A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since 2001, the U.S. airline industry has confronted financial losses of previously unseen proportions. From 2001 to 2003, the industry lost $23 billion, and two of the nation's biggest airlines have gone into bankruptcy. To assist airlines, the Congress provided U.S. airlines with $7 billion of direct financial assistance--most recently in the form of $2.4 billion of financial assistance under the 2003 Emergency Wartime Supplemental Appropriations Act. Under the Act and its accompanying conference report, the conferees directed GAO to review measures taken by airlines to reduce costs, improve revenues and profits, and strengthen their balance sheets. The Congress also tasked airlines receiving assistance to report their cost-cutting plans to GAO. GAO was also required to report on the financial condition of the U.S. airline industry by Vision 100--Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act, which became law in January 2004. In consultation with the Congress, GAO agreed to satisfy these directives and report to the Congress on (1) the major challenges to the airline industry since 1998, (2) measures airlines report taking to remain financially viable, (3) the current financial and operating condition of the industry, and …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Diesel engine emissions pose health risks, but one major source--heavy-duty diesel vehicles--is critical for our economy. To reduce risks, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set stringent emissions standards for diesel engines. In 1998, EPA found that some engine makers were violating standards, so they agreed to build engines that meet 2004 standards early, by October 2002. EPA has set even more stringent standards for 2007. GAO was asked to (1) assess the October 2002 deadline's effects on industry and emissions, and (2) obtain stakeholders' views on the readiness of technology for the 2007 standards and EPA's efforts to ensure this. GAO analyzed information from EPA, 10 large trucking companies, the engine makers subject to the early deadline, and other stakeholders."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) relies on space for many critical capabilities, and its continued success in space operations depends on having sufficient space-qualified personnel. Space-qualified personnel are needed to develop technology, doctrine, and concepts and operate complex systems. In the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004, Congress required DOD to develop a strategy for developing and integrating national security space personnel. DOD completed it in February 2004. Congress also required GAO to assess DOD's space human capital strategy and the military services' efforts to develop their space personnel. In the first of two required reports, GAO assessed (1) whether DOD's space human capital strategy and management approach promote development and integration of the services' space personnel and (2) the extent of the services' initiatives to develop and manage their space personnel."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has established a program--the United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT)--to collect, maintain, and share information, including biometric identifiers, on selected foreign nationals who travel to the United States. By congressional mandate, DHS is to develop and submit for approval an expenditure plan for US-VISIT that satisfies certain conditions, including being reviewed by GAO. Among other things, GAO was asked to determine whether the plan satisfied these conditions, and to provide observations on the plan and DHS's program management."

The energy use in America's commercial and residential building sectors is large and growing. Over 38 quadrillion Btus (Quads) of primary energy were consumed in 2002, representing 39% of total U.S. energy consumption. While the energy use in buildings is expected to grow to 52 Quads by 2025, a large number of energy-related technologies exist that could curtail this increase. In recent years, improvements in such items as high efficiency refrigerators, compact fluorescent lights, high-SEER air conditioners, and improved building shells have all contributed to reducing energy use. Hundreds of other technology improvements have and will continue to improve the energy use in buildings. While many technologies are well understood and are gradually penetrating the market, more advanced technologies will be introduced in the future. The pace and extent of these advances can be improved through state and federal R&D. This report focuses on the long-term potential for energy-efficiency improvement in buildings. Five promising technologies have been selected for description to give an idea of the wide range of possibilities. They address the major areas of energy use in buildings: space conditioning (33% of building use), water heating (9%), and lighting (16%). Besides describing energy-using technologies (solid-state lighting and geothermal …

This report opens with an overview of visa issuances, with sections on procedures for aliens coming to live in the United States permanently and on procedures for aliens admitted for temporary stays. It includes a discussion of visa screening policies, including inadmissibility, databases, an analysis of visa refusals, biometric visas and other major visa policy procedures. Summaries of key laws revising visa policy enacted in the 107th Congress follows. The final section analyzes selected issues in the 108th Congress, notably visa revocation and removal, new technologies, potential impact on business, and other security concerns.

