Development of the calorimeter equilibrium prediction program has been completed, and tests of the software program have been conducted on calorimeters ranging from 1 to 6 in. (2.5 to 15 cm) in diameter and power inputs between 0.1 and 8.3 W. Equilibrium values have been predicted with relative accuracies of better than 0.1% (95% confidence) and with an average time improvement factor of 2.1, which represents a 52% time saving, for every test case. A computer code is being developed by the University of Cincinnati to describe the steady-state heat transfer in a resistance bridge calorimeter. The computer program which is based on the theory of heat transfer analysis by finite differences has been written and is being checked against experimental data. Following the development of the steady-state code, work will commence on the transient heat flow analysis. The effect of R. Gunnink's new plutonium branching ratios on previous plutonium isotopic ratio measurements is demonstrated. For measurements relative to plutonium-239 the biases change from between 2 and 7% low to between 2 and 13% high. For measurements relative to plutonium-241 the changes in bias are within the statistical uncertainties normally reported for these peaks. In preparation for the proposed demonstration …

The Great Western Malting Company recently constructed a barley malting facility in Pocatello, Idaho, designed to produce 6.0 million bushels per year of brewing malt. This facility uses natural gas to supply the energy for germination and kilning processes. The escalating cost of natural gas has prompted the company to look at alternate and more economical sources of energy. Trans Energy Systems has investigated the viabiity of using geothermal energy at the new barley processing plant. Preliminary investigations show that a geothermal resource probably exists, and payback on the installation of a system to utilize the resource will occur in under 2 years. The Great Western Malting plant site has geological characteristics which are similar to areas where productive geothermal wells have been established. Geological investigations indicate that resource water temperatures will be in the 150 to 200/sup 0/F range. Geothermal energy of this quality will supply 30 to 98% of the heating requirements currently supplied by natural gas for this malting plant. Trans Energy Systems has analyzed several systems of utilizing the geothermal resource at the Great Western barley malting facility. These systems included: direct use of geothermal water; geothermal energy heating process water through an intermediary heat exchanger; …

This report discusses the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. The act established a process for television broadcasters to release spectrum licensed to them for auction as commercial licenses. The act also included provisions to apply future spectrum license auction revenues toward deficit reduction; to establish a planning and governance structure to deploy public safety broadband networks, using some auction proceeds for that purpose; and to assign additional spectrum resources for public safety communications.

This report provides a brief history of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and figures on NIH appropriations for FY1994-FY2014.

This report reviews the issues surrounding the medical devices tax within the framework of basic principles surrounding the choice of commodities to tax under excise taxes. The next section describes the tax and its legislative origins. After that, the report analyzes the arguments for retaining and repealing the tax.

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) predicts that the national airspace system will become increasingly congested over time, imposing costs of delay on passengers and regions. While transforming the current air-traffic control system to the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) may provide additional en route capacity, many airports will still face constraints at their runways and terminals. In light of these forecasts, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to evaluate regional airport planning in metropolitan regions with congested airports. GAO (1) identified which airports are currently or will be significantly congested and the potential benefits of regional airport planning, (2) assessed how regions with congested airports use regional airport planning in decision making, and (3) identified factors that hinder or aid in the development and implementation of regional airport plans. GAO reviewed studies; interviewed FAA, airport, and other aviation and transportation officials; and conducted case studies in selected regions."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Limited VA data show the number of women veterans it has identified as homeless more than doubled, from 1,380 in fiscal year 2006 to 3,328 in fiscal year 2010. Although these data are not generalizable to the overall population of homeless women veterans, we identified some characteristics of these women. For example, almost two-thirds were between 40 and 59 years old and over one-third had disabilities. In addition, many of these women resided with their minor children."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) security controls over information on the foreign nationals involved in remediating and reviewing software, focusing on: (1) the extent to which foreign nationals were involved in year 2000 code remediation and subsequent code review activities at FAA; and (2) FAA's policies covering this involvement."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Poor oversight and management of DOD's travel card program has led to high delinquency rates, costing DOD millions in lost rebates and increased ATM fees. As a result, the Congress asked GAO to report on (1) the magnitude, impact, and cause of delinquencies, (2) the types of fraudulent and abusive uses of the travel card, and (3) the effectiveness of internal controls over DOD's travel card program. GAO previously reported on travel card management at the Army. This report focuses on travel card management at the Navy, including the Marine Corps."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In 1992, the United States and other parties, including both developed and developing nations, agreed to try to limit dangerous human interference with the climate by participating in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The parties agreed, among other things, to report on their emissions of carbon dioxide and five other gases whose buildup in the atmosphere is believed to affect the climate. The parties developed standards for these reports and processes for periodically evaluating the reports. Expert teams selected by the parties review the developed nations' reports; staff of the Framework Convention's administrative arm (the Secretariat) assess developing nations' reports. GAO agreed to describe the results of the most recent reviews and assessments of reports from selected economically developed and developing nations, as well as the parties' plans to improve the reports. For the developed nations, GAO agreed to study four geographically dispersed nations with high levels of emissions--Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. For the developing nations, GAO studied China, India, and Mexico, which also have high emissions levels and are geographically dispersed. These nations are not representative of …

The apparatus which sweeps calorimeter and endwall modules through the beam during testing is called a beam line test table. Because of rather stringent requirements for the physical positioning of the modules an analysis is done here to determine the modifications to the current test table design which will minimize deflections of the table under load.

