion of funded work that will be carried over from fiscal year 2006 into fiscal year 2007. The congressional defense committees recognize that these activity groups need some carryover to ensure smooth work flow from one fiscal year to the next. However, the committees have previously raised concern that the amount of carryover may be more than is needed. GAO was asked to determine (1) if the military services' carryover calculations were in compliance with DOD's new carryover policy and (2) if customers were submitting orders to working capital fund activities late in the fiscal year and, if so, the effect this practice has had on carryover."

We develop a theory of static BPS domain walls in stringy landscape and present a large family of BPS walls interpolating between different supersymmetric vacua. Examples include KKLT models, STU models, type IIB multiple flux vacua, and models with several Minkowski and AdS vacua. After the uplifting, some of the vacua become dS, whereas some others remain AdS. The near-BPS walls separating these vacua may be seen as bubble walls in the theory of vacuum decay. As an outcome of our investigation of the BPS walls, we found that the decay rate of dS vacua to a collapsing space with a negative vacuum energy can be quite large. The parts of space that experience a decay to a collapsing space, or to a Minkowski vacuum, never return back to dS space. The channels of irreversible vacuum decay serve as sinks for the probability flow. The existence of such sinks is a distinguishing feature of the landscape. We show that it strongly affects the probability distributions in string cosmology.

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Venezuela is the world's eighth-largest oil exporter and among the top 10 countries in total proven oil reserves. Venezuela also supplies about 11 percent of current U.S. imports of crude oil and petroleum products and wholly owns five refineries in the U.S. Consequently, Venezuela is a key player in the future energy security of the United States and the world. The current global oil market is tight and may be more susceptible to short-term supply disruptions and higher and more volatile prices. Recently, tension between Venezuela and the United States has caused concern about the stability of Venezuelan oil supplies. On several occasions, Venezuela's President has threatened to stop exporting oil to the U.S. or to close Venezuela's U.S.-based refineries. In this context, GAO analyzed: (1) how Venezuela's crude oil production and exports of crude oil to the U.S. has changed in recent years, (2) the potential impacts of a reduction in Venezuelan oil exports to the U.S., and (3) the status of U.S. government programs and activities to ensure a reliable supply of oil from Venezuela. Commenting on a draft of the report, the State …

This is the final report of activity under this grant. The polarimeter is built and awaits installation in the HMS in Hall C, now planned for the Spring of 2007. The experiment itself will occur in the second half of 2007. The parameters of the drift chambers have been studied experimentally and found to satisfy our original request.

This report discusses efforts to improve the delivery of health and long-term care services for individuals who are dually enrolled in Medicaid and Medicare, which generally includes the elderly and some individuals with disabilities.

This report provides general background on U.S. policy regarding the international trade in small arms and light weapons (SA/LW). It outlines major questions associated with the international trade in these items, and reviews United States efforts to assist in controlling the illicit transfers of these items. This report will be revised as developments warrant.