Appropriations are one part of a complex federal budget process that includes budget resolutions, appropriations (regular, supplemental, and continuing) bills, rescissions, and budget reconciliation bills. This report is a guide to one of the 13 regular appropriations bills that Congress passes each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Subcommittees on VA, HUD and Independent Agencies Appropriations.

There are a number of exothermic chemical reactions which might benefit from the temperature control and freedom from catalyst fouling provided by the ebullated bed reactor technology. A particularly promising area is production of oxygenated chemicals, such as alcohols and ethers, from synthesis gas, which can be economically produced from coal or biomass. The ebullated bed operation requires that the small-diameter ({approx} 1/32 inch) catalyst particles have enough mechanical strength to avoid loss by attrition. However, all of the State Of The Art (SOTA) catalysts and advanced catalysts for the purpose are low in mechanical strength. The patented carbon-coated catalyst technology developed in our laboratory converts catalyst particles with low mechanical strength to strong catalysts suitable for ebullated bed application. This R&D program is concerned with the modification on the mechanical strength of the SOTA and advanced catalysts so that the ebullated bed technology can be utilized to produce valuable oxygenated chemicals from syngas/CO{sub 2} efficiently and economically. The objective of this R&D program is to study the technical and economic feasibility of selective production of high-value oxygenated chemicals from synthesis gas and CO{sub 2} mixed feed in an ebullated bed reactor using carbon-coated catalyst particles.

Over the past 25-years, the U.S. economy has experienced four large oil price shocks (1973-74, 1979-80, 1990-91, and 1999-2000). Each has been a catalyst for discussions about a proper national energy policy. Many analysts have suggested that energy independence should be an integral part of such a policy. Both major party candidates for president in the 2000 election expressed similar views. However, U.S. suppliers of energy participate in the world energy market. So long as prices are determined in that market, energy independence will not free the United States from oil price shocks.

The A-Area Burning/Rubble Pits (731-A/1A) and Rubble Pit (731-2A) (ABRP) operable unit (OU) is located in the northwest portion of Savannah River Site (SRS), approximately 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles) south of the A/M Area operations. Between 1951 and 1973, Pits 731-A and 731-1A were used to burn paper, plastics, wood, rubber, rags, cardboard, oil, degreasers, and solvents. Combustible materials were burned monthly. After burning was discontinued in 1973, Pits 731-A and 731-1A were also converted to rubble pits and used to dispose of concrete rubble, bricks, tile, asphalt, plastics, metal, wood products, and rubber until about 1978. When the pits were filled to capacity, there were covered with compacted clay-rich native soils and vegetation was established. Pit 731-2A was only used as a rubble pit until 1983 after which the area was backfilled and seeded. Two other potential source areas within the OU were investigated and found to be clean. The water table aquifer (M-Area aquifer) was also investigated.

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The work performed is part of a continuing research project, PPerfDB, headed by Dr. Karavanic. We are studying the application of experiment management techniques to the problems associated with gathering, storing, and using performance data with the goal of achieving completely automated diagnosis of application and system bottlenecks. This summer we focused on incorporating heterogeneous data from a variety of tools, applications, and platforms, and on designing novel techniques for automated performance diagnosis. The Experiment Management paradigm is a useful approach for designing a tool that will automatically diagnose performance problems in large-scale parallel applications. The ability to gather, store, and use performance data gathered over time from different executions and using different collection tools enables more sophisticated approaches to performance diagnosis and to performance evaluation more generally. We look forward to continuing our efforts by further development and analysis of online diagnosis using historical data, and by investigating performance data and diagnosis gathered from mixed MPUOpenMP applications.

The idea of replacing our current income tax system with a "flat-rate tax" is receiving renewed congressional interest. Although referred to as "flat-rate taxes," many of the current proposals go much further than merely adopting a flat rate tax structure. Some involve significant income tax base broadening while others entail changing the tax base from income to consumption.

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The A-Area Burning/Rubble Pits (731-A/1A) and Rubble Pit (731-2A) Operable Unit (OU)(ABRP) is listed as a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) 3004(u) Solid Waste Management Unit/Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) unit in Appendix C of the Federal Facility Agreement (FFA) for the Savannah River Site (SRS) in Aiken County, South Carolina. The following media are associated with this OU: surface soil and groundwater. An SRS RCRA permit modification is not required at this time since this is an interim action. However, the final permit modification will (1) include the final selection of remedial alternatives under RCRA, (2) be sought for the entire ABRP with the final Statement of Basis/Proposed Plan (SB/PP), and (3) will include the necessary public involvement and regulatory approvals. This Interim Record of Decision (IROD) also satisfies the RCRA requirements for an Interim Measures Work Plan.

A chapter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "During fiscal year 1999, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) made several improvements to address financial management issues that GAO raised in earlier reports. However, serious internal control and financial weaknesses continue to undermine the agency's ability to manage operations and produce reliable financial information. These weaknesses affect IRS' ability to, (1) manage unpaid assessments, (2) disburse taxpayer refunds, (3) safeguard manual tax receipts and taxpayer information, (4) account for property and equipment, (5) account for appropriated funds, and (6) collect and report financial data. These problems resulted from, (1) deficient operational and financial systems, (2) inadequate internal controls, and (3) policies and procedures that were not being consistently followed. The improvements that have been made so far focus on ad hoc work-arounds intended to yield immediate results for the limited purpose of reporting reliable annual financial statement information, but they have not corrected underlying long-term systems deficiencies. In addition, IRS has been unable to develop and maintain reliable and timely cost/benefit information to evaluate the relative merits of its various tax collection and enforcement activities. Until IRS undertakes more systemic, short- and long-term corrections, it will …

The objective of this program was to seek improved process control and weldment reliability during laser welding of automotive aluminum alloys while retaining the high speed and accuracy of the laser beam welding process. The effects of various welding variables on the loss of alloying elements and the formation of porosity and other geometric weld defects such as underfill and overfill were studied both experimentally and theoretically.

