Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This testimony discusses GAO's recent work on U.S. nonproliferation programs and comments on S. 673--a bill to establish an interagency committee to review and coordinate such programs. GAO found that the U.S. programs have achieved some success, but more needs to be done to keep nuclear weapons, materials, and technologies out of the hands of terrorists and countries of concern. Furthermore, questions exist about how to sustain the security improvements being made. The Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of State programs to employ weapons scientists face difficulty in conclusively demonstrating that they are preventing the spread of weapons-related knowledge and expertise. With respect to S. 673, there is some debate among officials about the need for more coordination of U.S. nonproliferation programs. On the basis of the findings of two independent commissions that recently examined these programs, GAO believes that more coordination would be helpful and that the legislation could serve as a vehicle to share information and best practices for addressing problems GAO identified. S. 673 could be strengthened by mandating development of an overarching strategic plan that clearly identifies overall goals, time frames for …

To assist in the characterization of microstructural changes associated with irradiation damage in low alloy steels, the technique of quantitative x-ray mapping using a field emission gun scanning transmission electron microscope (FEG-STEM) equipped with an x-ray energy Dispersive spectrometer (XEDS) has been employed. Quantitative XEDS microanalyses of the matrix and grain boundaries of irradiated specimens have been compared with previous quantitative analyses obtained using 3D-Atom Probe Field-Ion Microscopy (3D-APFIM). In addition, the FEG-STEM XEDS maps obtained from the irradiated steel have revealed the presence of 2 to 3 nm Ni-enriched 'precipitates' in the matrix, which had previously been detected using 3D-APFIM. These quantitative FEG-STEM XEDS results represent the first direct and independent microchemical corroboration of the 3D-APFIM results showing ultra-fine irradiation-induced hardening features in low alloy steel.

Weekly student newspaper from the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas that includes campus news and commentaries along with advertising.

Semi-weekly newspaper from Clifton, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Semi-weekly newspaper from Seminole, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with extensive advertising.

In this paper, a framework for stochastic spatiotemporal modeling of daily precipitation in a hindcast mode is presented. Observed precipitation levels in space and time are modeled as a joint realization of a collection of space-indexed time series, one for each spatial location. Time series model parameters are spatially varying, thus capturing space-time interactions. Stochastic simulation, i.e., the procedure of generating alternative precipitation realizations (synthetic fields) over the space-time domain of interest (Deutsch and Journel, 1998), is employed for ensemble prediction. The simulated daily precipitation fields reproduce a data-based histogram and spatiotemporal covariance model, and identify the measured precipitation values at the rain gauges (conditional simulation). Such synthetic precipitation fields can be used in a Monte Carlo framework for risk analysis studies in hydrologic impact assessment investigations.

This comprehensive topical report discusses the key findings in the development of a intelligent integrated blower for HVAC applications. The benefits of rearward inclined blades over that of traditional forward inclined blades is well documented and a prototype blower design is presented. A comparison of the proposed blower to that of three typical units from the industry is presented. The design of the blower housing is also addressed and the impact of size limitations on static efficiency is discussed. Issues of air flow controllability in the rearward inclined blower is addressed and a solution to this problem is proposed. Several motor design options are discussed including inside-out radial flux designs and novel axial flux designs, all are focused on the various blower needs. The control of the motor-blower and airflow through the use of a high density inverter stage and modern digital signal processor is presented. The key technical challenges of the approach are discussed. The use of the motor as a sensor in the larger heating/ventilating system is also discussed. Diagnostic results for both the motor itself and the blower system are presented.

Video footage from the KXAS-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, to accompany a news story.

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Maintaining a capable, appropriately sized submarine force is an integral part of the United States' military strategy. Since the end of the Cold War, significant changes in the strategic environment have led the Department of Defense (DOD) to reduce the size of its submarine force. DOD developed the following four options to a carry out the reduction: (1) refueling four SSN-688 attack submarines; (2) refueling four SSN-688 attack submarines and, upon reaching the end of their operational life after 10-12 years, replacing them with four new Virginia-class attack submarines; (3) refueling and converting four Trident SSBNs to SSGNs; and (4) refueling four SSN-688 attack submarines and converting two Trident SSBNs to SSGNs. All four options seek to reverse a projected decline in attack submarine force levels below the minimum requirement of 55, but they vary considerably in terms of the number of years they allow DOD to meet this goal. Both the refueled SSN-688s and SSGNs would be capable of various peacetime and wartime missions, but they differ in the extent to which they can perform them. Converting four Trident ballistic missile submarines to SSGNs is …

Weekly newspaper from Yoakum, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

We have induced, measured, and modeled the {delta}-{alpha}' martensitic transformation in a Pu-Ga alloy by a resistivity technique on a 2.8-mm diameter disk sample. Our measurements of the resistance by a 4-probe technique were consistent with the expected resistance obtained from a finite element analysis of the 4-point measurement of resistivity in our round disk configuration. Analysis by finite element methods of the postulated configuration of {alpha}' particles within model {delta} grains suggests that a considerable anisotropy in the resistivity may be obtained depending on the arrangement of the {alpha}' lens shaped particles within the grains. The resistivity of these grains departs from the series resistance model and can lead to significant errors in the predicted amount of the {alpha}' phase present in the microstructure. An underestimation of the amount of {alpha}' in the sample by 15%, or more, appears to be possible.

This report provides information about the Background and Legislative Issues on Export-Import Bank. The import-export bank is the U.S chief government agency that helps finance American exports.

The problem of stopping nuclear smuggling of terrorist nuclear devices is a complex one, owing to the variety of pathways by which such a device can be transported. To fashion new detection systems that improve the chances of detecting such a device, it is important to know the various requirements and conditions that would be imposed on them by both the types of devices that might be smuggled and by the requirement that it not overly interfere with the transportation of legitimate goods. Requirements vary greatly from low-volume border crossings to high-volume industrial container ports, and the design of systems for them is likely to be quite different. There is also a further need to detect these devices if they are brought into a country via illicit routes, i.e., those which do not pass through customs posts, but travel overland though open space or to a smaller, unguarded airport or seaport. This paper describes some generic uses of detectors, how they need to be integrated into customs or other law enforcement systems, and what the specifications for such detectors might be.

Student newspaper of the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma that includes national, local, and campus news along with advertising.

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

Weekly newspaper from Llano, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

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

Weekly newspaper from Alvin, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Guest artist recital at the UNT College of Music Winspear Hall.

Tri-weekly student newspaper from Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas that includes local, state and campus news along with advertising.

Weekly student newspaper from McMurry University in Abilene, Texas that includes local, state and campus news along with advertising.

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

Biweekly student newspaper from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas that includes campus news along with advertising.

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