Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed 24 agencies that are covered by the Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Act of 1990 to analyze trends in hiring patterns. Generally, GAO did not find any discernable patterns. More than half of the 24 agencies GAO reviewed reported career hiring increases of 10 percent or more between July and December 2000 compared to the same period in 1999. A similar number of agencies, although not necessarily the same ones, reported increases of 10 percent or more for 1999, compared to 1998. Although the percentage changes exceeded 10 percent for most agencies, the actual number of hires were often small. The total number of career and Senior Executive Service employees on board in each of the 24 CFO agencies remained relatively stable during the three-year period."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In the Olmstead case, the Supreme Court decided that states were violating title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) if they provided care to disabled people in institutional settings when they could be a appropriately served in a home or community-based setting. Considerable attention has focused on the decision's implications for Medicaid, the dominant public program supporting long-term care institutional, home, and community-based services. Although Medicaid spending for home and community-based service is growing, these are largely optional benefits that states may or may not choose to offer, and states vary widely in the degree to which they cover them. The implications of the Olmstead decision--in terms of the scope and the nature of states' obligation to provide home and community-based long-term care services--are still unfolding. Although the Supreme Court ruled that providing care in institutional settings may violate the ADA, it also recognized that there are limits to what states can do, given the available resources and the obligation to provide a range of services for disabled people. The decision left many open questions for states and lower courts to resolve. State programs …

A report about volcano response plans. It discusses a four-level color code with successive conditions. For instance, green means no risk while red means an eruption is occurring.

An assessment of long-term performance of Category 3 waste-enclosing cement grouts requires data about the leachability/diffusion of radionuclide species (iodine-129, technetium-99, and uranium) when the waste forms come in contact with groundwater. Leachability data were collected by conducting dynamic (ANS-16.1) and static leach tests on radionuclide-containing cement specimens. The diffusivity of radionuclides in soil and concrete media was collected by conducting soil-soil and concrete-soil half-cell experiments.

The purpose of this catalog is to integrate all available soil physics data and information from vadose zone characterization and performance assessments into one useable, scientifically defensible document.

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

Letter from Jeff C. Reed from the Fort Stewart Museum to Helen Snapp discussing Snapp's recent visit to Fort Stewart to present at their Women's History month luncheon. Reed included two sets of photographs.

This guide takes the science manager through the steps of planning, implementing, validating, communicating, and using case studies. It outlines the major methods of analysis, describing their relative merits and applicability while providing relevant examples and sources of additional information. Well-designed case studies can provide a combination of rich qualitative and quantitative information, offering valuable insights into the nature, outputs, and longer-term impacts of the research. An objective, systematic, and credible approach to the evaluation of U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science programs adds value to the research process and is the subject of this guide.

It has been empirically observed that the dependence of J/{psi} and {psi}{prime} production on nuclear mass number A is very similar. This has been postulated to be due to the predominance of color octet pre-resonant states in charmonium production and absorption. Two new experiments, NA60 at CERN and HERA-B at DESY, will measure the {chi}{sub c} A dependence for the first time. These measurements should shed new light on the charmonium production and absorption mechanisms.

The objective and scope of this calculation is to create the appropriate parameter input for MING 1.0 (CSCI 30018 V1.0, CRWMS M&O 1998b) that will allow the testing of the results from the MING software code with both scientific measurements of microbial populations at the site and laboratory and with natural analogs to the site. This set of calculations provides results that will be used in model validation for the ''In-Drift Microbial Communities'' model (CRWMS M&O 2000) which is part of the Engineered Barrier System Department (EBS) process modeling effort that eventually will feed future Total System Performance Assessment (TSPA) models. This calculation is being produced to replace MING model validation output that is effected by the supersession of DTN MO9909SPAMING1.003 using its replacement DTN MO0106SPAIDM01.034 so that the calculations currently found in the ''In-Drift Microbial Communities'' AMR (CRWMS M&O 2000) will be brought up to date. This set of calculations replaces the calculations contained in sections 6.7.2, 6.7.3 and Attachment I of CRWMS M&O (2000) As all of these calculations are created explicitly for model validation, the data qualification status of all inputs can be considered corroborative in accordance with AP-3.15Q. This work activity has been evaluated in accordance …

The interaction region (IR) magnets for the proposed very large hadron collider (VLHC) require high gradient quadrupoles and high field dipoles for high luminosity performance. Moreover, the IR magnets for high energy colliders and storage rings must operate in an environment where the amount of energy deposited on superconducting coils is rather large. In the case of doublet IR optics with flat beams, the design of the first 2-in-1 quadrupole defines the geometry and pole tip field in this and other IR magnets. This paper will present a novel design of this magnet that allows a very small separation between the two apertures. A brief discussion of the conceptual magnetic design of this and other magnets for interaction regions is given. The influence of critical current density in superconductor (a higher value of which is most beneficial to high performance IR magnet design) is also discussed. Since High Temperature Superconductors (HTS) retain most of their critical current density at high fields and at elevated temperatures, they offer an attractive possibility for the IR magnet designs of future colliders or upgrades of present colliders.

