A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report focuses on the debt collection processes and procedures used by the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The primary reason for the growth of CMS' civil monetary penalties (CMP) receivables was the expansion of fraud and abuse detection activities from fiscal year 1995 through fiscal year 1997 that significantly increased reported fraud and abuse debts in fiscal year 1997. GAO's analysis of CMS' CMP receivable data revealed similar financial accountability and reporting issues as those identified for non-CMP receivables by CMS' external financial statement auditors. GAO identified (1) unreconciled differences of tens of millions of dollars in the CMP receivables balances reported by HHS and CMS for fiscal years 1997 through 1999 and (2) an unreconciled net difference of about $22 million between the CMP receivables balance in CMS' general ledger and the detailed subsidiary systems as of September 30, 2000. The data reliability issue prevented GAO from determining the overall adequacy of the CMP debt collection policies and procedures. However, GAO's limited tests showed that debt collection policies and procedures were followed for 11 of …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "As part of its Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation (ACE), the U.S. Census Bureau interviewed people across the country to develop an estimate of the number of persons missed, counted more than once, or otherwise improperly counted in the 2000 census. In conducting the interviews, which took place in person or over the phone, Census faced several challenges, including (1) completing the operation on schedule, (2) ensuring data quality, (3) overcoming unexpected computer problems, (4) obtaining a quality address list, and (5) keeping the interviews independent of census follow-up operations to ensure unbiased estimates of census errors. The Bureau completed the interviews largely ahead of schedule. On the basis of the results of its quality assurance program, the Bureau assumes that about one-tenth of one percent of all cases nationally would have failed the program because they were believed to have been falsified. Early on, the Bureau dealt with an unexpected problem with its automated work management system, which allows supervisors to selectively reassign work among interviewers. According to the Bureau officials, the Bureau addressed the underlying programming error within two weeks, and the operations proceeded on …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. defense industry and some foreign government purchasers have expressed concern that the U.S. export control process is unnecessarily burdensome. Defense industry officials contend that extended reviews of export license applications by the State Department have resulted in lost sales and are harming the nation's defense industry. The State Department's Office of Defense Trade Controls is responsible for licensing the export and temporary import of defense articles and services. Many license applications take a long time to review because of their complexity and the need to consider different points of view. However, several conditions make the application review process less efficient and cause delays. The State Department has not established formal guidelines for determining the agencies and offices that need to review license applications. As a result, the licensing office refers more license applications to other agencies and offices than may be necessary. Furthermore, many license application reviewers in State Department reviewing offices consider license reviews a low priority. The State Department lacks procedures to monitor the flow of license applications through the review process. The State Department has hired new licensing officers which license …

This laboratory study was conducted to assess RDX (hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5 triazine) abiotic degradation by chemically reduced sediments and other geochemical aspects of the application of this technology to remediation of RDX contamination in groundwater at the U.S. DOE Pantex facility...

Immobilizing low-activity waste (LAW) stored at Hanford site will result in approximately 200 000 m3 of waste glass. It must be demonstrated that this glass can adequately retain radionuclides and prevent contamination of the surrounding environment. A study is being performed to determine the effect of glass composition on its capability to withstand the conditions in the Hanford site burial scenario. To predict the long-term corrosion behavior of waste glass, it is necessary to study the composition and properties of alteration products. The vapor hydration test (VHT) and product consistency test (PCT) were selected as the methods to accelerate the corrosion process and to form alteration products. VHT and PCT was performed on 75 glasses, of which 45 were designed to systematically vary the composition. VHTs were conducted at temperatures ranging from 90?C to 300?C. Alteration rates for most glasses are being determined at 200?C. Selected glasses were tested at different temperatures to determine the effect of temperature on the assemblage of alteration products and the apparent alteration rates. PCTs were performed at a glass surface area to solution volume ratio (S/V) of 2000 m-1 for 7 d and at a S/V of 20 000 m-1 for 10, 100, 1000, …

