Report concerning multilateral and bilateral Status of Force Agreements (SOFAs). Topics include the common traits of SOFAs, historical examples, and current examples.

Report that identifies several current issues relating to intellectual property in industrial designs. It describes the different sorts of intellectual property protection that apply to industrial designs, and identifies current issues at the interface between intellectual property and industrial designs.

Russia, Kazakhstan, and a number of other former communist states are still subject to the provisions of Title IV of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended, including section 402 (the Jackson-Vanik amendment). The Jackson-Vanik Amendment denies country eligibility for normal trade relations (NTR) status as long as the country denies its citizens the right of freedom of emigration. The 112th Congress could face the question of whether to enact legislation to repeal the application of Title IV to all of these countries, thereby authorizing permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status to fulfill the unconditional most-favored-nation (MFN) obligation under the World Trade Organization (WTO), or to exercise other options.

Free weekly newspaper that includes business and classified advertising.

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

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According to a 2008 report issued by the United States Geological Survey, North Dakota and Montana have an estimated 3.0 to 4.3 billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil in an area known as the Bakken Formation. With the size and remoteness of the discovery, the question became 'can a business case be made for increasing refining capacity in North Dakota?' And, if so what is the impact to existing players in the region. To answer the question, a study committee comprised of leaders in the region's petroleum industry were brought together to define the scope of the study, hire a consulting firm and oversee the study. The study committee met frequently to provide input on the findings and modify the course of the study, as needed. The study concluded that the Petroleum Area Defense District II (PADD II) has an oversupply of gasoline. With that in mind, a niche market, naphtha, was identified. Naphtha is used as a diluent used for pipelining the bitumen (heavy crude) from Canada to crude markets. The study predicted there will continue to be an increase in the demand for naphtha through 2030. The study estimated the optimal configuration for the refinery at 34,000 …

The Princeton Field-Reversed Configuration (PFRC) experiment employs an odd-parity rotating magnetic field (RMFo) current drive and plasma heating system to form and sustain high-Β plasmas. For radial confinement, an array of coaxial, internal, passive, flux-conserving (FC) rings applies magnetic pressure to the plasma while still allowing radio-frequency RMFo from external coils to reach the plasma. The 3 ms pulse duration of the present experiment is limited by the skin time (τfc) of its room-temperature copper FC rings. To explore plasma phenomena with longer characteristic times, the pulse duration of the next-generation PFRC-2 device will exceed 100 ms, necessitating FC rings with (τfc > 300 ms. In this paper we review the physics of internal, discrete, passive FCs and describe the evolution of the PFRC's FC array. We then detail new experiments that have produced higher performance FC rings that contain embedded high-temperature superconducting (HTS) tapes. Several HTS tape winding configurations have been studied and a wide range of extended skin times, from 0.4 s to over 103 s, has been achieved. The new FC rings must carry up to 3 kA of current to balance the expected PFRC-2 plasma pressure, so the dependence of the HTS-FC critical current on the …

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We have studied ferromagnetism of Mn-implanted epitaxial Ge films on silicon. The Ge films were grown by ultrahigh vacuum chemical vapor deposition using a mixture of germane (GeH{sub 4}) and methylgermane (CH{sub 3}GeH{sub 3}) gases with a carbon concentration of less than 1 at. %, and observed surface rms roughness of 0.5 nm, as measured by atomic force microscopy. Manganese ions were implanted in epitaxial Ge films grown on Si (100) wafers to an effective concentration of 16, 12, 6, and 2 at. %. Superconducting quantum interference device measurements showed that only the three highest Mn concentration samples are ferromagnetic, while the fourth sample, with [Mn] = 2 at. %, is paramagnetic. X-ray absorption spectroscopy and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements indicate that localized Mn moments are ferromagnetically coupled below the Curie temperature. Isothermal annealing of Mn-implanted Ge films with [Mn] = 16 at. % at 300 C for up to 1200 s decreases the magnetization but does not change the Curie temperature, suggesting that the amount of the magnetic phase slowly decreases with time at this anneal temperature. Furthermore, transmission electron microscopy and synchrotron grazing incidence x-ray diffraction experiments show that the Mn-implanted region is amorphous, and we believe …

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The objective of this report is to document laboratory testing of magnesium mono potassium phosphate grouts for P-Reactor vessel in-situ decommissioning. Magnesium mono potassium phosphate cement-based grout was identified as candidate material for filling (physically stabilizing) the 105-P Reactor vessel (RV) because it is less alkaline than portland cement-based grout (pH of about 12.4). A less alkaline material ({<=} 10.5) was desired to address a potential materials compatibility issue caused by corrosion of aluminum metal in highly alkaline environments such as that encountered in portland cement grouts. Information concerning access points into the P-Reactor vessel and amount of aluminum metal in the vessel is provided elsewhere. Fresh and cured properties were measured for: (1) commercially blended magnesium mono potassium phosphate packaged grouts, (2) commercially available binders blended with inert fillers at SRNL, (3) grouts prepared from technical grade MgO and KH{sub 2}PO{sub 4} and inert fillers (quartz sands, Class F fly ash), and (4) Ceramicrete{reg_sign} magnesium mono potassium phosphate-based grouts prepared at Argonne National Laboratory. Boric acid was evaluated as a set retarder in the magnesium mono potassium phosphate mixes.

