A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The National Veterans Business Development Corporation (The Veterans Corporation) was created under Pub. L. No. 106-50 to provide veterans with small business and entrepreneurship assistance. The Act authorized, and Congress has appropriated to the corporation, $12 million in funding over 4 years, ending September 30, 2004. The Act also required that The Veterans Corporation implement a plan to raise private funds and become a self-sustaining corporation. GAO evaluated the corporation's: (1) efforts in providing small business assistance to veterans; (2) internal controls, including strategic planning; and (3) progress in becoming financially self-sufficient."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "FDA reviews applications from manufacturers that wish to market medical devices in the United States. To ensure prompt approval of new devices and clearance of devices that are substantially equivalent to those legally on the market, the Congress passed the Medical Device User Fee and Modernization Act of 2002 (MDUFMA). The act authorizes FDA to collect user fees and, in return, requires FDA to meet performance goals that are tied to the agency's review process. The goals set actions FDA may take on applications and specify the time that FDA should take in certain phases of the review process. MDUFMA requires GAO to report on FDA's performance against the MDUFMA performance goals established for fiscal years 2003 and 2004 and to determine whether FDA is likely to meet the fiscal year 2005 performance goals. MDUFMA also requires GAO to report on the amounts FDA obligated in fiscal year 2002 for medical device compliance activities and inspections of manufacturers after their devices are marketed. GAO analyzed data provided by FDA that are based on actions taken on applications FDA received from October 1, 2002, through March 31, …

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. population is aging, and access to transportation, via automobile or other modes, is critical to helping individuals remain independent as they age. Various federal programs provide funding for transportation services for "transportation-disadvantaged" seniors--those who cannot drive or have limited their driving and who have an income constraint, disability, or medical condition that limits their ability to travel. For those transportation-disadvantaged seniors, GAO was asked to identify (1) federal programs that address their mobility issues, (2) the extent to which these programs meet their mobility needs, (3) program practices that enhance their mobility and the cost-effectiveness of service delivery, and (4) obstacles to addressing their mobility needs and strategies for overcoming those obstacles."

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether a commissioners court may hold an election that creates an emergency service district and imposes a sales and use tax within the proposed district’s boundaries (RQ-0202-GA)

The current waste retrieval plan at Hanford calls for using two mixer pumps to mix the waste stored in double-shell Tank 214-AY-102. The objective of this evaluation was to determine whether two rotating 300-hp mixer pumps placed 22 ft (6.7 m) off-center in the tank could adequately mix the AY-102 waste. The tank currently contains high-level waste that is 248 inches (6.3 m) deep, comprising 62 inches (1.58 m) of sludge and 186 inches (4.72 m) of supernatant liquid (Galbraith et al. 2002). Based on the available data, AY-102 waste properties were determined, including the densities of liquid and agglomerated settled solids and crystals, the volume fraction of settled solids, the solid particle size distribution, the liquid and slurry viscosities, and the yield stress in shear (shear strength) of the settled solids layer. To evaluate the likely and bounding cases of AY-102 waste mixing, sludge erosion modeling was performed with a median value of 1,090 Pa (likely condition) and a conservative (more difficult to erode) 97.5 percentile value of 2,230 Pa for shear strength. According to model predictions, the two rotating mixer pumps would erode 89% of the sludge with shear strength of 1,090 Pa. They would erode sludge up …

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In 2003, 9.1 million children went without health insurance in the U.S. This was not significantly different than in 2002. However, for the third year in a row, the number of children covered by employment-based health insurance dropped but was more than offset by the increase in public coverage. This report provides an overview of the health insurance coverage of children in 2003.

Letter from Becky Levy to Campaign Treasurers of General-Purpose Committees on August 30, 2004, regarding filing deadlines for 2004 general election listing pre-election reports, electronic filing requirement for pre-election reports, changes in campaign finance law, telegram reports, timely filing, late-filing penalties, and questions. Included is a guideline to changes in campaign finance law.