This Technical Quarterly Report is for the reporting period September 30, 2001 to December 31, 2001. The report provides details of the work done on the project entitled ''Enhanced Oil Recovery with Downhole Vibration Stimulation in Osage County Oklahoma''. The project is divided into nine separate tasks. Several of the tasks are being worked on simultaneously, while other tasks are dependent on earlier tasks being completed. The vibration stimulation well was permitted as Well 111-W-27, section 8 T26N R6E Osage County Oklahoma. It was spud July 28, 2001 with Goober Drilling Rig No. 3. The well was drilled to 3090-feet cored, logged, cased and cemented. The Rig No.3 moved off August 6, 2001. Phillips Petroleum Co. has performed standard core analysis on the cores recovered from the test well. Standard porosity, permeability and saturation measurements have been conducted. Phillips has begun the sonic stimulation core tests. Calumet Oil Company, the operator of the NBU, has been to collecting both production and injection wells information to establish a baseline for the project in the pilot field test area since May 2001. The 7-inch Downhole Vibration Tool (DHVT) has been built and has been run in a shallow well for initial power …

The primary accomplishments during the first quarter were to mobilize materials and supplies to meet the deployment schedule for equipment and activities, as proposed under the DOE/NETL cooperative agreement with JOI, with initial testing and use of specialized tools and equipment on Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 201. As a requirement of the award, two copies of a technical feasibility report entitled ''Preliminary Evaluation of Existing Pressure/Temperature Coring Systems'' were delivered to DOE/NETL on October 22, 2001. The report was written to provide a discussion of the availability and compatibility of the four existing pressure coring devices in existence. Most of these systems are available for use by JOI/ODP aboard the D/V JOIDES Resolution, via purchase, lease, modification, etc. and the proposed capabilities to upgrade existing devices or systems for use on other platforms. In addition, the report provided a discussion of the compatibility of each existing coring device in conjunction with the use of the other coring devices, such as the advanced piston coring (APC) system used by ODP. Based on an evaluation of the JOI report, the DOE/NETL Program Manager William Gwilliam provided a ''Go'' decision to JOI for the further development of the ODP Pressure Coring System …

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Progress is reported for the period from October 1, 2001 to December 31, 2001. Technical design and budget for a larger (60-acre) CO{sub 2} demonstration project are being reviewed by the US DOE for approval. While this review process is being conducted, work is proceeding on well testing to obtain reservoir properties and on the VIP reservoir simulation model to improve model prediction and better understand the controls that certain parameters exert on predicted performance. Testing of present Colliver lease injection water on Lansing-Kansas City (L-KC) oomoldic rock indicates that injection brine must be filtered to < {approx}3-5 um and <15 um to prevent plugging of rocks with permeability as low as 1 md (millidarcy; 0.001 um2) and 10 md (0.01 um2), respectively. Pressure build-up testing on the Carter-Colliver No.7 well is interpreted to indicate the L-KC reservoir surrounding this well is {approx}9 ft (2.7 m) thick having an average effective water permeability of 25-35 md (0.025-0.035 um2) that is connected to the wellbore by either a high permeability fracture, bed, or region with low skin. Reservoir simulation evaluation of gridcell size effect on model oil recovery prediction indicates that, based on the model prediction of distribution of produced oil …

Currently available radiation dosimetry/health-risk models for inhalation exposure to radionuclides are based on deterministic radiation intake and deterministic radiation doses (local and global). These models are not adequate for brief plutonium (Pu) exposure scenarios related to Department of Energy (DOE) decontamination/decommissioning (D&D) operations because such exposures involve the stochastic-intake (StI) paradigm. For this paradigm, small or moderate numbers of airborne, pure, highly radioactive PuO2 particles could be inhaled and deposited in the respiratory tract in unpredictable numbers (stochastic) during D&D incidents. Probabilistic relationships govern intake via the respiratory tract for the StI paradigm. An StIparadigm incident occurred on March 16, 2000, at Los Alamos National Laboratory. It involved eight workers who inhaled high-specific-activity, alpha-emitting (HSA-aE) 238PuO2-contaminated room air (glovebox-failure incident). Health-risk estimation is not trivial for the StI-exposure paradigm, especially for HSA-aE 238PuO2, as different individuals can have very different and uncertain radioactivity intakes for the same exposure duration and same incident. Indeed, this occurred in the Los Alamos incident. Rather than inappropriate point estimates of intake, dose, and risk, more appropriate probability distributions are needed. A main objective of this project has been to develop a stochastic dosimetry/risk computer model for evaluating radioactivity intake (by inhalation) distributions, organ dose …

The objective of this program is to identify new waste forms and disposal strategies specific to crystalline silicotitanate (CST) secondary waste generated from Cs and Sr ion exchange processes. Waste forms developed in this work will offer an alternative to current disposal plans. The goals of the program are to reduce the costs associated with CST waste disposal, to minimize the risk of contamination to the environment during CST processing, and to provide DOE with technical alternatives for CST disposal. The technical objectives of the proposed work are to fully characterize the phase relationships, structures, and thermodynamic and kinetic stabilities of CST waste forms and to establish a sound technical basis for understanding key waste form properties such as melting temperatures and aqueous durability, based on an in-depth understanding of waste form structures and thermochemistry.