Hybrid technologies for reduction of NO{sub x} emissions from coal fired utility boilers may offer greater levels of NO{sub x} control than the sum of the individual technologies, leading to more cost effective emissions control strategies. Energy and Environmental Research Corporation had developed a hybrid NO{sub x} control strategy involving two proprietary concepts which has the potential to meet the US Department of Energy's goal at a significant reduction in cost compared to existing technology. The process has been named CombiNO{sub x}. CombiNO{sub x} is the integration of three separate NO control technologies: (1) Gas Reburning, (2) CO-Promoted Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction, and (3) Methanol Injection/NO{sub 2} Scrubbing.

Computer model calculations are presented for enrichments of carbon, oxygen, and sulfur isotopes by two-step, IR/UV, laser photodissociation of OCS in rare gas liquid solutions. The model calculations are based on previously measured fundamental physical properties, including spectroscopic parameters of the IR absorption bands of OCS in cryogenic solution, UV photodissociation cross sections for specific vibrational levels of OCS, and rates for vibrational relaxation of OCS by cryogenic solvents. Results are presented for both pulsed and continuous wave laser sources. Photodissociation through both the 2{nu}{sub 2} and {nu}{sub 1} intermediate vibrational levels of OCS is investigated. The laser characteristics required to obtain optimum enrichments are determined by modeling the dependence of enrichment on laser wavelength and intensity, as well as pulse width and timing for pulsed sources. Optimum carbon and oxygen isotope enrichment factors of 9--14 are found for two-step photodissociation through the OCS(2{nu}{sub 2}) vibrational level, using pulsed CO{sub 2} and KrF excimer laser sources. Optimum sulfur isotope enrichment factors of 5--6 are found for photodissociation through the OCS({nu}{sub 1}) level, using a pulsed 12 {mu}m laser and a KrF excimer laser. The enrichments found for continuous wave laser sources are smaller than those for pulsed sources. 19 figs., …

The goal of the Direct-Cooled Power Electronics Substrate project is to reduce the size and weight of the heat sink for power electronics used in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The concept proposed in this project was to develop an innovative power electronics mounting structure, model it, and perform both thermal and mechanical finite-element analysis (FEA). This concept involved integrating cooling channels within the direct-bonded copper (DBC) substrate and strategically locating these channels underneath the power electronic devices. This arrangement would then be directly cooled by water-ethylene glycol (WEG), essentially eliminating the conventional heat sink and associated heat flow path. The concept was evaluated to determine its manufacturability, its compatibility with WEG, and the potential to reduce size and weight while directly cooling the DBC and associated electronics with a coolant temperature of 105 C. This concept does not provide direct cooling to the electronics, only direct cooling inside the DBC substrate itself. These designs will take into account issues such as containment of the fluid (separation from the electronics) and synergy with the whole power inverter design architecture. In FY 2008, mechanical modeling of substrate and inverter core designs as well as thermal and …

The main objective of this project was to continue research to develop carbon cycle relationships related to the land biosphere based on remote measurements of atmospheric CO2 concentration and its isotopic composition. The project continued time-series observations of atmospheric carbon dioxide and isotopic composition begun by Charles D. Keeling at remote sites, including Mauna Loa, the South Pole, and eight other sites. The program also included the development of methods for measuring radiocarbon content in the collected CO2 samples and carrying out radiocarbon measurements in collaboration with Tom Guilderson of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LLNL). The radiocarbon measurements can provide complementary information on carbon exchange rates with the land and oceans and emissions from fossil-fuel burning. Using models of varying complexity, the concentration and isotopic measurements were used to establish estimates of the spatial and temporal variations in the net CO2 exchange with the atmosphere, the storage of carbon in the land and oceans, and variable isotopic discrimination of land plants.

A general methodology was developed for evaluation of carbon sequestration technologies. In this document, we provide a method that is quantitative, but is structured to give qualitative comparisons despite changes in detailed method parameters, i.e., it does not matter what ''grade'' a sequestration technology gets but a ''better'' technology should receive a better grade. To meet these objectives, we developed and elaborate on the following concepts: (1) All resources used in a sequestration activity should be reviewed by estimating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions for which they historically are responsible. We have done this by introducing a quantifier we term Full-Cycle Carbon Emissions, which is tied to the resource. (2) The future fate of sequestered carbon should be included in technology evaluations. We have addressed this by introducing a variable called Time-adjusted Value of Carbon Sequestration to weigh potential future releases of carbon, escaping the sequestered form. (3) The Figure of Merit of a sequestration technology should address the entire life-cycle of an activity. The figures of merit we have developed relate the investment made (carbon release during the construction phase) to the life-time sequestration capacity of the activity. To account for carbon flows that occur during different times …

