A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The number of people applying for benefits from the Social Security Administration's (SSA) two disability programs grew dramatically during the 1990s. As a result, the Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Programs began to experience huge backlogs of undecided claims. SSA has spent $39 million during the past seven years on various initiatives to help it better manage its caseloads and ensure high-quality service. SSA spent another $71 million to develop an automated disability claims process. This report reviews the status and outcomes of five initiatives intended to improve SSA's disability claims process. GAO found that the results of the initiatives have been disappointing."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins ""Universal service" means providing residential customers with affordable, nationwide access to basic phone service. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 extended support for universal service to eligible schools, libraries, and rural health care providers. Universal service programs are generally funded by mandatory contributions from telecommunications companies. New technologies, however, are putting this funding source in jeopardy. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued many orders designed to implement the act's universal service reforms. The Universal Service Administration Company runs the day-to-day operations of federal universal service programs on FCC's behalf, although FCC retains responsibility for oversight and ensuring compliance with its rules. At the state level, public utility commissions generally regulate rates for local and long-distance phone service and implement universal service programs. Public utility commissions subsidize local phone service from the rates set for urban and business phone service and for "vertical" services, such as caller ID and call waiting. Although the use of digital technologies and internet protocol networks for communications has risen rapidly during the past decade, the providers of these services are not required to contribute to the universal service fund. As these …

We have conducted an experiment in which the temperature and the wavelength dependent emissivity of a shocked surface has been measured. In the past, only the thermal emission from the shocked surface has been measured. The lack of knowledge of the emissivity as a function of wavelength leads to uncertainty in converting the measured emission spectrum into a surface temperature. We have developed a technique by which we are able to calculate both the emissivity of the shocked surface over a range of relevant wavelengths and the temperature of the surface. We use a multi-channel spectrometer in combination with a pulsed light source having a known spectrum of infrared radiation. Two separate techniques using a pulse of reflected radiation are employed and described. Both give the same result: An initially polished molybdenum surface that is shocked and partially released has a temperature of 1040 degrees Kelvin and a wavelength ({lambda}) dependent emissivity of 0.16 ({lambda} = 1.2 {micro}m), 0.10 ({lambda} = 1.6 {micro}m), and 0.20 ({lambda} = 2.3 {micro}m).

This project is concerned with the research and development of a technique to manipulate small particles using acoustic energy coupled into a fluid filled plastic or glass sample chamber. These resulting miniaturized systems combine high functionality with an inexpensive, disposable sample chamber. Our approach to this problem is based on a combination of sophisticated modeling tools in conjunction with laboratory experiments. The design methodology is summarized in Figure 1. The process begins by investigating a wide range of device parameters using a one-dimensional analytical approximation. The results of these initial parameter studies are incorporated into a sophisticated three-dimensional multi-physics finite element code. From these simulations the optimized designs are prototyped and experimentally tested. The results of the experimental observations are then used to improve analytical approximations and the process is repeated as necessary.

Nancy Russell's Southwest Airline's receipt that include, payment summary, fare rules, check in requirements, in flight service, and refund information.

This report summarizes NOAA's budget request for the 2003 fiscal year.

A matrix lower bound is defined that generalizes ideas apparently due to S. Banach and J. von Neumann. The matrix lower bound has a natural interpretation in functional analysis, and it satisfies many of the properties that von Neumann stated for it in a restricted case. Applications for the matrix lower bound are demonstrated in several areas. In linear algebra, the matrix lower bound of a full rank matrix equals the distance to the set of rank-deficient matrices. In numerical analysis, the ratio of the matrix norm to the matrix lower bound is a condition number for all consistent systems of linear equations. In optimization theory, the matrix lower bound suggests an identity for a class of min-max problems. In real analysis, a recursive construction that depends on the matrix lower bound shows that the level sets of continuously differential functions lie asymptotically near those of their tangents.

The expected concentration of ammonia in the DWPF liquid recycle during the Macrobatch 3 campaign was estimated using the CPES model. The generation of hydrogen and ammonia during the SRAT/SME cycles was modeled using the same chemistry bases that have been used in all previous CPES model runs made since 1993. In this study, however, the current model basis for calculating the total ammonia production during a coupled operation was reformulated into a more useful form equally applicable to a sludge-only operation as well.

Two sets of six samples each of Sludge Batch 2 material were pulled from Tank 40H after completion of the transfer of the contents of Tank 8F to Tank 40H. At the request of Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) personnel, these two sets of samples were analyzed to verify that there were no significant differences between the two sets due to differences in slurry pump operation time prior to pulling the samples. The results of those analyses indicate that the two samples are within 1.2 percent of each other for weight percent total solids in the slurry and weight percent dissolved solids in the supernate. Elemental analyses of the total slurry by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-ES) gave differences of less than 2 percent. Analyses of selected fission product isotopes and actinides produced differences of generally less than 4 percent, though a couple of isotopes showed differences of up to 6 percent. With the exception of a few of the elemental analyses, whose differences were less than 1.5 percent, and Cs-137, whose concentration difference between the two samples was found to be about 3 percent, none of these differences was found to be statistically significant. This differences were compared to …

