Chamber orchestra concert performed at the UNT College of Music Winspear Hall

A cement based waste form was evaluated to determine the rates at which various organics were released during heating caused by the cementitious heat-of-hydration reaction. Saltstone is a cement-based waste form for the disposal of low-level salt solution. Samples were prepared with either Isopar{reg_sign} L, a long straight chained hydrocarbon, or (Cs,K) tetraphenylborate, a solid that, upon heating, decomposes to benzene and other aromatic compounds. The saltstone samples were heated over a range of temperatures. Periodically, sample headspaces were purged and the organic constituents were captured on carbon beds and analyzed. Isopar{reg_sign} L was released from the saltstone in a direct relationship to temperature. An equation was developed to correlate the release rate of Isopar{reg_sign} L from the saltstone to the temperature at which the samples were cured. The release of benzene was more complex and relied on both the decomposition of the tetraphenylborate as well as the transport of the manufactured benzene through the curing saltstone. Additional testing with saltstone prepared with different surface area/volume also was performed.

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Daily newspaper from Chickasha, Oklahoma that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Most of our work involves photogenerated donor (D+) and acceptor (A-) radical ion pairs and their escape and recombination. The geminate radical ions are produced by inter or intramolecular electron transfer quenching of photoexcited acceptors. We made great progress in understanding the effect of charge separation distance and other factors on free ion formation. For geminate radical ion pairs formed by intermolecular electron transfer quenching, we found that, at least in a medium polarity solvent lilce dichloromethane, free radical ions are mainly formed from solvent separated radical ion pairs (SSRIPs). Contact radical ion pairs (CRIPs) make a very small contribution to free radical ion formation. It is observed that CRIPs and SSRIPs are kinetically distinguishable species. There is a potential barrier between CRIPs and SSRIPs that prevents a fast equilibrium between the two during the recombination of radical ion pairs and free radical ion formation. We confirmed for the first time that, for the recombination of both CRIPs and SSRIPs that are in the Marcus inverted region, rate constants of SSRIPs are larger than those of CRIPs. Our study indicates that initial charge separation distance and the potential barrier between CRIPs and SSRIPs play a more important role than recombination …

We report high pressure dynamic compression experiments of liquid water along a quasi-adiabatic path leading to the formation of ice VII. We observe dynamic features resembling Van der Waals loops and find that liquid water is compacted to a metastable state close to the ice density before the onset of crystallization. By analyzing the characteristic kinetic time scale involved we estimate the nucleation barrier and conclude that liquid water has been compressed to a high pressure state close to its thermodynamic stability limit.

Weekly newspaper from Goldthwaite, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with extensive advertising.

Free weekly newspaper that includes business and classified advertising.

Free weekly newspaper that includes business and classified advertising.

Free weekly newspaper that includes business and classified advertising.

Free weekly newspaper that includes business and classified advertising.

This report discusses the Pension Protection Act (PPA) reforms and the funding rules for defined benefit pensions; requires employers to disclose more information about pension funding; restricts benefit payments and accruals in underfunded plans; and clarifies, prospectively, that cash balance pension plans do not violate legal prohibitions on age discrimination in employee benefits.

Student newspaper from St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas that includes news and information of interest to the college community along with advertising.

DCART (Doses from Chronic Atmospheric Releases of Tritium) is a spreadsheet model developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) that calculates doses from inhalation of tritiated hydrogen gas (HT), inhalation and skin absorption of tritiated water (HTO), and ingestion of HTO and organically bound tritium (OBT) to adult, child (age 10), and infant (age 6 months to 1 year) from routine atmospheric releases of HT and HTO. DCART is a deterministic model that, when coupled to the risk assessment software Crystal Ball{reg_sign}, predicts doses with a 95% confidence interval. The equations used by DCART are described and all distributions on parameter values are presented. DCART has been tested against the results of other models and several sets of observations in the Tritium Working Groups of the International Atomic Energy Agency's programs, Biosphere Modeling and Assessment and Environmental Modeling for Radiation Safety. The version of DCART described here has been modified to include parameter values and distributions specific to conditions at LLNL. In future work, DCART will be used to reconstruct dose to the hypothetical maximally exposed individual from annual routine releases of HTO and HT from all LLNL facilities and from the Sandia National Laboratory's Tritium Research Laboratory over the …

The majority of radiation from galaxies containing active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is emitted not by the stars composing the galaxy, but from an active source at the galactic center, most likely a supermassive black hole. Of particular interest are radio galaxies, the active galaxies emitting much of their radiation at radio wavelengths. Within each radio galaxy, an AGN powers a pair of collimated jets of relativistic particles, forming a pair of giant lobes at the end of the jets and thus giving a characteristic double-lobed appearance. A particular class of radio galaxies have an ''X''-shaped morphology: in these, two pairs of lobes appear to originate from the galactic center, producing a distinctive X-shape. Two main mechanisms have been proposed to explain the X-shape morphology: one being through the merger of a binary supermassive black hole system and the second being that the radio jets are expanding into an asymmetric medium. By analyzing radio host galaxy shapes, we probe the distribution of the stellar mass to compare the differing model expectations regarding the distribution of the surrounding gas and stellar material about the AGN.

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused unprecedented damage. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) Individuals and Households Program (IHP), provides direct assistance (temporary housing units) and financial assistance (grant funding for temporary housing and other disaster-related needs) to eligible individuals affected by disasters. Our objectives were to (1) compare the types and amounts of IHP assistance provided to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita victims to other recent hurricanes, (2) describe the challenges FEMA faced by the magnitude of the requests for assistance following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and (3) determine the vulnerability of the IHP program to fraud and abuse. GAO determined the extent to which the program was vulnerability to fraud and abuse, by conducting statistical sampling, data mining and undercover operations."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has some of the most extensive acquisition needs within the federal government. In fiscal year 2005, DHS spent $17.5 billion on contracted purchases, $6.5 billion, or 37 percent, of which was through the use of other agencies' contracts and contracting services, a process known as interagency contracting. While these types of contracts offer the benefits of efficiency and convenience, in January 2005, GAO noted shortcomings and designated the management of interagency contracting as a governmentwide high-risk area. Given the department's critical national security mission and the results of our earlier work, GAO reviewed the extent to which DHS manages the risks of interagency contracting and assessed DHS' guidance, planning, and oversight of interagency contracting."

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Weekly newspaper from Llano, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

In an effort to develop a magnetic resonance based diagnostic tool to be used for polymer production and surveillance, we have investigated the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and unilateral relaxometry. MRI provides a spatial map of the polymer, which can be correlated to the structure heterogeneity. Though highly detailed information can be obtained with MRI, the high equipment cost and expertise required to operate the system makes it a poor choice for a production setting. Unilateral relaxometry via the NMR MOUSE provides rapid, inexpensive polymer screening, useful in the development in new polymer parts or to identify potentially defective components. The NMR ProFiler (originally called the NMR MOUSE) was procured by Kansas City originally for production support of the W80 LEP with future applications as a surveillance diagnostic. A robotic autosampler has been designed allowing the detection of several components without the need for any human interaction. A summary of the qualification experiments and results to date from the ProFiler and the robotic unit will be presented.

Weekly newspaper from Mannford, Oklahoma that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Weekly newspaper from Mercedes, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

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