A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) effort to modernize its tax administrative and financial systems--Business Systems Modernization (BSM)--has suffered delays and cost overruns due to a number of factors, including inadequate development and management of requirements. Recognizing these deficiencies, IRS created a Requirements Management Office (RMO) to establish policies and procedures for managing requirements. GAO's objectives were to assess (1) whether the office has established adequate requirements development and management policies and procedures and (2) whether BSM has effectively used requirements development and management practices for key systems development efforts."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 required that the Departments of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Defense (DOD) implement programs referred to as the Joint Incentive Fund (JIF) and the Demonstration Site Selection (DSS) to increase health care resource sharing between the departments. The act requires GAO to report on (1) VA's and DOD's progress in implementing the programs. GAO also agreed with the committees of jurisdiction to report on (2) the actions taken by VA and DOD to strengthen resource sharing and opportunities to improve upon those actions and (3) whether VA and DOD performance measures are useful for evaluating progress toward achieving health care resource-sharing goals."

Bullet Background Paper - KC - 135 "Packages" for BRAC Motions & FD - Tim MacGregor - Air Force Team

BRAC Analysis - Email Air Force - Justin Breitschopf - Keesler Air Force Base, MS (also DFAS & Medical Issues)

Reports - DOD Medical Joint Cross - Service Group - Military Value Report - April 26, 2005

We report Raman and infrared absorption spectroscopy alongwith X-ray diffraction for brucite-type beta-Cd(OH)2 to 28 GPa at 300 K.The OH-stretching modes soften with pressure and disappear at 21 GPa withtheir widths increasing rapidly above 5 GPa, consistent with a gradualdisordering of the H sublattice at 5 20 GPa similar to that previouslyobserved for Co(OH)2.Asymmetry in the peak shapes of the OH-stretchingmodes suggests the existence of diverse disordered sitesfor H atoms inCd(OH)2 under pressure. Above 15 GPa, the A1g(T) lattice mode showsnon-linear behavior and softens to 21 GPa, at which pressure significantchanges are observed: new Raman modes appear, two Raman-active latticemodes and the OH-stretching modes of the low-pressure phase disappears,and the positions of some X-ray diffraction lines change abruptly withthe appearance of weak new diffraction features. These observationssuggest that amorphization of the H sublattice is accompanied by acrystalline-to-crystalline transition at 21 GPa in Cd(OH)2, which has notbeen previously observed in the brucite-type hydroxides. The Ramanspectra of the high-pressure phase of Cd(OH)2 is similar to those of thehigh-pressure phase of single-crystal Ca(OH)2 of which structure has beententatively assigned to the Sr(OH)2 type.

The purpose of this study is to design, fabricate and optimize microfluidic mixers to investigate the kinetics of protein secondary structure formation with Synchrotron Radiation Circular Dichroism (SRCD) spectroscopy. The mixers are designed to rapidly initiate protein folding reaction through the dilution of denaturant. The devices are fabricated out of fused silica, so that they are transparent in the UV. We present characterization of mixing in the fabricated devices, as well as the initial SRCD data on proteins inside the mixers.

This study investigates whether probabilistic ozone forecasts from an ensemble can be made with skill; i.e., high verification resolution and reliability. Twenty-eight ozone forecasts were generated over the Lower Fraser Valley, British Columbia, Canada, for the 5-day period 11-15 August 2004, and compared with 1-hour averaged measurements of ozone concentrations at five stations. The forecasts were obtained by driving the CMAQ model with four meteorological forecasts and seven emission scenarios: a control run, {+-} 50% NO{sub x}, {+-} 50% VOC, and {+-} 50% NO{sub x} combined with VOC. Probabilistic forecast quality is verified using relative operating characteristic curves, Talagrand diagrams, and a new reliability index. Results show that both meteorology and emission perturbations are needed to have a skillful probabilistic forecast system--the meteorology perturbation is important to capture the ozone temporal and spatial distribution, and the emission perturbation is needed to span the range of ozone-concentration magnitudes. Emission perturbations are more important than meteorology perturbations for capturing the likelihood of high ozone concentrations. Perturbations involving NO{sub x} resulted in a more skillful probabilistic forecast for the episode analyzed, and therefore the 50% perturbation values appears to span much of the emission uncertainty for this case. All of the ensembles analyzed …

This report is a compilation of geotechnical data presented as plots for each active instrument installed in the underground at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) through June 30, 2005. A summary of the geotechnical analyses that were performed using the enclosed data is provided in Volume 1 of the Geotechnical Analysis Report (GAR).

Kalman filtering (KF) is used to postprocess numerical-model output to estimate systematic errors in surface ozone forecasts. It is implemented with a recursive algorithm that updates its estimate of future ozone-concentration bias by using past forecasts and observations. KF performance is tested for three types of ozone forecasts: deterministic, ensemble-averaged, and probabilistic forecasts. Eight photochemical models were run for 56 days during summer 2004 over northeastern USA and southern Canada as part of the International Consortium for Atmospheric Research on Transport and Transformation New England Air Quality (AQ) Study. The raw and KF-corrected predictions are compared with ozone measurements from the Aerometric Information Retrieval Now data set, which includes roughly 360 surface stations. The completeness of the data set allowed a thorough sensitivity test of key KF parameters. It is found that the KF improves forecasts of ozone-concentration magnitude and the ability to predict rare events, both for deterministic and ensemble-averaged forecasts. It also improves the ability to predict the daily maximum ozone concentration, and reduces the time lag between the forecast and observed maxima. For this case study, KF considerably improves the predictive skill of probabilistic forecasts of ozone concentration greater than thresholds of 10 to 50 ppbv, but …

None

None

Photograph showing a figure of saint Martin de Porres holding a red cross and wearing a robe and gold halo.

