The goal of our project is a predictive-mechanistic understanding of the coupling between mineral weathering and contaminant (Cs, Sr, I) fate in caustic waste-impacted sediments at the Hanford Site. Through bench-scale experiments, we have identified geochemical transformations that alter the mobility of priority pollutants (Cs, Sr, I) in subsurface environments characteristic of high-level radioactive waste (HLRW)-impacted DoE sites. Our studies are designed to model the unique chemistry of this subsurface contamination, to quantify rates of contaminant uptake and release, and to identify molecular mechanisms of time-dependent, irreversible sequestration of contaminants into the solid phase. Our approach is to link quantitative macroscopic measures of contaminant mobility and partitioning to the molecular-scale mechanisms that mediate them. We have found that the molecular mechanisms themselves change with time and system composition in response to the evolving chemistry of contaminant-solution-mineral interactions. Specifically, our results show that contaminant fate is closely coupled to the major silicate incongruent weathering reactions that occur when soil solids are contacted with aqueous solutions under conditions that are far from equilibrium. Neoformed precipitates - including carbonate, feldspathoid and zeolite phases, have been observed to sequester Cs and Sr under caustic waste conditions. In contrast, iodide is less effectively sequestered into …

Creation of light for work, socializing, and general illumination is a fundamental application of technology around the world. For those who lack access to electricity, an emerging and diverse range of LED based lighting products hold promise for replacing and/or augmenting their current fuel-based lighting sources that are costly and dirty. Along with analysis of environmental factors, economic models for total cost-ofownership of LED lighting products are an important tool for studying the impacts of these products as they emerge in markets of developing countries. One important metric in those models is the minimum illuminance demanded by end-users for a given task before recharging the lamp or replacing batteries. It impacts the lighting service cost per unit time if charging is done with purchased electricity, batteries, or charging services. The concept is illustrated in figure 1: LED lighting products are generally brightest immediately after the battery is charged or replaced and the illuminance degrades as the battery is discharged. When a minimum threshold level of illuminance is reached, the operational time for the battery charge cycle is over. The cost to recharge depends on the method utilized; these include charging at a shop at a fixed price per charge, charging …

WRI and FMI have collaborated to develop and test a novel coal upgrading technology. Proprietary coal upgrading technology is a fluidized bed-based continuous process which allows high through-puts, reducing the coal processing costs. Processing is carried out under controlled oxidizing conditions at mild enough conditions that compared to other coal upgrading technologies; the produced water is not as difficult to treat. All the energy required for coal drying and upgrading is derived from the coal itself. Under the auspices of the Jointly Sponsored Research Program, Cooperative Agreement DE-FC26-98FT40323, a nominal 400 lbs/hour PDU was constructed and operated. Over the course of this project, several low-rank coals were successfully tested in the PDU. In all cases, a higher Btu, low moisture content, stable product was produced and subsequently analyzed. Stack emissions were monitored and produced water samples were analyzed. Product stability was established by performing moisture readsorption testing. Product pyrophobicity was demonstrated by instrumenting a coal pile.

An archaeological Survey with the intent to make channel improvements along the banks of South Nolan Creek from Fort Hood Road to 28th street in Killeen, Texas

This report focuses on the efforts of regulators to reduce stress to the markets.

Fossil fuel combustion, deforestation, and biomass burning are the dominant contributors to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) concentrations and global warming. Many approaches to mitigating CO{sub 2} emissions are being pursued, and among the most promising are terrestrial and geologic carbon sequestration. Recent advances in ecology and microbial biology offer promising new possibilities for enhancing terrestrial and geologic carbon sequestration. A workshop was held October 29, 2007, at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) on Biologically Enhanced Carbon Sequestration (BECS). The workshop participants (approximately 30 scientists from California, Illinois, Oregon, Montana, and New Mexico) developed a prioritized list of research needed to make progress in the development of biological enhancements to improve terrestrial and geologic carbon sequestration. The workshop participants also identified a number of areas of supporting science that are critical to making progress in the fundamental research areas. The purpose of this position paper is to summarize and elaborate upon the findings of the workshop. The paper considers terrestrial and geologic carbon sequestration separately. First, we present a summary in outline form of the research roadmaps for terrestrial and geologic BECS. This outline is elaborated upon in the narrative sections that follow. The narrative sections start with the …

This report provides background on the 8th Amendment and court decision on states imposing the death penalty for any crime other than murder.

