Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Energy (Energy) and its predecessor agencies and contractors have employed thousands of people in the nuclear weapons production complex. Some employees were exposed to toxic substances, including radioactive and hazardous materials, during this work, and many subsequently developed illnesses. Subtitle D of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 allows Energy to help its contractor employees file state workers' compensation claims for illnesses determined by a panel of physicians to be caused by exposure to toxic substances in the course of employment at an Energy facility. Congress mandated that GAO study the effectiveness of the benefit program under Subtitle D of this Act. This testimony is based on GAO's ongoing work on this issue and focuses on four key areas: (1) the number, status, and characteristics of claims filed with Energy; (2) the extent to which Energy policies and procedures help employees file timely claims for these state benefits; (3) the extent to which there will be a "willing payer" of workers' compensation benefits, that is, an insurer who--by order from or agreement with Energy--will not contest these claims; and (4) a …

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The security of the nation's commercial aviation system has been a long-standing concern. Following the events of September 11, 2001, Congress enacted numerous aviation security improvements designed to strengthen aviation security, including the development of a passenger prescreening system and the federalization of airport screeners. Despite these changes, challenges continue to face the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) efforts to improve aviation security. GAO was asked to summarize the results of previous and ongoing aviation security work. These include: (1) the development of CAPPS II to assist in identifying high-risk passengers, (2) the management of passenger and baggage screening programs, (3) the operations of the Federal Air Marshal Service, and (4) other aviations security related efforts, such as cargo, that remain a concern."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The safety of the U.S. food supply is governed by a highly complex system of more than 30 laws administered by 12 agencies. In light of the recent focus on government reorganization, it is time to ask whether the current system can effectively and efficiently respond to today's challenges. At the request of the Subcommittee on Civil Service and Agency Organization, we reviewed and summarized our work on the safety and security of the food supply regarding (1) the fragmented legal and organizational structure of the federal food safety system, (2) the consequences of overlapping and inconsistent inspection and enforcement, and (3) options for consolidating food safety functions."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Effective tax administration requires a combination of quality customer service to help those who want to comply, and effective enforcement measures against those who do not. For the last few years, we have been reporting on improvements in taxpayer service and declines in enforcement. With respect to IRS's fiscal year 2005 budget request, the Subcommittee asked GAO to assess whether (1) IRS will be able to allocate more resources to enforcement, and (2) Business Systems Modernization (BSM) and other technology efforts will deliver cost savings and efficiencies in the immediate future. For the 2004 filing season performance, GAO was asked to assess IRS's performance in processing returns and providing assistance to taxpayers."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Computerized control systems perform vital functions across many of our nation's critical infrastructures. For example, in natural gas distribution, they can monitor and control the pressure and flow of gas through pipelines. In October 1997, the President's Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection emphasized the increasing vulnerability of control systems to cyber attacks. At the request of the House Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and the Census, this testimony will discuss GAO's March 2004 report on potential cyber vulnerabilities, focusing on (1) significant cybersecurity risks associated with control systems (2) potential and reported cyber attacks against these systems (3) key challenges to securing control systems, and (4) efforts to strengthen the cybersecurity of control systems."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Congress has established, or "designated," 24 national heritage areas to recognize the value of their local traditions, history, and resources to the nation's heritage. These areas, including public and private lands, receive funds and assistance through cooperative agreements with the National Park Service, which has no formal program for them. They also receive funds from other agencies and nonfederal sources, and are managed by local entities. Growing interest in new areas has raised concerns about rising federal costs and the risk of limits on private land use. GAO was asked to review the (1) process for designating heritage areas, (2) amount of federal funding to these areas, (3) process for overseeing areas' activities and use of federal funds, and (4) effects, if any, they have on private property rights."

Acrylamido-quinazolines substituted at the 6-position bindirreversibly to the intracellular ATP binding domain of the epidermalgrowth factor receptor (EGFR). A general route was developed forpreparing 6-substituted-4-anilinoquinazolines from [18F]fluoroanilinesfor evaluation as EGFR targeting agents with PET. By a cyclizationreaction, 2-[18F]fluoroaniline was reacted withN'-(2-cyano-4-nitrophenyl)-N,N-dimethylimidoformamide to produce6-nitro-4-(2-[18F]fluoroanilino)quinazoline in 27.5 percentdecay-corrected radiochemical yield. Acid mediated tin chloride reductionof the nitro group was achieved in 5 min (80 percent conversion) andsubsequent acylation with acrylic acid gave6-acrylamido-4-(2-[18F]fluoroanilino)quinazoline in 8.5 percentdecay-corrected radiochemical yield, from starting fluoride, in less than2 hours.

The DVD based integrated pulser combines the storage capacity and simplicity of DVD technology with commonly available electronic components to build a relatively inexpensive yet highly capable testing instrument. DVD technology has matured to the mass consumer level and has found widespread acceptance in many scientific, industrial, and consumers sectors. Coupling the removable media and relatively large data capacity with a simple electronic readout allows this device to be easy to build, export and authenticate. Since there are few parts and the heart of the device is a mass consumer item the duplication cost is very low.

