A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Most patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) must rely on dialysis treatments to compensate for kidney failure. Currently, over 222,000 ESRD patients visit dialysis centers several times a week to have toxins removed from their bloodstreams. While dialysis care has improved overall, questions remain regarding the quality of care provided by some of the nation's roughly 4,000 ESRD facilities. We examined (1) the extent and nature of quality of care problems identified at dialysis facilities, (2) the effectiveness of state survey agencies in ensuring that quality issues are uncovered, corrected, and stay corrected, and (3) the extent to which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) funds, monitors, and assists state survey activities related to dialysis care."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Home Loan Bank System's (FHLBank System) traditional approach to providing community and housing finance through 12 regional FHLBanks faces continual challenges due to consolidation in the financial services industry and the emergence of mortgage lenders with nationwide operations. In addition, the Federal Housing Finance Board (FHFB), the System's financial regulator, is analyzing the benefits and costs of potential changes to the System's membership rules that would make it easier for financial institutions to join multiple FHLBank districts (referred to as multidistrict membership). To provide information that would be helpful in assessing the potential safety and soundness implications of these developments, GAO was asked among other items to (1) determine whether key differences exist in the terms--such as interest rates and collateral requirements--that FHLBanks make on loans, also known as advances, to member financial institutions such as banks and thrifts and (2) discuss FHFB's oversight of the FHLBanks and safety and soundness data reporting requirements."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO has reported that the Department of Defense's (DOD) inability to accurately account for and report on disbursements is a long-term, major problem. GAO was requested to determine (1) the magnitude of the adjustments and related costs in fiscal year 2002, (2) why contracts, including payment terms, are so complex, (3) the key factors that caused Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) Columbus to make payment adjustments, and (4) what steps DOD is taking to address the payment allocation problems."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The recent rising cost of medical malpractice insurance premiums in many states has reportedly influenced some physicians to move or close practices, reduce high-risk services, or alter their practices to preclude potential lawsuits (known as defensive medicine practices). States have revised tort laws under which malpractice lawsuits are litigated to help constrain malpractice premium and claims costs. Some of these tort reform laws include caps on monetary penalties for noneconomic harm, such as for plaintiffs' pain and suffering. Congress is considering legislation similar to some states' tort reform laws. GAO examined how health care provider responses to rising malpractice premiums have affected access to health care, whether physicians practice defensive medicine, and how growth in malpractice premiums and claims payments compares across states with varying tort reform laws. Because national data on providers' responses to rising premiums are not reliable, GAO examined the experiences in five states with reported malpractice-related problems (Florida, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, and West Virginia) and four states without reported problems (California, Colorado, Minnesota, and Montana) and analyzed growth in malpractice premiums and claims payments across all states and the District of Columbia."

A chapter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The widespread drought conditions of 2002 focused attention on a critical national challenge: ensuring a sufficient freshwater supply to sustain quality of life and economic growth. States have primary responsibility for managing the allocation and use of water resources, but multiple federal agencies also play a role. For example, Interior's Bureau of Reclamation operates numerous water storage facilities, and the U.S. Geological Survey collects important surface and ground-water information. GAO was asked to determine the current conditions and future trends for U.S. water availability and use, the likelihood of shortages and their potential consequences, and states' views on how federal activities could better support state water management efforts to meet future demands. For this review, GAO conducted a web-based survey of water managers in the 50 states and received responses from 47 states; California, Michigan, and New Mexico did not participate."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Changes in the Department of Defense's (DOD) mission can lead to changes in inventory requirements, which, in turn, determine the size of DOD's inventory. Since 1990, GAO has identified DOD's management of inventory as a high-risk area because levels of inventory were too high and management systems and procedures were ineffective. Furthermore, DOD has attributed readiness problems to parts shortages. In this report, GAO (1) provides information on changes in and make up of the department's inventory and (2) analyzes changes in inventory requirements, focusing on the Navy."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLBA) reauthorized the $10 billion Title I program, which seeks to improve the educational achievement of 12.5 million students at risk. In passing the legislation, Congress increased the frequency with which states are to measure student achievement in mathematics and reading and added science as another subject. Congress also authorized funding to support state efforts to develop and implement tests for this purpose. Congress mandated that GAO study the costs of implementing the required tests. This report describes characteristics of states' Title I tests, provides estimates of what states may spend to implement the required tests, and identifies factors that explain variation in expenses."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 made sweeping changes to the nation's key welfare program for needy families. It established the $16.5 billion Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant, which provides to the states federal funds to support low-income families and help these families reduce their dependence on welfare. TANF provides states significant flexibility--within federal guidelines--to determine who is to be served and what services to provide. The welfare legislation also fundamentally changed how the federal government funds assistance for low-income families, shifting much of the fiscal risk for welfare programs to the states. Under TANF, states receive a fixed amount of TANF funds each year and, if costs rise, states must find a way of financing the additional costs. To better understand states' spending patterns for TANF funds as the Congress debates the program's reauthorization, the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Human Resources, Committee on Ways and Means, asked us to provide information on (1) TANF balances, including the amount of funds transferred to states' child care and social services block grants, that remain unspent and (2) the …

We present an algorithm specification for computing adaptivemesh refinement solutions for compressible self-gravitatingflows.

