Membership status report for the Texas Daily Newspaper Association board of directors meeting on July 13, 2006 at the Headliners Club, in Austin, Texas. The document states that TDNA expects to receive $410,103 in member dues for 2006 - $390,623 from newspapers and $19,480 from associate members. The report gives details on the associates who were billed dues but have not yet paid.

A membership services report of the Texas Daily Newspaper Association board of directors meeting, July 13, 2006 at the Headliners Club in Austin, Texas. The document details the many ways that the association will help their members through various services, benefiting the Texas newspapers both directly and indirectly.

We show that there exists an exponentially large discretuum of vacua in G{sub 2}-compactifications of M-theory without flux. In M-theory-inspired G{sub 2}-MSSM, quantities relevant for particle physics remain virtually insensitive to large variations of the vacuum energy across the landscape. The purely non-perturbative vacua form a special subset of a more general class of vacua containing fractional Chern-Simons contributions. The cosmological constant can be dynamically neutralized via a chain of transitions interpolated by fractional gauge instantons describing spontaneous nucleation of M2-brane domain walls. Each transition is generically accompanied by a gauge symmetry breaking in some sector of the theory. In particular, the visible sector GUT symmetry breaking can likewise be triggered by a spontaneous nucleation of an M2-brane.

The tidal freshwater monitoring (TFM) project reported herein is part of the research, monitoring, and evaluation effort developed by the Action Agencies (Bonneville Power Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers [USACE], and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation) in response to obligations arising from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as a result of operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System. The project is being performed under the auspices of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council's Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Program (Project No. 2005-001-00). The research is a collaborative effort among the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the University of Washington. The overarching goal of the TFM project is to bridge the gap in knowledge between tidal freshwater habitats and the early life history attributes of migrating salmon. The research questions include: In what types of habitats within the tidal freshwater area of the Columbia River are juvenile salmon found, when are they present, and under what environmental conditions? What is the ecological contribution of shallow (0-5 m) tidal freshwater habitats to the recovery of ESA-listed salmon in the Columbia River basin? Field data collection for the …

Gas storage is a critical element in the natural gas industry. Producers, transmission & distribution companies, marketers, and end users all benefit directly from the load balancing function of storage. The unbundling process has fundamentally changed the way storage is used and valued. As an unbundled service, the value of storage is being recovered at rates that reflect its value. Moreover, the marketplace has differentiated between various types of storage services, and has increasingly rewarded flexibility, safety, and reliability. The size of the natural gas market has increased and is projected to continue to increase towards 30 trillion cubic feet (TCF) over the next 10 to 15 years. Much of this increase is projected to come from electric generation, particularly peaking units. Gas storage, particularly the flexible services that are most suited to electric loads, is critical in meeting the needs of these new markets. In order to address the gas storage needs of the natural gas industry, an industry-driven consortium was created--the Gas Storage Technology Consortium (GSTC). The objective of the GSTC is to provide a means to accomplish industry-driven research and development designed to enhance operational flexibility and deliverability of the Nation's gas storage system, and provide a …

This project unites expertise at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Texas Tech University (TTU, Prof. Richard A. Bartsch) to answer fundamental questions addressing the problem of cesium removal from high-level tank waste. Efforts focus on novel solvent-extraction systems containing calixcrown extractants designed for enhanced cesium binding and release. Exciting results are being obtained in three areas: (1) a new lipophilic cesium extractant with a high solubility in the solvent; (2) new proton-ionizable calixcrowns that both strongly extract cesium and ''switch off'' when protonated; and (3) an improved solvent system that may be stripped with more than 100-fold greater efficiency. Scientific questions primarily concern how to more effectively reverse extraction, focusing on the use of amino groups and proton-ionizable groups to enable pH-switching. Synthesis is being performed at ORNL (amino calixcrowns) and TTU (proton-ionizable calixcrowns). At ORNL, the extraction behavior is being surveyed to assess the effectiveness of candidate solvent systems, and systematic distribution measurements are under way to obtain a thermodynamic understanding of partitioning and complexation equilibria. Crystal structures obtained at ORNL are revealing the structural details of cesium binding. The overall objective is a significant advance in the predictability and efficiency of cesium extraction from high-level waste in …

