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

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

Semiweekly newspaper from Boerne, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Semiweekly newspaper from Brady, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

The report presents calculation results of isotopic composition of irradiated fuel performed for the Quad Cities-1 reactor bundle with UO{sub 2} and MOX fuel. The MCU-REA code was used for calculations. The code is developed in Kurchatov Institute, Russia. The MCU-REA results are compared with the experimental data and HELIOS code results.

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A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Since 1992, Congress has authorized more than $3 billion for the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program to help Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Moldova, and Georgia secure and eliminate weapons of mass destruction. Concerned about proper oversight of equipment and services provided by the program, Congress required the Department of Defense (DOD) to report annually on whether the assistance was being used as intended. This report reviews (1) whether DOD's oversight procedures produce the necessary information to determine if the threat reduction assistance, including equipment provided and services furnished, is being used as intended and (2) whether DOD can improve its oversight. GAO found that DOD has procedures in place that reasonably ensure that at least 95 percent of the assistance is being used as intended and is adequately accounted for. Because of access restrictions imposed by the Russian government, a limited amount of equipment--less than five percent of the total value of assistance provided--is in locations where access by U.S. personnel is not permitted. DOD can enhance the quality of its program oversight by better targeting and expanding the scope of its formal audit and …

The nation's health, wealth, and security rely on the supply and distribution of certain goods and services. The array of physical assets, processes and organizations across which these goods and services move are called critical infrastructures (e.g. electricity, the power plants that generate it, and the electric grid upon which it is distributed or financial capital, the institutions that manage it, and the record- keeping and communications that move it from one institution to another).

As part of a laser fusion diagnostic development program, we have performed pulsed neutron and pulsed laser tests of a CVD diamond detector manufactured from DIAFILM, a commercial grade of CVD diamond. The laser tests were performed at the short pulse UV laser at Bechtel Nevada in Livermore, CA. The pulsed neutrons were provided by DT capsule implosions at the OMEGA laser fusion facility in Rochester, NY. From these tests, we have determined the impulse response to be 250 ps fwhm for an applied E-field of 500 V/mm. Additionally, we have determined the sensitivity to be 2.8 mA/W at 500 V/mm and 4.5 mA/W at 1000 V/mm (2 to 6x times higher than reported values for natural Type IIa diamond). These detector characteristics allow us to conceive of a neutron time-of-flight current mode spectrometer based on CVD diamond. Such an instrument would sit inside the laser fusion target chamber close to TCC, and would record neutron spectra fast enough such that backscattered neutrons and y rays from the target chamber wall would not be a concern. However, the data we have taken show that the Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) noise could be a limiting factor in performance. Determining the degree to …

Cyberwarfare raises issues of growing national interest and concern. Cyberwarfare can be used to describe various aspects of defending and attacking information and computer networks in cyberspace, as well as denying an adversary’s ability to do the same. Some major problems encountered with cyber attacks, in particular, are the difficulty in determining the origin and nature of the attack and in assessing the damage incurred.

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

This report describes the ARM (Atmospheric Radiation Measurement) operational variational objective analysis system. It is currently used to process the data collected from the ARM Intensive Operational Periods (IOPs) for driving and evaluating physical parameterizations in climate models. The analysis system was originally developed by Zhang and Lin (1997) at State University of New York at Stony Brook and was migrated to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) as the ARM operational objective analysis system in May 1999. In contrast with previous objective analysis (e.g., Barnes, 1964; O'Brien, 1970; Lin and Johnson, 1996), the ARM objective analysis used the constrained variational analysis method developed by Zhang and Lin (1997), in which the atmospheric state variables are forced to satisfy the conservation of mass, heat, moisture, and momentum through a variational technique. The purpose of this technical report is to provide an overview of the constrained variational analysis method, the architecture of the objective analysis system, along with in-depth information on running the variational analysis codes.

This paper describes a systems-level design and analysis of a new approach for improving the energy efficiency and affordability of solar energy in buildings, namely, hybrid solar lighting and full-spectrum solar energy systems. By using different portions of the solar spectrum simultaneously for multiple end-use applications in buildings, the proposed system offers unique advantages over other alternatives for using sunlight to displace electricity (conventional topside daylighting and solar technologies). Our preliminary work indicates that hybrid solar lighting, a method of collecting and distributing direct sunlight for lighting purposes, will alleviate many of the problems with passive daylighting systems of today, such as spatial and temporal variability, glare, excess illumination, cost, and energy efficiency. Similarly, our work suggests that the most appropriate use of the visible portion of direct, nondiffuse sunlight from an energy-savings perspective is to displace electric light rather than generate electricity. Early estimates detailed in this paper suggest an anticipated system cost of well under $2.0/Wp and 5-11 {cents}/kWh for displaced and generated electricity in single-story commercial building applications. Based on a number of factors discussed in the paper, including sunlight availability, building use scenarios, time-of-day electric utility rates, cost, and efficacy of the displaced electric lights, the …

