Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Humana, Inc., a large Medicare Choice Plan, provided a prescription drug benefit with a coverage limit that was below the amount listed in its 1998 Florida Medicare Choice contract. Ernst and Young, the contractor hired by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) to review Humana's contract submission, did not detect the discrepancies because it failed to follow HCFA's review procedures. HCFA has revised its processes and procedures for monitoring the accuracy of the information in Medicare Choice plans' contracts. The Humana case shows that the agency did not follow procedures that could have revealed the contract discrepancies that caused some beneficiaries to receive less coverage for brand name prescription drugs than the amount specified in their plan's basic package. Unless HCFA adheres to its revised monitoring procedures, beneficiaries will have few guarantees that they will receive the prescription drug benefits for which the government contracted and paid."

This report describes development of processes for cladding APT Target tungsten components with a thin layer (0.127-mm) of Alloy 718, Alloy 600 or 316L stainless steel alloy. The application requires that the cladding be thermally bonded to the tungsten in order to transfer heat generated in the tungsten volume to a surrounding coolant. High temperature diffusion bonding using the hot isostatic processing (HIP) technique was selected as the method for creating a metallurgical bond between pure tungsten tubes and rods and the cladding materials. Bonding studies using a uniaxially loaded vacuum hot press were conducted in preliminary experiments to determine acceptable time-temperature conditions for diffusion bonding. The results were successfully applied in cladding tungsten rods and tubes with these alloys. Temperatures 800-810 C were suitable for cladding tungsten with Alloy 600 and 316L stainless steel alloy, whereas tungsten was clad with Alloy 718 at 1020 C.

A numerical model for predicting damage and permeability in the disturbed rock zone (DRZ) has been developed. The semi-empirical model predicts damage based on a function of stress tensor invariant. For a wide class of problems hydrologic/mechanical coupling is necessary for proper analysis. The RATDAMPER model incorporates dilatant volumetric strain and permeability. The RATDAMPER model has been implemented in a weakly coupled code, which combines a finite element structural code and a finite difference multi-phase fluid flow code. Using the development of inelastic volumetric strain, a value of permeability can be assigned. This flexibility allows empirical permeability functional relationships to be evaluated.

Mineral nucleation at a Langmuir film interface has been studied by synchrotron x-ray scattering. Diluted calcium bicarbonate solutions were used as subphases for arachidic and stearic acid monolayers, compressed in a Langmuir trough. Self-assembly of the monolayer template is observed directly, and subsequent crystal growth monitored in-situ.

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, John Cornyn, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether the municipal employee retirement fund of the City of Fort Worth is a "fire fighter's or police officer's pension fund" under section 143.073 of the Local Government Code, for purposes of compensating a fire fighter or police officer absent for a line of duty injury or illness.

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Standard test procedures, ''IEEE P1526/D1 Draft Recommended Practice for Testing the Performance of Stand-Alone Photovoltaic Systems,'' [1] have been developed to assess the performance of stand-alone PV systems tested outdoors under prevailing conditions. A copy of the procedures is included in Appendix E. This report presents an overview of the procedures and results from three validation tests conducted between January 1999 and September 2000 at one European and four US test sites. There was good measurement agreement between the results measured at different test sites on similar systems. To date, most PV system performance test procedures have looked at the performance of the individual components and have not addressed how the integrated system works as a whole. The performance test procedures described in this report verify that the system and load operate as expected, ensure that the PV array and system are capable of recharging the battery, determine the usable battery capacity (UBC), and determine if there is any significant change in the UBC measured three different times during the procedures. The procedures have been submitted to both IEEE SCC21 and IEC TC82 for use in developing standards. The IEEE SCC21 has initiated P1526, ''Recommended Practice for Testing the Performance …