For the Neutrino Factory and Muon Collider Collaboration, BNL has considered solenoidal magnet systems of several types to capture pions generated by bombarding a mercury jet with multi-GeV protons. The magnet systems generate up to 20 T, uniform to 5% throughout a cylindrical volume 0.15 m in diameter and 0.6 m long. Axially downstream the field ramps gradually downward by a factor of sixteen, while the bore increases fourfold. The steady-state system needed for an accelerator has many superconducting coils and a radiation-resistant insert of mineral-insulated hollow conductor. Less costly, pulsed systems suffice to study pion capture and the effect of a magnetic field on a jet hit by a proton beam. BNL has explored three types of magnets, each with its principal coils precooled by liquid nitrogen. One type employs two sets of coils energized sequentially. Charged in 23 s by a power supply of 5 MVA, the 16ton outer set generates 10 T and stores 28 MJ, from which, in 1/3 s, to charge a half-ton inner coil that adds 12 1/2 T to the 7 1/2 T remaining from the outer set. An alternative design uses 25 MVA to energize, in 1.4 s, a single 3-ton set …

Steamboat Envirosystems, LLC (SELC) was awarded a grant in accordance with the DOE Enhanced Geothermal Systems Project Development. Atlas-Copco Rotoflow (ACR), a radial expansion turbine manufacturer, was responsible for the manufacturing of the turbine and the creation of the new computer program. SB Geo, Inc. (SBG), the facility operator, monitored and assisted ACR's activities as well as provided installation and startup assistance. The primary scope of the project is the redesign of an axial flow turbine to a radial inflow turboexpander to provide increased efficiency and reliability at an existing facility. In addition to the increased efficiency and reliability, the redesign includes an improved reduction gear design, and improved shaft seal design, and upgraded control system and a greater flexibility of application

High Temperature Superconductors (HTS) have the potential to change the design and operation of future particle accelerators beginning with the design of high performance interaction regions. HTS offers two distinct advantages over conventional Low Temperature Superconductors (LTS)--they retain a large fraction of their current carrying capacity (a) at high fields and (b) at elevated temperatures. The Superconducting Magnet Division at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) has embarked on a new R&D program for developing technology needed for building accelerator magnets with HTS. We have adopted a ''React & Wind'' approach to deal with the challenges associated with the demanding requirements of the reaction process. We have developed several ''conductor friendly'' designs to deal with the challenges associated with the brittle nature of HTS. We have instituted a rapid turn around program to understand and to develop this new technology in an experimental fashion. Several R&D coils and magnets with HTS tapes and ''Rutherford'' cables have been built and tested. We have recently performed field quality measurements to investigate issues related to the persistent currents. In this paper, we report the results to date and plans and possibilities for the future.

This plan addresses the actions necessary for the characterization and closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 394: Areas 12, 18, and 29, Spill/Release Sites, identified in the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO). The CAU, located on the Nevada Test Site, consists of six Corrective Action Sites (CASs): CAS 12-25-04, UST 12-16-2 Waste Oil Release; CAS 18-25-02, Oil Spills; CAS 18-25-02, Oil Spills; CAS 18-25-03, Oil Spill; CAS 18-25-04, Spill (Diesel Fuel); CAS 29-44-01, Fuel Spill (a & b). Process knowledge is the basis for the development of the conceptual site models (CSMs). The CSMs describe the most probable scenario for current conditions at each site, and define the assumptions that are the basis for the SAFER plan. The assumptions are formulated from historical information and process knowledge. Vertical migration of contaminant(s) of potential concern (COPCs) is expected to be predominant over lateral migration in the absence of any barrier (with asphalt /concrete being the exception at least two of the CASs). Soil is the impacted or potentially impacted media at all the sites, with asphalt and/or concrete potentially impacted at two of the CASs. Radionuclides are not expected at any CAS; hydrocarbons are the primary COPC at each …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Intergovernmental Personnel Act's (IPA) mobility program authorizes the temporary assignment of employees between federal agencies and state and local governments, universities, Indian tribal governments, and other nonfederal groups. These assignments, which may last up to four years, are intended to increase cooperation between the federal government and the non-federal entity. The National Science Foundation (NSF) temporarily assigned 45 of its employees to nonfederal organizations between 1995 and 2000, making NSF one of the most active users of the IPA program among federal agencies. NSF assigned 29 participants to universities, one to a local government, and 15 to other nonfederal organizations, such as research institutions or professional associations. NSF's implementation of the IPA program conformed to applicable laws and regulations. Although the partnering institutions nearly always made some financial contribution to these assignments, NSF paid about 78 percent of the total costs associated with the 45 assignments that GAO reviewed. The estimated total cost of these assignments to NSF was about $7.2 million for the six-year period GAO covered. NSF's external IPA assignments benefit not only the assignees but also the partnering institutions and NSF, according …

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

B-roll video footage from the KXAS-TV/NBC 5 television station in Fort Worth, Texas, covering a news story.

