The current trend in the steel industry is a gradual decline in conventional steelmaking from taconite pellets in blast furnaces, and an increasing number of alternative processes using metallic scrap iron, pig iron and metallized iron ore products. Currently, iron ores from Minnesota and Michigan are pelletized and shipped to the lower Great Lakes ports as blast furnace feed. The existing transportation system and infrastructure is geared to handling these bulk materials. In order to expand the opportunities for the existing iron ore mines beyond their blast furnace customer base, a new material is needed to satisfy the needs of the emerging steel industry while utilizing the existing infrastructure and materials handling. A recent commercial installation employing Kobe Steel’s ITmk3 process, was installed in Northeastern Minnesota. The basic process uses a moving hearth furnace to directly reduce iron oxides to metallic iron from a mixture of iron ore, coals and additives. The resulting products can be shipped using the existing infrastructure for use in various steelmaking processes. The technology reportedly saves energy by 30% over the current integrated steelmaking process and reduces emissions by more than 40%. A similar large-scale pilot plant campaign is also currently in progress using JFE …

The objective of this DOE SAI project is to demonstrate the feasibility of electrodeposited and solution-doped transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) such as zinc oxide with resistivity in the mid-10{sup -4} {Omega}-cm range. The target application is an 'on-top' TCO which can be deposited on semiconductors in thin-film and future solar cells including amorphous silicon, copper indium gallium selenide and emerging solar cells. There is no solution-prepared on-top TCO currently used in commercial solar cells. This project, if successful, will fill this gap. Our technical objectives include electrodeposited TCOs with (1) resistivity in the mid-10{sup -4} {Omega}-cm range, (2) post-deposition annealing below 300 C and (3) no-vacuum processing or low-vacuum processing. All the three research objectives listed above have been accomplished in the 14-month period from July 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010. The most noticeable accomplishments of this project are (1) identification of a terawatt-scale dopant for zinc oxide, i.e. yttrium, whose known reserve is enough for 60 peak terawatts of thin-film solar cells; (2) demonstration of a record-low resistivity, 6.3 x 10{sup -5} {Omega}-cm, in solution-deposited zinc oxide with an abundant dopant; and (3) the record-low resistivity was accomplished with a maximum process temperature of 300 C and without …

This study examines the characteristics of cement plants and their ability to shed or shift load to participate in demand response (DR). Relevant factors investigated include the various equipment and processes used to make cement, the operational limitations cement plants are subject to, and the quantities and sources of energy used in the cement-making process. Opportunities for energy efficiency improvements are also reviewed. The results suggest that cement plants are good candidates for DR participation. The cement industry consumes over 400 trillion Btu of energy annually in the United States, and consumes over 150 MW of electricity in California alone. The chemical reactions required to make cement occur only in the cement kiln, and intermediate products are routinely stored between processing stages without negative effects. Cement plants also operate continuously for months at a time between shutdowns, allowing flexibility in operational scheduling. In addition, several examples of cement plants altering their electricity consumption based on utility incentives are discussed. Further study is needed to determine the practical potential for automated demand response (Auto-DR) and to investigate the magnitude and shape of achievable sheds and shifts.

This report describes Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity. Industry Hemp is a variety of cannabis Sativa and is of the same plant marijuana. However, Hemp is genetically different and distinguished by its use and chemical makeup. Precise data are not available in the U.S market for Hemp based products.

This report discusses the Summary of 911 Legislative and Policy, Funding and Grants and Creating the Base for Change.

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This report discusses the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which created an Emergency Contingency Fund (ECF) within the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. The fund expired on September 30, 2010. It helped states, Indian tribes, and territories pay for additional costs of providing economic aid to families during the current economic downturn for FY2009 and FY2010. This report describes the TANF ECF as well as proposals offered in 2010 to extend and modify TANF emergency funding.

This report discusses the retirement benefits for federal employees that are governed by chapters 83 (CSRS) and 84 (FERS) of Title 5 of the United States Code.

The world is experiencing a shortage of helium-3, a rare isotope of helium with applications in homeland security, national security, medicine, industry, and science. Federal officials have testified that the shortage is acute and, unless alternatives are found, will affect federal investments in homeland security, scientific research, and other areas. This report discusses the nature of the shortage; federal actions undertaken so far to address it; current and potential sources of helium-3 and options for increasing the supply; current and projected uses of helium-3 and options for reducing the demand; and options for allocating the supply if it continues to fall short of demand.

This report looks at the effects of the Korean Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) on side agreements via the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

This report provides a background on organized crime in the United States as well as the tools that Congress has afforded for the federal government to combat it. It outlines the trends in federal efforts to investigate and prosecute organized crime. The report then discusses the evolving nature of organized crime, including the domestic impact of organized crime, prominent organized crime groups, and their illegal activities affecting the United States. It concludes with a discussion of issues that Congress may wish to consider, including the attention the federal government allocates to organized crime matters, the multilateral efforts to combat organized crime, and issues surrounding a potential nexus between organized crime and terrorism.

This report discusses the issues surrounding whether or not the U.S. should grant Russia permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) following its accession into the World Trade Organization (WTO). The change in Russia's trade status will require legislation to lift the restrictions of Title IV of the Trade Act of 1974 as they apply to Russia, which includes the "freedom-of-emigration" requirements of the Jackson-Vanik amendment.

This report gives a brief overview of funding gaps. The interval during the fiscal year when agency appropriations are not enacted into law, either in the form of a regular appropriations act or a continuing resolution (CR), is referred to as a funding gap. When a funding gap occurs, the federal government begins a shutdown of the affected agencies, entailing the prompt furlough of non-emergency personnel and curtailment of agency activities. The general practice of the federal government after the shutdown has ended has been to pay furloughed employees for time missed, even when no work was performed.

This report focuses on unemployment through layoffs. It sets forth the publicly available sources of information on layoffs and determines whether they provide data on the reasons that underlie those events (e.g., weak product demand, financial difficulty). The report next briefly provides a context for the offshore outsourcing phenomenon and its relationship to gross and net employment change. It then analyzes the trend in, severity of, and explanations of extended mass layoffs before concluding with an examination of those layoff events that involve movement-of work to foreign-based affiliates of the U.S. company that called the layoff or to foreign businesses, for example.

The role of natural gas in the U.S. economy is expected to be a major part of the debate over energy policy in the 112th Congress. This report briefly explains key aspects of global natural gas markets, including supply and demand, as well as major U.S. developments.

This report provides an overview of Iraq's political transition from the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein to a plural polity that encompasses varying sects and ideological and political factions. This report also addresses ongoing governmental instabilities and their causes, as well as U.S. concerns about possible Iranian influence in Iraq as U.S. forces depart the country.

This report discusses the reasons that Iran is considered a threat to U.S. security, including Iran's nuclear program, involvement with terrorist organizations, and involvement with neighboring countries' local governments. The report also discusses ways which the U.S. hopes to modify Iran's behavior with sanctions, and the effectiveness of these sanctions.

Free weekly newspaper that includes business and classified advertising.

Free weekly newspaper that includes business and classified advertising.

Free weekly newspaper that includes business and classified advertising.

Free weekly newspaper that includes business and classified advertising.

This article discusses a two-coordinate nickel imido complex that effects C-H amination.

Funeral program for Mrs. Hattie Wilson, born March 26, 1920 and died December 15, 2010. The funeral was held December 22, 2010 at Second Baptist Church, officiated by Rev. Dr. Robert L. Jemerson. Funeral arrangements were made through the Sutton-Sutton & Woodard's Mortuary, Inc., and she was buried in the Fort Sam Houston Cemetery near San Antonio, Texas.

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