This report provides an overview of the federal buildings funding limitations and their implications.

The Hanford Seismic Assessment Program (HSAP) provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network for the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. The Hanford Seismic Assessment Team locates and identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management, natural phenomena hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organization works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of a significant earthquake on the Hanford Site. The Hanford Seismic Network and the Eastern Washington Regional Network consist of 41 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Assessment Team. For the Hanford Seismic Network, forty-four local earthquakes were recorded during the first quarter of fiscal year 2008. A total of thirty-one micro earthquakes were recorded within the Rattlesnake Mountain swarm area at depths in the 5-8 km range, most likely within the pre-basalt sediments. The largest event recorded by the network during the first quarter (November 25, 2007 - magnitude 1.5 …

This report provides an overview and the current legislation on the general services administration and federal real property management.

This report discusses federal policy, programs, and issues related to high school graduation, completion, and dropouts. The report then looks at historical data as well as the most recent indicators of these outcomes. That analysis is followed by a description of the federal programs designed to help youth who have dropped out, or who are at risk of dropping out. Finally, the report discusses issues that may arise as Congress considers reauthorizing the laws that pertain to this topic.

Congressional Research Service (CRS) report entailing information about the reauthorization of Impact Aid for public K-12 education under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). This report goes over recent appropriations of the act, as well as detailing how Impact Aid payments are made. Additionally, the report is meant to be updated when the 110th congress sees fit to make amendments and expand the ESEA.

This report provides a brief overview of some of the most salient issues regarding the K-12 teaching force, describes the current federal role in this area, describes major federal programs, and tracks major legislative action by the Congress.

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This report provides the background and context to understand these legislative developments. The report first presents data on the state of Schience, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education in the United States. It then examines the federal role in promoting STEM education. The report concludes with a discussion of the legislative actions recently taken to address federal STEM education policy.

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A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Federal Reserve Banks fulfill the coin demand of the nation's depository institutions--which include commercial banks, savings and loan associations, and credit unions--by ordering new coins from the U.S. Mint and managing coins held in inventory at the Reserve Banks and in coin terminals. Reliably estimating the demand for coins and efficiently managing the inventory of circulated coins is important to ensure that depository institutions have enough coins to meet the public's demand and to avoid unnecessary coin production costs. Since late 2006, rising metal prices have driven the costs of producing pennies and nickels above the face values of the coins. This report addresses (1) the Reserve Banks' process for ordering and distributing coins to the nation's depository institutions and (2) the extent to which this process meets depository institutions' demand for coins. GAO interviewed officials responsible for coin distribution at each of the 12 Reserve Banks and met with representatives of 4 large operators of Federal Reserve coin terminals, 2 banking associations, the U.S. Mint, and the nation's largest coin recycling company. GAO also analyzed Reserve Bank data for fiscal years 1993 through 2007. Federal …

This report reviews the USPTO rules that would restrict claims and continuing applications. It begins by offering a summary of the patent system and the role of patents in innovation policy. The context, details, and legal challenges to the new USPTO rules are then explained. The report then offers both the policy justifications for the new rules, as well as concerns that patent professionals and other observers have expressed over their effectiveness and impact. The report closes by identifying congressional issues and options.

This report is a summary of Major Restrictions regarding Amendments on the House Floor.

We continue to investigate properties of the worldsheet conformal field theories (CFTs) which are conjectured to be dual to free large N gauge theories, using the mapping of Feynman diagrams to the worldsheet suggested in [1]. The modular invariance of these CFTs is shown to be built into the formalism. We show that correlation functions in these CFTs which are localized on subspaces of the moduli space may be interpreted as delta-function distributions, and that this can be consistent with a local worldsheet description given some constraints on the operator product expansion coefficients. We illustrate these features by a detailed analysis of a specific four-point function diagram. To reliably compute this correlator we use a novel perturbation scheme which involves an expansion in the large dimension of some operators.

This report provides a brief overview of the organization and operations of House and Senate committees.