This report outlines progress in the first quarter of the second year of the DOE project ''High Resolution Prediction of Gas Injection Process Performance for Heterogeneous Reservoirs''. The application of the analytical theory for gas injection processes, including the effects of volume change on mixing, has up to now been limited to fully self-sharpening systems, systems where all solution segments that connect the key tie lines present in the displacement are shock fronts. In the following report, we describe the extension of the analytical theory to include systems with rarefactions (continuous composition and saturation variations) between key tie lines. With the completion of this analysis, a completely general procedure has been developed for finding solutions for problems in which a multicomponent gas displaces a multicomponent oil.

Hydrothermal oxidation (HTO) is a promising technology for the treatment of aqueous-fluid hazardous and mixed waste streams. Waste streams identified as likely candidates for treatment by this technology are primarily aqueous fluids containing hazardous organic compounds, and often containing inorganic compounds including radioisotopes (mixed wastes). These wastes are difficult and expensive to treat by conventional technologies (e.g. incineration) due to their high water content; in addition, incineration can lead to concerns related to stack releases. An especially attractive potential advantage of HTO over conventional treatment methods is the total containment of all reaction products within the overall system. The potential application of hydrothermal oxidation (HTO) technology for the treatment of DOE hazardous or mixed wastes has been uncertain due to concerns about safe and efficient operation of the technology. In principle, aqueous DOE wastes, including hazardous an d mixed waste, can be treated with this technology. Oxidation reactions are carried out in the aqueous phase at high temperatures ({approx}600 C), effectively converting organic waste constituents to nonhazardous materials (e.g., CO2). Inorganic materials which become insoluble in supercritical water may precipitate as scales adhering to components of the reactor, limiting reactor availability and necessitating frequent cleaning of the system. Also, most …

Large quantities of mixed low level waste (MLLW) that fall under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) exist and will continue to be generated during D&D operations at DOE sites across the country. Currently, the volume of these wastes is approximately 23,500 m3, and the majority of these wastes (i.e., almost 19,000 m3) consist of PCBs and PCB-contaminated materials. Further, additional PCB-contaminated waste will be generated during D&D operations in the future. The standard process for destruction of this waste is incineration, which generates secondary waste that must be disposed, and the TSCA incinerator at Oak Ridge has an uncertain future. Beyond incineration, no proposed process for the recovery and/or destruction of these persistent pollutants has emerged as the preferred choice for DOE cleanup. The main objective of the project was to investigate and develop a deeper understanding of the thermodynamic and kinetic reactions involved in the extraction and destruction of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from low-level mixed waste solid matrices in order to provide data that would permit the design of a combined-cycle extraction/destruction process. The specific research objectives were to investigate benign dense-fluid extraction with either carbon dioxide (USC) or hot water (CU), followed by destruction of the extracted …

The objective of this project was the development of methods for concentrating tritium in water based on large primary isotope effects in catalytic redox processes. Basic research was conducted to develop the chemistry of a complete cyclic process. The general methodology developed in this work will be applicable to a number of DOE waste streams, and as a consequence of the process tritium could be incorporated in an organic polymer or other solid waste form which will prevent its ready transport in ground water. The research was aimed at developing chemical cycles that produce high concentration factors for HTO and T2O. H-T discrimination occurs in an oxidation step involving a transition metal oxidant and small organic compounds containing oxidizable C-H or C-T bonds. Strong primary kinetic isotope effects lead to preferential oxidation of C-H bonds whose products are readily removed from the unreacted C-T compound. Since the reduced transition metal oxidant may be easily regenerated in an electrochemical reaction, the oxidation of the organic substrate becomes catalytic. On the other side of the cycle, tritium in the form of HTO and T2O is incorporated into the oxidized organic substrate in a reductive process, and thus the chemical cycle may be …