The quasi-axisymmetric stellarator (QAS) concept offers a promising path to a more compact stellarator reactor, closer in linear dimensions to tokamak reactors than previous stellarator designs. Concept improvements are needed, however, to make it more maintainable and more compatible with high plant availability. Using the ARIES-CS design as a starting point, compact stellarator designs with improved maintenance characteristics have been developed. While the ARIES-CS features a through-the-port maintenance scheme, we have investigated configuration changes to enable a sector-maintenance approach, as envisioned for example in ARIES AT. Three approaches are reported. The first is to make tradeoffs within the QAS design space, giving greater emphasis to maintainability criteria. The second approach is to improve the optimization tools to more accurately and efficiently target the physics properties of importance. The third is to employ a hybrid coil topology, so that the plasma shaping functions of the main coils are shared more optimally, either with passive conductors made of high-temperature superconductor or with local compensation coils, allowing the main coils to become simpler. Optimization tools are being improved to test these approaches.

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This Final Report describes the testing of glass formulations developed for Hanford High Level Waste (HLW) containing high concentrations of bismuth. In previous work on high-bismuth HLW streams specified by the Office of River Protection (ORP), fully compliant, high waste loading compositions were developed and subjected to melter testing on the DM100 vitrification system. However, during heat treatment according to the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) HLW canister centerline cooling (CCC) curves, crucible melts of the high-bismuth glasses were observed to foam. Clearly, such an occurrence during cooling of actual HLW canisters would be highly undesirable. Accordingly, the present work involves larger-scale testing to determine whether this effect occurs under more prototypical conditions, as well as crucible-scale tests to determine the causes and potentially remediate the observed foaming behavior. The work included preparation and characterization of crucible melts designed to determine the underlying causes of the foaming behavior as well as to assess potential mitigation strategies. Testing was also conducted on the DM1200 HLW Pilot melter with a composition previously tested on the DM100 and shown to foam during crucible-scale CCC heat treatment. The DM1200 tests evaluated foaming of glasses over a range of bismuth concentrations poured …

We describe the scientific motivation for a new type of accelerator, the muon collider. This accelerator would permit an energy-frontier scientific program and yet would fit on the site of an existing laboratory. Such a device is quite challenging, and requires a substantial R&D program. After describing the ingredients of the facility, the ongoing R&D activities of the Muon Accelerator Program are discussed. A possible U.S. scenario that could lead to a muon collider at Fermilab is briefly mentioned.

An overview is given of recent experimental results in the areas of innovative confinement concepts, operational scenarios and confinement experiments as presented at the 2010 IAEA Fusion Energy Conference. Important new findings are presented from fusion devices worldwide, with a strong focus towards the scientific and technical issues associated with ITER and W7-X devices, presently under construction.

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

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

This report provides a description and status report on Brazil's challenge to certain aspects of the U.S. cotton program under the rules of the World Trade Organization's (WTO's) dispute settlement process in case DS267.1 The "Brazil cotton case" had its WTO origins in 2002 and has since evolved into a sprawling legal enterprise that is still ongoing as of early 2011.

Funeral program for Willie Lee Clay, born November 25, 1949 and died December 29, 2010. The funeral was held January 5, 2011 at Second Baptist Church, officiated by Rev. Dr. Robert L. Jemerson. The funeral arrangements were made through Lewis Funeral Home and he was buried in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery near San Antonio, Texas.

Daily newspaper from Sweetwater, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

This report reviews the relationship between Congress and the courts in patent reform. It begins by offering a summary of the patent system. The report then discusses a number of topics that have been the subject of both judicial and legislative consideration. The current state of the law is then contrasted with legislative reform proposals before previous Congresses. The report closes with observations concerning the subtle interaction between legislative, administrative, and judicial actors within the patent system and their impact upon the U.S. innovation environment.

This report first discusses the cost and financing for long-term care (LTC) services as well as the current market for private LTC insurance. It then details those CLASS program requirements for enrollment, premiums, eligibility, benefits, administration, and oversight. The report also discusses federal budget implications, as estimated by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Finally, the report provides a timeline of the CLASS program provisions enacted under PPACA.