Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Congress, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and veterans service organizations have all raised concerns about the accuracy of claims processing in the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). In 1998, VBA launched its systematic technical accuracy review (STAR) system to better measure the accuracy of claims processing. The system determines accuracy rates for (1) the nation as a whole, (2) each VBA service delivery network, and (3) each VBA regional office. GAO reported in 1999 that the accuracy rates for claims processing at regional offices was being determined by regional staff who themselves were involved in processing claims and who reported to managers responsible for claims processing. This arrangement did not meet either the government's internal control standard calling for the segregation of key duties or the performance audit standard calling for organizational independence for those who review and evaluate program performance. Congress subsequently required VBA to institute a quality assurance program that met government standards. VBA plans to modify the STAR system by October 1, 2001, to bring it into compliance with the standards on the segregation of duties and organizational independence. All STAR reviews will be done by …

Weekly newspaper published in Duncanville, Texas that includes local Cedar Hill, state, and national news along with advertising.

Weekly newspaper from Bogata, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Weekly newspaper from Rusk, Texas that includes local, state and national news along with extensive advertising.

In this paper we will describe the synthesis of several amino- and nitro-substituted heterocycles, examples from a continuing research project targeted at the synthesis of new, insensitive energetic materials that possess at least 80% the power of HMX (28% more power than TATB). Recently we reported the synthesis and scale-up of the insensitive energetic material, 2,6-diamino-3,5-dinitropyrazine-1-oxide (LLM-105). The energy content (81% the power of HMX) and thermal stability of LLM-105 make it a viable candidate material for insensitive boosters and deep oil perforation. We will report on recent synthetic improvements and several performance and safety tests performed on LLM-105, including a 1 in. cylinder shot and plate dent. We will also report on the synthesis and characterization of 4-amino-3,5-dinitropyrazole (LLM-116), an interesting new insensitive energetic material with a measured crystal density of 1.90 g/cc, to our knowledge the highest density yet measured for a five-membered heterocycle containing amino- and nitro-substituents. LLM-116 was synthesized by reacting 3,5-dinitropyrazole with 1,1,1-trimethylhydrazinium iodide (TMHI) in DMSO in the presence of base. The synthesis and characterization of 4-amino-5-nitro-1,2,3-triazole (ANTZ) and 43-dinitro-1,2,3-triazole (DNTZ), first described by Baryshnikov and coworkers, will also be presented along with the synthesis of several new energetic materials derived from ANTZ and …

MSO is a good alternative to incineration for the treatment of a variety of organic wastes including obsolete explosives, low-level mixed waste streams, PCB contaminated oils, spent resins and carbon. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has demonstrated the MSO process for the effective destruction of explosives, explosives-contaminated materials, and other wastes on a 1.5 kg/hr bench-scale unit and in an integrated MSO facility capable of treating 8 kg/hr of low-level radioactive mixed wastes. LLNL, under the direction and support of the Joint Demilitarization Technology (JDT) program, is currently building an integrated MSO plant for destroying explosives, explosives-contaminated sludge and explosives-contaminated activated charcoal. In a parallel effort, LLNL also provides technical support to DOE for the implementation of the MSO technology at industrial scale at Richland, Washington. Over 30 waste streams have been demonstrated with LLNL-built MSO systems. In this paper we will present our latest experimental data, our operational experience with MSO and also discuss its process capabilities.

Weekly newspaper from Albany, Texas that includes local, county, and state news along with extensive advertising.

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Weekly newspaper from Hondo, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with extensive advertising.

The focus of this research has been the study and development of useful chemical reactions initiated via photoinduced electron transfer events.

Since 1995, with funds from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Transportation Technologies (OTT), Argonne National Laboratory has been developing the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation (GREET) model. The model is intended to serve as an analytical tool for use by researchers and practitioners in estimating fuel-cycle energy use and emissions associated with alternative transportation fuels and advanced vehicle technologies. Argonne released the first version of the GREET mode--GREET 1.0--in June 1996. Since then, it has released a series of GREET versions with revisions, updates, and upgrades. In February 2000, the latest public version of the model--GREET 1.5a--was posted on Argonne's Transportation Technology Research and Development Center (TTRDC) Web site (www.transportation.anl.gov/ttrdc/greet).