In the last several years, there has been growing interest in the use of synthetic surfactants to augment cellular repair. Amphiphilic triblock copolymers such as PEO-PPO-PEO have been demonstrated to aid in the repair of a variety of cells. In spite of the reported success of these compounds in clinical trials, the mechanism of their interaction with cell membranes remains poorly understood. In this work, they describe their efforts to examine the effect of the mode of incorporation of triblock polyalkyleneoxide copolymers on membrane structure and stability. For this work, they have employed a model biomembrane whose structure and physical properties have been previously determined. Several modes of polymer incorporation are examined: introduction via a membrane spanning triblock copolymer, grafting onto a phospholipid headgroup, or introduction via a partially inserted triblock copolymer. The polymer-membrane interactions are probed by small angle X-ray scattering and thermal analysis.

This is the first quarterly Technical Report for the period October-December, 2003. A kick-off meeting was held with NETL administrators and scientists at Morgantown, WV, on December 2, 2002. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the biological and economic feasibility of restoring high-quality forests on mined land, and to measure carbon sequestration and wood production benefits that would be achieved from forest restoration procedures. During this first quarterly reporting period, five Graduate Research Assistants were recruited, an MOA was drafted between Virginia Tech and three industry cooperators, preliminary field locations for controlled studies were located, and a preliminary analysis of a carbon inventory of forest sites on mined land was made.

We have implemented a suite of chemical transport and fate models that provide diagnostic information about the behavior of ethanol (denoted EtOH) and other fuel-related chemicals released to the environment. Our principal focus is on the impacts to water resources, as this has been one of the key issues facing the introduction of new fuels and additives. We present analyses comparing the transport and fate of EtOH, methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), and 2,2,4 trimethyl pentane (TMP) for the following cases (1) discharges to stratified lakes, subsurface release in a surficial soil, (3) cross-media transfer from air to ground water, and (4) fate in a regional landscape. These compounds have significantly different properties that directly influence their behavior in the environment. EtOH, for example, has a low Henry's law constant, which means that it preferentially partitions to the water phase instead of air. An advantageous characteristic of EtOH is its rapid biodegradation rate in water; unlike MTBE or TMP, which degrade slowly. As a consequence, EtOH does not pose a significant risk to water resources. Preliminary health-protective limits for EtOH in drinking water suggest that routine releases to the environment will not result in levels that threaten human health.

In this summary of the considerations of the QCD working group at Snowmass 2001, the roles of quantum chromodynamics in the Standard Model and in the search for new physics are reviewed, with emphasis on frontier areas in the field. The authors discuss the importance of, and prospects for, precision QCD in perturbative and lattice calculations. They describe new ideas in the analysis of parton distribution functions and jet structure, and review progress in small-x and in polarization experiments.

Electron channeling enhanced x-ray spectroscopy has been being widely used to determine ordered arrangement of component atoms in multinary inorganic or metallic crystals. Recent theoretical advancements in the modeling of characteristic x-ray emission by inelastic scattering of incident electrons under dynamical diffraction conditions has achieved remarkable progress, and it has enabled scientists to analyze the experimental intensity of x-ray emission in precise detail. In this study, the ion configuration in magnesium aluminate spinel (MgO{center_dot}nAl{sub 2}O{sub 3}) has been examined by measurements of characteristic x-ray emission as a function of incident electron beam direction at high angular resolution, a technique which we have termed HARECXS (high angular resolution electron channeling x-ray spectroscopy). This paper reports the results and emphasizes the applicability of HARECXS to partially disordered materials.

The work performed during this project focused on the identification of materials capable of providing high activity and selectivity for the selective catalytic reduction of nitric oxide with ammonia. The material surface characteristics were correlated with the catalytic behavior of our catalysts to increase our understanding and to help improve the DeNO{sub x} efficiency. The catalysts employed in this study include mixed oxide composite powders (TiO{sub 2}-Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3}, TiO{sub 2}-ZrO{sub 2}, TiO{sub 2}-WO{sub 3}, TiO{sub 2}-SiO{sub 2}, and TiO{sub 2}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}) loaded with varying amounts of V{sub 2}O{sub 5}, along with 5 different commercial sources of TiO{sub 2}. V{sub 2}O{sub 5} was added to the commercial sources of TiO{sub 2} to achieve monolayer coverage. Since the valence state of vanadium in the precursor solution during the impregnation step significantly impacted catalytic performance, catalysts were synthesized from both V{sup +4} and V{sup +5} solutions explain this phenomenon. Specifically, the synthesis of catalysts from V{sup 5+} precursor solutions yields lower-performance catalysts compared to the case of V{sup 4+} under identical conditions. Aging the vanadium precursor solution, which is associated with the reduction of V{sup 5+} to V{sup 4+} (VO{sub 2}{sup +} {yields} VO{sup 2+}), prior to impregnation results in catalysts …

