This report contains the background and options for reform on the universal service fund.

The Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) is preparing to initiate processing Sludge Batch 7b (SB7b). In support of the upcoming processing, the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) provided a recommendation to utilize Frits 418 with a 6% Na{sub 2}O addition (26 wt% Na{sub 2}O in sludge) and 702 with a 4% Na{sub 2}O addition (24 wt% Na{sub 2}O in sludge) to process SB7b. This recommendation was based on assessments of the compositional projections for SB7b available at the time from the Savannah River Remediation (SRR). To support qualification of SB7b, SRNL executed a variability study to assess the applicability of the current durability models for SB7b. The durability models were assessed over the expected composition range of SB7b, including potential caustic additions, combined with Frits 702 and 418 over a 32-40% waste loading (WL) range. Thirty four glasses were selected based on Frits 418 and 702 coupled with the sludge projections with an additional 4-6% Na{sub 2}O to reflect the potential caustic addition. Six of these glasses, based on average nominal sludge compositions including the appropriate caustic addition, were developed for both Frit 418 and Frit 702 at 32, 36 and 40% WL to provide coverage in the center of …

This report serves to extend the previous document: 'MCNP Calculations Replicating ARH-600 Data' by replicating the nitrate curves found in ARH-600. This report includes the MCNP models used, the calculated critical dimension for each analyzed parameter set, and the resulting data libraries for use with the CritView code. As with the ARH-600 data, this report is not meant to replace the analysis of the fissile systems by qualified criticality personnel. The M CNP data is presented without accounting for the statistical uncertainty (although this is typically less than 0.001) or bias and, as such, the application of a reasonable safety margin is required. The data that follows pertains to the uranyl nitrate and plutonium nitrate spheres, infinite cylinders, and infinite slabs of varying isotopic composition, reflector thickness, and molarity. Each of the cases was modeled in MCNP (version 5.1.40), using the ENDF/B-VI cross section set. Given a molarity, isotopic composition, and reflector thickness, the fissile concentration and diameter (or thicknesses in the case of the slab geometries) were varied. The diameter for which k-effective equals 1.00 for a given concentration could then be calculated and graphed. These graphs are included in this report. The pages that follow describe the regions …

Progress is summarized in the following areas of study: (1) Compatible relaxation; (2) Improving aggregation-based MG solver performance - variable cycle; (3) First Order System Least Squares (FOSLS) for LQCD; (4) Auxiliary space preconditioners; (5) Bootstrap algebraic multigrid; and (6) Practical applications of AMG and fast auxiliary space preconditioners.

This report discusses the solar energy initiative and the political implications. The objective of this report is to provide Congress with insight regarding solar projects supported by Department of Energy (DOE’s) loan guarantee program, the risk characteristics of these projects, and how other DOE loan guarantee projects are either similar to or different from the Solyndra solar manufacturing project.

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This report contains a preview of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Honolulu.

This report discusses the current debate over "net neutrality." While there is no single accepted definition of "net neutrality," most agree that any such definition should include the general principles that owners of the networks that compose and provide access to the Internet should not control how consumers lawfully use that network, and they should not be able to discriminate against content provider access to that network.