The worldwide program to understand neutrino oscillations and determine the neutrino mixing parameters, CP violating effects, and mass hierarchy will require a broad combination of measurements. The group believes that a key element of this future neutrino program is a multi-detector neutrino experiment (with baselines of {approx} 200 m and {approx} 1.5 km) with a sensitivity of sin{sup 2} 2{theta}{sub 13} = 0.01. In addition to oscillation physics, the reactor experiment may provide interesting measurements of sin{sup 2} {theta}{sub W} at Q{sup 2} = 0, neutrino couplings, magnetic moments, and mixing with sterile neutrino states. {theta}{sub 13} is one of the twenty-six parameters of the standard model, the best model of electroweak interactions for energies below 100 GeV and, as such, is worthy of a precision measurement independent of other considerations. A reactor experiment of the proposed sensitivity will allow a measurement of {theta}{sub 13} with no ambiguities and significantly better precision than any other proposed experiment, or will set limits indicating the scale of future experiments required to make progress. Figure 1 shows a comparison of the sensitivity of reactor experiments of different scales with accelerator experiments for setting limits on sin{sup 2} 2{theta}{sub 13} if the mixing angle …

Level densities and radiative strength functions in {sup 171}Yb and {sup 170}Yb nuclei have been measured using the {sup 171}Yb({sup 3}He{sup 3}He{gamma}){sup 171}Yb and {sup 171}Yb({sup 3}He,{alpha}{gamma}){sup 170}Yb reactions. New data on {sup 171}Yb are compared to a previous measurement for {sup 171}Yb from the {sup 172}Yb({sup 3}He,{alpha}{gamma}){sup 171}Yb reaction. Systematics of level densities and radiative strength functions in {sup 170,171,172}Yb are established. The entropy excess in {sup 171}Yb relative to the even-even nuclei {sup 170,172}Yb due to the unpaired neutron quasiparticle is found to be approximately 2k{sub B}. Results for the radiative strength function from the two reactions lead to consistent parameters characterizing the ''pygmy'' resonances. Pygmy resonances in the {sup 170,172}Yb populated by the ({sup 3}He,{alpha}) reaction appear to be split into two components for both of which a complete set of resonance parameters are obtained.

This project developed a prototype system that can rapidly differentiate between undirected cyber attacks, and those that have a more specific and concerning intent behind them. The system responds to important cyber attacks in a tactically significant way as the attack is proceeding. It is also creates a prioritized list for the human analysts allowing them to focus on the threats mostly likely to be of interest. In the recent years the volume of attacks over the internet has increased exponentially, as they have become more and more automated. The result of this is that real threats are harder and harder to distinguish from the general threat. It is possible with our current systems to identify network packets that originated from thousands of IP addresses as probing a site like LLNL in a single day. Human analysis of these threats does not result in information that can be used for tactical response because most of the attacks are short and over before the human starts the analysis. Only a very small percentage of attacks can even be evaluated manually due to the volume. This project developed methods, and prototyped tools, that can identify attacks, slow the attack down and aid …

This report presents a profile of the membership of the 108th Congress. Included is information on numbers of Members, party affiliation, average age and length of service, occupations, religious affiliation, military service, female and minority Members, and foreign-born Members.

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Working within the context of the Southern States Biobased Alliance (SSBA) and with officials in each state, the Southern States Energy Board (SSEB) is identifying bioenergy-related policies and programs within each state to determine their impact on the development, deployment or use of bioenergy. In addition, SSEB will determine which policies have impacted industry's efforts to develop, deploy or use biobased technologies or products. As a result, SSEB will work with the Southern States Biobased Alliance to determine how policy changes might address any negative impacts or enhance positive impacts. In addition to analysis of domestic policies and programs, this project will include the development of a U.S.-Brazil Biodiesel Pilot Project. The purpose of this effort is to promote and facilitate the commercialization of biodiesel and bioenergy production and demand in Brazil.

A new spectroscopic diagnostic with both toroidal and poloidal views has been implemented in the edge of the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX). This edge rotation diagnostic (ERD) was designed to measure the velocity and temperature of ions. The intersection of the diagnostic sightlines with the intrinsic emission shell provides the localization of the measurement. There are 7 toroidally directed views and 6 poloidally directed views of the outboard plasma edge. The poloidal view is {approx}20 cm (toroidally) from the RF antenna, and the toroidal view is {approx}2 m away. The sightlines are nearly tangent to the flux surfaces. The C{sup 2+} triplet near 4651 {angstrom} and the He{sup +} line at 4685 {angstrom} are measured. In the results presented here, helium is the bulk, ''working'' ion of the discharge. The NSTX is a large spherical tokamak with a major radius of 0.85 m and a minor radius of 0.65 m. The outer walls and center-stack are lined with protective carbon tiles. Pulse lengths for these NSTX discharges are {approx} 600 ms, with an on-axis toroidal magnetic field of {approx} 0.3 T. The plasma current is 500 kA. The on-axis electron temperature and density are {le} 2 keV and {approx} …

This is the fourteenth Quarterly Technical Report for DOE Cooperative Agreement No: DE-FC26-00NT41047. The goal of the project is to develop and demonstrate a Virtual Engineering-based framework for simulating the performance of Advanced Power Systems. Within the last quarter, good progress has been made on all aspects of the project. Software development efforts have focused primarily on completing a prototype detachable user interface for the framework and on integrating Carnegie Mellon Universities IECM model core with the computational engine. In addition to this work, progress has been made on several other development and modeling tasks for the program. These include: (1) improvements to the infrastructure code of the computational engine, (2) enhancements to the model interfacing specifications, (3) additional development to increase the robustness of all framework components, (4) enhanced coupling of the computational and visualization engine components, (5) a series of detailed simulations studying the effects of gasifier inlet conditions on the heat flux to the gasifier injector, and (6) detailed plans for implementing models for mercury capture for both warm and cold gas cleanup have been created.