Nostoc punctiforme is a filamentous cyanobacterium with extensive phenotypic characteristics and a relatively large genome, approaching 10 Mb. The phenotypic characteristics include a photoautotrophic, diazotrophic mode of growth, but N. punctiforme is also facultatively heterotrophic; its vegetative cells have multiple development alternatives, including terminal differentiation into nitrogen-fixing heterocysts and transient differentiation into spore-like akinetes or motile filaments called hormogonia; and N. punctiforme has broad symbiotic competence with fungi and terrestrial plants, including bryophytes, gymnosperms and an angiosperm. The shotgun-sequencing phase of the N. punctiforme strain ATCC 29133 genome has been completed by the Joint Genome Institute. Annotation of an 8.9 Mb database yielded 7432 open reading frames, 45% of which encode proteins with known or probable known function and 29% of which are unique to N. punctiforme. Comparative analysis of the sequence indicates a genome that is highly plastic and in a state of flux, with numerous insertion sequences and multilocus repeats, as well as genes encoding transposases and DNA modification enzymes. The sequence also reveals the presence of genes encoding putative proteins that collectively define almost all characteristics of cyanobacteria as a group. N. punctiforme has an extensive potential to sense and respond to environmental signals as reflected by …

The purpose of this research was to improve the fluorescence detection for the multiplexed capillary array electrophoresis, extend its use beyond the genomic analysis, and to develop an integrated micro-sample preparation system for high-throughput DNA sequencing. The authors first demonstrated multiplexed capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) separations in a 96-capillary array system with laser-induced fluorescence detection. Migration times of four kinds of fluoresceins and six polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are normalized to one of the capillaries using two internal standards. The relative standard deviations (RSD) after normalization are 0.6-1.4% for the fluoresceins and 0.1-1.5% for the PAHs. Quantitative calibration of the separations based on peak areas is also performed, again with substantial improvement over the raw data. This opens up the possibility of performing massively parallel separations for high-throughput chemical analysis for process monitoring, combinatorial synthesis, and clinical diagnosis. The authors further improved the fluorescence detection by step laser scanning. A computer-controlled galvanometer scanner is adapted for scanning a focused laser beam across a 96-capillary array for laser-induced fluorescence detection. The signal at a single photomultiplier tube is temporally sorted to distinguish among the capillaries. The limit of detection for fluorescein is 3 x 10{sup -11} M …

OAK-B135 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION FISSION REACTOR FOR THE PERIOD OCTOBER 1,2001 THROUGH DECEMBER 31,2001

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Carlsbad Field Office and Westinghouse TRU Solutions, LLC (WTS) are dedicated to maintaining high quality management of Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) environmental resources. DOE Order 5400.1, General Environmental Protection Program, and DOE Order 231.1, Environmental, Safety, and Health Reporting, require that the environment at and near DOE facilities be monitored to ensure the safety and health of the public and the environment. This Waste Isolation Pilot Plant 2000 Site Environmental Report summarizes environmental data from calendar year (CY) 2000 that characterize environmental management performance and demonstrate compliance with federal and state regulations. This report was prepared in accordance with DOE Order 5400.1, DOE Order 231.1, the Environmental Regulatory Guide for Radiological Effluent Monitoring and Environmental Surveillance (DOE/EH-0173T), and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Environmental Protect ion Implementation Plan (DOE/WIPP 96-2199). The above orders and guidance documents require that DOE facilities submit an Annual Site Environmental Report to DOE Headquarters, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety, and Health. The purpose of this report is to provide a comprehensive description of operational environmental monitoring activities, to provide an abstract of environmental activities conducted to characterize site environmental management performance to confirm compliance with …

The Calla Energy Biomass Project, to be located in Estill County, Kentucky is to be conducted in two phases. The objective of Phase I is to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of cofiring biomass-based gasification fuel-gas in a power generation boiler. Waste coal fines are to be evaluated as the cofired fuel. The project is based on the use of commercially available technology for feeding and gas cleanup that would be suitable for deployment in municipal, large industrial and utility applications. Define a combustion system for the biomass gasification-based fuel-gas capable of stable, low-NOx combustion over the full range of gaseous fuel mixtures, with low carbon monoxide emissions and turndown capabilities suitable for large-scale power generation applications. The objective for Phase II is to design, install and demonstrate the combined gasification and combustion system in a large-scale, long-term cofiring operation to promote acceptance and utilization of indirect biomass cofiring technology for large-scale power generation applications. During this Performance Period work efforts focused on completion of the Topical Report, summarizing the design and techno-economic study of the project's feasibility. GTI received supplemental authorization A002 from DOE contracts for additional work to be performed under Phase I that will further extend …