We review the relationship between energy efficiency improvement measures and productivity in industry. We review over 70 industrial case studies from widely available published databases, followed by an analysis of the representation of productivity benefits in energy modeling. We propose a method to include productivity benefits in the economic assessment of the potential for energy efficiency improvement. The case-study review suggests that energy efficiency investments can provide a significant boost to overall productivity within industry. If this relationship holds, the description of energy-efficient technologies as opportunities for larger productivity improvements has significant implications for conventional economic assessments. The paper explores the implications this change in perspective on the evaluation of energy-efficient technologies for a study of the iron and steel industry in the US. This examination shows that including productivity benefits explicitly in the modeling parameters would double the cost-effective potential for energy efficiency improvement, compared to an analysis excluding those benefits. We provide suggestions for future research in this important area.

Transmission measurements of niobium and zirconium at both extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) and ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared (UV/Vis/NIR) wavelengths are presented. Thin foils of various thicknesses mounted on nickel mesh substrates were measured, and these data were used to calculate the optical constants {delta} and {beta} of the complex refractive index n = 1- {delta} +i{beta}. {beta} values were calculated directly from the measured transmittance of the foils after normalizing for the nickel mesh. The average {beta} values for each set of foils are presented as a function of wavelength. The real (dispersive) part of the refractive index, {delta} was then calculated from Kramers-Kronig analysis by combining these {beta} values with those from previous experimental data and the atomic tables.

In an effort to build seismic models that are most consistent with multiple data sets, we have applied a new probabilistic inverse technique. This method uses a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm to sample models from a prior distribution and test them against multiple data types to generate a posterior distribution. While computationally expensive, this approach has several advantages over a single deterministic model, notably the reconciliation of different data types that constrain the model, the proper handling of uncertainties, and the ability to include prior information. We also benefit from the advantage of forward modeling rather than inverting the data. Here, we use this method to determine the crust and upper mantle structure of the Yellow Sea and Korean Peninsula (YSKP) region. We discuss the data sets, parameterization and starting model, outline the technique and its implementation, observe the behavior of the inversion, and demonstrate some of the advantages of this approach.

The reaction of [Ta({double_bond}CHtBu)(CH{sub 2}tBu){sub 3}] or [Cp*Ta(CH{sub 3}){sub 4}] with a silica partially dehydroxylated at 700 C gives the corresponding monosiloxy surface complexes [({triple_bond}SiO)Ta({double_bond}CHtBu)(CH{sub 2}tBu){sub 2}] and [({triple_bond}SiO)Ta(CH{sub 3}){sub 3}Cp*] by eliminating a {sigma}-bonded ligand as the corresponding alkane (H-CH{sub 2}tBu or H-CH{sub 3}). EXAFS data show that an adjacent siloxane bridge of the surface plays the role of an extra surface ligand, which most likely stabilizes these complexes as in [({triple_bond}SiO)Ta({double_bond}CHtBu)(CH{sub 2}tBu){sub 2}({triple_bond}SiOSi{triple_bond})] (1a') and [({triple_bond}SiO)Ta(CH{sub 3}){sub 3}Cp*({triple_bond}SiOSi{triple_bond})] (2a'). In the case of [({triple_bond}SiO)Ta({double_bond}CHtBu)(CH{sub 2}tBu){sub 2}({triple_bond}SiOSi{triple_bond})], the structure is further stabilized by an additional interaction: a C-H agostic bond as evidenced by the small J coupling constant for the carbenic C-H (H{sub C-H} = 80 Hz), which was measured by J-resolved 2D solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The product selectivity in propane metathesis in the presence of [({triple_bond}SiO)Ta({double_bond}CHtBu)-(CH{sub 2}tBu){sub 2}({triple_bond}SiOSi{triple_bond})] (1a') as a catalyst precursor and the inactivity of the surface complex [({triple_bond}SiO)Ta-(CH{sub 3}){sub 3}Cp*({triple_bond}SiOSi{triple_bond})] (2a') show that the active site is required to be highly electrophilic and probably involves a metallacyclobutane intermediate.

