A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed Medicare Choice program payment issues, focusing on: (1) whether program spending for Medicare Choice plan enrollees has exceeded what Medicare-covered care for these beneficiaries would have cost in the fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare program; and (2) the extent to which payments to individual plans differ from expected FFS costs."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO provided information on the Department of Defense's (DOD) efforts to implement the maintenance, repair, and operations prime vendor program, focusing on: (1) how much the program is being used and how selected installations are using the program; and (2) whether DOD has a mechanism for evaluating the program's effectiveness relative to other procurement alternatives and for identifying and addressing implementation obstacles."

This data qualification report uses technical assessment and corroborating data methods according to Attachment 2 of AP-SIII.2Q, Rev. 0, ICN 2, ''Qualification of Unqualified Data and the Documentation of Rationale for Accepted Data'', to qualify major ion and pH data. This report was prepared in accordance with Data Qualification Plan TDP-NBS-GS-00003 1, Revision 2. Additional reports will be prepared to address isotopic and precipitation-related data. Most of the data considered in this report were acquired and developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The data qualification team considers the sampling and analytical protocols employed by the USGS over the time period of data acquisition to be state-of-the-art. The sample collection methodologies have evolved with no significant change that could affect the quality of the data considered in this report into the currently used Hydrologic Procedures that support the Yucca Mountain Project-approved USGS Quality Assurance Program Plan. Consequently, for USGS data, the data collection methods, documentation, and results are reasonable and appropriate in view of standard practice at the time the data were collected. A small number of data sets were collected by organizations other than the USGS and were reviewed along with the other major ion and pH data using …

This report describes the methodology used in conducting the K Basins Hazard Analysis, which provides the foundation for the K Basins Final Safety Analysis Report. This hazard analysis was performed in accordance with guidance provided by DOE-STD-3009-94, Preparation Guide for U. S. Department of Energy Nonreactor Nuclear Facility Safety Analysis Reports and implements the requirements of DOE Order 5480.23, Nuclear Safety Analysis Report.

The purpose of this Acceptance Test Procedure and Operability Test Procedure (ATP/OTP)is to verify the operability of newly installed Loss on Ignition (LOI) equipment, including a model 1608FL CMTM Furnace, a dessicator, and balance. The operability of the furnace will be verified. The arrangement of the equipment placed in Glovebox 157-3/4 to perform LOI testing on samples supplied from the Thermal Stabilization line will be verified. In addition to verifying proper operation of the furnace, this ATP/OTP will also verify the air flow through the filters, verify a damper setting to establish and maintain the required differential pressure between the glovebox and the room pressure, and test the integrity of the newly installed HEPA filter. In order to provide objective evidence of proper performance of the furnace, the furnace must heat 15 crucibles, mounted on a crucible rack, to 1000 C, according to a program entered into the furnace controller located outside the glovebox. The glovebox differential pressure will be set to provide the 0.5 to 2.0 inches of water (gauge) negative pressure inside the glovebox with an expected airflow of 100 to 125 cubic feet per minute (cfm) through the inlet filter. The glovebox inlet G1 filter will be …

This report documents the results of laboratory investigations into the hydrodynamic character of the CST compared to DWPF frit and discusses attempts to alter the hydrodynamic character of the CST. This report documents the manner in which this material was produced.

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Hardware performance counters are CPU registers that count data loads and stores, cache misses, and other events. Counter data can help programmers understand software performance. Although CPUs typically have multiple counters, each can monitor only one type of event at a time, and some counters can monitor only certain events. Therefore, some CPUs cannot concurrently monitor interesting combinations of events. Software multiplexing partly overcomes this limitation by using time sharing to monitor multiple events on one counter. However, counter multiplexing is harder to implement for multithreaded programs than for single-threaded ones because of certain difficulties in managing the length of the time slices. This paper describes a software library called MPX that overcomes these difficulties. MPX allows applications to gather hardware counter data concurrently for any combination of countable events. MPX data are typically within a few percent of counts recorded without multiplexing.

It is shown that high rate extrusion is a viable production process for obtaining desirable microstructures and mechanical properties in ultrahigh carbon steels (UHCSs). The coefficient of friction for extrusion was determined for the UHCSs as well as five other materials and shown to be a function of stress--decreasing with increasing stress. The extruded UHCSs deform by a diffusion-controlled dislocation creep process. Stacking fault energies have been calculated from the extrusion data and observed to decrease with increasing concentrations of silicon, aluminum and chromium. Microstructures are either ultrafine pearlite when extruded above the eutectoid temperature or ultrafine spheroidite when extruded below the eutectoid temperature. The resulting strength--ductility properties are shown to be superior to those obtained in high-strength low alloy steels.