The objective of this project is to demonstrate the use of alkaline reagents injected into the furnace of coal-fired boilers as a means of controlling sulfuric acid emissions. Sulfuric acid controls are becoming of increasing interest to utilities with coal-fired units for a number of reasons. Sulfuric acid is a Toxic Release Inventory species, a precursor to acid aerosol/condensable emissions, and can cause a variety of plant operation problems such as air heater plugging and fouling, back-end corrosion, and plume opacity. These issues will likely be exacerbated with the retrofit of SCR for NO{sub x} control on some coal-fired plants, as SCR catalysts are known to further oxidize a portion of the flue gas SO{sub 2} to SO{sub 3}. The project is testing the effectiveness of furnace injection of four different calcium- and/or magnesium-based alkaline sorbents on full-scale utility boilers. These reagents have been tested during four one- to two-week tests conducted on two First Energy Bruce Mansfield Plant units. One of the sorbents tested was a magnesium hydroxide slurry produced from a wet flue gas desulfurization system waste stream, from a system that employs a Thiosorbic{reg_sign} Lime scrubbing process. The other three sorbents are available commercially and include dolomite, …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Airbus Industrie plans to introduce the New Large Aircraft (NLA) to U.S. airports in 2006. The Boeing 747 (B-747)is currently the largest commercial aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sets standards that govern how an airport must be configured to safely serve aircraft with certain wingspans and weight. A B-747 operates under Design Group V standards, while FAA has determined that NLA will operate under Design Group VI standards. Determining the cost to serve NLA is difficult because several possible infrastructure changes at airports are unresolved. These include (1) whether and the extent to which FAA revises the standards or grants modifications, (2) which airlines buy NLA and the frequency of NLA service at U.S. airports, (3) when NLA begin serving these airports, and (4) the extent to which the cost estimates reported by the airports are attributed to NLA instead of changes to accommodate growth in air traffic. The 14 airports that expect to serve NLA by 2010 collectively report that their cost estimate for infrastructure changes is $2.1 billion; however, the ultimate cost will depend on how issues that affect cost will be resolved. …

This report discusses the human health risks, specifically from endocrine disruptors that are chemical compounds in drugs, food, consumer products, or the ambient environment that can interfere with internal biological processes of animals that normally are regulated by their hormones.

This report summarizes the current rules regarding federal taxation of financial aid for students enrolled in colleges, universities, and other postsecondary educational institutions.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Rose Steinman. Steinman was living in Fort Worth, Texas when World War II began. She worked as an inspector at the Texas Steel Manufacturing Company, making 81mm and 60mm shells. She also worked with the Knights of Columbus organizing U.S.O. dances for the servicemen. She recalls rationing books, gasoline, coffee and sugar. Her husband was stationed at the Fort Worth Army Airfield, and she had a number of family members who served in the war. Steinman shares details of her individual family members and their unique service in the war, including brothers, uncles and her husband. She also speaks overall how her large family worked together and supported one another throughout war time.

The purpose of this Analysis and Model Report (AMR) is to document Rock Properties Model (RPM) 3.1 with regard to input data, model methods, assumptions, uncertainties and limitations of model results, and qualification status of the model. The report also documents the differences between the current and previous versions and validation of the model. The rock properties models are intended principally for use as input to numerical physical-process modeling, such as of ground-water flow and/or radionuclide transport. The constraints, caveats, and limitations associated with this model are discussed in the appropriate text sections that follow. This work was conducted in accordance with the following planning documents: WA-0344, ''3-D Rock Properties Modeling for FY 1998'' (SNL 1997, WA-0358), ''3-D Rock Properties Modeling for FY 1999'' (SNL 1999), and the technical development plan, Rock Properties Model Version 3.1, (CRWMS M&O 1999c). The Interim Change Notice (ICNs), ICN 02 and ICN 03, of this AMR were prepared as part of activities being conducted under the Technical Work Plan, TWP-NBS-GS-000003, ''Technical Work Plan for the Integrated Site Model, Process Model Report, Revision 01'' (CRWMS M&O 2000b). The purpose of ICN 03 is to record changes in data input status due to data qualification and …

Application materials submitted to the Texas Historical Commission requesting a historic marker for the Houston Heights City Hall and Fire Station, in Houston, Texas. The materials include the inscription text of the marker, narrative, and photographs.

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

A statistical comparison of observations and forecasts using the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) for operations at the Savannah River Site (SRS) is discussed. Simulated and observed values of wind direction, wind speed, and temperature, collected twice daily for a two-year period from April 1998 through March 2000, are compared in a variety of ways for 5 different locations in the southeast United States. Turbulence quantities are also compared for a one-year period beginning in February 1999 for the SRS. Results are presented in the form of scatter plots and histograms, as well as time-based line plots for the different locations within the modeling domain. Both surface and upper-level model predictions are compared with observations taken from both the National Weather Service and local SRS tower locations (surface measures only). Variability based on the time of year, the forecast hour, the location of the observations, and the height above ground for each of these variables is discussed. Statistics of accuracy used for comparison include absolute mean bias, relative bias, root-mean-square error, standard deviation, and the index of agreement. The most severe degradation in results occurs during the transition periods of early evening (approximately 19 to 20 LST) and late morning …