An approach using positron emission tomography (PET) was developed, validated and used to measure myocardial fatty acid metabolism in patients with inherited forms of heart failure. Abnormalities were correlated with the severity of the clinical illness. The approach developed was also shown to identify abnormalities in myocardial fatty acid metabolism in some patients with acquired forms of heart failure. The PET technique thus permits identification of abnormal fatty acid metabolism and provides an approach to evaluate the efficacy of interventional strategies.

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This report discusses what a farm bill is and the process of renewing one every year. This report specifically covers the farm bill for 2002 and the issues that come with it. Moreover, the report highlights the importance of exports within the U.S. agricultural economy and how this is a key interest in the renewal of farm bills.

The production and handling in 1999 of about 200 million kilograms of bromine plus substantial derivatives thereof by Great Lakes Chemical Corp. and Albemarle Corporation in their southern Arkansas refineries gave OSHA Occupational Injury/Illness Rates (OIIR) in the range of 0.74 to 1.60 reportable OIIRs per 200,000 man hours. OIIRs for similar industries and a wide selection of other U.S. industries range from 1.6 to 23.9 in the most recent OSHA report. Occupational fatalities for the two companies in 1999 were zero compared to a range in the U.S.of zero for all computer manufacturing to 0.0445 percent for all of agriculture, forestry and fishing in the most recent OSHA report. These results show that bromine and its compounds can be considered as safe chemicals as a result of the bromine safety standards and practices at the two companies. The use of hydrobromic acid as an electrical energy storage medium in reversible PEM fuel cells is discussed. A study in 1979 of 20 megawatt halogen working fluid power plants by Oronzio de Nora Group found such energy to cost 2 to 2.5 times the prevailing base rate at that time. New conditions may reduce this relative cost. The energy storage aspect …

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This Corrective Action Investigation Plan contains the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Operations Office's approach to collect the data necessary to evaluate corrective action alternatives appropriate for the closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 271 under the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order. Corrective Action Unit 271 consists of 15 Corrective Action Sites (CASs) including: thirteen Septic Systems (25-04-01, 25-04-03, 25-04-04, 25-04-08, 25-04-09, 25-04-10, 25-04-11, 26-04-01, 26-04-02, 26-05-03, 26-05-04, 26-05-05, and 27-05-02), one Contaminated Water Reservoir (26-03-01), and one Radioactive Leachfield (26-05-01). The CASs addressed by CAU 271 are located at Guard Station 500, the Reactor Control Point (RCP), Bare Reactor Experiment - Nevada Tower, and Engine Test State-1 (ETS-1) facilities in Area 25; the Port Gaston and Project Pluto facilities in Area 26; and the Baker Site in Area 27 of the Nevada Test Site. Between 1 958 and 1973, the RCP and ETS-1 facilities supported the development and testing of nuclear reactors for space propulsion as part of the Nuclear Rocket Development Station. The Project Pluto facilities supported nuclear reactor testing for use as a ramjet propulsion system between 1961 and 1964, followed by similar use for other projects through the early 1980s. The …

The estimation of time-activity curves and kinetic model parameters directly from projection data is potentially useful for clinical dynamic single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) studies, particularly in those clinics that have only single-detector systems and thus are not able to perform rapid tomographic acquisitions. Because the radiopharmaceutical distribution changes while the SPECT gantry rotates, projections at different angles come from different tracer distributions. A dynamic image sequence reconstructed from the inconsistent projections acquired by a slowly rotating gantry can contain artifacts that lead to biases in kinetic parameters estimated from time-activity curves generated by overlaying regions of interest on the images. If cone beam collimators are used and the focal point of the collimators always remains in a particular transaxial plane, additional artifacts can arise in other planes reconstructed using insufficient projection samples [1]. If the projection samples truncate the patient's body, this can result in additional image artifacts. To overcome these sources of bias in conventional image based dynamic data analysis, we and others have been investigating the estimation of time-activity curves and kinetic model parameters directly from dynamic SPECT projection data by modeling the spatial and temporal distribution of the radiopharmaceutical throughout the projected field of view …

Funding was provided for US participants in the 5th International Marine Biotechnology Conference held in Townsville, Australia from September 29 to October 5, 2000. DOE funds were used for travel awards for six US participants in this conference. DOE funds were successfully used to advance participation of US scientists in the important emerging field of marine biotechnology.

A novel method to calculate the neoclassical radial electric field in stellarator plasmas is described. The method, which does not have the inconvenience of large statistical fluctuations (noise) of standard Monte Carlo technique, is based on the variation of the combined parallel and perpendicular pressures on a magnetic surface. Using a three-dimensional gyrokinetic delta f code, the calculation of the radial electric field in the National Compact Stellarator Experiment has been carried out. It is shown that a direct evaluation of radial electric field based on a direct calculation of the radial particle flux is not tractable due to the considerable noise.

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Long-term processes of cathodoluminescence degradation of thin film phosphors Zn{sub 2}SiO{sub 4}:Ti and Zn{sub 2}GeO{sub 4}:Mn were investigated in a wide range of e-beam energies, current and power densities. The time dependencies describing decreasing of emission intensity have been found. At high-level densities of e-beam irradiation the specific behavior of long-term degradation processes was observed, which is characteristic with rapid degradation at initial stage and slow consequent decrease of intensity. The most probable mechanisms responsible for long-term processes of degradation in investigated phosphors are proposed.

Document issued according to Work Release KI-WR04RTP. P. 00-1 describes physics tasks that are included in the current version of ''Roadmap.Level 2'' concerning Reactor tasks of Weapon-grade plutonium disposition problem for VVER-1000. On this base the objective is to identify the physical tasks in FY2000 and in future as a part of global activities on weapon-grade MOX fuel introduction into VVER-1000.