Our scientific understanding of the static or time-averaged structure of condensed matter on the atomic scale has been dramatically advanced by direct structural measurements using x-ray techniques and modern synchrotron sources. Of course the structure of condensed matter is not static, and to understanding the behavior of condensed matter at the most fundamental level requires structural measurements on the time scale on which atoms move. The evolution of condensed-matter structure, via the making and breaking of chemical bonds and the rearrangement of atoms, occurs on the fundamental time scale of a vibrational period, {approx}100 fs. Atomic motion and structural dynamics on this time scale ultimately determine the course of phase transitions in solids, the kinetic pathways of chemical reactions, and even the efficiency and function of biological processes. The integration of x-ray measurement techniques, a high-brightness femtosecond x-ray source, femtosecond lasers, and stroboscopic pump-probe techniques will provide the unique capability to address fundamental scientific questions in solid-state physics, chemistry, AMO physics, and biology involving structural dynamics. In this paper, we review recent work in ultrafast x-ray science at the ALS including time-resolved diffraction measurements and efforts to develop dedicated beamlines for femtosecond x-ray experiments.

The Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA), enacted in 1998, placed a three-year moratorium on the ability of state and local governments to impose new taxes on Internet access, or to impose any multiple or discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce. The moratorium is scheduled to expire on October 21, 2001.

A weekly publication, the Texas Register serves as the journal of state agency rulemaking for Texas. Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents such as requests for proposals. After adoption, these rulemaking actions are codified into the Texas Administrative Code.

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We present a comparison of two algorithms for solving the equations of unsteady inviscid compressible flow in a Eulerian frame. The first algorithm is a staggered grid Lagrange plus remap scheme. The Lagrange step in this method is a time-centered version of the scheme due to Tipton, while the remap step employs a variant of the corner transport upwind scheme due to Colella. The second algorithm is a spatially operator-split version of the higher-order Godunov scheme for gas dynamics due to Colella. They use the two methods to compute solutions to a number of one- and two-dimensional problems. The results show the accuracy and performance of the two schemes to be generally equivalent. In a 1984 survey paper by Woodward and Colella, staggered grid, Lagrange plus remap, artificial viscosity schemes did not compare favorably with cell-centered direct Eulerian higher-order Godunov methods. They examine, therefore, how certain features of the staggered grid scheme discussed here contribute to its improved accuracy. They show in particular that the improved accuracy of the present scheme is due in part to the use of a monotonic artificial viscosity in the Lagrange step and the use of an improved upwind method in the remap step.

Heat pipes are often proposed as cooling system components for small fission reactors. SAFE-300 and STAR-C are two reactor concepts that use heat pipes as an integral part of the cooling system. Heat pipes have been used in reactors to cool components within radiation tests (Deverall, 1973); however, no reactor has been built or tested that uses heat pipes solely as the primary cooling system. Heat pipe cooled reactors will likely require the development of a test reactor to determine the main differences in operational behavior from forced cooled reactors. The purpose of this paper is to describe the results of a systems code capable of modeling the coupling between the reactor kinetics and heat pipe controlled heat transport. Heat transport in heat pipe reactors is complex and highly system dependent. Nevertheless, in general terms it relies on heat flowing from the fuel pins through the heat pipe, to the heat exchanger, and then ultimately into the power conversion system and heat sink. A system model is described that is capable of modeling coupled reactor kinetics phenomena, heat transfer dynamics within the fuel pins, and the transient behavior of heat pipes (including the melting of the working fluid). The paper …

Diblock/silica films with multi-bilayer vesicular mesostructures of large characteristic length scales were synthesized through evaporation-induced self-assembly of PS-b-PEO. The present system is believed to be the first to yield diblock/silica films with multi-bilayer vesicular mesostructures through solvent evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA). The ready formation in the present system is argued to be the polydispersity of polymer chains.