There are differing yet strongly held views among the various ''stakeholders'' in the advanced fuel/propulsion system debate. In order for the introduction of advanced technology vehicles and their associated fuels to be successful, it seems clear that four important stakeholders must view their introduction as a ''win'': (1) Society, (2) Automobile manufacturers and their key suppliers, (3) Fuel providers and their key suppliers, and (4)Auto and energy company customers. If all four of these stakeholders, from their own perspectives, are not positive regarding the need for and value of these advanced fuels/vehicles, the vehicle introductions will fail. This study was conducted to help inform public and private decision makers regarding the impact of the introduction of such advanced fuel/propulsion system pathways from a societal point of view. The study estimates two key performance criteria of advanced fuel/propulsion systems on a total system basis, that is, ''well'' (production source of energy) to ''wheel'' (vehicle). These criteria are energy use and greenhouse gas emissions per unit of distance traveled. The study focuses on the U.S. light-duty vehicle market in 2005 and beyond, when it is expected that advanced fuels and propulsion systems could begin to be incorporated in a significant percentage of …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Agriculture's (USDA) fiscal year 2000 performance report and fiscal year 2002 performance plan have the potential for focusing the department's missions, but these efforts are compromised in several areas. USDA's goals and measures are too general to give insight into what USDA is actually trying to achieve. It is difficult to assess USDA's progress when it uses unrealistic goals to achieve strategic outcomes and when it uses untimely data that has not been consistently verified. In two areas--strategic human capital management and information security--progress in measuring USDA's performance has been frustrated by the lack of goals and measures for identified issues. Finally, by not sharing information about the major management challenges identified by its own Inspector General, USDA's agencies miss the opportunity to develop strategies and plans to respond to these issues."

X-ray sources in the 3-7 keV energy regime can be produced by laser-irradiating mid- and high-Z gas-filled targets with high-powered lasers. A series of experiments have been performed using underdense targets that are supersonically heated with {approx} 35 kJ of 0.35 {micro}m laser light. These targets were cylindrical Be enclosures that were filled with 1-2 atms of Xe or Ar gas. L-shell x-ray emission is emitted from the plasma and detected by Bragg crystal spectrometers and x-ray diodes. Absolute flux measurements show conversion efficiencies of {approx} 10% in the multi-kilovolt x-ray emission. These sources can be used as bright x-ray backlighters or for material testing.

Weekly newspaper from Archer City, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

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We present two indirect drive inertial fusion targets driven by heavy ions beams for fusion energy production. Because there are uncertainties in the ion beam focal spot size and uncertainties in the accelerator cost, we have tried to design targets that cover a large parameter space. One of the designs requires small ion beam focal spots but produces more than adequate gain at low driver energy (gain 130 from 3.3 MJ of beam energy). The other design allows a large beam spot, but requires more driver energy (gain 55 from 6.7 MJ of beam energy). Target physics issues as well as the implications for the accelerator from each design are discussed.

The explosive TATB is used in the Department of Energy's main charges and boosters, where its extraordinary insensitivity to impact, spark and heat make it highly advantageous. This IHE is also used in booster applications in naval weapons, and is being tested as a main charge fill for hard target penetrator projectiles. (Slides 2-5) In order to meet demand, a continuing supply of TATB will be required. However, no production base exists in the U.S. for TATB production, and processes once used to make TATB are relatively expensive, complicated, and considered environmentally hazardous (Slide 6). The primary objective of this project is to reestablish the industrial base for TATB production, using LLNL's new Vicarious Nucleophilic Substitution (VNS) methodology. A secondary objective is to enable a reduction in the cost of TATB production, thus making this explosive attractive to U.S. Department of Defense and commercial customers. This presentation will update information presented at the 1998 NDIA IM & EM meeting held in San Diego, California.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edward Nielsen. Nielsen joined the Army in January, 1941 and trained at Fort Knox. He was a good driver and was used to instruct other recruits in how to drive tanks. He discusses his experiences during the Louisiana Maneuvers prior to the war. When the war started, he headed for England with the 1st Armored Division be fore shipping to North Africa. Nielsen describes fighting in tanks in North Africa. Nielsen was captured by the Germans in February 1943. He was eventually evacuated through Tunis to a POW camp near Munich. He escaped with a friend only to be captured again after a few days. When the war ended, he had been liberated and was in American hands, waiting to go back to the US. When he returned, he was discharged in the fall of 1945.

Weekly newspaper from Tulsa, Oklahoma that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Weekly newspaper from Harper, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.