This study is for in-situ investigation of chemical bonding and molecular structure of low z-elements and simple molecular solids at high pressures and temperatures using 3rd-generation synchrotron x-ray diffraction. To understand the contribution of the empty d-electron orbital of Mg in relation to the formation of molecular solids like MgO, which is one of the important Earth lower mantle materials and MgB{sub 2}, which has recently been the focus of intense superconducting material research, we have performed double-sided laser heating experiments using a diamond anvil cell (DAC). Understanding the structural stability and the formation of the above Mg-compounds requires studying Mg itself as well as the relevant compounds. BL10XU at the Spring-8 was used to study phase stability and make accurate equation of state (EOS) determinations of Mg coupled with external heating and the double-sided laser heating technique. Monochromatic x-ray at 30 keV (0.4135 {angstrom}) was focused to about 40 {micro}m at the sample and the diffracted x-ray were recorded using a high-resolution image plate (3000 x 3000 pixels with a 0.1 mm resolution per pixel). EOS parameters for hcp and bcc Mg were determined by fitting to a Birch-Murnaghan equation. An isothermal compression of Mg at 300 K up …

We propose the construction of a Silicon Vertex Tracker (VTX) for the PHENIX experiment at RHIC. The VTX will substantially enhance the physics capabilities of the PHENIX central arm spectrometers. Our prime motivation is to provide precision measurements of heavy-quark production (charm and beauty) in A+A, p(d)+A, and polarized p+p collisions. These are key measurements for the future RHIC program, both for the heavy ion program as it moves from the discovery phase towards detailed investigation of the properties of the dense nuclear medium created in heavy ion collisions, and for the exploration of the nucleon spin-structure functions. In addition, the VTX will also considerably improve other measurements with PHENIX. The main physics topics addressed by the VTX are: (1) Hot and dense strongly interacting matter--Potential enhancement of charm production; Open beauty production; Flavor dependence of jet quenching and QCD energy loss; Accurate charm reference for quarkonium; Thermal dilepton radiation; High p{sub T} phenomena with light flavors above 10-15 GeV/c in p{sub T}; and Upsilon spectroscopy in the e{sup +}e{sup -} decay channel. (2) Gluon spin structure of the nucleon--{Delta}G/G with charm; {Delta}G/G with beauty; and x dependence of {Delta}G/G with {gamma}-jet correlations. (3) Nucleon structure in nuclei--Gluon shadowing over …

The Joint URBAN 2003 field experiment took place in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, during July 2003 to explore the effect of an urban canopy on the transport and diffusion of a passive tracer released in an urban area. Over one hundred three-dimensional sonic anemometers were deployed in and around the urban area to monitor wind speed, direction, and turbulence during releases of SF6. Deployment locations include a profile of eight sonic anemometers mounted on a crane located 1 km north (typically downwind) of the central business district, and several surface meteorological towers within an urban canyon.

Video footage from the KXAS-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, to accompany a news story.

Video footage from the KXAS-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, to accompany a news story.

Video footage from the KXAS-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, to accompany a news story.

We have developed interatomic potentials for Pt-Ni and Pt-Re alloys within the modified embedded atom method (MEAM). Furthermore, we applied these potentials to study the equilibrium structures of Pt75Ni25 and Pt75Re25 nanoparticles at T=600 K using the Monte Carlo method. In this work, the nanoparticles are assumed to have disordered fcc cubo-octahedral shapes (terminated by {l_brace}111{r_brace} and {l_brace}100{r_brace} facets) and contain from 586 to 4033 atoms (corresponding to a diameter from 2.5 to 5 nm). It was found that, due to surface segregation, (1) the Pt75Ni25 nanoparticles form a surface-sandwich structure: the Pt atoms are enriched in the outermost and third atomic shells, while the Ni atoms are enriched in the second atomic shell; (2) the equilibrium Pt75Re25 nanoparticles adopt a core-shell structure: a Pt-enriched shell surrounding a Pt-deficient core.

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The objective of the project was to develop an improved method to quantify nonvolatile residues on surfaces and in liquids. The project accomplishments are summarized below: (1) ERA Systems, Inc., The MESERAN Company has designed, developed, built, evaluated, tested, and delivered MicroSolventEvaporator systems to KCP, Astro Pak, and Lockheed Martin, that automatically deposit and evaporate successive small quantities (5-10 microliters) of solvents onto clean reference surfaces. (2) ERA Systems, Inc., The MESERAN Company, and KCP have designed, procured, and evaluated stainless steel disks with specific machined grooves to be used as reference surfaces with the MicroSolventEvaporator and MESERAN Analyzers. (3) KCP evaluated various cleaning processes to easily clean the reference surfaces to acceptable levels. Even though some methods (or a combination of methods) may have worked better than others, an easy method that most companies could use to acceptably clean the disks was desired. Aqueous ultrasonic cleaning with Dirl Lum 603 (30 g per liter concentration) followed by flowing DI water and ultrasonic DI water rinses, nitrogen blow drying, and baking in a HEPA filtered oven at 220 F for 30 minutes proved to be a relatively simple method that most companies could use. (4) KCP developed calibrations of several …

This report was developed for the California Energy Commission to document industry input and LBNL research into research topics appropriate for public interest support. Industry experts identified research topics and along with LBNL findings, helped to prioritize the technical areas for future public interest research.