In mid-2000, the Reactor Physics Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) purchased a new version of the HELIOS, assembly-level reactor physics computer program (version 1.6). While the authors of the HELIOS program had performed validation and verification studies and compared results to versions 1.4 and 1.5, geometries and materials similar to those expected for mixed oxide fuel (MOX) in Russian water-water energetic reactors (VVER) had not been investigated. The studies reported in this document are a program-specific supplement to the work performed by the computer program authors and are performed to comply with quality assurance procedures of the Reactor Physics Group of ORNL. There were two goals for these studies. First, quantify the differences in nuclide inventories or other physics parameters, such as multiplication factors, due to the use of version 1.6 instead of 1.4. Second, determine if results from the version 1.6 design library (a 45 energy group library) differed significantly (meaning absolute value of the difference greater than or equal to 1%) from values obtained with the 190 group master library. Changes in nuclide inventories and multiplication factors are dependent on the system studied (whether U.S. or Russian reactors) and the type of fuel (whether low-enriched or …

A comprehensive experimental laboratory study has been conducted on the thermal performance of reflective insulation systems. The goal of this study was to develop test and evaluation protocols and to obtain thermal performance data on a selected number of idealized and commercial systems containing reflective airspaces for use in analytical models. Steady-state thermal resistance has been measured on 17 different test panels using two guarded hot boxes. Additional instrumentation was installed to measure the temperature of critical locations inside the test panels. The test parameters which have been studied are heat flow direction (horizontal, up, and down), number of airspaces comprising the cavity, airspace effective emittance, airspace aspect ratio, airspace mean temperature and temperature difference, and the thermal resistance of the stud material. Tests have also been performed on similar constructions with mass insulation. Two one-dimensional calculation techniques (ASHRAE and proposed ASTM) have been employed to determine the cavity thermal resistance from the measured test panel results. The measured cavity thermal resistance is compared with literature data which is commonly employed to calculate the thermal resistance of reflective airspace assemblies. A consumer-oriented handbook pertaining to reflective insulation for building and commercial applications has also been prepared as part of this …

Review and test speeds of various encryption technologies using Entrust Software. Multiple encryption algorithms are included in the product. Algorithms tested were IDEA, CAST, DES, and RC2. Test consisted of taking a 7.7 MB Word document file which included complex graphics and timing encryption, decryption and signing. Encryption is discussed in the GIAC Kickstart section: Information Security: The Big Picture--Part VI.

To develop defense-in-depth computer security, an understanding of various vulnerabilities must be realized before a protection strategy is developed. One element to minimize vulnerabilities is to develop computer security policies, and these policies must be in practice. In addition, risk assessments should be performed, and the highest risk-factor vulnerabilities must be eliminated promptly. A commonly accepted computer security policy usually starts with a firewall being established at the company's Internet connection. A next step could be host scanning or network intrusion detection systems within the organization. Also for consideration is ''backdoor'' access to the network via modem connections from other networks. Policies should extend to routine backups for critical data. Additional protection can be installed with host-based intrusion detection systems to protect against the ''insider threat'' or access through the firewall. However, to establish an effective host-based intrusion detection system, knowledge of the services and applications that open ports on the system is a necessity.

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Sub-Saharan Africa has been far more severely affected by AIDS than any other part of the world. The United Nations reports that 25.3 million adults and children are infected with the HIV virus in the region, which has about 10% of the world's population but more than 70% of the worldwide total of infected people. This report discusses this issue in detail, including the cause of the African AIDS epidemic, the social and economic consequences, response and treatment, and U.S. policy.

This report discusses how the decisions made by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in July 1997 impacted the process by which decisions are made by the agency. The new standards were subject to litigation, oversight hearings, and a Supreme Court ruling. Moreover, issues concerning implementation of the proposed air quality standards were raised.

Appropriations are one part of a complex federal budget process that includes budget resolutions, appropriations (regular, supplemental, consolidated, and continuing) bills, rescissions, and budget reconciliation bills. This report is a guide to one of the 13 regular appropriations bills that Congress considers each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittees.

There is a likelihood of large reserves of crude oil and natural gas in the Caspian Sea region, and a consequent large increase in oil and natural gas production from that area. Because diversity of energy sources is a consideration in Congressional deliberations on energy policy, this prospect could play a role in such discussions. However, there are notable obstacles to increases in Caspian Sea region production of oil and gas that may slow development.

LLM-105 (2,6-diamino-3,5-dinitropyrazine-1-oxide) is a new molecule which has performance and insensitivity between those of HMX and TATB. Its calculated energy content is about 85% that of HMX and 15% more than that of TATB. It is thermally stable, insensitive to shock, spark and friction and has impact insensitivity level approaching that of TATB. These combined properties make it a realistic high-performance IHE material, attractive for applications that require moderate performance and insensitivity. Several morphologies of LLM-105 and plastic-bonded formulations containing these materials and another binder were prepared and characterized. Their physical properties and detonation spreading characteristics are compared to those of ultrafine TATB. The impact sensitivity (drop hammer results) is sensitive to particle morphologies. Detonation-spreading, spot-size tests on LLM-105 compositions showed higher energy output and superior divergence behavior than is observed for ultrafine TATB. The small-scale safety data, pressing characteristics and results from divergence experiments will be summarized.

Several dairy issues that were debated during the 108th Congress are expected to continue as issues of interest in the 109th Congress. Separate bills were introduced in the 108th Congress to extend authority for both the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) Program and the dairy forward pricing pilot program, and to address dairy producer concerns about the importation of milk protein concentrates.