This work describes developments in the application of Raman scattering and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) towards the assessment/characterization of carbon in soil. In the past, the nonspecific total carbon mass content of soil samples has generally been determined through mass loss techniques and elemental analysis. However, because of the concern over CO{sub 2} buildup in the atmosphere and its possible role in the ''Greenhouse Effect,'' there is a need for better-defined models of global cycling of carbon. As a means towards this end, there is a need to know more about the structure and functionality of organic materials in soil. Raman spectroscopy may therefore prove to be an exceptional tool in soil carbon analysis. Based on vibrational transitions of irradiated molecules, it provides structural information that is often suitable for sample identification. Furthermore, Raman scattering yields very fine spectral features which offer the potential for multicomponent sample analysis with minimal or no sample pretreatment. Although the intensity of Raman scattering is generally extremely low, the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect can greatly enhance Raman signals (10{sup 6}-10{sup 8} range) through the adsorption of compounds on specially roughened metal surfaces. In our laboratory, we have investigated copper, gold and silver as …

The purpose of this document is to summarize the primary results of the Hg compatibility research in support of the SNS target. In the absence of possible synergisms resulting from beam/irradiation effects, wetting of 316L/316LN stainless steel under SNS conditions by the Hg target is expected to be very limited. As a result, significant interactions such as dissolution, mass transfer, and embrittlement affecting general compatibility are not anticipated. A wide range of experiments on 316L/316LN stainless steel, including thermal convection and pumped loops, confirmed low corrosion/penetration rates in Hg up to 305 C and little or no wetting or mass transfer below about 250 C. A variety of standard mechanical tests comparing behavior of 316L in air and Hg revealed limited wetting and no degradation of mechanical properties such as reduced elongation or development of brittle fracture features. Preliminary fatigue tests indicated a negative effect (reduced cycles to failure and intergranular cracking) at very high loads for 316LN, but little or no effect at more modest loading. Annealed 316LN was found to be somewhat susceptible to cavitation-erosion damage, but significant improvement was realized with a kolsterizing surface treatment or coldworking the material. Within the scope of these test conditions, no …

Molecular dynamics calculations have been employed to simulate displacement cascades in neutron irradiated Mo. A total of 90 simulations were conducted for PKA energies between 1 and 40 keV and temperatures from 298 to 923K. The results suggest very little effect of temperature on final defect count and configuration, but do display a temperature effect on peak defect generation prior to cascade collapse. Cascade efficiency, relative to the NRT model, is computed to lie between 1/4 and 1/3 in agreement with simulations performed on previous systems. There is a tendency for both interstitials and vacancies to cluster together following cascade collapse producing vacancy rich regions surrounded by interstitials. Although coming to rest in close proximity, the point defects comprising the clusters generally do not lie within the nearest neighbor positions of one another, except for the formation of dumbbell di-interstitials. Cascades produced at higher PKA energies (20 or 40 keV) exhibit the formation of subcascades.

We present an algorithm for solving the Navier-Stokesequations for a multifluid system using an allspeed type ofapproach.

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This report discuses the Jones Act, which purpose is to ensure that the nation has a sufficient merchant marine and shipbuilding base to protect the nation’s defense and commercial interests.

A linear lens can focus a cold beam to a singular point. Unfortunately, this ideal situation would never occur in the real world. Besides nonlinearity of the lens, any deviation of the beam parameters from the ideal beam's nominal beam parameters would lead to nonzero final spot size. In other words, the final spot size of a beam focused by a focusing lens with a given focusing strength depends on its beam parameters, such as the emittance, variations in beam current, energy, envelope and envelope slopes, and nonlinearity of the focusing lens. There are many types of final focusing systems. We consider only the system using a ''thin'' solenoid lens in this notes. Generally, the net focusing force in a solenoid focusing system is not sensitive to the beam current for an emittance dominated beam. For simplicity, we will ignore the space charge forces in the discussion, and focus on the contributions of beam emittance, energy variation and nonlinearity of the lens to the final spot size here.

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We studied the conditions under which short-pulsed laser deposited (PLD) stoichiometric multi-element nanocrystals of GaAs,InP,CoPt and Inconel (an alloy of Cr, Fe and Ni) are formed. The properties of the PLD nanoclusters and the irradiated targets were investigated as a function of the laser pulse-length (150 fs-500 ps) and the inert background gas pressure in the synthesis chamber (microTorr to hundreds of Torr). Our results reveal that the formation of stoichiometric GaAs nanocrystals required ablating a GaAs target with a shorter than 25 ps laser in a {ge} 50 miliTorr of inert background pressure. For InP, a mixture of stoichiometric InP and In nanocrystals with an InP/In ratio of {approx} 1 resulted upon ablating an InP target in Ar at 1 Torr. This InP/In ratio increased to {approx} 5 when ablating the InP target in an Ar pressure of 750 Torr. In case of CoPt alloy, the stoichiometry in the target was not reflected in the collected nanocluster films, independent of the background gas pressure. Interestingly, the stoichiometry of the target was found in the collected nanocluster films when an Inconel target was ablated by a femtosecond laser even in vacuum. It is noted that the constituents of Inconel (Cr, …