Internal combustion engines are a major source of airborne particulate matter (PM). The size of the engine PM is in the sub-micrometer range. The number of engine particles per unit volume is high, normally in the range of 10{sup 12} to 10{sup 14}. To measure the size distribution of the engine particles dilution of an aerosol sample is required. A diluter utilizing a venturi ejector mixing technique is commercially available and tested. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if turbulence created by the ejector in the mini-dilutor changes the size of particles passing through it. The results of the NaCl aerosol experiments show no discernible difference in the geometric mean diameter and geometric standard deviation of particles passing through the ejector. Similar results were found for the DOP particles. The ratio of the total number concentrations before and after the ejector indicates that a dilution ratio of approximately 20 applies equally for DOP and NaCl particles. This indicates the dilution capability of the ejector is not affected by the particle composition. The statistical analysis results of the first and second moments of a distribution indicate that the ejector may not change the major parameters (e.g., the geometric mean …

Thirteen segmented aluminum honeycomb samples (5 in. diameter and 1.5 in. height) have been crushed in an experimental configuration that uses a drop table impact machine. The 38.0 pcf bulk density samples are a unique segmented geometry that allows the samples to be crushed while maintaining a constant cross-sectional area. A crush weight of 175 lb was used to determine the rate sensitivity of the honeycomb's highest strength orientation, T-direction, in a dynamic environment of {approx}50 fps impact velocity. Experiments were conducted for two honeycomb manufacturers and at two temperatures, ambient and +165 F. Independent measurements of the crush force were made with a custom load cell and a force derived from acceleration measurements on the drop table using the Sum of Weighted Accelerations Technique with a Calibrated Force (SWAT-CAL). Normalized stress-strain curves for all thirteen experiments are included and have excellent repeatability. These data are strictly valid for material characteristics in the T orientation because the cross-sectional area of the honeycomb did not change during the crush. The dynamic crush data have a consistent increase in crush strength of {approximately}7--19% as compared to quasi-static data and suggest that dynamic performance may be inferred from static tests. An uncertainty analysis …

A whole tank composite sample from Hanford waste tank 241-AN-103 was received at the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) and chemically characterized. Prior to characterization the sample was diluted to {approximately}5 M sodium concentration. The filtered supernatant liquid, the total dried solids of the diluted sample, and the washed insoluble solids obtained from filtration of the diluted sample were analyzed. A mass balance calculation of the three fractions of the sample analyzed indicate the analytical results appear relatively self-consistent for major components of the sample. However, some inconsistency was observed between results where more than one method of determination was employed and for species present in low concentrations. A direct comparison to previous analyses of material from tank 241-AN-103 was not possible due to unavailability of data for diluted samples of tank 241-AN-103 whole tank composites. However, the analytical data for other types of samples from 241-AN-103 we re mathematically diluted and compare reasonably with the current results. Although the segments of the core samples used to prepare the sample received at SRTC were combined in an attempt to produce a whole tank composite, determination of how well the results of the current analysis represent the actual composition of the …

This paper describes the testing of columns. The columns will be prepared and tested in duplicate. The resin will be retained in the column by means of quartz wool, but will be unobstructed on the top of the resin bed.

A sample from Hanford waste tank 241-AZ-102 was received at the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) and chemically characterized. The sample containing supernate and a small amount of sludge solids was analyzed as-received. The filtered supernatant liquid, the total dried solids of the sample, and the washed insoluble solids obtained from filtration of the sample were analyzed. A mass balance calculation of the three fractions of the sample analyzed indicate the analytical results appear relatively self-consistent for major components of the sample. However, some inconsistency was observed between results were more than one method of determination was employed and for species present in low concentrations. The actinides isotopes, plutonium, americium, and curium, present analytical challenges due to the low concentration of these species and the potential for introduction of small amounts of contamination during sampling handling resulting in large uncertainties. A direct comparison to previous analyses of material from tank 241-AZ-102 showed good agreement with the filtered supernatant liquid. However, the comparison of solids data showed poor agreement. The poor agreement shown between the current results for the solids samples and previous analyses most likely results from the uncertainties associated with obtaining small solids samples from a large non-homogenized waste …

This monitoring plan has been developed to meet the requirements for monitoring low-level waste (LLW) disposal facilities according to the United States Department of Energy (USDOE) Order 435.1 (USDOE 1999) and its associated implementation guidance with regard to actual performance versus projected performance based on the Composite Analysis (CA) for the E-Area Low-Level Waste Facility (LLWF) and the Z-Area Saltstone Disposal Facility (SDT).

