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The report presents results of a workshop held August 6-8, 2007, by DOE SC Basic Energy Sciences to determine the basic research needs for catalysis research.

Composition projections for Sludge Batch 5 (SB5) were developed to evaluate possible impacts of the Al-dissolution process on the availability of viable frit compositions for vitrification at the DWPF. The study included two projected SB5 compositions that bound potential outcomes (or degrees of effectiveness) of the Al-dissolution process, as well as a nominal SB5 composition projection based on the results of the recent Al-dissolution demonstration at SRNL. A Nominal Stage assessment was used to evaluate the two SB5 projections combined with an array of 19,305 frit compositions over a range of waste loading (WL) values against the DWPF process control models. The Nominal Stage results allowed for the down-selection of a small number of frits that provided reasonable projected operating windows (typically 25 to 40 wt %) and permitted some compositional flexibility (i.e., the ability to further tailor the frit to improve melt rate). Variation Stage assessments were then performed using the down-selected frits and the two SB5 composition projections with variation applied to each sludge component. The Variation Stage results showed that the operating windows were somewhat reduced in width, as expected when sludge variation is applied. Three of the down-selected frits continued to perform well for both SB5 …

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This report provides information about Corporate “Inversions” and “Expatriation” on Firms That Incorporate Abroad for Tax Purposes which have altered their structure by substituting a foreign parent corporation for a domestic one.

This report discusses the impact of taxes on international trade and investment has been debated for decades. Most recently, a variety of bills addressing international taxation have been introduced in the 110th Congress—some would cut taxes for U.S. firms overseas, while others would increase taxes on foreign investment. The debate over taxes and foreign outsourcing has tended to grow more heated during times of domestic economic weakness and high unemployment; questions arise over whether taxes contribute to such weakness by discouraging exports (or encouraging imports) or by encouraging U.S. firms to move abroad. The debate over international taxation has again become prominent as a part of the wider debate over “outsourcing.” With taxes, the debate asks how the current system affects outsourcing, and whether policies designed to limit the phenomenon might be desirable.

This report discusses China’s Economic Conditions.

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Federal law enforcement actions against criminals who manufacture and distribute counterfeit and pirated goods are important to enforcing intellectual property (IP) rights and protecting Americans from unsafe or substandard products. GAO was asked to: (1) examine key federal agencies' roles, priorities, and resources devoted to IP-related enforcement; (2) evaluate agencies' IP-related enforcement statistics and achievements; and (3) examine the status of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center. GAO reviewed relevant documents, interviewed officials in five key agencies, and analyzed agency IP enforcement data from fiscal years 2001 through 2006."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program seeks to produce and field three aircraft variants for the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and eight international partners. The estimated total investment for JSF now approaches $1 trillion to acquire and maintain 2,458 aircraft. Under congressional mandate, GAO has annually reviewed the JSF program since 2005. GAO's prior reviews have identified a number of issues and recommended actions for reducing risks and improving the program's outcomes. This report, the fourth under the mandate, focuses on the program's progress in meeting cost, schedule, and performance goals; plans and risks in development and test activities; the program's cost-estimating methods; and future challenges facing the program. To conduct its work, GAO identified changes in cost and schedule from prior years and their causes, evaluated development progress and plans, assessed cost-estimating methodologies against best practices, and analyzed future budget requirements."

The Integrated Status and Effectiveness Monitoring Project (ISEMP) program monitors the status and trend of water quality elements that may affect restoration project effectiveness in the Entiat subbasin. As part of this effort, the PNW Research Station (PNW) measures, analyzes and interprets temporal trends in natural stream water pH, dissolved oxygen, specific conductance and temperature. The Entiat River is currently on the Clean Water Act 303(d) list for pH exceedence, and there is insufficient information to determine the spatial and temporal extent or potential causes of this exceedence. In the late spring 2007, PNW deployed data-logging, multiparameter probes at four locations in the Entiat subbasin to measure water quality parameters, focusing on pH. Data collection was seasonally interrupted by river ice in early December. Daily average pH did not exceed the water quality standard of 8.5 at any of the measurements sites. However, instantaneous values did exceed this standard near the mouth of the Entiat River during late summer-fall period. This suggested that in the lowest portion of the river peaks in pH may be occurring because of photosynthesis caused by high rates of periphyton productivity in response to increased sunlight, temperature, and possible nutrient enrichment. Conversely, dissolved oxygen reached …

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