NASCSP has been providing The Orientation for New Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) State Directors and Staff yearly for the past four years. This report is a general description of the trainings and supporting documentation from the most recent event. The Orientation and Training provides attendees with a comprehensive overview of the WAP from the federal, state, and local perspectives. A variety of presenters make information available on a wide range of subjects deemed necessary to effectively operate the Program. During the first day of training, staff from the Department of Energy WAP office, NASCSP, the National Energy Assistance Director's Association, Economic Opportunity Studies, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory present materials and participate in open discussion with the attendees about the federal program requirements. Some of the day's subjects include: History of the WAP; Funding, Rules, Regulations, and Program Guidance Documents; WAP State Plan Application Process and Submission; Training and Technical Assistance Activity; Administration and Federal/State Monitoring Requirements; and National Significance of WAP and the Political Process. The second day focuses on implementation strategies for the Program. Presenters from state offices and local management provide their perspective on the following subjects: Utility Restructuring Integration Strategies; Program Expansion Issues; Integration of New …

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) estimated the fiscal year (FY) 2004 energy, environmental, and financial benefits (i.e., metrics) of the technologies and practices in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) former Office of Building Technology, State and Community Programs (BTS) within the DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). During the development of the estimates, EERE went through a large-scale reorganization, resulting in the reallocation of the former BTS projects (along with the other former offices) into two new Program Offices: the Office of Building Technologies Program (BT) and the Office of Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program (WIP). The remainder of this document will refer to these projects as BT/WIP for the sake of simplicity. This effort is referred to as GPRA Metrics because it stems from the requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993, which mandates the reporting of performance goals and measures. The benefits developed for EERE through the GPRA Metrics effort are submitted to EERE's Office of Planning, Budget Formulation, and Analysis (PBFA) as part of EERE's budget request. The GPRA estimates are also used in the formulation of EERE's performance measures. This report includes sections that detail the approach and methodology …

This project had two major tasks: Task 1. The construction of a new air/helium facility to collect detailed measurements of Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) mixing at high Atwood number, and the distribution of these data to LLNL, LANL, and Alliance members for code validation and design purposes. Task 2. The collection of initial condition data from the new Air/Helium facility, for use with validation of RT simulation codes at LLNL and LANL. This report describes work done in the last twelve (12) months of the project, and also contains a summary of the complete work done over the three (3) life of the project. As of April 1, 2006, the air/helium facility (Task 1) is now complete and extensive testing and validation of diagnostics has been performed. Initial condition studies (Task 2) is also comp lete. Detailed experiments with air/helium with Atwood numbers up to 0.1 have been completed, and Atwood numbers of 0.25. Within the last three (3) months we have been able to successfully run the facility at Atwood numbers of 0.5. The progress matches the project plan, as does the budget. We have finished the initial condition studies using the water channel, and this work has been accepted for …

This report discusses the experimental program conducted at ANL to study the performance of in-situ-formed magnetite for the removal of Sr, Pu, Np, U, Am, and Cs from the Savannah River Site (SRS) tank waste. The boundaries for the experimental work were defined based on the operational envelope developed earlier in collaboration with SRS. In situ formed ''magnetite'' is actually a mixture of Fe(II) and Fe(III) oxides and hydroxides, including magnetite. Decontamination factor (DF) values were measured for both magnetite and monosodium titanate (MST). Magnetite DF values were found to be superior to MST for all isotopes studied. DF values for Pu, Np, and Sr, achieved within 30 minutes of magnetite formation were orders of magnitude larger than the needed values. DF values for U and Am were less than the former three but still acceptable, and greater than MST. DF values for Cs were very low. Conditions were found under which magnetite filtered rapidly and faster than MST. Further tests are needed to make concrete conclusions on the magnetite performance relative to MST in a cross-flow filtration setup.

The focus of this contract was to investigate selected aspects of the atmospheric chemistry of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted into the atmosphere from energy-related sources as well as from biogenic sources. The classes of VOCs studied were polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitro-PAHs, the biogenic VOCs isoprene, 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol and cis-3-hexen-1-ol, alkenes (including alkenes emitted from vegetation) and their oxygenated atmospheric reaction products, and a series of oxygenated carbonyl and hydroxycarbonyl compounds formed as atmospheric reaction products of aromatic hydrocarbons and other VOCs. Large volume reaction chambers were used to investigate the kinetics and/or products of photolysis and of the gas-phase reactions of these organic compounds with hydroxyl (OH) radicals, nitrate (NO3) radicals, and ozone (O3), using an array of analytical instrumentation to analyze the reactants and products (including gas chromatography, in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and direct air sampling atmospheric pressure ionization tandem mass spectrometry). The following studies were carried out. The photolysis rates of 1- and 2-nitronaphthalene and of eleven isomeric methylnitronaphthalenes were measured indoors using blacklamp irradiation and outdoors using natural sunlight. Rate constants were measured for the gas-phase reactions of OH radicals, Cl atoms and NO3 radicals with naphthalene, 1- and 2-methylnaphthalene, 1- and 2-ethylnaphthalene …