SRTC is investigating approaches for near-real-time monitoring of 99Tc at selected points in the proposed pretreatment process for Hanford supernate waste solutions. The desired monitoring points include both the feed to and decontaminated product from a technetium-removal column. A Cs-removal column precedes technetium decontamination in the proposed process. Our earlier report (Ref. 1) showed that a simple flow-through beta counting system can easily meet 99Tc detection limit goals for solutions that do not contain interfering radionuclides; however, concentrations of residual interferences were too high in process solutions at the desired monitoring points. That is, technetium can not be measured without additional purification. In this supplement, ADS evaluated ion exchange cartridges to remove radionuclides that interfere with 99Tc beta measurements. Tests on radioactive standard solutions and on Hanford Envelope B (AZ-102) pretreated process solutions show that 99Tc passes through the cation removal cartridge to an on-line beta counter, and that interfering radionuclides were nearly totally removed. Envelope B solutions included both the process's Cs-removed feed to the Tc-removal column and product from the column. Analyses of these solutions before and after the cation exchange cartridge show that the concentration of the primary interference, 137Cs, was reduced to about 1/250th of the …

Many Sandia components for military applications are designed for a 20-year life. In order to determine if magnetic components meet that requirement, the parts are subjected to selected destructive tests. This paper reviews the re-design of a power transformer and the tests required to prove-in the re-design. The re-design included replacing the Epon 828/Mica/methylenedianiline (curing agent Z) epoxy encapsulant with a recent Sandia National Laboratory (SNL) developed epoxy encapsulant. The new encapsulant reduces the Environmental Safety and Health (ES and H) hazards. Life testing of this re-designed transformer generated failures; an open secondary winding. An experimental program to determine the cause of the broken wires and an improved design to eliminate the problem was executed. This design weakness was corrected by reverting to the hazardous epoxy system.

Nonlinear dynamics deals with parametric resonances and diffusion, which are usually beam-intensity independent and rely on a particle Hamiltonian. Collective instabilities deal with beam coherent motion, where the Vlasov equation is frequently used in conjunction with a beam-intensity dependent Hamiltonian. The authors address the questions: Are the two descriptions the same? Are collective instabilities the results of encountering parametric resonances whose driving force is intensity dependent? The space-charge dominated beam governed by the Kapchinskij-Vladimirskij (K-V) envelope equation is used as an example.

A proposed facility is being designed for the immobilization of Hanford high-level radioactive waste. One unit process in the facility is designed to remove radioactive cesium by ion-exchange from the strongly alkaline aqueous phase. A resin specifically designed with high selectivity of cesium under alkaline conditions is being investigated. The resin also is elutable under more acidic conditions. The proposed design of the facility consists of two sets of two packed columns placed in series (i.e., a lead column followed by a lag (guard) column configuration). During operation, upon reaching a specified cesium concentration criterion at the exit of the lag column, operation is switched to the second set of lead and lag columns. The cesium-loaded lead column is processed (i.e., washed and eluted) and switched to the lag position. the previous lag column is then placed in the lead position (without eluting) and the system is ready for use in the next cycle. For a well designed process, the loading and elution processes result in significant volume reductions in aqueous high-level waste.

Recent progress on the polarized targets and polarized beams at Bonn, Brookhaven, Jefferson Lab, Mainz and PSI were reported in the parallel sessions. Summary of the progress is presented here.

The Saltstone Facility provides the final treatment and disposal of low level liquid wastes streams. At the Saltstone Facility, the waste is mixed with cement, flyash, and slag to form a grout, which is pumped into large concrete vaults where it cures. The facility started radioactive operations in June 1990. High Level Waste Engineering requested Savannah River Technology Center to determine the effect of TPB and its decomposition products (i.e., 3PB, 2PB, and 1PB) on the saltstone process. Previous testing performed by SRTC determined saltstone benzene evolution rates a function of ITP filtrate composition. Testing by the Thermal Fluids Laboratory has shown at design operation, the temperature in the Z-area vaults could reach 85 degrees Celsius. Saltstone asked SRTC to perform additional testing to determine whether curing at 85 degrees Celsius could change saltstone benzene evolution rates. This document describes the test performed to determine the effect of curing temperature on the benzene evolution rates.

BNFL Inc. is evaluating various pretreatment technologies to mitigate the impacts of sulfate on the LAW vitrification system. One pretreatment technology for separating sulfate from LAW solutions involves the use of SuperLig{reg_sign} 655 (SL-655), a proprietary ion exchange material developed and supplied by IBC Advanced Technologies, Inc., American Fork, UT. This report describes testing of SL-655 with diluted ([Na] {approximately} 5 M) waste from Hanford Tank 241-AN-107 at Battelle, Pacific Northwest Division. Batch contact studies were conducted from 4 to 96 hours to determine the sulfate distribution coefficient and reaction kinetics. A small-scale ion exchange column test was conducted to evaluate sulfate removal, loading, breakthrough, and elution from the SL-655. In all of these tests, an archived 241-AN-107 tank waste sample (pretreated to remove Cs, Sr, and transuranics elements) was used. The experimental details and results are described in this report. Under the test conditions, SL-655 was found to have no significant ion exchange affinity for sulfate in this matrix. The batch contact study resulted in no measurable difference in the aqueous sulfate concentration following resin contact (K{sub d} {approximately} 0). The column test also demonstrated SL-655 had no practical affinity for sulfate in the tested matrix. Within experimental error, …

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OUTLINES RESEARCH IN INTERMEDIATE ENERGY NUCLEAR PHYSICS.