This is the thirteenth Quarterly Technical Report for DOE Cooperative Agreement No: DE-FC26-00NT41047. The goal of the project is to develop and demonstrate a Virtual Engineering-based framework for simulating the performance of Advanced Power Systems. Within the last quarter, good progress has been made on all aspects of the project. Software development efforts have focused on a preliminary detailed software design for the enhanced framework. Given the complexity of the individual software tools from each team (i.e., Reaction Engineering International, Carnegie Mellon University, Iowa State University), a robust, extensible design is required for the success of the project. In addition to achieving a preliminary software design, significant progress has been made on several development tasks for the program. These include: (1) the enhancement of the controller user interface to support detachment from the Computational Engine and support for multiple computer platforms, (2) modification of the Iowa State University interface-to-kernel communication mechanisms to meet the requirements of the new software design, (3) decoupling of the Carnegie Mellon University computational models from their parent IECM (Integrated Environmental Control Model) user interface for integration with the new framework and (4) development of a new CORBA-based model interfacing specification. A benchmarking exercise to compare …

This report examines the strengths and limitations of deploying UAVs along the borders and related issues for Congress.

This report discusses the Veterans Affairs (VA), Housing and Urban Development(HUD), and Independent Agencies Appropriations for FY2005.

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This report provides an overview of the Indian tribes and welfare reform.

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This report presents a summary of the comments that were received by HHS in response to the Department's request, and is intended to convey a general sense of the views and opinions expressed. The report begins with an explanation of the methodology used for preparing this summary and a discussion of the categories of groups and individuals who submitted comments.

This project was initially targeted to the making of coke for blast furnaces by using proprietary technology of Calderon in a phased approach, and Phase I was successfully completed. The project was then re-directed to the making of iron units. In 2000, U.S. Steel teamed up with Calderon for a joint effort which will last 42 months to produce directly reduced iron with the potential of converting it into molten iron or steel consistent with the Roadmap recommendations of 1998 prepared by the Steel Industry in cooperation with the Department of Energy by using iron ore concentrate and coal as raw materials, both materials being appreciably lower in cost than using iron pellets and coke.

This project was initially targeted to the making of coke for blast furnaces by using proprietary technology of Calderon in a phased approach, and Phase I was successfully completed. The project was then re-directed to the making of iron units. In 2000, U.S. Steel teamed up with Calderon for a joint effort which will last 42 months to produce directly reduced iron with the potential of converting it into molten iron or steel consistent with the Roadmap recommendations of 1998 prepared by the Steel Industry in cooperation with the Department of Energy by using iron ore concentrate and coal as raw materials, both materials being appreciably lower in cost than using iron pellets and coke.

This is one report in the series of reports that discuss the campaign finance practices and related issues. Concerns over financing federal elections have become a seemingly perennial aspect of our political system, centered on the enduring issues of high campaign costs and reliance on interest groups for needed campaign funds. The report talks about the today’s paramount issues such as perceived loopholes in current law and the longstanding issues: overall costs, funding sources, and competition.

This report lists and compares military expenditures of the United States and foreign nations using two sources: the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies’ (IISS) The Military Balance, and the U.S. State Department’s World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers (WMEAT). Although the IISS and the U.S. State Department aim to provide figures that are as consistent and accurate as possible, cross-national comparisons of defense spending are inherently imperfect. Available sets of figures are useful, but often do not correspond with one another for a variety of reasons. This report provides two sets of figures from widely recognized sources in order to offer Congress a sample of the data published on this topic.

During the period of this grant, we significantly advanced the understanding of stable surface amorphous films (SAFs), the existence of which was first postulated and then demonstrated under this program. SAFs are nanometer-thick amorphous films which are characterized by a self-selecting thickness, and a composition and structure distinct from the bulk phases with which they coexist. Importantly, they are present as an equilibrium, disordered phase below bulk solidus temperatures where all other phases in the system are crystalline. They are true surface phases which coexist in thermodynamic equilibrium with the bulk phases. We have shown that SAFs form in a number of binary oxide systems, and that they play an important role in the processing of materials (e.g., solid-state activated sintering in ZnO-Bi2O3) and in forming surface-active layers in supported catalyst systems. These experimental results as well as a theoretical model for the stability of SAFs have now been published. We believe that SAFs can be controlled and manipulated in a wide range of systems, with potential applications in nanotechnology, MEMS, microelectronics, adhesion, and colloidal crystals.

In June 2003, the Department of Energy (DOE) allocated funds in support of the development of A Data Exchange Format for Biological Pathway Databases (BioPAX). The primary objective of the BioPAX initiative (http://www.biopax.org) is the development of a single, consensus-based standard for a data exchange format for biological pathway databases that can be widely adopted in a timely manner as a strategy for the interchange of biological pathway data in the life science community. BioPAX Level 1, Version 1.0, released July 2004, supports metabolic pathway data and is initially supported by the BioCyc and WIT databases. This work was developed during community led workshops that were significantly funded by this grant. Subsequent releases of BioPAX will add support for protein-protein interactions, signal transduction pathways, genetic interactions, and other pathway data types.

This report provides an overview of the international developments of the insurance regulation.