Transmission electron microscopy studies were applied to study GaN crystals doped with Mg. Both: bulk GaN:Mg crystals grown by a high pressure and high temperature process and those grown by metal-organic chemical-vapor deposition (MOCVD) have been studied. Structural dependence on growth polarity was observed in the bulk crystals. Spontaneous ordering (formation of polytypoids) was observed for growth in the N to Ga polar direction (N polarity). On the opposite site of the crystal (growth in the Ga to N polar direction) Mg-rich pyramidal defects with base on the basal planes and with walls inclined about 45O to these planes, empty inside (pinholes) were observed. A high concentration of these pyramidal defects was also observed in the MOCVD grown crystals. For samples grown with Mg delta doping planar defects were also observed especially at the early stages of growth followed by formation of pyramidal defects. TEM and x-ray studies of InxGa{sub 1{minus}x}N crystals for the range of 28-45% nominal In concentration shows formation of two sub-layers: strained and relaxed, with a much lower In concentration in the strained layer. Layers with the highest In concentration were fully relaxed.

This report documents the C version of the MCAPM (Monte Carlo All Particle Method) generator and collision physics library of subroutines. The Monte Carlo data generator (gen2000) reads cross sections and distributions that describe in-flight reactions from a binary library and creates an internal data library. The collision routines (bang2000) use this internal library to perform the physics of interaction of particles with the background material. Particles modeled with MCAPM-C are neutrons, charged particles (p, d, t, {sup 3}He, and {alpha}), and {gamma}'s. MCAPM-C is written in (nearly) standard C, and versions exist for Sun Solaris, Compaq Unix, IBM AIX, SGI Irix, and Linux. The library and its data files are installed on LC's Compass, TC, Forest, Blue, and Sky machines. This report describes the contents and format of the library, physics assumptions made, and the interface to the library's subroutines.

The effect of post-growth thermal treatment of the InAs/GaAs quantum dots is investigated in this work. The photoluminescence (PL) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies of samples annealed at temperatures up to 950 degrees C are presented. A complete dissolution of QDs and substantial broadening of the wetting layer (WL) can be seen from TEM. We propose that the thermally induced modification of the WL rather than QDs can be responsible for a blue-shift and narrowing of PL peaks in structures containing InAs/GaAs QDs.

Since the discovery of surfactant-templated silica by Mobil scientists in 1992, mesostructured silica has been synthesized in various forms including thin films, powders, particles, and fibers. In general, mesostructured silica has potential applications, such as in separation, catalysis, sensors, and fluidic microsystems. In respect to these potential applications, mesostructured silica in the form of thin films is perhaps one of the most promising candidates. The preparation of mesostructured silica films through preferential solvent evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) has recently received much attention in the laboratories. However, no amphiphile/silica films with reverse mesophases have ever been made through this EISA procedure. Furthermore, templates employed to date have been either surfactants or poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(propylene oxide)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymers, such as pluronic P-123, both of which are water-soluble and alcohol-soluble. Due to their relatively low molecular weight, the templated silica films with mesoscopic order have been limited to relatively small characteristic length scales. In the present communication, the authors report a novel synthetic method to prepare mesostructured amphiphilic/silica films with regular and reverse mesophases of large characteristic length scales. This method involves evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) of amphiphilic polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PEO) diblock copolymers. In the present study, the PS-b-PEO diblocks are denoted as, for example, …

Rhodopseudomonas palustris is a common soil and water bacterium that makes its living by converting sunlight to cellular energy and by absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide and converting it to biomass. This microbe can also degrade and recycle components of the woody tissues of plants, wood being the most abundant polymer on earth. Because of its intimate involvement in carbon management and recycling, R. palustris was selected by the DOE Carbon Management Program to have its genome sequenced by the Joint Genome Institute (JGI). This award provided funds for the preparation of R. palustris genomic DNA which was then supplied to the JGI in sufficient amounts to enable the complete sequencing of the R. palustris genome. The PI also supplied the JGI with technical information about the molecular biology of R. palustris.

