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.

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.

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 …

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.

This report describes the results achieved during Phase I of a three-phase subcontract to develop and understand thin-film solar cell technology associated with CuInSe2 and related alloys, a-Si and its alloys, and CdTe. Modules based on all these thin films are promising candidates to meet DOE long-range efficiency, reliability, and manufacturing cost goals. The critical issues being addressed under this program are intended to provide the science and engineering basis for developing viable commercial processes and to improve module performance. The generic research issues addressed are: (1) quantitative analysis of processing steps to provide information for efficient commercial-scale equipment design and operation; (2) device characterization relating the device performance to materials properties and process conditions; (3) development of alloy materials with different bandgaps to allow improved device structures for stability and compatibility with module design; (4) development of improved window/heterojunction layers and contacts to improve device performance and reliability; and (5) evaluation of cell stability with respect to illumination, temperature, and ambient, and with respect to device structure and module encapsulation.

The titles in the table of contents from this journal are: Editorial: Unraveling Complex Biological Systems; Systems Biology: New Views of Life; Genes and Proteins: A Primer; Complex Biological Systems in Mice; Gene Chip Engineers; Searching for Mouse Models of Human Disorders; Mouse Models for the Human Disease of Chronic Hereditary Tyrosinemia; Obesity-related Gene in Mouse Discovered at ORNL; MicroCAT ''Sees'' Hidden Mouse Defects; Curing Cancer in Mice; Search for Signs of Inflammatory Disease; Surprises in the Mouse Genome; Protein Identification by Mass Spectrometry; Rapid Genetic Disease Screening Possible Using Laser Mass Spectrometry; Lab on a Chip Used for Protein Studies; The Mouse House: From Old to New; Human Genome Analyzed Using Supercomputer; Protein Prediction Tool Has Good Prospects; Microbe Probe: Studying Bacterial Genomes; SNS and Biological Research; Accessing Information on the Human Genome Project; A Model Fish for Pollutant Studies; Controlling Carbon in Hybrid Poplar Trees; and Disease Detectives.

In accelerator-driven neutron sources such as the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) with powers in the 2 MW range (time-averaged), the interaction of the energetic proton beam with the mercury target can lead to very high heating rates in the target. Although the resulting temperature rise is relatively small (a few degrees C), the rate of temperature rise is enormous (-10{sup 7} C/s) during the very brief beam pulse (-0.58 {micro}s). The resulting thermal-shock induced compression of the mercury leads to the production of large amplitude pressure waves in the mercury that interact with the walls of the mercury target and the bulk flow field. Understanding and predicting propagation of pressure pulses in the target are considered critical for establishing the feasibility of constructing and safely operating such devices. Safety-related operational concerns exist in two main areas, viz., (1) possible target enclosure failure from impact of thermal shocks on the wall due to its direct heating from the proton beam and the loads transferred from the mercury compression waves, and (2) impact of the compression-cum-rarefaction wave-induced effects such as cavitation bubble emanation and their impact on mercury-steel interfacial phenomena (such as wetting, mass transfer and erosion).

The titles in the table of contents for this journal are: Editorial: Science at the Interface; Science at the Interface: A Round-table Discussion; Center for Structural and Molecular Biology Open to Users; The Virtual Human Project: An Idea Whose Time Has Come?; The Spallation Neutron Source: A Challenging Year; Neutrino Detector Laboratory To Be Proposed for ORNL; Turbine Renewal: Shaping an Emerging Gas-Fired Power Source; Heat Pumps: More Energy Bang for the Buck?; Combined Solar Light and Power for Illuminating Buildings; What's in a Chromosome? Tune in to the Genome Channel; Microbial Functional Genomics and Waste Site Bioremediation; Human Improvement; ORNL's Infrared Processing Center: Industrial Interest Heats Up; How Much Stuff Is Made in Stellar Explosions? ORNL's Answer; and Electronic License Could Reduce Drunken Driving.

The titles in the table of contents for this journal are: Editorial: Basic Research at ORNL; ORNL's Search for Rare Isotopes; ORNL Theorists and the Nuclear Shell Model; Beam Technologies Enable HRIBF Experiments; Neutrons, ''Stripes,'' and Superconductivity; ORNL's Neutron Sources and Nuclear Astrophysics; Modeling Magnetic Materials for Electronic Devices; In Quest of a Quark: ORNL's Role in the PHENIX Particle Detector; New Hope for the Blind from a Spinach Protein; Human Susceptibility and Mouse Biology; Modeling a Fusion Plasma Heating Process and Stellarator; Neutron Sources and Nanoscale Science; Quantum-Dot Arrays for Computation; Carbon Nanotubes and Nanofibers: The Self-Assembly Challenge; Incredible Shrinking Labs: Weighing a Move to the Nanoscale; Basic Geochemical Research Supports Energy Industries; Fermi Award Winner Opened New Fields in Atomic Physics; Improving the Internet's Quality of Service; and QOS for Wireless Communication.

The titles in the table of contents for this journal are: Editorial: ORNL Could Be DOE Leader in Carbon Management; Managing Carbon: ORNL's Research Roles; Building Energy Use and Carbon Management; Producing and Detecting Hydrogen; New Hydrogen-Producing Reaction Could Lead to Micropower Sources; Fuel Cells: Clean Power Source for Homes and Cars; Capturing Carbon the ORNL Way; Boosting Bioenergy and Carbon Storage in Green Plants; Land Use and Climate Change; Plunging into Carbon Sequestration Research; Methane Hydrates: A Carbon Management Challenge; Adapting to Climate Change; High-Carbon Tree Growth Rate Falls; Reshaping the Bottle for Fusion Energy; Building a Transistor That Doesn't Forget; New Type of Radioactivity Discovered at ORNL; Forecasting Epileptic Seizures; Lynne Parker's Cooperative Robots; Mercury Beyond Oak Ridge; A Disrupted Organic Film: Could Memories Be Made of This?; ORNL's Powerful Tools for Scientific Discovery; and Breaking a Record for Analysis of Atoms.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) is one of the largest energy conservation programs in the nation. The DOE program is implemented in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Native American Tribes. It weatherizes an average of 70,000 dwellings per year. The program strives to increase the energy efficiency of dwellings occupied by low-income persons in order to reduce their energy consumption and lower their fuel bills. It targets vulnerable groups including the elderly, people with disabilities, and families with children.

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This report discusses the Export-Import Bank (Ex-In Bank), the chief U.S. government agency that helps finance American exports of manufactured goods and services with the objective of contributing to the employment of U.S. workers. This report discusses the Bank's budget and related legislation, including the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009, signed by President Barack Obama and authorizing spending limitations for the Bank.

The entry into force, on January 1, 1994, of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has eliminated the advantage that the beneficiaries of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA) and related provisions of the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) had enjoyed in trade with the United States relative to Mexico, and gave Mexico an increasingly significant competitive edge over the CBERA countries. The scheduled further implementation of the NAFTA would have resulted in a substantial advantage to Mexico over the CBERA countries and vitiate in part the purpose of the CBERA.