In this paper we perform a new estimate of the high energy neutrinos expected from GRBs associated with the first generation of stars in light of new models and constraints on the epoch of reionization and a more detailed evaluation of the neutrino emission yields. We also compare the diffuse high energy neutrino background from Population III stars with the one from ''ordinary stars'' (Population II), as estimated consistently within the same cosmological and astrophysical assumptions. In disagreement with previous literature, we find that high energy neutrinos from Population III stars will not be observable with current or near future neutrino telescopes, falling below both IceCube sensitivity and atmospheric neutrino background under the most extreme assumptions for the GRB rate. This rules them out as a viable diagnostic tool for these still elusive metal-free stars.

In this volume (I), all P-wave measurements are presented that were performed in Borehole C4993 at the Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) with T-Rex as the seismic source and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) 3-D wireline geophone as the at-depth borehole receiver. P-wave measurements were performed over the depth range of 370 to 1400 ft, typically in 10-ft intervals. However, in some interbeds, 5-ft depth intervals were used, while below about 1200 ft, depth intervals of 20 ft were used. Compression (P) waves were generated by moving the base plate of T-Rex for a given number of cycles at a fixed frequency as discussed in Section 2. This process was repeated so that signal averaging in the time domain was performed using 3 to about 15 averages, with 5 averages typically used. In addition to the LBNL 3-D geophone, called the lower receiver herein, a 3-D geophone from Redpath Geophysics was fixed at a depth of 22 ft in Borehole C4993, and a 3-D geophone from the University of Texas was embedded near the borehole at about 1.5 ft below the ground surface. This volume is organized into 12 sections as follows: Section 1: Introduction, Section 2: Explanation of Terminology, …

There are two principal concerns that govern the use of lubricants in NIF: (1) Airborne molecular contaminants (AMCs)--AMCs are known to seriously degrade the performance of sol-gel coated optics. AMCs are produced by the slow outgassing of residues (non-volatile residues or ''NVRs'') of high molecular weight compounds left on surfaces. Lubricants, particularly hydrocarbon lubricants, are a primary source of such NVRs. (2) Particulates--Particulates that accumulate on optical surfaces can cause permanent physical damage when exposed to high energy density laser light. Lubricant residues exposed to high energy density light will pyrolyze or decompose and produce carbon particulates. The NIF Approved Materials Database lists several lubricants that have been tested for use in NIF environments. Many of these lubricants were tested according to MELs 99-006 (oven outgassing test) or 99-007 (vacuum outgassing test). In these tests, the change in percent transmission of light through a sol-gel coated optic placed next to the sample under evaluation is used as the diagnostic. Samples that cause less than 0.1% change in optical transmission are deemed suitable for use inside beam enclosures. This testing, however, addresses only the concern associated with AMCs. To assess the issue of particle generation, a flashlamp or ''aerosol'' test is …

In this volume (II), all P-wave measurements are presented that were performed in Borehole C4996 at the Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) with T-Rex as the seismic source and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) 3-D wireline geophone as the at-depth borehole receiver. P-wave measurements were performed over the depth range of 360 to 1400 ft, typically in 10-ft intervals. However, in some interbeds, 5-ft depth intervals were used, while below about 1180 ft, depth intervals of 20 ft were used. Compression (P) waves were generated by moving the base plate of T-Rex for a given number of cycles at a fixed frequency as discussed in Section 2. This process was repeated so that signal averaging in the time domain was performed using 3 to about 15 averages, with 5 averages typically used. In addition to the LBNL 3-D geophone, called the lower receiver herein, a 3-D geophone from Redpath Geophysics was fixed at a depth of 22 ft in Borehole C4996, and a 3-D geophone from the University of Texas was embedded near the borehole at about 1.5 ft below the ground surface. This volume is organized into 12 sections as follows: Section 1: Introduction, Section 2: Explanation of Terminology, …

This procedure provides guidelines and techniques for analyzing and trending data using statistical methods for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). This procedure outlines the steps used in data analysis and trending. It includes guidelines for performing data analysis and for monitoring (or controlling) processes using performance indicators. This procedure is used when trending and analyzing item characteristics and reliability, process implementation, and other quality-related information to identify items, services, activities, and processes needing improvement, in accordance with 10 CFR Part 830, Subpart A, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Order 414.1C, and University of California (UC) Assurance Plan for LBNL. Trend codes, outlined in Attachment 4, are assigned to issues at the time of initiation and entry into the Corrective Action Tracking System (CATS) database in accordance with LBNL/PUB-5519 (1), Issues Management Program Manual. Throughout this procedure, the term performance is used to encompass all aspects of performance including quality, timeliness, efficiency, effectiveness, and reliability. Data analysis tools are appropriate whenever quantitative information describing the performance of an item, service, or process can be obtained.