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a common contaminant of groundwater as a result of poor disposal practices of the past. As a consequence, this solvent is the focus of many clean-up operations of uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. TCE is carcinogenic in both mice and rats, but at different sites, the liver and kidney, respectively (NCI 1976; NTP 1988; NTP 1990). Liver tumor induction in mice has been the tumor most critical from the standpoint of environmental regulation (Bull 2000). Under the proposed cancer risk guidelines of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA 1996), identifying the dose-response behavior of key events involved in carcinogenic responses can be used for developing alternative risk assessments. A major difficulty in developing alternative approaches for TCE is the fact that three of its metabolites are capable of inducing liver cancer in mice (Bull et al. 1990; Daniel et al. 1992; DeAngelo et al. 1999; Pereria 1996). Two of these metabolites have distinct modes of action, dichloroacetate (DCA) and trichloroacetate (TCA). The third metabolite, chloral hydrate, is probably active as a result of its conversion to one or both of these two metabolites. Ordinarily, the first approach to assigning causality to a metabolite in tumorigenesis would be an attempt …

The overall objective of this research was to develop and enhance our understanding of the identity of major organic complexant species and their products with metals in aqueous mixtures such as those found in DOE radioactive tank wastes. Our approach to achieving this objective was a series of incremental studies involving cooperative efforts at ORNL and at the University of Minnesota. Investigations at ORNL characterized soft ionization mass spectrometry processes for the complexant species by developing and interpreting positive and negative ion thermospray mass spectrometry (TMS) of some organic complexants and their decomposition products and relating the spectral distributions to gas phase chemistry. This knowledge of the gas phase chemistry can be related to known solution chemistry behavior. At the University of Minnesota liquid chromatography separations on zirconia-based chromatographic supports were studied in 2 order to understand the separation of organic complexants and the products formed by complexants with metals in complex aqueous mixtures. This information was used to define the conditions needed to introduce a simplified chemical stream into the mass spectrometer. Ultimately the knowledge gained from these parallel efforts were combined at ORNL to characterize the complexant species in a multi-component aqueous mixture. The final objective was to …

The Umatilla River Basin Anadromous Fish Habitat Enhancement Project continued to identify impacted stream reaches throughout the Umatilla River Basin for habitat improvements during the 2000 project period. Public outreach efforts, biological and physical monitoring, and continued development of a Umatilla River Basin Watershed Assessment assisted the project in fostering public cooperation, targeting habitat deficiencies and determining habitat recovery measures. Habitat enhancement projects continued to be maintained on 44 private properties, four riparian easements and one in-stream enhancement agreement were secured, two new projects implemented and two existing projects improved to enhance anadromous fish habitat and natural fisheries production capabilities in the Umatilla River Basin. New project locations included sites on the mid Umatilla River and Buckaroo Creek. Improvements were implemented at existing project sites on the upper Umatilla River and Wildhorse Creek. A stream bank stabilization project was implemented at approximately River Mile 37.4 Umatilla River to stabilize 760 feet of eroding stream bank and improve in-stream habitat diversity. Habitat enhancements at this site included construction of six rock barbs with one large conifer root wad incorporated into each barb, stinging approximately 10,000 native willow cuttings, planting 195 tubling willows and 1,800 basin wildrye grass plugs, and seeding 40 …

Current regulations require industry to meet air emission standards with regard to particulates, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) and other gases. One of many industries that will be affected by the new regulations is the wood composites industry. This industry generates VOCs, HAPs, and particulates mainly during the drying and pressing of wood. Current air treatment technologies for the industry are expensive to install and operate. As regulations become more stringent, treatment technologies will need to become more efficient and cost effective. The overall objective of this study is to evaluate the use of process conditions and chemical additives to reduce VOC/HAPs in air emitted from presses and dryers during the production of oriented strand board.