In the spring of 2002, Argonne National Laboratory founded the Laboratory Computing Resource Center, and in April 2003 LCRC began full operations with Argonne's first teraflops computing cluster. The LCRC's driving mission is to enable and promote computational science and engineering across the Laboratory, primarily by operating computing facilities and supporting application use and development. This report describes the scientific activities, computing facilities, and usage in the first eighteen months of LCRC operation. In this short time LCRC has had broad impact on programs across the Laboratory. The LCRC computing facility, Jazz, is available to the entire Laboratory community. In addition, the LCRC staff provides training in high-performance computing and guidance on application usage, code porting, and algorithm development. All Argonne personnel and collaborators are encouraged to take advantage of this computing resource and to provide input into the vision and plans for computing and computational analysis at Argonne. Steering for LCRC comes from the Computational Science Advisory Committee, composed of computing experts from many Laboratory divisions. The CSAC Allocations Committee makes decisions on individual project allocations for Jazz.

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Executive Summary The materials science understanding of high rate low cost processes for Coated Conductor will benefit the application to power utilities for low loss energy transportation and power generation as well for DOD applications. The research in this program investigated several materials processing approaches that are new and original, and are not being investigated elsewhere. This work added to the understanding of the material science of high rate PVD growth of HTSC YBCO assisted by a liquid phase. A new process discovered uses amorphous glassy precursors which can be made at high rate under flexible conditions of temperature and oxygen, and later brought to conditions of oxygen partial pressure and temperature for rapid conversion to YBCO superconductor. Good critical current densities were found, but further effort is needed to optimize the vortex pinning using known artificial inclusions. A new discovery of the physics and materials science of vortex pinning in the HTSC system using Sm in place of Y came at growth at unusually low oxygen pressure resulting in clusters of a low or non superconducting phase within the nominal high temperature phase. The driving force for this during growth is new physics, perhaps due to the low oxygen. …

This proposal is part of a series of proposals, funded by the NSF and DOE, to develop novel, high wavelength methods to monitor the beam-beam interaction at the International Linear Collider.

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Congress considered a variety of tax issues over the course of 2004. Some of these were relatively narrow, applying to particular sectors or activities: energy taxation, charitable giving and charities, Internet taxation, tax shelters, and a variety of expiring tax benefits that apply to particular investments or activities. More prominent, however, were two more general issues that were the focus of tax policy deliberations for much of the year: domestic and international business taxation; and the extension of temporary tax cuts for individuals that were initially enacted in 2001 and in 2003.

This report discusses issues debated in the 107th Congress while is considering various proposals to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). Major issues in recent years have included changing the role of science in decision-making, changing the role of critical habitat, reducing conflicts with Department of Defense activities, incorporating further protection for property owners, and increasing protection of listed species, among others. In addition, many have advocated including significant changes to ESA regulations made during the Clinton Administration in the law itself.

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This report provides an overview of S. 2290, 108th Congress, the Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act of 2004 (or FAIR Act of 2004). The bill is a revised version of S. 1125, 108th Congress, and would create the Office of Asbestos Disease Compensation to award damages to asbestos claimants on a no-fault basis. Asbestos claims could no longer be filed or pursued under state law, except for the enforcement of judgments no longer subject to any appeal or judicial review before the date of enactment of the bill.

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Report on the mentorship programs aimed at disadvantaged youth, including program issues, evaluations, funding, history, and more.

Manganese carbonyl complexes serve as hydrosilation precatalysts for selectively transforming a carbonyl group into a siloxy methylene or a fully reduced methylene group. Substrates of interest include (1) aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, silyl esters, and esters, and (2) their organometallic acyl counterparts. Three relevant catalytic reactions are shown. Two types of manganese precatalysts have been reported: (a) alkyl and acyl complexes (L)(C0){sub 4}MnR [L = CO, PPh{sub 3}; R = COCH{sub 3}, COPh, CH{sub 3}] and (b) halides (CO){sub 5}MnX and [(CO){sub 4}MnX]{sub 2} (X = Br, I). The former promote hydrosilation and deoxygenation catalysis; the latter promote dehydrogenative silation of alcohols and carboxylic acids as well as hydrosilation and deoxygenation of some metallocarboxylic acid derivatives. In every case studied, these Mn precatalysts are far more reactive or selective than traditional Rh(I) precatalysts.