This document presents the technical justification for choosing and using propane as a calibration standard for estimating total flammable volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in an air matrix. A propane-in-nitrogen standard was selected based on a number of criteria: (1) has an analytical response similar to the VOCs of interest, (2) can be made with known accuracy and traceability, (3) is available with good purity, (4) has a matrix similar to the sample matrix, (5) is stable during storage and use, (6) is relatively non-hazardous, and (7) is a recognized standard for similar analytical applications. The Waste Retrieval Project (WRP) desires a fast, reliable, and inexpensive method for screening the flammable VOC content in the vapor-phase headspace of waste containers. Table 1 lists the flammable VOCs of interest to the WRP. The current method used to determine the VOC content of a container is to sample the container's headspace and submit the sample for gas chromatography--mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The driver for the VOC measurement requirement is safety: potentially flammable atmospheres in the waste containers must be allowed to diffuse prior to processing the container. The proposed flammable VOC screening method is to inject an aliquot of the headspace sample into …

The proposed International Linear Collider (ILC) is well-suited for discovering physics beyond the Standard Model and for precisely unraveling the structure of the underlying physics. The physics return can be maximized by the use of polarized beams. This report shows the paramount role of polarized beams and summarizes the benefits obtained from polarizing the positron beam, as well as the electron beam. The physics case for this option is illustrated explicitly by analyzing reference reactions in different physics scenarios. The results show that positron polarization, combined with the clean experimental environment provided by the linear collider, allows to improve strongly the potential of searches for new particles and the identification of their dynamics, which opens the road to resolve shortcomings of the Standard Model. The report also presents an overview of possible designs for polarizing both beams at the ILC, as well as for measuring their polarization.

This account funding was used to support the American Linear Collider Physics Group (ALCPG) and The International Linear Collider (ILC) Snowmass workshop that took place in August, 2005. The workshop lasted 2 weeks. The funds provided by the DOE ($110 K) were to fund all the computing and secretariat effort of the workshop. This was a very successful workshop as evidenced by the large attendance; about 600 attendees. Some funds were left over ($12,876.89) and the DOE was informed. It is my understanding that this money has been returned.

Sifco Industries carreid out a plant wide energy assessment under a collaborative program with the U.S. Department of Energy during October 2004 to September 2005. During the year, personnel from EIS, E3M, DPS, BuyCastings.Com, and Sifco plant facilities and maintenance personnel, as a team collected energy use, construction, process, equipment and operational information about the plant. Based on this information, the team identified 13 energy savings opportunities. Near term savings opportunities have a total potential savings of about $1,329,000 per year and a combined simple payback of about 11 months. Implementation of these recommendations would reduce CO2 emissions by about 16,000,000 pounds per year, which would reduce overall plant CO2 emissions by about 45%. These totals do not include another $830,000 per year in potential savings with an estimated 9-month payback, from converting the forging hammers from steam to compressed air.

This thesis reports on the E158 experiment at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), which has made the first observation of the parity non-conserving asymmetry in Moller scattering. Longitudinally polarized 48 GeV electrons are scattered off unpolarized (atomic) electrons in a liquid hydrogen target with an average Q{sup 2} of 0.027 GeV{sup 2}. The asymmetry in this process is proportional to (1/4 - sin{sup 2}{theta}{sub W}), where sin{sup 2} {theta}{sub W} gives the weak mixing angle. The thesis describes the experiment in detail, with a particular focus on the design and construction of the electromagnetic calorimeter. This calorimeter was the primary detector in the experiment used to measure the flux of the scattered Moller electrons and eP electrons. It employed the quartz fiber calorimetry technique, and was built at Syracuse University. The preliminary results from the first experimental data taken in spring 2002 give A{sub PV} = -151.9 {+-} 29.0(stat) {+-} 32.5(syst) parts per billion. This in turn gives sin{sup 2} {theta}{sub W} = 0.2371 {+-} 0.0025 {+-} 0.0027, which is consistent with the Standard Model prediction (0.2386 {+-} 0.0006).