In order for volume sources to deliver the current (e.g., 0.8 A of Ar{sup +} per module) and brightness necessary for heavy ion fusion (HIF), they must operate at high current density. Conventional extractor designs for 1 to 2 MeV run into voltage breakdown limitations and cannot easily produce the required current rise time (about one microsecond). We discuss two systems that can overcome these volume-extraction problems. Each uses multichannel preaccelerators followed by a single channel main accelerator. Fast beam switching is done in the low energy beamlet stages. A new design, utilizing concentric ring preaccelerators, was recently described for another application [2]. A more conventional design uses a large number of small round beamlets. In either case, the merging beamlets are angled toward the axis, a feature that dominates other focusing. By suitable adjustment of the individual angles, beam aberrations are reduced. Because of the high current density, the overall structure is compact. Emittance growth from merging of beamlets is calculated and scaling is discussed.

This project investigated the economic viability of using water as the refrigerant in a 1000-ton chiller application. The most attractive water cycle configuration was found to be a flash-intercooled, two-stage cycle using centrifugal compressors and direct contact heat exchangers. Component level models were developed that could be used to predict the size and performance of the compressors and heat exchangers in this cycle as well as in a baseline, R-134a refrigeration cycle consistent with chillers in use today. A survey of several chiller manufacturers provided information that was used to validate and refine these component models. The component models were integrated into cycle models that were subsequently used to investigate the life-cycle costs of both an R-134a and water refrigeration cycle. It was found that the first cost associated with the water as a refrigerant cycle greatly exceeded the savings in operating costs associated with its somewhat higher COP. Therefore, the water refrigeration cycle is not an economically attractive option to today's R-134a refrigeration system. There are a number of other issues, most notably the requirements associated with purging non-condensable gases that accumulate in a direct contact heat exchanger, which will further reduce the economic viability of the water cycle.

In situ spectroscopic ellipsometry was employed to study the initial stage of SEI layer formation on thin-film LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} electrodes. It was found that the SEI layer formed immediately upon exposure of the electrode to EC/DMC (1:1 by vol) 1.0 M LiPF{sub 6} electrolyte. The SEI layer thickness then increased in proportion to a logarithmic function of elapsed time. In comparison, the SEI layer thickness on a cycled electrode increased in proportion to a linear function of the number of cycles.

A series of in situ toughened, Al, B and C containing, silicon carbide ceramics (ABC-SiC) has been examined with Al contents varying from 3 to 7 wt%. With increasing Al additions, the grain morphology in the as-processed microstructures varied from elongated to bimodal to equiaxed, with a change in the nature of the grain-boundary film from amorphous to partially crystalline to fully crystalline. Fracture toughness and cyclic fatigue tests on these microstructures revealed that although the 7 wt.% Al containing material (7ABC) was extremely brittle, the 3 and particularly 5 wt.% Al materials (3ABC and 5ABC, respectively) displayed excellent crack-growth resistance at both ambient (25 C) and elevated (1300 C) temperatures. Indeed, no evidence of creep damage, in the form of grain-boundary cavitation, was seen at temperatures at 1300 C or below. The enhanced toughness of the higher Al-containing materials was associated with extensive crack bridging from both interlocking grains (in 3ABC) and uncracked ligaments (in 5ABC); in contrast, the 7ABC SiC showed no such bridging, concomitant with a marked reduction in the volume fraction of elongated grains. Mechanistically, cyclic fatigue-crack growth in 3ABC and 5ABC SiC involved the progressive degradation of such bridging ligaments in the crack wake, with …

This project was undertaken in support of the forest industry to link modeling of nutrients and productivity with field research to identify methods for enhancing soil quality and forest productivity and for alleviating soil limitations to sustainable forest productivity. The project consisted of a series of related tasks, including (1) simulation of changes in biomass and soil carbon with nitrogen fertilization, (2) development of spreadsheet modeling tools for soil nutrient availability and tree nutrient requirements, (3) additional modeling studies, and (4) evaluation of factors involved in the establishment and productivity of southern pine plantations in seasonally wet soils. This report also describes the two Web sites that were developed from the research to assist forest managers with nutrient management of Douglas-fir and loblolly pine plantations.

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

Funeral program for Erma C. Morgan, born February 19, 1923 and died August 23, 2004. The funeral was held August 30, 2004 at Tried Stone Baptist Church, officiated by Interim Pastor O. C. Jones, Ph.D. Funeral arrangements were made through the Lewis Funeral Home and she was buried in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery near San Antonio, Texas.

