Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This letter responds to Congress' September 26, 2008, request that GAO address questions submitted for the record by Members of the Committee related to the September 11, 2008, hearing entitled The Next Generation Air Transportation System: Status and Issues."

The U.S. Supreme Court in 2005 affirmed the constitutionality of the so-called beef check-off program, one of the 18 generic promotion programs for agricultural products that are now active nationally. Supporters view check-offs as economically beneficial self-help activities that need minimal government involvement or taxpayer funding. Producers, handlers, and/or importers are required to pay an assessment, usually deducted from revenue at time of sale - thus the name check-off. However, some farmers contend they are being "taxed" for advertising and related activities they would not underwrite voluntarily. The Supreme Court's decision to uphold the beef check-off is considered significant for the future of the other programs, although the Court left open the possibility of additional challenges.

Recent developments in the field of anisotropic flow in nuclear collision are reviewed. The results from the top AGS energy to the top RHIC energy are discussed with emphasis on techniques, interpretation, and uncertainties in the measurements.

We report measurements of hadronic final states produced in e{sup +}e{sup -} annihilations from the BABAR and Belle experiments. In particular, we present cross sections measured in several different processes, including two-photon physics, Initial-State Radiation, and exclusive hadron productions at center-of-mass energies near 10.58 GeV. Results are compared with theoretical predictions.

In the mammary gland, epithelial cells are embedded in a 'soft' environment and become functionally differentiated in culture when exposed to a laminin-rich extracellular matrix gel. Here, we define the processes by which mammary epithelial cells integrate biochemical and mechanical extracellular cues to maintain their differentiated phenotype. We used single cells cultured on top of gels in conditions permissive for {beta}-casein expression using atomic force microscopy to measure the elasticity of the cells and their underlying substrata. We found that maintenance of {beta}-casein expression required both laminin signalling and a 'soft' extracellular matrix, as is the case in normal tissues in vivo, and biomimetic intracellular elasticity, as is the case in primary mammary epithelial organoids. Conversely, two hallmarks of breast cancer development, stiffening of the extracellular matrix and loss of laminin signalling, led to the loss of {beta}-casein expression and non-biomimetic intracellular elasticity. Our data indicate that tissue-specific gene expression is controlled by both the tissues unique biochemical milieu and mechanical properties, processes involved in maintenance of tissue integrity and protection against tumorigenesis.

While the role of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers in our education system is obvious, their role in our economic and national security system is less so. Our nation relies upon innovation and creativity applied in a way that generates new technologies for industry, health care, and the protection of our national assets and citizens. Often, it is our science teachers who generate the excitement that leads students to pursue science careers. While academia provides these teachers with the tools to educate, the rigors of a science and technology curriculum, coupled with the requisite teaching courses, often limit teacher exposure to an authentic research environment. As the single largest funding agency for the physical sciences, the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science plays an important role in filling this void. For STEM teachers, the DOE Academies Creating Teacher Scientists program (ACTS) bridges the worlds of research and education. The ACTS program at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), one of several across the country, exemplifies the value of this program for participating teachers. Outcomes of the work at BNL as evidenced by the balance of this report, include the following: (1) Teachers have developed long-term relationships with the …

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) have been used to study the structures produced by water on Ru(0001) at temperatures above 140 K. It was found that while undissociated water layers are metastable below 140 K, heating above this temperature produces drastic transformations whereby a fraction of the water molecules partially dissociate and form mixed H{sub 2}O-OH structures. XPS and XAS revealed the presence of hydroxyl groups with their O-H bond essentially parallel to the surface. STM images show that the mixed H{sub 2}O-OH structures consist of long narrow stripes aligned with the three crystallographic directions perpendicular to the close-packed atomic rows of the Ru(0001) substrate. The internal structure of the stripes is a honeycomb network of H-bonded water and hydroxyl species. We found that the metastable low temperature molecular phase can also be converted to a mixed H{sub 2}O-OH phase through excitation by the tunneling electrons when their energy is 0.5 eV or higher above the Fermi level. Structural models based on the STM images were used for Density Functional Theory optimizations of the stripe geometry. The optimized geometry was then utilized to calculate STM images for comparison with the experiment.