Multiscale modeling with crystal plasticity constitutive relations is used to determine the average response of a polycrystal. The measured crystallographic texture of a copper shaped charge liner is used in a crystal plasticity model to construct a yield surface that exhibits normal-shear coupling. Simulations with this yield surface model demonstrate the spinning behavior observed in the spin formed copper shaped charges.

A pilot-scale test of a moving-bed configuration of a UOP IONSIV? IE-911 ion-exchange column was performed over 17 days at Severn Trent Services facilities. The objectives of the test, in order of priority, were to determine if aluminosilicate precipitation caused clumping of IE-911 particles in the column, to observe the effect on aluminum-hydroxide precipitation of water added to a simulant-filled column, to evaluate the extent of particle attrition, and to measure the expansion of the mass-transfer zone under the influence of column pulsing. The IE-911 moved through the column with no apparent clumping during the test, although analytical results indicate that little if any aluminosilicate precipitated onto the particles. A precipitate of aluminum hydroxide was not produced when water was added to the simulant-filled column, indicating that this upset scenario is probably of little concern. Particle-size distributions remained relatively constant with time and position in the column, indicating that particle attrition was not significant. The expansion of the mass-transfer zone could not be accurately measured because of the slow loading kinetics of the IE-911 and the short duration of the test; however, the information obtained indicates that back-mixing of sorbent is not extensive.

Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) has completed production of the superconducting multi-function magnets that are now installed as part of the HERA luminosity upgrade at DESY. The magnets, cryostats, and lead assemblies were designed and built at BNL. To fit inside the existing detectors, the coils plus cryostat structure had to meet a challenging radial budget (e.g., 39 mm horizontally). Two types of magnets were needed and three of each type were built. Each magnet contained normal and skew quadrupole, normal and skew dipole, and sextupole coils. The magnets operate in the {approx}1.5 T solenoid field of a detector. The quadrupole coils produce gradients up to 13 T/m. The dipole coils generate fields up to 0.3 T. Coils were wound under computer control using either seven-strand round cable or a single strand. To simultaneously avoid excessive synchrotron radiation background scattered from the beam pipe and yet have a small cryostat, one type of magnet used a tapered coil structure. The cryogenic system incorporates cooling with both 40 K helium and supercritical helium. All of the coils were tested in liquid helium in a vertical dewar. Quench test results have been excellent. The field quality of the magnets has met the stringent …

The RHIC accelerator complex completed commissioning activities in 2000 and is presently operating for the first physics run. The complete ensemble of magnets was thus operating over an extended period for the first time. We review the magnet performance as well as relate machine performance characteristics and accelerator physics results to the various magnetic measurements made during the construction phase. The conclusions may be useful for the LHC Project.

A concentration correction curve was established for measuring the activity concentration of airborne tritiated water collected with dried silica gel and extracted by the LLNL Environmental Monitoring Radiological Laboratory freeze-dry technique. A tracer study using standard tritiated water with silica gel showed that the concentration of tritium in the extracted water is lower than that in the adsorbed water by a fraction proportional to the amount of adsorbed water. The observed decrease in tritium concentration in the extracted water can be accounted for by dilution due to isotopic exchange with both non-tritiated water and hydroxyl groups within the silica gel matrix. For the range of 8-35% adsorbed water, which is typical of samples collected in LLNL monitoring stations, the derived exchangeable water in the silica gel material under investigation was (5.12 {+-} 0.08)%. The contribution of the H{sub 2}O/HTO vapor pressure effect using published empirical data in the literature was also considered in calculating the degree of isotopic exchange.

A system and a method providing high-efficiency implantation and release of Kr ions in metal foils have been developed. Implantation and release measurements were performed with a static mass spectrometer. Efficient implantation/retention of rare-gas isotopic ions in a target and their subsequent efficient volatilization from the target is the first of two central requirements for developing an ultrasensitive (10 parts per trillion) method to determine the isotopic content of rare gases. In a number of initial Kr ion implantation runs in Cu, with subsequent volatilization of the implanted Kr by heating, implantation/release efficiencies averaging about 52% were observed. This low value was determined to be due to only partial interception of the Kr ion beam by the target. With modifications to the target assembly, mass spectrometer, and target size, the efficiencies for implantation/release of Kr in Cu were raised to essentially 100%. These efficiencies meet the first requirement for developing this method.