This report presents data and information that supports the groundwater module. The conceptual model of groundwater flow and transport at the Hanford Site is described and specific information applied in the numerical implementation module is provided.

The second axis of the DARHT flash X-ray facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory (''DARHT-II'') is a multiple-pulse, 18.4 MeV, 2 kA induction electron linear accelerator [1]. A train of short ({approx}50 ns) pulses are converted via bremsstrahlung to X-rays, which are then used to make radiographic images at various times (nominally four) during a ''hydrotest'' experiment. The train of pulses is created by carving them out of a two microsecond long macropulse, using a fast switching element called a kicker [2]. The unused portion of the macropulse is absorbed in a beam dump. Thus, upstream of the kicker, two microseconds of beam are transported through a vacuum system roughly sixty meters long. These conditions involve length and, specifically, time scales which are new to the transport of high-current beams. A concern under such conditions are the macroscopic interactions between the electron beam and positive ions created by impact ionization of the residual gas in the vacuum system. Over two microseconds, the ion density can develop to a hundredth or even a tenth of a percent of the beam density--small, to be sure, but large enough to have cumulative effects over such a long transport distance. Two such effects will …

Several peptide libraries containing up to 2 million unique peptide ligands have been synthesized. The peptides are attached onto a 80 micron resin and the length of these peptide ligands ranges from 5 to 9 amino acid residues. Using a novel calorimetric assay, the libraries were screened for binding to the ganglioside-binding domain of Clostridium Tetanus Toxin, a structural similar analog of the Clostridium Botulinum toxin. Several binding peptide sequences were identified, in which the detailed binding kinetics are currently underway using the Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) technique.

This collaborative project was designed to test and compare methods for achieving full ocean basin propagation of hydroacoustic signals in the 5-100 Hz frequency band. Plans for a systematic calibration of the International Monitoring System (IMS) for nuclear testing were under consideration in 2000/2001. The results from this project provide information to guide such planning for future ocean basin calibration work. Several acoustic source types were tested during two sea-going experiments and most were successful at generating signals that propagated hundreds to thousands of km to be recorded at the Indian Ocean IMS hydrophone stations. Development and numerical modeling of imploding glass sphere sources was one component of this testing. The intent was to design a relatively simple-to-use source that is not subject to restrictions that can limit use of explosive charges, but whose signal is large enough to propagate 100-1000's km range. Analysis of IMS hydrophone data recording during the experiments was used to illustrate the extent of energy loss during signal propagation and to assess the accuracy with which the small acoustic sources could be located using methods typically employed for nuclear monitoring.

This report discusses the federal-state unemployment compensation (UC) system, which pays benefits to covered workers who become involuntarily unemployed for economic reasons and meet state-established eligibility rules.

A model for simulating a display case evaporator under frosting conditions has been developed, using a quasi-steady and finite-volume approach and a Newton-Raphson based solution algorithm. It is capable of simulating evaporators with multiple modules having different geometries, e.g. tube and fin thicknesses and pitch. The model was validated against data taken at two-minute intervals from a well-instrumented medium-temperature vertical display case, for two evaporators having very different configurations. The data from these experiments provided both the input data for the model and also the data to compare the modeling results. The validated model has been used to generate some general guidelines for coil design. Effects of various geometrical parameters were quantified, and compressor performance data were used to express the results in terms of total power consumption. Using these general guidelines, a new prototype evaporator was designed for the subject display case, keeping in mind the current packaging restrictions, tube and fin availabilities. It is an optimum coil for the given external load conditions. Subsequently, the validated model was used in a more extensive analysis to design prototype coils with some of the current tube and fin spacing restrictions removed. A new microchannel based suction line heat exchanger was …

The Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of FreedomCAR (Cooperative Automotive Research) and Vehicle Technologies office has a strong interest in making rapid progress in permanent magnet (PM) machine development. The DOE FreedomCAR program is directing various technology development projects that will advance the technology and hopefully lead to a near-term request for proposals (RFP) for a to-be-determined level of initial production. This aggressive approach is possible because the technology is clearly within reach and the approach is deemed essential, based on strong market demand, escalating fuel prices, and competitive considerations. In response, this study began parallel development paths that included a literature search/review, development and utilization of multiple parametric models, verification of the modeling methodology, development of an interior PM (IPM) machine baseline design, development of alternative machine baseline designs, and cost analyses for several candidate machines. This report summarizes the results of these activities as of September 2004. This report provides background and summary information for recent machine parametric studies and testing programs that demonstrate both the potential capabilities and technical limitations of brushless PM machines (axial gap and radial gap), the IPM machine, the surface-mount PM machines (interior or exterior rotor), induction machines, and switched-reluctance machines. The FreedomCAR …

The Bonneville Power Administration is proposing to fund the restoration of approximately 500 feet of streambank along the Yakima River at river mile 8, upstream of the Van Giesen Bridge on SR 224, in and between Richland and West Richland, Washington. This project will also result in the acquisition of Fox Island, a 12-acre island directly across the river from the restoration area. There is no development planned for the island. The proposed project includes: The installation of a bio-engineered streambank that incorporates barbs to capture silt and deflect flow, roughened rock or log toes, a riparian buffer, soil reinforcement, and bank grading. Long-term photo-point and plot sampling will also be implemented to evaluate the effectiveness and success of the restoration project. The NEPA compliance checklist for this project was completed by Darrel Sunday, a contractor with Sunday and Associates, Inc. (April 4, 2004), and meets the standards and guidelines for the Watershed Management Program Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Record of Decision (ROD). The Endangered Species Act (ESA) listed species that may occur in the general vicinity of the project area are the pygmy rabbit, bald eagle, bull trout, Ute ladies'-tresses, and mid-Columbia Steelhead. The pygmy rabbit, bald eagle, …

This project involves the design and synthesis of receptors for oxoanions of environmental importance, including emphasis on high level and low activity waste. Target anions have included primarily oxoanions and a study of the basic concepts behind selective binding of target anions. A primary target has been sulfate because of its deleterious influence on the vitrification of tank wastes

The implementation of the rtEFIT-isoflux algorithm in the digital control system for NSTX has led to improved ability to control the plasma shape. In particular, it has been essential for good gap control for radio-frequency experiments, for control of drsep in H-mode studies, and for X-point height control and {kappa} control in a variety of experiments.

An innovative reactor core design based on advanced, mixed carbide fuels was analyzed for nuclear space power applications. Solid solution, mixed carbide fuels such as (U,Zr,Nb)c and (U,Zr, Ta)C offer great promise as an advanced high temperature fuel for space power reactors.

This document explores the geochemical reactions likely to occur when hydrofluoric acid is spilled on Savannah River Site (SRS) soil. In particular, we evaluate the potential of environmental damage from a one-time release of concentrated hydrofluoric acid into a trench. According to interviews with personnel involved, sometime between 1955 and 1960 drums of 50-60 per cent hydrofluoric acid were disposed in a trench in the Central Shops area. The method of disposal suggests that most of the acid would have been released at the time of burial. No evidence of drum disposal or acidic pH values was found. Therefore, the Soil and Groundwater Closure Projects group requested that we evaluate potential risk by examining the major geochemical interactions expected between hydrofluoric acid and soil. The geochemical calculations in this report were done with The Geochemist's Workbench (Registered). This program uses an extended Debye-Huckel method for calculating activity coefficients. The conclusions of this report are accurate, but some of the intermediate steps may have higher uncertainty. Hydrofluoric acid disposed in a trench in the area would have reacted with soil kaolinite to neutralize the pH to a value of about 4.2. Based on conservative assumptions, this would have occurred within the …

The U.S. Postal Service (Postal Service) recently installed Energy Information Systems (EIS) at 30 facilities in California. These systems integrate electric utility meter data acquisition hardware, software, and communication systems to collect, archive, analyze, and display whole-facility energy consumption data. At some point in the future, these systems could also be integrated with sub-meters that measure the electricity consumption of key end-use equipment. The purpose of this guidebook is to help Postal Service facility managers interpret and act upon energy data available from their EIS, translating the abundance of information these systems provide into knowledge that can be used to reduce energy use and costs. The guidebook first describes basic EIS capabilities and explains the data and reports that Postal Service EIS provide. It outlines a set of strategies for utilizing this information to improve operations and maintenance of building energy use equipment and for facilitating demand response. Finally, the guidebook offers suggestions on creating a routine for tracking and analyzing energy data and integrating this information into regular energy management activities.