Our research on Turnip crinkle virus (TCV) has shown that the viral capsid protein (CP) is both a virulence factor as well as the elicitor of a hypersensitive resistance response (HR) to the virus in Arabidopsis. Initially, we identified a protein from Arabidopsis that specifically interacted with the viral CP using a yeast two-hybrid screen. This protein, designated TIP for TCV-Interacting Protein, is a member of the NAC family of plant transcription factors implicated in the regulation of development and senescence. When TCV CP was mutated to eliminate its ability to interact with TIP, the corresponding virus mutants broke the HR-mediated resistance conferred by the HRT resistance (R) gene in Arabidopsis ecotype Dijon (Di)-17. This result suggested that TIP is a component of the signal transduction pathway that leads to the genetically specified TCV resistance. We next confirmed that TIP and the viral CP interact in plant cells and that this interaction prevents nuclear localization of this transcription factor. We demonstrated that TCV CP suppresses post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS), a newly discovered RNA-mediated defense system in plants. Together these results suggest that the CP is a virulence factor that could well be functioning through its interaction with TIP. We have …

The authors measure the time-dependent CP asymmetry in B{sup 0} {yields} K{sub S}{sup 0}{pi}{sup 0}{gamma} decays for two regions of K{sub S}{sup 0}-{pi}{sup 0} invariant mass, m(K{sub S}{sup 0}{pi}{sup 0}), using the final BABAR data set of 467 x 10{sup 6} B{bar B} pairs collected at the PEP-II e{sup +}e{sup -} collider at SLAC. They find 339 {+-} 24 B{sup 0} {yields} K*{sup 0}{gamma} candidates and measure S{sub K*{gamma}} = -0.03 {+-} 0.29 {+-} 0.03 and C{sub K*{gamma}} = -0.14 {+-} 0.16 {+-} 0.03. In the range 1.1 < m(K{sub S}{sup 0}{pi}{sup 0}) < 1.8 GeV/c{sup 2} they find 133 {+-} 20 B{sup 0} {yields} K{sub S}{sup 0}{pi}{sup 0}{gamma} candidates and measure S{sub K{sub S}{sup 0}{pi}{sup 0}{gamma}} = -0.78 {+-} 0.59 {+-} 0.09 and C{sub K{sub S}{sup 0}{pi}{sup 0}{gamma}} = -0.36 {+-} 0.33 {+-} 0.04. The uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively.

We report on the L-band RF power distribution system (PDS) developed at SLAC for Fermilab's NML superconducting test accelerator facility. The makeup of the system, which allows tailoring of the power distribution to cavities by pairs, is briefly described. Cold test measurements of the system and the results of high power processing are presented. We also investigate the feasibility of eliminating the expensive, lossy circulators from the PDS by pair-feeding cavities through custom 3-dB hybrids. A computational model is used to simulate the impact on cavity field stability due to the reduced cavity-to-cavity isolation.

Demand response (DR) is an emerging research field and an effective tool that improves grid reliability and prevents the price of electricity from rising, especially in deregulated markets. This paper introduces the definition of DR and Automated Demand Response (Auto-DR). It describes the Auto-DR technology utilized at a commercial building in the summer of 2006 and the methodologies to evaluate associated demand savings. On the basis of field tests in a large office building, Auto-DR is proven to be a reliable and credible resource that ensures a stable and economical operation of the power grid.

One of the major tenets in breast cancer research is that early detection is vital for patient survival by increasing treatment options. To that end, we have previously used a novel unsupervised approach to identify a set of genes whose expression predicts prognosis of breast cancer patients. The predictive genes were selected in a well-defined three dimensional (3D) cell culture model of non-malignant human mammary epithelial cell morphogenesis as down-regulated during breast epithelial cell acinar formation and cell cycle arrest. Here we examine the ability of this gene signature (3D-signature) to predict prognosis in three independent breast cancer microarray datasets having 295, 286, and 118 samples, respectively. Our results show that the 3D-signature accurately predicts prognosis in three unrelated patient datasets. At 10 years, the probability of positive outcome was 52, 51, and 47 percent in the group with a poor-prognosis signature and 91, 75, and 71 percent in the group with a good-prognosis signature for the three datasets, respectively (Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, p<0.05). Hazard ratios for poor outcome were 5.5 (95% CI 3.0 to 12.2, p<0.0001), 2.4 (95% CI 1.6 to 3.6, p<0.0001) and 1.9 (95% CI 1.1 to 3.2, p = 0.016) and remained significant for the two …

Several reasons have been advanced for increasing the net capital loss limit against ordinary income: as a part of an economic stimulus plan, as a means of restoring confidence in the stock market, and to restore the value of the loss limitations to its 1978 level. Capital loss limits are imposed because individuals from reducing their taxes by legalizing losses while holding assets with gains until death when taxes are avoided completely.

None

Advertising linage report from December 2008 that details ad revenue from Texas Daily Newspaper Association members.