This report provides the technical justification for locating a large detector underground in a US based Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory. A large detector with a fiducial mass greater than 100 kTon will most likely be a multipurpose facility. The main physics justification for such a device is detection of accelerator generated neutrinos, nucleon decay, and natural sources of neutrinos such as solar, atmospheric and supernova neutrinos. The requirement on the depth of this detector will be guided by the rate of signals from these sources and the rate of backgrounds from cosmic rays over a very wide range of energies (from solar neutrino energies of 5 MeV to high energies in the range of hundreds of GeV). For the present report, we have examined the depth requirement for a large water Cherenkov detector and a liquid argon time projection chamber. There has been extensive previous experience with underground water Cherenkov detectors such as IMB, Kamioka, and most recently, Super-Kamiokande which has a fiducial mass of 22 kTon and a total mass of 50 kTon at a depth of 2700 meters-water-equivalent in a mountain. Projections for signal and background capability for a larger and deeper(or shallower) detectors of this …

This report will provide a brief overview of seamen of the U.S. merchant marine and World War II, post-war efforts for benefits for merchant seamen, the efforts by merchant seamen for recognition and legislation introduced int he 110th Congress.

Test articles of 1-in. and 28-in. diameter have been assembled, tested in accordance with HWS-2160 and the FAT Plan, Revision 1, and disassembled and evaluated in the presence of a Bechtel representative. Observations and conclusions are presented.

Gas concentration contours generated from the data taken during the Burro series experiments 8 and 9 are presented. The contours are presented as a function of time in both a horizontal and a vertical format for several areas within the array.

Energy and Environmental Research Corporation (EER) is currently conducting a test program to develop an advanced NO{sub x} control method utilizing reburning, promoted selective noncatalytic agent injection. The study will consist of fundamental and process testing over a large enough range of operating parameters to significantly reduce the risk of a full scale demonstration project. The test plan for the fundamental testing phase of the program is presented here.

An analysis of the geothermal resource at Lakeview, Oregon, indicates that a substantial resource exists in the area capable of supporting extensive residential, commercial and industrial heat loads. Good resource productivity is expected with water temperatures of 200{degrees}F at depths of 600 to 3000 feet in the immediate vicinity of the town. Preliminary district heating system designs were developed for a Base Case serving 1170 homes, 119 commercial and municipal buildings, and a new alcohol fuel production facility; a second design was prepared for a downtown Mini-district case with 50 commercial users and the alcohol plant. Capital and operating costs were determined for both cases. Initial development of the Lakeview system has involved conducting user surveys, well tests, determinations of institutional requirements, system designs, and project feasibility analyses. A preferred approach for development will be to establish the downtown Mini-district and, as experience and acceptance are obtained, to expand the system to other areas of town. Projected energy costs for the Mini-district are $10.30 per million Btu while those for the larger Base Case design are $8.20 per million Btu. These costs are competitive with costs for existing sources of energy in the Lakeview area.

This report summarizes progress on work performed in the Remote Engineering group at Rocky Flats from January to December 1984. Remote Engineering's goals in all 1984 projects were to help increase production capacity, reduce radiation exposure, improve operation safety, improve product quality, or alleviate material-accounting errors. To convert manual operations to automated operations, Remote Engineering provided design, fabrication, and assembly of new equipment for varied plant operations. Seventeen separate projects were handled by Remote Engineering in 1984. Four of the projects automate related operations in Building 559, the Chemical Analytical Laboratory. In Building 559, the following operations needed mechanizing: Sample Cutting, Storage and Retrieval, Pneumatic Transfer System, and Chemical Operations Robotic System. Remote Engineering has completed the design of the hot-dip zinc-galvanizing furnace, and Maintenance will complete the assembly and installation. Three systems are in production use but are still undergoing development: the Unimate robot, the Laser Marker, and the Ingot Gripper. The Plutonium Oxide/Skull-Burn Furnace is awaiting installation. The other projects are at various states of design and development. These reports reflect the status of the projects as they existed December 31, 1984, except the Future Work sections which were updated August 27, 1985.

The High-Yield Lithium-Injection Fusion Energy (HYLIFE) concept to convent inertial confinement fusion energy into electric power has undergone intensive research and refinement at LLNL since 1978. This paper reports on the final HYLIFE design, focusing on five major areas: the HYLIFE reaction chamber (which includes neutronics, liquid-metal jet-array hydrocynamics, and structural design), supporting systems, primary steam system and balance of plant, safety and environmental protection, and costs. An annotated bibliography of reports applicable to HYLIFE is also provided. We conclude that HYLIFE is a particularly viable concept for the safe, clean production of electrical energy. The liquid-metal jet array, HYLIFE's key design feature, protects the surrounding structural components from x-rays, fusion fuel-pellet debris, neutron damage and activation, and high temperatures and stresses, allowing the structure to last for the plant's entire 30-year lifetime without being replaced. 127 refs., 18 figs.