An integrated approach, combining the continuum theory of sintering and Potts model based mesostructure evolution analysis, is used to solve the problem of bi-layered structure sintering. Two types of bi-layered structures are considered: layers of the same material with different initial porosity, and layers of two different materials. The effective sintering stress for the bi-layer powder sintering is derived, both at the meso- and the macroscopic levels. Macroscopic shape distortions and spatial distributions of porosity are determined as functions of the dimensionless specific time of sintering. The effect of the thickness of the layers on shrinkage, warpage, and pore-grain structure is studied. Ceramic ZnO powders are employed as a model experimental system to assess the model predictions.

TART2000 is a coupled neutron-photon, 3 Dimensional, combinatorial geometry, time dependent Monte Carlo radiation transport code. This code can run on any modern computer. It is a complete system to assist you with input Preparation, running Monte Carlo calculations, and analysis of output results. TART2000 is also incredibly FAST; if you have used similar codes, you will be amazed at how fast this code is compared to other similar codes. Use of the entire system can save you a great deal of time and energy. TART2000 is distributed on CD. This CD contains on-line documentation for all codes included in the system, the codes configured to run on a variety of computers, and many example problems that you can use to familiarize yourself with the system. TART2000 completely supersedes all older versions of TART, and it is strongly recommended that users only use the most recent version of TART2000 and its data files.

The ENDF/B data library has recently been updated and is now freely available through the National Nuclear Data Center (NNDC), Brookhaven National Laboratory. This most recent library is identified as ENDF/B-VI, Release 7. Release 7 completely supersedes all preceding releases. As distributed the ENDF/B-VI, Release 7 data includes cross sections represented in the form of a combination of resonance parameters and/or tabulated energy dependent cross sections, nominally at 0 Kelvin temperature. For use in applications this library has been processed into the form of temperature dependent cross sections at eight temperatures between 0 and 2100 Kelvin, in steps of 300 Kelvin. At each temperature the cross sections are tabulated and linearly interpolable in energy. All results are in the computer independent ENDF/B-VI character format [1], which allows the data to be easily transported between computers. In its processed form this library is approximately 1.6 gigabyte in size and is distributed on three CDs.

Helium-cooled, refractory heat exchangers are now under consideration for first wall and divertor applications. These refractory devices take advantage of high temperature operation with large delta-Ts to effectively handle high heat fluxes. The high temperature helium can then be used in a gas turbine for high-efficiency power conversion. Over the last five years, heat removal with helium was shown to increase dramatically by using porous metal to provide a very large effective surface area for heat transfer in a small volume. Last year, the thermal performance of a bare-copper, dual-channel, helium-cooled, porous metal divertor mock-up was evaluated on the 30 kW Electron Beam Test System at Sandia National Laboratories. The module survived a maximum absorbed heat flux of 34.6 MW/m{sup 2} and reached a maximum surface temperature of 593 C for uniform power loading of 3 kW absorbed on a 2-cm{sup 2} area. An impressive 10 kW of power was absorbed on an area of 24 cm{sup 2}. Recently, a similar dual-module, helium-cooled heat exchanger made almost entirely of tungsten was designed and fabricated by Thermacore, Inc. and tested at Sandia. A complete flow test of each channel was performed to determine the actual pressure drop characteristics. Each channel was …

Forefront experiments in many scientific areas for which synchrotron sources provide sufficient flux are nonetheless hindered because detectors cannot collect data fast enough, do not cover sufficiently solid angle, or do no have adequate resolution. Overall, the synchrotron facilities, each of which represents collective investments from funding agencies and user institutions ranging from many hundreds of millions to more than a billion dollars, are effectively significantly underutilized. While this chronic and growing problem plagues facilities around the world, it is particularly acute in the United States, where detector research often has to ride on the coat tails of explicitly science-oriented projects. As a first step toward moving out of this predicament, scientists from the U.S. synchrotron facilities held a national workshop in Washington, DC, on October 30-31, 2000. The Workshop on Detectors for Synchrotron Research aimed to create a national ''roadmap'' for development of synchrotron-radiation detectors.