Recently it was shown theoretically that high beta (beta is the ratio of the plasma pressure to the magnetic field pressure) inherent to plasmas of Spherical Tokamaks (ST) stabilizes the fishbone mode associated with the trapped particles. This prediction agrees with the experimental observations of the fishbone behavior on the Small Tight Aspect Ratio Tokamak (START). However, in the mentioned experiments the circulating particles rather than the trapped ones were dominant in the energetic ion population. Therefore, the theory of Kolesnichenko, et al. in Phys. Rev. Lett. 82 (1999) 3260 and Nuclear Fusion 40 (2000) 1731 is not sufficient to explain the START experiment and predict the behavior of the circulating-particle-induced fishbone mode in future experiments on STs. Thus, a new theory is required, which stimulated the fulfillment of this present work. There are two fishbone branches: the high-frequency (precession) branch and the low-frequency (diamagnetic) one. In this work, we restrict ourselves with the study of the low-frequency branch. The stability of this branch associated with the circulating particles in a low-beta plasma was studied by Betti, et al. in Phys. Rev. Lett. 70 (1993) 3428; no attempts to consider high beta plasmas were done yet.

Supporters of the estate and gift tax argue that it provides progressivity in the federal tax system, provides a backstop to the individual income tax and appropriately targets assets that are bestowed on heirs rather than assets earned through their hard work and effort. However, progressivity can be obtained through the income tax and the estate and gift tax is an imperfect backstop to the income tax. Critics argue that the tax discourages savings, harms small businesses and farms, taxes resources already subject to income taxes, and adds to the complexity of the tax system.

The nature of electronic excitations in crystalline solid nitromethane under conditions of shock loading and static compression are examined. Density functional theory calculations are used to determine the crystal bandgap under hydrostatic stress, uniaxial strain, and shear strain. Bandgap lowering under uniaxial strain due to molecular defects and vacancies is considered. In all cases, the bandgap is not lowered enough to produce a significant population of excited states in the crystal. Preliminary simulations on the formation of detonation product molecules from HMX are discussed.

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

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A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "To increase the accessibility of primary and preventive health services for low-income people living in medically underserved areas, Congress made federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics eligible for Medicaid payments. Since 1989, federal law has required Medicaid to reimburse both the centers and the clinics on the basis of reasonable costs they incurred in providing services to beneficiaries. Cost-based reimbursement can ensure that service providers are reimbursed for necessary costs; it is also regarded as inflationary because providers can increase their payments by raising their costs. In part because of their mandate to preserve and expand necessary primary health care services, the centers and the clinics have traditionally been reimbursed on the basis of their costs in an effort to ensure adequate payment. However, this approach does little to encourage efficiency. The new payment system mandated by the Benefits Improvement and Protection Act attempts to ensure adequacy by basing payments on historical rates while promoting efficiency by limiting increases. However, the combination of reimbursement limits imposed historically by most states and the inflation adjustments in the new prospective payment system may contain future Medicaid …

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory Visitors Center, also known as the Dan Schaefer Federal Building, is a high-performance building located in Golden, Colorado. The 6,400-square-foot building incorporates passive solar heating, energy-efficient lighting, an evaporative cooling system, and other technologies to minimize energy costs and environmental impact. The Visitors Center displays a variety of interactive exhibits on energy efficiency and renewable energy, and the building includes an auditorium, a public reading room, and office space.

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Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This testimony discusses the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993. During the last decade, Congress, the Office of Management and Budget, and executive agencies have worked to implement a statutory framework to improve the performance and accountability of the executive branch and to enhance executive branch and congressional decisionmaking. The core of this framework includes financial management legislation, especially GPRA. As a result of this framework, there has been substantial progress in the last few years in establishing the basic infrastructure needed to create high-performing federal organizations. The issuance of agencies' fiscal year 2000 performance reports, in addition to updated strategic plans, annual performance plans, and the governmentwide performance plans, completes two full cycles of annual performance planning and reporting under GPRA. However, much work remains before this framework is effectively implemented across the government, including transforming agencies' organizational cultures to improve decisionmaking and strengthen performance and accountability."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Medicare is a popular program that millions of Americans depend on for covering their essential health needs. However, the management of the program has fallen short of expectations because it has not always appropriately balanced or satisfied the needs of beneficiaries, providers, and taxpayers. For example, stakeholders expect that Medicare will price services prudently; that providers will be treated fairly and paid accurately; and that beneficiaries will clearly understand their program options and will receive services that meet quality standards. In addition, there are expectations that the agency will be prepared to implement restructuring or added benefits in the context of Medicare reform. Today's Medicare, although successful in some areas, may not be able to meet these expectations effectively without further congressional attention to its multiple missions, capacity, and flexibility. The program will also need to do its part by implementing a performance-based approach that articulates priorities, documents resource needs, and holds managers accountable for accomplishing program goals."

Consumers in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia, West Virginia, and New Jersey are showing increased interest in solar electric systems for their homes and businesses. This booklet provides basic information about buying a PV system. Photovoltaic (PV) systems are reliable, pollution free, and use a renewable source of energy--the sun. A PV system can be a substantial investment and careful planning will help ensure that you make the right decisions.