This thesis is a study of D-branes in string compactifications. In this context, D-branes are relevant as an important component of the nonperturbative spectrum, as an incisive probe of these backgrounds, and as a natural stringy tool for localizing gauge interactions. In the first part of the thesis, we discuss half-BPS D-branes in compactifications of type II string theory on Calabi-Yau threefolds. The results we describe for these objects are pertinent both in their role as stringy brane-worlds, and in their role as solitonic objects. In particular, we determine couplings of these branes to the moduli determining the closed-string geometry, both perturbatively and non-perturbatively in the worldsheet expansion. We provide a local model for transitions in moduli space where the BPS spectrum jumps, and discuss the extension of mirror symmetry between Calabi-Yau manifolds to the case when D-branes are present. The next section is an interlude which provides some applications of D-branes to other curved backgrounds of string theory. In particular, we discuss a surprising phenomenon in which fundamental strings moving through background Ramond-Ramond fields dissolve into large spherical D3-branes. This mechanism is used to explain a previously-mysterious fact discovered via the AdS-CFT correspondence. Next, we make a connection between …

This project unites expertise at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Texas Tech University (TTU, Prof. Richard A. Bartsch) to answer fundamental questions addressing the problem of cesium removal from high-level tank waste. Efforts focus on novel solvent-extraction systems containing calixcrown extractants designed for enhanced cesium binding and release. Exciting results are being obtained in three areas: (1) a new lipophilic cesium extractant with a high solubility in the solvent; (2) new proton-ionizable calixcrowns that both strongly extract cesium and "switch off" when protonated; and (3) an improved solvent system that may be stripped with more than 100-fold greater efficiency. Scientific questions primarily concern how to more effectively reverse extraction, focusing on the use of amino groups and proton-ionizable groups to enable pH-switching. Synthesis is being performed at ORNL (amino calixcrowns) and TTU (proton-ionizable calixcrowns). At ORNL, the extraction behavior is being surveyed to assess the effectiveness of candidate solvent systems, and systematic distribution measurements are under way to obtain a thermodynamic understanding of partitioning and complexation equilibria. Crystal structures obtained at ORNL are revealing the structural details of cesium binding. The overall objective is a significant advance in the predictability and efficiency of cesium extraction from high-level waste in …

This report discusses the social security benefits and the spousal benefits of individuals who are not financially dependent on their spouses because they receive benefits based on their own work records.

In developing a 70 megapascal (MPa) fueling infrastructure, it is critical to ensure that a vehicle equipped with a lower service pressure fuel tank is never filled from a 70 MPa fueling source. Filling of a lower service pressure vehicle at a 70 MPa fueling source is likely to result in a catastrophic event with severe injuries or fatalities. The Hydrogen Safety Panel recommends that DOE undertake a two‐step process to address this issue: 1. Perform an independent risk analysis of a 70MPa dispenser filling a lower pressure vehicle tank and develop different approaches for prevention and mitigation to meet an acceptable level of safety. Cost effectiveness, reliability, advantages and disadvantages are among the factors that should be evaluated for each approach considered. 2. Until such time as this analysis is complete and any recommended actions implemented, communicate the potential risk to responsible parties and strongly encourage those parties to add a secondary layer of protection to the existing system of mechanically non‐interchangeable nozzles/receptacles. This will reduce the probability of a pressure mismatch during this developmental phase for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and infrastructure. This step can be reassessed after further analysis is completed and the need and effectiveness of …

None

This report provides information on Africa Command's (AFRICOM) mission, structure, interagency coordination, and its basing and manpower requirements. The report also gives a broad overview of U.S. strategic interests in Africa and the role of U.S. military efforts on the continent as they pertain to the creation of Africa Command.

This report reviews and briefly describes the major changes proposed in H.R. 2669 to federal student loan and other federal student aid programs that would achieve savings in mandatory spending or that would result in changes to existing federal student aid programs.

None