Responsive load is the most underutilized reliability resource available to the power system today. It is currently not used at all to provide spinning reserve. Historically there were good reasons for this, but recent technological advances in communications and controls have provided new capabilities and eliminated many of the old obstacles. North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Northeast Power Coordinating Council (NPCC), New York State Reliability Council (NYSRC), and New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) rules are beginning to recognize these changes and are starting to encourage responsive load provision of reliability services. The Carrier ComfortChoice responsive thermostats provide an example of these technological advances. This is a technology aimed at reducing summer peak demand through central control of residential and small commercial air-conditioning loads. It is being utilized by Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), Consolidated Edison (ConEd), Southern California Edison (SCE), and San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E). The technology is capable of delivering even greater response in the faster spinning reserve time frame (while still providing peak reduction). Analysis of demand reduction testing results from LIPA during the summer of 2002 provides evidence to back up this claim. It also demonstrates that loads …

In 2000, a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) was undertaken between the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Catalytica Energy Systems Incorporated (CESI) to determine the properties of current metallic catalyst supports and examine new candidate alloys for this application. A team was established at ORNL to examine oxidation-limited lifetime of these thin-walled metallic components using standard lifetime models and to measure the mechanical properties of the foils (40-200:m in thickness) which can differ substantially from bulk properties. Oxidation experiments were conducted on foil specimens at 700-1100 C in laboratory air and in air with 10 vol.% water vapor to better simulate the combustor environment. At the higher test temperatures, time to oxidation-induced (i.e. breakaway oxidation) failure was determined in 1h cycles in order to verify predictions from a standard reservoir-type oxidation lifetime model. Selected specimens were run for >10,000h in 100 or 500h cycles at lower test temperatures in order to determine the oxidation kinetics for the model. The creep properties of selected foils were measured for 4,000-8,000h at operation-relevant stresses and temperatures. None of the new candidate alloys significantly out-performed currently used alloys in laboratory testing, particularly in oxidation lifetime testing. Therefore, engine testing was not performed …

''Total System Performance Assessment-License Application (TSPA-LA) Methods and Approach'' provides the top-level method and approach for conducting the TSPA-LA model development and analyses. The method and approach is responsive to the criteria set forth in Total System Performance Assessment Integration (TSPAI) Key Technical Issues (KTIs) identified in agreements with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the ''Yucca Mountain Review Plan'' (YMRP), ''Final Report'' (NRC 2003 [163274]), and the NRC final rule 10 CFR Part 63 (NRC 2002 [156605]). This introductory section provides an overview of the TSPA-LA, the projected TSPA-LA documentation structure, and the goals of the document. It also provides a brief discussion of the regulatory framework, the approach to risk management of the development and analysis of the model, and the overall organization of the document. The section closes with some important conventions that are used in this document.

We present a numerical method for tracking breaking waves over sloping beaches. We use a fully non-linear potential model for in-compressible, irrotational and inviscid flow, and consider the effects of beach topography on breaking waves. The algorithm uses a Boundary Element Method (BEM) to compute the velocity at the interface, coupled to a Narrow Band Level Set Method to track the evolving air/water interface, and an associated extension equation to update the velocity potential both on and off the interface. The formulation of the algorithm is applicable to two and three dimensional breaking waves; in this paper, we concentrate on two-dimensional results showing wave breaking and rollup, and perform numerical convergence studies and comparison with previous techniques.

Under this USDOE-NETL contract, the bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens is being developed as a biocontrol agent for zebra mussels. The specific purpose of the contract is to identify factors that affect mussel kill. Test results reported herein indicate that mussel kill should not be affected by: (1) air bubbles being carried by currents through power plant pipes; (2) pipe orientation (e.g., vertical or horizontal); (3) whether the bacterial cell concentration during a treatment is constant or slightly varying; (4) whether a treatment is between 3 hr and 12 hr in duration, given that the total quantity of bacteria being applied to the pipe is a constant; and (5) whether the water temperature is between 13 C and 23 C.

The Pennsylvania State University, under contract to the U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory will establish, promote, and manage a national industry-driven Stripper Well Consortium (SWC) that will be focused on improving the production performance of domestic petroleum and/or natural gas stripper wells. The consortium creates a partnership with the U.S. petroleum and natural gas industries and trade associations, state funding agencies, academia, and the National Energy Technology Laboratory. This report serves as the ninth quarterly technical progress report for the SWC. Key activities for this reporting period include: (1) organizing and hosting two fall technology transfer meetings, (2) SWC membership class expansion, and (3) planning the SWC 2003 Spring meeting. In addition, a literature search that focuses on the use of lasers, microwaves, and acoustics for potential stripper well applications continued.