This report summarizes a two-year project, DE-FC07-01ID13983 that concerns the gating of aluminum castings in permanent molds. The main goal of the project is to improve the quality of aluminum castings produced in permanent molds. The approach taken was determine how the vertical type gating systems used for permanent mold castings can be designed to fill the mold cavity with a minimum of damage to the quality of the resulting casting. It is evident that somewhat different systems are preferred for different shapes and sizes of aluminum castings. The main problems caused by improper gating are entrained aluminum oxide films and entrapped gas. The project highlights the characteristic features of gating systems used in permanent mold aluminum foundries and recommends gating procedures designed to avoid common defects. The study also provides direct evidence on the filling pattern and heat flow behavior in permanent mold castings.

A charge patching method and an idealized surface passivation are used to calculate the single electronic states of IV-IV, III-V, II-VI semiconductor quantum dots up to a thousand atoms. This approach scales linearly and has a 1000 fold speed-up compared to direct first principle methods with a cost of eigen energy error of about 20 meV. The calculated quantum dot band gaps are parametrized for future references.

The work performed during the UCR Innovative Concepts phase I program was designed to demonstrate the chemical sensing capabilities of nano-cermet SPR bands at solid oxide fuel cell operating conditions. Key to this proposal is that the materials choice used a YSZ ceramic matrix which upon successful demonstration of this concept, will allow integration directly onto the SOFC stack. Under the Innovative Concepts Program the University at Albany Institute for Materials (UAIM)/UAlbany School of NanoSciences and NanoEngineering synthesized, analyzed and tested Pa, and Au doped YSZ nano-cermets as a function of operating temperature and target gas exposure (hydrogen, carbon monoxide and 1-dodecanethiol). During the aforementioned testing procedure the optical characteristics of the nano-cermets were monitored to determine the sensor selectivity and sensitivity.

Data Center facilities, prevalent in many industries and institutions are essential to California's economy. Energy intensive data centers are crucial to California's industries, and many other institutions (such as universities) in the state, and they play an important role in the constantly evolving communications industry. To better understand the impact of the energy requirements and energy efficiency improvement potential in these facilities, the California Energy Commission's PIER Industrial Program initiated this project with two primary focus areas: First, to characterize current data center electricity use; and secondly, to develop a research ''roadmap'' defining and prioritizing possible future public interest research and deployment efforts that would improve energy efficiency. Although there are many opinions concerning the energy intensity of data centers and the aggregate effect on California's electrical power systems, there is very little publicly available information. Through this project, actual energy consumption at its end use was measured in a number of data centers. This benchmark data was documented in case study reports, along with site-specific energy efficiency recommendations. Additionally, other data center energy benchmarks were obtained through synergistic projects, prior PG&E studies, and industry contacts. In total, energy benchmarks for sixteen data centers were obtained. For this project, a …

In the mid-1990s, a groundwater plume of uranium (U) was detected in monitoring wells in the B-BX-BY Waste Management Area (WMA) at the Hanford Site in Washington. This area has been used since the late 1940s to store high-level radioactive waste and other products of U fuel-rod processing. Using multiple collector ICP source magnetic sector mass spectrometry (MC ICPMS) high precision uranium isotopic analyses were conducted of samples of vadose zone contamination and of groundwater. The ratios {sup 236}U/{sup 238}U, {sup 234}U/{sup 238}U and {sup 238}U/{sup 235}U are used to distinguish contaminant sources. Based on the isotopic data, the source of the groundwater contamination appears to be related to a 1951 overflow event at tank BX-102 that spilled high level U waste into the vadose zone. The U isotopic variation of the groundwater plume is a result of mixing between contaminant U from this spill and natural background U. Vadose zone U contamination at tank B-110 likely predates the recorded tank leak and can be ruled out as a source of groundwater contamination, based on the U isotopic composition. The locus of vadose zone contamination is displaced from the initial locus of groundwater contamination, indicating that lateral migration in the …

Modular Pebble Bed Reactor (MPBR) is a high temperature gas-cooled nuclear power reactor currently under study as a next generation reactor system. In addition to its inherently safe design, a unique feature of this reactor is its multi-pass fuel circulation in which the fuel pebbles are randomly loaded and continuously cycled through the core until they reach their prescribed End-of-Life burn-up limit. Unlike the situation with a conventional light water reactor, depending solely on computational methods to perform in-core fuel management for MPBR will be highly inaccurate. An on-line measurement system is needed to accurately assess whether a given pebble has reached its End-of-Life burn-up limit and thereby provide an on-line, automated go/no-go decision on fuel disposition on a pebble-by-pebble basis. This project investigated approaches to analyzing fuel pebbles in real time using gamma spectroscopy and possibly using passive neutron counting of spontaneous fission neutrons to provide the speed, accuracy, and burn-up range required for burnup determination of MPBR. It involved all phases necessary to develop and construct a burn-up monitor, including a review of the design requirements of the system, identification of detection methodologies, modeling and development of potential designs, and finally, the construction and testing of an operational …