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This report provides a summary of the structure of the Abandon Mine Land (AML) program, distribution of funds, and discusses major proposals considered in the 108th Congress.

During this CRADA, Honeywell FM and T and MoDOT personnel designed a unique scanning system (including both hardware and software) that can be used to perform an automated scan and evaluation of a concrete sample. The specific goals of the CRADA were: (1) Develop a combined system integration, image acquisition, and image analysis approach to mimic the manual scanning and evaluation process. Produce a prototype system which can: (a) automate the scanning process to improve its speed and efficiency; (b) reduce operator fatigue; and (c) improve the consistency of the evaluation process. (2) Capture and preserve the baseline knowledge used by the MoDOT experts in performing the evaluation process. At the present time, the evaluation expertise resides in two MoDOT personnel. Automation of the evaluation process will allow that knowledge to be captured, preserved, and used for training purposes. (3) Develop an approach for the image analysis which is flexible and extensible in order to accommodate the inevitable pathologies that arise in the evaluation process. Such pathologies include features such as cracks and fissures, voids filled with paste or debris, and multiple, overlapping voids. FM and T personnel used image processing, pattern recognition, and system integration skills developed for other …

A number of concepts have been presented for distributed neutrino detectors formed of large numbers of autonomous detectors. Examples include the Antarctic Ross Ice Shelf Antenna Neutrino Array (ARIANNA) [Barwick 2006], as well as proposed radio extensions to the IceCube detector at South Pole Station such as AURA and IceRay. [Besson 2008]. We have focused on key enabling technical developments required by this class of experiments. The radio Cherenkov signal, generated by the Askaryan mechanism [Askaryan 1962, 1965], is impulsive and coherent up to above 1 GHz. In the frequency domain, the impulsive character of the emission results in simultaneous increase of the power detected in multiple frequency bands. This multiband triggering approach has proven fruitful, especially as anthropogenic interference often results from narrowband communications signals. A typical distributed experiment of this type consists of a station responsible for the readout of a cluster of antennas either near the surface of the ice or deployed in boreholes. Each antenna is instrumented with a broadband low-noise amplifier, followed by an array of filters to facilitate multi-band coincidence trigger schemes at the antenna level. The power in each band is detected at the output of each band filter, using either square-law diode …

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In support of the Waste Treatment Plant (WTP), Battelle conducted tests on mixing specific wastes within the plant, removing troublesome materials from the waste before treatment, and determining if the final waste forms met the established criteria. In addition, several Battelle experts filled full-time positions in WTP's Research and Testing and Process and Operations departments.

This report discusses the context of India - U.S relations, and its bilateral issues.

This report includes a brief description regarding funding for the arts and humanities as a perennial issue in Congress. Although arts funding represents less than 1% of the Bush Administration’s FY2006 total estimated budget authority, Congress continues to address the concern of whether federal funding is crucial to sustain arts institutions.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is currently reviewing the technical specifications for spent fuel storage casks in an effort to develop standard technical specifications (STS) that define the allowable spent nuclear fuel (SNF) contents. One of the objectives of the review is to minimize the level of detail in the STS that define the acceptable fuel types. To support this initiative, this study has been performed to identify potential fuel specification parameters needed for criticality safety and radiation shielding analysis and rank their importance relative to a potential compromise of the margin of safety.

In 2004, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory provided analyses, reviews, testing, and new tools to assist CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc. in accomplishing their River Protection Project objectives. These objectives are safe storage, retrieval, and treatment of radioactive waste from Hanford's tanks, closure of tanks, and disposal of treated wastes.

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This is one report in the series of reports that discuss the campaign finance practices and related issues. Concerns over financing federal elections have become a seemingly perennial aspect of our political system, centered on the enduring issues of high campaign costs and reliance on interest groups for needed campaign funds. The report talks about the today’s paramount issues such as perceived loopholes in current law and the longstanding issues: overall costs, funding sources, and competition.

This report provides a summary of major provisions of federal law and a chronology of key legislative and judicial actions.

Current law governing financial activity of campaigns for federal office is based on two principal statutes: the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) of 1971, as amended in 1974, 1976, and 1979, and the Revenue Act of 1971. These laws were enacted to remedy widely perceived shortcomings of existing law, the Corrupt Practices Act of 1925, and in response to reports of campaign finance abuses over the years, culminating in the 1972-1974 Watergate scandal. This report provides a summary of major provisions of federal law and a chronology of key legislative and judicial actions.

The objective of this work was to develop predictive models for the Low Activity Waste (LAW) melter offgas flammability assessment and to conduct case studies in support of the on-going safety analysis efforts for the River Protection Project Waste Treatment Plant (RPPWTP). This required that Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) personnel develop process models that are comprehensive enough to explicitly describe the effects of key melter operating variables such as total organic carbon (TOC) in the feed, melter air purge, and vapor space temperature on the offgas flammability.

This report updates the original effluent variability study for the 200 Area Treated Effluent Disposal Facility (TEDF) and provides supporting justification for modifying the effluent monitoring portion of the discharge permit. Four years of monitoring data were evaluated and used to statistically justify changes in permit effluent monitoring conditions. As a result, the TEDF effluent composition and variability of the effluent waste stream are now well defined.

This report updates the original effluent variability study for the 200 Area Treated Effluent Disposal Facility (TEDF) and provides supporting justification for modifying the effluent monitoring portion of the discharge permit. Four years of monitoring data were evaluated and used to statistically justify changes in permit effluent monitoring conditions. As a result, the TEDF effluent composition and variability of the effluent waste stream are now well defined.

For more than a century, the federal government has constructed water resource projects for a variety of purposes, including flood control, navigation, power generation, and irrigation. Growing population and changing values have increased demands on water supplies and river systems, resulting in water use and management conflicts throughout the country, particularly in the West, where the population is expected to increase 30% in the next 20-25 years. Debate over western water resources revolves around the issue of how best to plan for and manage the use of this renewable, yet sometimes scarce and increasingly sought after, resource. The 109th Congress is considering a number of bills on western water issues, including title transfer, water recycling, and rural water supply legislation, as well as Indian water rights settlement legislation.

Sub-Saharan Africa has been far more severely affected by AIDS than any other part of the world. The United Nations reports that 25.3 million adults and children are infected with the HIV virus in the region, which has about 10% of the world's population but more than 70% of the worldwide total of infected people. This report discusses this issue in detail, including the cause of the African AIDS epidemic, the social and economic consequences, response and treatment, and U.S. policy.

Lapses in the Department of Energy’s (DOE) security and counterintelligence program have plagued DOE since 1977, when the Department was established through the merger of 40 government organizations, including the Energy Research and Development Administration and the Federal Energy Administration.1 Some policymakers expected the new agency to focus the government’s energy-related enterprises almost solely on the energy crisis. Others saw DOE as an unsuccessful attempt to fuse vastly diverse organizations, many with significantly different, if not conflicting missions.

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This report discusses the Procedures that usually occur every session day, and notes certain business items that occurs less frequently.