The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers several permanently authorized programs to help farmers recover financially from a natural disaster, including federal crop insurance, the noninsured assistance program (NAP), and emergency disaster loans. The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (otherwise known as the 2008 farm bill) includes authorization and funding for crop disaster programs, livestock assistance programs, and a tree assistance program. The new programs are designed to address the ad hoc nature of disaster assistance provided to producers during the last two decades.

This report discusses in detail the America COMPETES Act, which is intended to increase the nation's investment in research and development (R&D), and in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. This report discusses the funding increases authorized by the act for various relevant institutions, e.g., the National Science Foundation (NSF); the act's education activities intended to enhance the skills of STEM educators; and if Congress will continue to similarly fund the America COMPETES Act in the FY2010 budget.

Borosilicate glass was selected as the baseline technology for immobilization of the Cs/Sr/Ba/Rb (Cs), lanthanide (Ln) and transition metal fission product (TM) waste steams as part of a cost benefit analysis study.[1] Vitrification of the combined waste streams have several advantages, minimization of the number of waste forms, a proven technology, and similarity to waste forms currently accepted for repository disposal. A joint study was undertaken by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) to develop acceptable glasses for the combined Cs + Ln + TM waste streams (Option 1) and Cs + Ln combined waste streams (Option 2) generated by the AFCI UREX+ set of processes. This study is aimed to develop baseline glasses for both combined waste stream options and identify key waste components and their impact on waste loading. The elemental compositions of the four-corners study were used along with the available separations data to determine the effect of burnup, decay, and separations variability on estimated waste stream compositions.[2-5] Two different components/scenarios were identified that could limit waste loading of the combined Cs + LN + TM waste streams, where as the combined Cs + LN waste stream has no single component that …

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

News release about DART's new bus location, Rosa Parks Plaza.

This report addresses time limitations associated with selected House floor procedures.

We use high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission to study the electronic structure of the BaFe{sub 2}As{sub 2} pnictides. We observe two electron bands and two hole bands near the X point, ({pi},{pi}) of the Brillouin zone, in the paramagnetic state for electron-doped Ba(Co{sub 0.06}Fe{sub 0.94}){sub 2}As{sub 2}, undoped BaFe{sub 2}As{sub 2}, and hole-doped Ba{sub 0.6}K{sub 0.4}Fe{sub 2}As{sub 2}. Among these bands, only the electron bands cross the Fermi level, forming two electron pockets around X while the hole bands approach but never reach the Fermi level. We show that the band structure of the BaFe{sub 2}As{sub 2} family matches reasonably well with the prediction of local-density approximation calculations after a momentum-dependent shift and renormalization. Our finding resolves a number of inconsistencies regarding the electronic structure of pnictides.

Daily newspaper from Chickasha, Oklahoma that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

This report discusses the status of current federally-funded innovation inducement prizes, addresses the different types of prizes, analyzes when prizes may be appropriate and effective, and summarizes assessments that have been made of their effectiveness. The report also provides the lessons that may be learned from completed competitions, and policy options for those Members of Congress interested in taking action regarding federally-funded innovation inducement prizes. The report concludes with an overview of 111th congressional activities regarding prizes.

The nation's trade deficit is equal to the imbalance between national investment and national saving. The financial turmoil and economic contraction during 2008 reduced the gap between national saving and investment. The result was a decline in the trade deficit and the net inflow of capital. If total net capital inflows decline, mainstream economics suggests, all else held constant, that the dollar and trade deficit would decline, U.S. interest rates would rise, and U.S. spending on capital goods and consumer durables would fall, all else equal.

This report provides an overview of the role of foreign governments on financing the U.S. trade deficit.

A series of 29 test glass compositions were selected for Phase III of the nepheline study using a combination of two approaches. The first approach was based on evaluating the glass composition region allowable by all of the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) Product Composition Control System (PCCS) models with the exception of the current nepheline discriminator. This approach was taken to determine whether there are glass compositions that, while predicted to crystallize nepheline upon slow cooling, would otherwise be acceptable for processing in the DWPF. The second approach was based on quasicrystalline theory of glass structure, which helped predict compositional regions where nepheline should form. A detailed description of this methodology is forthcoming. The selection strategy outlined here will provide an opportunity to determine experimentally whether the glasses that fail the current nepheline discriminator but pass the newly proposed nepheline discriminator are indeed free of nepheline after slow cooling. If this is the case, these data will serve as a significant step toward reducing conservatism in the current nepheline discriminator. The 29 glass compositions selected for testing address both the PCCS model and quasicrystalline theory approaches in evaluating both a reduction in conservatism for the current nepheline discriminator and …

The Carbon Management Strategic Initiative (CMSI) is a lab-wide initiative to position the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) as a leader in science, technology and policy analysis required to understand, mitigate and adapt to global climate change as a nation. As part of an effort to walk the talk in the field of carbon management, PNNL conducted its first carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions inventory for the 2007 calendar year. The goal of this preliminary inventory is to provide PNNL staff and management with a sense for the relative impact different activities at PNNL have on the lab’s total carbon footprint.

Iraq's political system, the result of a U.S.-supported election process, is increasingly characterized by peaceful competition rather than violence, but sectarianism and ethnic and factional infighting continue to simmer. This report discusses the current state of Iraq, concentrating primarily on the actions of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, efforts underway to combat sectarian violence, and the projected U.S. troop withdrawal by August 2010.

This report provides a brief overview of The Hollings Manufacturing Partnership (MEP), which is a program of regional centers set up to assist small and medium-sized manufacturing companies use knowledge and technologies developed under the auspices of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

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Inferior vena cava filters are medical devices used to prevent pulmonary embolism (PE) from deep vein thrombosis. In particular, retrievable filters are well-suited for patients who are unresponsive to anticoagulation therapy and whose risk of PE decreased with time. The goal of this work is to use computational fluid dynamics to evaluate the flow past an unoccluded and partially occluded Celect inferior vena cava filter. In particular, the hemodynamic response to thrombus volume and filter tilt is examined, and the results are compared with flow conditions that are known to be thrombogenic. A computer model of the filter inside a model vena cava is constructed using high resolution digital photographs and methods of computer aided design. The models are parameterized using the Overture software framework, and a collection of overlapping grids is constructed to discretize the flow domain. The incompressible Navier-Stokes equations are solved, and the characteristics of the flow (i.e., velocity contours and wall shear stresses) are computed. The volume of stagnant and recirculating flow increases with thrombus volume. In addition, as the filter increases tilt, the cava wall adjacent to the tilted filter is subjected to low velocity flow that gives rise to regions of low wall shear …

This report discusses the current political and foreign policy status of Morocco, especially with regard to its relationship with the United States and its struggles combating terrorism.

B-roll footage from the NBC 5 television station in Fort Worth, Texas, to accompany a news story about the death of Billy Mays. This story aired at 5 A.M.

B-roll footage from the NBC 5 television station in Fort Worth, Texas, to accompany a news story about the death of Billy Mays. This story aired at 5 A.M.

B-roll footage from the NBC 5 television station in Fort Worth, Texas, to accompany a news story about a murder. This story aired at 4 P.M.

B-roll footage from the NBC 5 television station in Fort Worth, Texas, to accompany a news story about a murder. This story aired at 5 P.M.

B-roll footage from the NBC 5 television station in Fort Worth, Texas, to accompany a news story about a murder. This story aired at 6 A.M.

B-roll footage from the NBC 5 television station in Fort Worth, Texas, to accompany a news story about a shooting. This story aired at 5 A.M.