Funeral program for Mrs. Lottie Moore Parrish, born December 2, 1908. The funeral was held Monday, August 30, 2004 at St. Paul United Methodist Church, officiated by Rev. Terrence K. Hayes. Funeral arrangements were made through Sutton-Sutton Mortuary, Inc. and she was buried in Meadowlawn Memorial Park in San Antonio, Texas.

The research described in this dissertation consists of four major areas: (1) sequence analysis of protamine 2 from Muroid rodents to identify potential zinc-binding domain(s) of protamine 2; (2) structural studies of the protamine 2-zinc complex from Syrian Gold hamster sperm and spermatids to elucidate the role of zinc during spermiogenesis; (3) structural studies of an unique protamine 2-zinc complex from chinchilla sperm; and (4) Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) studies of soluble complexes of hairpin oligonucleotides with synthetic arginine-rich peptides or protamine 1 isolated from bull sperm. First, zinc was quantitated in spermatids and sperm by Proton-Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) to determine whether zinc is present in the early stages of spermiogenesis. The PIXE results revealed the zinc content varies proportionately with the amount of protamine 2 in both spermatid and sperm nuclei. An exception was chinchilla sperm containing twice the amount of protamine 2 than zinc. Further analyses by PIXE and X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) of zinc bound to protamines isolated from hamster sperm confirmed the majority of the zinc is bound to protamine and identified the zinc ligands of protamine 2 in hamster spermatids and sperm in vivo. These studies established that zinc is bound to the protamine …

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) requires diagnostics to analyze high-energy density physics experiments. A VISAR (Velocity Interferometry System for Any Reflector) diagnostic has been designed to measure shock velocities, shock breakout times, and shock emission of targets with sizes from 1 to 5 mm. An 8-inch-diameter fused silica triplet lens collects light at f/3 inside the 30-foot-diameter vacuum chamber. The optical relay sends the image out an equatorial port, through a 2-inch-thick vacuum window, and into two interferometers. A 60-kW VISAR probe laser operates at 659.5 nm with variable pulse width. Special coatings on the mirrors and cutoff filters are used to reject the NIF drive laser wavelengths and to pass a band of wavelengths for VISAR, passive shock breakout light, or thermal imaging light (bypassing the interferometers). The first triplet can be no closer than 500 mm from the target chamber center and is protected from debris by a blast window that is replaced after every event. The front end of the optical relay can be temporarily removed from the equatorial port, allowing other experimenters to use that port. A unique resolution pattern has been designed to validate the VISAR diagnostic before each use. All optical lenses are on …

The proof-of-principle HGHG experiment at 5 {mu} [1, 2] and recent HGHG experiment at DUVFEL [3] have generated significant interests in the FEL community. The more relaxed requirement on electron beam current and emittance to generate coherent deep UV output with much narrower bandwidth and high pulse energy stability, as exhibited by the recent experiment, and its potential to be generalized to soft-x-ray FEL, have attracted much attention. Several labs, including BESSY, ELETRRA, LBL, MIT, and SSRF proposed the development of UVFEL based on HGHG principle or soft-x-ray FEL based on the cascaded HGHG principle [4, 5]. Among them SSRF has already started the construction of an FEL system based on the HGHG principle [6]. Hence it would be a contribution to be able to carry out a first proof-of-principle experiment of cascaded HGHG at DUVFEL. In this paper, we discuss this experiment and several associated experiments that can be carried out at BNL before this experiment and may also have important impact on the development of multi-stage cascaded HGHG FELs.

We present an adaptive importance sampling method for quantifying the statistics of rare-event processes in atomistic simulations. The approach is based on an explicit evaluation of the probability that a sequence of states (or path) initiating in a state A leads to a reactive transition event to final state B. The importance sampling method seeks to bias the sampling of system trajectories such that those that contribute significantly, i.e. those that characterize reactive transitions, are generated more frequently. This is accomplished by means of an importance function, which modifies the transition probabilities among the microstates that comprise a path. For each problem there exists an optimal importance function, which biases that path sampling in such a manner that each path initiating in A leads to a successful event. The fact that the optimal function obeys a variational principle, then leads to an adaptive method in which a trial function form containing a set of adjustable parameters is chosen. The parameters are then adjusted so as to bring the trial function as close as possible to the optimal importance function. We demonstrate the method in two model problems.