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Although the National Practitioner Data Bank is presently the nation's only central source of medical malpractice payment information, it is unclear whether all relevant data are being properly reported. GAO's review suggests that information in that data bank may not be as accurate, complete, or as timely as it should be. Inaccuracies in the way reported information was coded could confuse or mislead querying organizations about the severity of actions taken against practitioners. Also, duplicate reports overstate the amount of information that the databank has on a particular practitioner. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has not established criteria for the information that states and other entities must report when notifying the data bank of the disciplinary actions taken. Moreover, HRSA lacks procedures for ensuring that reporters adhere to the criteria established for medical malpractice reports, including inappropriate references to patients' names. Furthermore, the practitioner notification and dispute resolution processes have not ensured that inaccurate and erroneously reported information is removed from the data bank and not released to entities seeking information on specific practitioners. Finally, without an examination of its financial operations, HRSA has …

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A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Farm Credit Administration (FCA) reviewed the Small Business Administration's (SBA) oversight of the Small Business Lending Companies (SBLC) program and determined that several areas could be strengthened. SBA officials said that the agency plans to take appropriate action on most of FCA's recommendations to improve the program. However, FCA expressed concern about the financial risk to SBA's loan portfolio associated with less favorable economic conditions. Such conditions could place upward pressure on SBA's 7(a) loan default rates. SBA needs to have access to information that accurately identifies risk in both individual loan and the total portfolio. The initial SBLC examination results have provided some information to aid in such risk identification, but a continued effort is needed."

A series of thermal analyses have been completed for ten storage can configurations representing various cases of materials stored in F-Area. The analyses determine the temperatures of the cans, the special nuclear material, and the air sealed within the cans. Analyses to aid in understanding the effect of oxide accumulation and metal aging on temperatures are also included.

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The accuracy of the 2000 decennial census depends in part on the proper functioning of 10 interrelated information systems, one of which is the Census Bureau's headquarters (HQ) processing system. The HQ processing system consists of 48 applications, all developed internally by the Bureau, that support various census operations, such as updating address files, creating a file of census responses, and preparing data for tabulation and dissemination. GAO found that the Bureau lacks effective, mature software and system development processes to control development of its HQ processing system applications."

The nonlinear interaction between counter-propagating laser beams in a plasma results in the generation of large (enhanced) plasma wakes. The two beams need to be slightly detuned in frequency, and one of them has to be ultra-short (shorter than a plasma period). Thus produced wakes have a phase velocity close to the speed of light and can be used for acceleration and compression of charged bunches. The physical mechanism responsible for the enhanced wake generation is qualitatively described and compared with the conventional laser wakefield mechanism. The authors also demonstrate that, depending on the sign of the frequency difference between the lasers, the enhanced wake can be used as a ``snow-plow'' to accelerate and compress either positively or negatively charged bunches. This ability can be utilized in an electron-positron injector.

This Acceptance Test Procedure (ATP) will document the satisfactory operation of the corrosion probe tree assembly. This ATP will be performed by the manufacturer prior to delivery to the site. The objective of this procedure is to demonstrate and document the acceptance of the corrosion probe tree assembly. The test will consist of a pressure test to verify leak tightness of the probe tree body, a continuity test of the probe tree wiring, a test of the high level detector wiring, and a test of the operation of the Type K thermocouples.

The modeling described in this report is an extension of previous fate and transport modeling for the Old Radioactive Waste Burial Ground (ORWBG) Corrective Measures Study/Feasibility Study (CMS/FS). The purpose of this and the previous modeling is to provide quantitative input to the screening of remedial alternatives for the CMS/FS for this site.

Appropriations are one part of a complex federal budget process that includes budget resolutions, appropriations (regular, supplemental, and continuing) bills, rescissions, and budget reconciliation bills. This report is a guide to one of the 13 regular appropriations bills that Congress passes each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations.

Although it has been a high priority Army program, a number of factors have complicated the RAH-66 Comanche program. Since its inception, the program has been restructured several times–postponing the initial operational capability (IOC) and increasing overall program costs. Presently, there is debate within the Army regarding whether the program should be reduced significantly to make funds available to pursue other modernization priorities.

The purpose of the design compliance matrix (DCM) is to provide a single-source document of all design requirements associated with the fifteen subsystems that make up the rotary mode core sampling (RMCS) system. It is intended to be the baseline requirement document for the RMCS system and to be used in governing all future design and design verification activities associated with it. This document is the DCM for the RMCS system used on Hanford single-shell radioactive waste storage tanks. This includes the Exhauster System, Rotary Mode Core Sample Trucks, Universal Sampling System, Diesel Generator System, Distribution Trailer, X-Ray Cart System, Breathing Air Compressor, Nitrogen Supply Trailer, Casks and Cask Truck, Service Trailer, Core Sampling Riser Equipment, Core Sampling Support Trucks, Foot Clamp, Ramps and Platforms and Purged Camera System. Excluded items are tools such as light plants and light stands. Other items such as the breather inlet filter are covered by a different design baseline. In this case, the inlet breather filter is covered by the Tank Farms Design Compliance Matrix.

This report focuses on characterization of an off gas condensate sample from the Duratek LAW pilot melter located in Columbia, MD.