Manganese carbonyl complexes serve as hydrosilation precatalysts for selectively transforming a carbonyl group into a doxy methylene or a fully reduced methylene group. Substrates of interest include (1) aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, silyl esters, and esters, and (2) their organometallic acyl counterparts. Two types of manganese precatalysts have been reported: (a) alkyl and acyl complexes (L)(CO){sub 4}MnR [L = CO, PPh{sub 3}; R = COCH{sub 3}, COPh, CH{sub 3}] and (b) halides (CO){sub 5}MnX and [(CO){sub 4}MnX]{sub 2} (X = Br, I). The former promote hydrosilation and deoxygenation catalysis; the latter promote dehydrogenative silation of alcohols and carboxylic acids as well as hydrosilation and deoxygenation of some metallocarboxylic acid derivatives. In every case studied, these Mn precatalysts are far more reactive or selective than traditional Rh(l) precatalysts. The reaction chemistry of the above and other Mn alkyl complexes with hydrosilanes was studied in order to probe catalysis mechanism(s). Thus, Mn(CO){sub 5} methyl, benzyl, acetyl, and benzoyl (4 p-substituents) complexes reacted with hydrosilines by four different mechanisms, which were established. A noteworthy development was that the methyl and benzoyl complexes gave moderate yields of a new ({eta}{sup 2}-Si-H) silane adduct (CO){sub 4}Mn(SiMe{sub 2}Ph)(H-SiMe{sub 2}Ph), which is stable in the presence of …

Upon opening package 9975-01819 following approximately 5.5 years storage in KAMS, it was observed that the fiberboard was moldy, and the total height of the fiberboard assemblies was less than normal. Observations and measurements have since been made on three subsequent occasions. The available information indicates that the package contained approximately 2.5 liters of water in excess of what would normally exist within the fiberboard. This excess moisture led to a significant loss of fiberboard strength, the subsequent compression of the bottom layers, and the growth of mold observed on both the upper and lower fiberboard assemblies. In its current state, the fiberboard from this package retains a density (related to the criticality control function) within the range measured in other packages. The amount of excess moisture present is modest throughout most of the fiberboard, and its effect on thermal conductivity should be small. The thermal conductivity should increase significantly only near the bottom of the lower fiberboard assembly where the majority of excess moisture was found. The impact absorption capability is affected, and the ability of the fiberboard to perform this function in the current state must be evaluated. The longer such a condition persists, the greater the impact …

This Final Technical Report provides an account of the project for the demonstration of Black Liquor Gasification at Georgia-Pacific LLC's Big Island, VA facility. This report covers the period from May 5, 2000 through November 30, 2006.

As directed by a written development plan (CRWMS M&O 1999a), a conceptual model for water entering the drift and reacting with the invert materials is to be developed. The purpose of this conceptual model is to assist Performance Assessment Operations (PAO) and its Engineered Barrier Performance Department in modeling the geochemical environment within a repository drift, thus allowing PAO to provide a more detailed and complete in-drift geochemical model abstraction, and to answer the key technical issues (KTI) raised in the NRC Issue Resolution Status Report (IRSR) for the Evolution of the Near-Field Environment (NFE), Revision 2 (NRC 1999). This AMR also seeks to: (1) Develop a logical conceptual model for physical/chemical interactions between seepage and the invert materials; (2) screen potential processes and reactions that may occur between seepage and invert to evaluate the potential consequences of the interactions; and (3) outline how seepage/invert processes may be quantified. This document provides the conceptual framework for screening out insignificant processes and for identifying and evaluating those seepage/invert interactions that have the potential to be important to subsequent PAO analyses including the Engineered Barrier System (EBS) physical and chemical model abstraction effort. This model has been developed to serve as a …

During the contract period, absolute cross sections for projectile ionization, and in some cases for target ionization, were measured for energetic (MeV/u) low-charge-state heavy ions interacting with gases typically found in high and ultra-high vacuum environments. This information is of interest to high-energy-density research projects as inelastic interactions with background gases can lead to serious detrimental effects when intense ion beams are accelerated to high energies, transported and possibly confined in storage rings. Thus this research impacts research and design parameters associated with projects such as the Heavy Ion Fusion Project, the High Current and Integrated Beam Experiments in the USA and the accelerator upgrade at GSI-Darmstadt, Germany. Via collaborative studies performed at GSI-Darmstadt, at the University of East Carolina, and Texas A&M University, absolute cross sections were measured for a series of collision systems using MeV/u heavy ions possessing most, or nearly all, of their bound electrons, e.g., 1.4 MeV/u Ar{sup +}, Xe{sup 3+}, and U{sup 4,6,10+}. Interactions involving such low-charge-state heavy ions at such high energies had never been previously explored. Using these, and data taken from the literature, an empirical model was developed for extrapolation to much higher energies. In order to extend our measurements to much …

This report focuses on current developments in Taiwan, analyzing how those developments are affecting choices the United States makes about its policy toward Taiwan specifically and toward the People's Republic of China (PRC) more broadly.