None

Luis Huaman (right), president of the Fraternity of San Martin de Porres of Dallas, intones a song during the last monthly meeting of the organization. He is accompanied by his wife, Lupe Huaman (second from right), Caricia and Jose Donayre (guitar).

Dozens of people gather once a month to pray to the dark Saint.

The image of St. Martin de Porres with another image of St. Martin in the background during a novena realized by the Fraternity of St. Martin de Porres of Dallas.

Photograph showing a figure of St. Martin de Porres holding a red cross and wearing a robe with gold trim.

This brief focuses on several issues affecting Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service (FS) lands that are of interest to the 109th Congress, and does not comprehensively cover issues primarily affecting other federal lands.

This report discusses key drinking water issues in the 109th Congress, including problems caused by specific contaminants, such as methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and perchlorate, as well as the related issue of the appropriate federal role in providing financial assistance for water infrastructure projects.

The article proposes a scheme to break a catch-22 loop in an optical-figure/wavefont measurement. For instance, to measure the tilt-independent optical-figure of a nominal optical flat at cryogenic temperatures, it requires a cryogenic dewar-window system for a Fizeau interferometer outside the dewar to see through. The issue is: how to calibrate in situ the window system using the yet-to-be-calibrated nominal optical flat, and vice versa, in only one cryogenic cooldown? The proposition includes: (a) interferometric phase-map measurements with the test piece slightly offset in different transverse directions, and (b) for synthesizing the 2-dimensional WDF, an unconventional numerical scheme starting with 1-dimensional bi-direction integration. The numerical scheme helps minimize the non-uniformity in integrated noise-power distribution that results from integrating data, and thus the associated uncorrelated random noise, from raw phase-maps. The numerical scheme represents a new concept specifically for integrating noise-carrying experimental data.

China is fueling its phenomenal economic growth with huge quantities of coal. The environmental consequences reach far beyond its borders--China is second only to the United States in greenhouse gas emissions. Expanding its supply of other energy sources, like nuclear power and imported oil, raises trade and security issues. Soaring electricity demand necessitates the construction of 40-70 GW of new capacity per year, creating sustained financing challenges. While daunting, the challenge of meeting China's energy needs presents a wealth of opportunities, particularly in meeting demand through improved energy efficiency and other clean energy technologies. The China Energy Group at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) is committed to understanding these opportunities, and to exploring their implications for policy and business. We work collaboratively with energy researchers, suppliers, regulators, and consumers in China and elsewhere to: better understand the dynamics of energy use in China. Our Research Focus Encompasses Three Major Areas: Buildings, Industry, and Cross-Cutting Activities. Buildings--working to promote energy-efficient buildings and energy-efficient equipment used in buildings. Current work includes promoting the design and use of minimum energy efficiency standards and energy labeling for appliances, and assisting in the development and implementation of building codes for energy-efficient residential and commercial/public …

At the Hanford Site, an extensive In Situ Redox Manipulation (ISRM) permeable reactive barrier was installed to prevent chromate from reaching the Columbia River. However, chromium has been detected in several wells, indicating a premature loss of the reductive capacity in the aquifer. Laboratory experiments have been conducted to investigate whether barrier reductive capacity can be enhanced by adding micron-scale zero-valent iron to the high-permeability zones within the aquifer using shear-thinning fluids containing polymers. Porous media were packed in a wedge-shaped flow cell to create either a heterogeneous layered system with a high-permeability zone between two low-permeability zones or a high-permeability channel sur-rounded by low-permeability materials. The injection flow rate, polymer type, polymer concentration, and injected pore volumes were determined based on preliminary short- and long-column experiments. The flow cell experiments indicated that iron concentration enhancements of at least 0.6% (w/w) could be obtained using moderate flow rates and injection of 30 pore volumes. The 0.6% amended Fe0 concentration would provide approximately 20 times the average reductive capacity that is provided by the dithionite-reduced iron in the ISRM barrier. Calculations show that a 1-m-long Fe0 amended zone with an average concentration of 0.6% w/w iron subject to a groundwater velocity …

Magnetization, specific heat, and electrical resistivity measurements were made on single crystals of the filled skutterudite compound PrOs{sub 4}As{sub 12}. Specific heat measurements indicate an electronic specific heat coefficient {gamma} {approx} 50-200 mJ/mol K{sup 2} at temperatures 10 K {le} T {le} 18 K, and {approx} 1 J/mol K{sup 2} for t {le} 1.6 K. Magnetization, specific heat, and electrical resistivity measurements reveal the presence of two, or possibly three, ordered phases at temperatures below {approx} 2.3 K and in fields below {approx} 3 T. The low temperature phase displays antiferromagnetic characteristics, while the nature of the ordering in the other phase(s) has yet to be determined.