OAK-B135 An overview of our work as well as two recent publications are contained in this scientific report. The work reported here revolves around the discovery of new coherent nonlinear kinetic waves in laser produced plasmas, we call KEEN waves (kinetic, electrostatic electron nonlinear waves), and optical mixing experiments on the Imega laser system at LLE with blue-green light for the exploration of ways to suppress parametric instabilities in long scale length, long pulsewidth laser-plasmas such as those which will be found on NIF or LMJ.

As part of the program to provide pretreatment development and testing services to support the River Protection Project-Waste Treatment Plant (RPP-WTP) mission to treat Hanford tank waste, an approximately 5 L sample of waste from Tank 241-AN-107 was received at the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC). The waste sample was characterized and mixed with recycle streams to provide feed for pretreatment testing. The characterization data provides a basis for rational development of pretreatment processes, verification of tank composition,and development of physical design parameters for the pretreatment plant.

Titanium alloy degradation modes are reviewed in relation to their performance in repository environments. General corrosion, localized corrosion, stress corrosion cracking, hydrogen induced cracking, microbially influenced corrosion, and radiation-assisted corrosion of Ti alloys are considered. With respect to the Ti Grade 7 drip shields selected for emplacement in the repository at Yucca Mountain, general corrosion, hydrogen induced cracking, and radiation-assisted corrosion will not lead to failure within the 10,000 year regulatory period; stress corrosion cracking (in the absence of disruptive events) is of no consequence to barrier performance; and localized corrosion and microbially influenced corrosion are not expected to occur. To facilitate the discussion, Ti Grades 2, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, and 24 are included in this review.

Operation of SOFCs at intermediate temperatures (500-800 C) requires new combinations of electrolyte and electrode materials that will provide both rapid ion transport across the electrolyte and electrode-electrolyte interfaces and efficient electrocatalysis of the oxygen reduction and fuel oxidation reactions. This project concentrates on materials and issues associated with cathode performance that are known to become limiting factors as the operating temperature is reduced. The specific objectives of the proposed research are to develop cathode materials that meet the electrode performance targets of 1.0 W/cm{sup 2} at 0.7 V in combination with YSZ at 700 C and with GDC, LSGM or bismuth oxide based electrolytes at 600 C. The performance targets imply an area specific resistance of {approx}0.5 {Omega}cm{sup 2} for the total cell. The research strategy is to investigate both established classes of materials and new candidates as cathodes, to determine fundamental performance parameters such as bulk diffusion, surface reactivity and interfacial transfer, and to couple these parameters to performance in single cell tests. The initial choices for study are perovskite oxides based on Sr substituted LaFeO{sub 3}, where significant data in single cell tests exists at PNNL for cathodes on both YSZ and CSO/YSZ, and of Ln{sub 2}NiO{sub …

Dissolution experiments were conducted on radioactive sludge from Tank 7, before transfer of the contents of Tank 7 to Tank 51, and the subsequent sludge in Tank 51 to evaluate the effectiveness of the DWPF Cold Chem Method. The DWPF Cold Chem Method is a room temperature dissolution method (DWPF Cold Chem Method) used in the DWPF on the Slurry Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) samples in preparation for instrumental analysis. Four types of dissolutions experiments were carried out, the DWPF Cold Chem Method, hot aqua regia, sodium peroxide fusion and hot HF-HNO3. The hot HF-HNO3 digestion is modified version of the DWPF method that incorporates a heating step. The hot aqua regia and sodium peroxide fusion digestions were included as reference digestions. The resulting solutions from all the sludge digestions were analyzed by ICP-ES (Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectroscopy). Visual observations and ICP-ES results were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the DWPF Cold Chem by comparison to the hot aqua regia, sodium peroxide fusion and the hot HF-HNO3 digestions. The data and experimental observations support the following conclusions: The DWPF Cold Chem Method seemed to be effective at dissolving initial species of radioactive sludge, but concurrent precipitation of …