Circulation report from September 2008 that details the numbers from various Texas Daily Newspaper Association members.

Advertising linage report that details ad revenue from the Temple Daily Telegram, a Texas Daily Newspaper Association member, for September 2008 (misidentified as 2007).

The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) Project 2003-013-00, 'Grays River Watershed Restoration', began in FY04 and continues into FY09. This status report is intended to summarize accomplishments during the period 1 May 2007 through 30 October 2008. Accomplishments are summarized by Work Elements, as detailed in the Statement of Work (see BPA's project management database PISCES). The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is collaborating with the Columbia River Estuary Task Force (CREST) on implementation of the Grays River Restoration Project. The Grays River is vitally important to the recovery of Lower Columbia River (LCR) chum salmon because it currently has the most viable population remaining in the LCR region. The Grays River watershed is also important to the recovery of salmon and steelhead in the LCR ecosystem. Today, numbers of naturally spawning salmon and steelhead have declined to levels far below historical numbers because of habitat limiting factors that include but are not limited to the lack of habitat connectivity, diversity, channel stability, riparian function and altered stream flow conditions. The objective of this project is to restore habitat-forming processes to enhance salmon and steelhead populations in the Grays River, following recommendations developed during the FY04-06 BPA-sponsored Grays River Watershed Assessment …

The Lightning Arrestor Connector (LAC), part “M”, presented opportunities to improve the processes used to fabricate LACs. The A## LACs were the first production LACs produced at the KCP, after the product was transferred from Pinnellas. The new LAC relied on the lessons learned from the A## LACs; however, additional improvements were needed to meet the required budget, yield, and schedule requirements. Improvement projects completed since 2001 include Hermetic Connector Sealing Improvement, Contact Assembly molding Improvement, development of a second vendor for LAC shells, general process improvement, tooling improvement, reduction of the LAC production cycle time, and documention of the LAC granule fabrication process. This report summarizes the accomplishments achieved in improving the LAC Production Readiness.

Phase-sensitive sum-frequency vibrational spectroscopy was used to study water/vapor interfaces of HCl, HI, and NaOH solutions. The measured imaginary part of the surface spectral responses provided direct characterization of OH stretch vibrations and information about net polar orientations of water species contributing to different regions of the spectrum. We found clear evidence that hydronium ions prefer to emerge at interfaces. Their OH stretches contribute to the 'ice-like' band in the spectrum. Their charges create a positive surface field that tends to reorient water molecules more loosely bonded to the topmost water layer with oxygen toward the interface, and thus enhances significantly the 'liquid-like' band in the spectrum. Iodine ions in solution also like to appear at the interface and alter the positive surface field by forming a narrow double-charge layer with hydronium ions. In NaOH solution, the observed weak change of the 'liquid-like' band and disappearance of the 'ice-like' band in the spectrum indicates that OH{sup -} ions must also have excess at the interface. How they are incorporated in the interfacial water structure is however not clear.

This project addressed coordinate measuring machine (CMM) technology and model-based engineering. CMM data analysis and delivery were enhanced through the addition of several machine types to the inspection summary program. CMM hardware and software improvements were made with the purchases of calibration and setup equipment and new model-based software for the creation of inspection programs. Kansas City Plant (KCP) personnel contributed to and influenced the development of dimensional metrology standards. Model-based engineering capabilities were expanded through the development of software for the tolerance analysis of piece parts and for the creation of model-based CMM inspection programs and inspection plans and through the purchase of off-the-shelf software for the tolerance analysis of mechanical assemblies. An obsolete database application used to track jobs in Precision Measurement was replaced by a web-based application with improved query and reporting capabilities. A potential project to address the transformation of the dimensional metrology enterprise at the Kansas City Plant was identified.

Lattice Boltzmann models simulate solute transport in porous media traversed by conduits. Resulting solute breakthrough curves are fitted with Continuous Time Random Walk models. Porous media are simulated by damping flow inertia and, when the damping is large enough, a Darcy's Law solution instead of the Navier-Stokes solution normally provided by the lattice Boltzmann model is obtained. Anisotropic dispersion is incorporated using a direction-dependent relaxation time. Our particular interest is to simulate transport processes outside the applicability of the standard Advection-Dispersion Equation (ADE) including eddy mixing in conduits. The ADE fails to adequately fit any of these breakthrough curves.

The KCP investigated milling, turning, and wire EDMing features at a micro-scale using existing equipment to find the limitations and hindrances to producing future designs.

Advertising linage report that details ad revenue from the Plainview Daily Herald, a Texas Daily Newspaper Association member, for September 2008.