A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Mail and postal facilities are tempting targets for theft and other criminal acts. Approximately 800,000 U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employees process about 700 million pieces of mail daily at almost 38,000 facilities nationwide. Criminals attack letter carriers to get mail containing valuables and burglarize postal facilities to get cash and money orders. These activities at USPS facilities can put at risk the integrity of the mail and the safety of employees, customers, and assets. We looked at physical security measures at large facilities that perform automated mail-sorting functions, which on the basis of discussions with USPS, we defined as "core" facilities. Specifically, our objectives were to provide information on (1) what USPS has determined to be the physical security requirements at core facilities, (2) what security measures have been implemented and what security problems exist at USPS core facilities, and (3) what are USPS's plans to respond to identified security problems."

This report includes information regarding the major legislative issues concerning military retirement. TERA, survivor benefit COLAs, and retirement budgeting are among topics discussed in this report.

This report provides comprehensive descriptive information on major provisions of the law pertaining to the consolidation loans available to federal student loan borrowers through the FFEL and DL programs.

Blank probation data survey containing a series of questions related to the probationary population in a particular location, with instructions for filling out the survey.

In support for the Aggregation option, researchers performed a series of tests using actual Tank 48H slurries. The tests were designed to examine potential benzene generation issues if the Tank 48H slurry is disposed to Saltstone. Personnel used the archived Tank 48H sample (HTF-E-03-127, collected September 17, 2003) for the experiments. The tests included a series of three experiments (Tests A, B, and F) performed in duplicate, giving a total of six experiments. Test A used Tank 48H slurry mixed with approximately 20:1 with Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) Recycle from Tanks 21H and 22H. Test B used Tank 48H slurry mixed with approximately 2.7:1 with DWPF Recycle from Tanks 21H and 22H, while Test F used Tank 48H slurry as-is. Tests A and B occurred at 45 degrees C, while Test F occurred at 55 degrees C. Over a period of 8 weeks, personnel collected samples for analysis, once per week. Each sample was tested with the in-cell gamma counter. The researchers noted a decline in the cesium activity in solution which is attributed to temperature dependence of the complex slurry equilibrium. Selected samples were sent to ADS for potassium, boron, and cesium analysis. The benzene generation rate was …

In this program, TIAX performed the conceptual design and analysis of an innovative, modular, direct-drive permanent magnet generator (PMG) for use in small wind turbines that range in power rating from 25 kW to 100 kW. TIAX adapted an approach that has been successfully demonstrated in high volume consumer products such as direct-drive washing machines and portable generators. An electromagnetic model was created and the modular PMG design was compared to an illustrative non-modular design. The resulting projections show that the modular design can achieve significant reductions in size, weight, and manufacturing cost without compromising efficiency. Reducing generator size and weight can also lower the size and weight of other wind turbine components and hence their manufacturing cost.

As part of the program to disposition the tetraphenylborate (TPB) in Tank 48H and return the tank to service, Salt Processing Development requested a review of the literature to assess the state of knowledge pertaining to incorporation of tetraphenylborate slurries in saltstone grout with respect to benzene generation rates and leaching performance. Examination of past studies conducted at Savannah River Site (SRS) on the incorporation of TPB slurries in saltstone provides a basis for developing a more focused scope of experimental studies. Tank 48H currently contains potassium and cesium tetraphenylborate salts as a result of a demonstration of the In Tank Precipitation (ITP) process in 1983 and subsequent ITPradioactive start-up operations in 1995. The tank currently contains approximately 240,000 gallons of salt solution with approximately 19,000 kg of potassium and cesium tetraphenylborate salts. The presence of the TPB salts makes the waste incompatible with existing High Level Waste treatment facilities. The TPB salts in Tank 48H must be treated or removed to meet the scheduled return to service date of 2007. The two preferred options for disposition of the TBP slurries in Tank 48H include: (1) Aggregation of the material with the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) recycle stream and …

The laboratory conditions used to synthesize the uranyl silicate minerals are almost identical to the evaporator conditions under which high caustic nuclear wastes are processed to reduce total liquid waste volume. The only significant difference lies in the sodium ion concentration in such caustic nuclear wastes, which typically averages around 5.6 M Na+. In this investigation, synthetic uranyl silicate minerals (sodium weeksite, sodium boltwoodite and uranophane) were produced only under low Na+ concentration (less than 0.02 M), while attempts to synthesize these same uranyl silicates minerals in the presence of high Na+ concentration (high ionic strength reacting media), which is typical of caustic nuclear waste evaporator processing conditions proved unfruitful. In the presence of high Na+ concentration the main product for the same soluble silica-uranium reaction mixture shifts towards the formation of mainly clarkeite (Na[(UO2)O(OH)](H2O)0-1), a hydrated sodium uranate and not to wards the formation of uranyl silicates. Thus, the presence of high Na+ concentration in the reaction mixture of dissolved uranium and silica inhibits or suppresses the formation of crystalline uranyl silicates. We therefore conclude that evaporator fouling by uranyl silicate minerals is not easily produced under nuclear waste processing conditions because of the high Na+ concentration in the …

In this study the loading capacities of selected actinides onto some of the most common sorbent materials which are present in caustic nuclear waste storage tanks have been determined. Some of these transition metal oxides and activated carbons easily absorb or precipitate plutonium, neptunium and even uranium, which if care is not taken may lead to unwanted accumulation of some of these fissile materials in nuclear waste tanks during waste processing. Based on a caustic synthetic salt solution simulant bearing plutonium, uranium and neptunium and ''real'' nuclear waste supernate solution, the loading capacities of these actinides onto iron oxide (hematite), activated carbon and anhydrous sodium phosphate have been determined. The loading capacities for plutonium onto granular activated carbon and iron oxide (hematite) in a caustic synthetic salt solution were, respectively, 3.4 0.22 plus or minus and 5.5 plus or minus 0.38 microgram per gram of sorbent. The loading capacity for plutonium onto a typical nuclear waste storage tank sludge solids was 2.01 microgram per gram of sludge solids. The loading capacities for neptunium onto granular activated carbon and iron oxide (hematite) in a caustic synthetic salt solution were, respectively, 7.9 plus or minus 0.52 and greater than 10 microgram per …

Trace levels of soluble zinc(II) ions (30 ppb) maintained in mildly alkaline, hydrogenated water at 260 C were found to reduce the corrosion rate of Alloy 600 (UNS N06600) by about 40% relative to a non-zinc baseline test [2]. Characterizations of the corrosion oxide layer via SEM/TEM and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction confirmed the presence of a chromite-rich oxide phase and recrystallized nickel. The oxide crystals had an approximate surface density of 3500 {micro}m{sup -2} and an average size of 11 {+-} 5 nm. Application of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy with argon ion milling, followed by target factor analyses, permitted speciated composition vs. depth profiles to be obtained. Numerical integration of the profiles revealed that: (1) alloy oxidation occurred non-selectively and (2) zinc(II) ions were incorporated into the chromite-rich spinel: (Zn{sub 0.55}Ni{sub 0.3}Fe{sub 0.15})(Fe{sub 0.25}Cr{sub 0.75}){sub 2}O{sub 4}. Spinel stoichiometry places the trivalent ion composition in the single phase oxide region, consistent with the absence of the usual outer, ferrite-rich solvus layer. By comparison with compositions of the chromite-rich spinel obtained in the non-zinc baseline test, it is hypothesized that zinc(II) ion incorporation was controlled by the equilibrium for 0.55 Zn{sup 2+}(aq) + (Ni{sub 0.7}Fe{sub 0.3})(Fe{sub 0.3}Cr{sub 0.7}){sub 2}O{sub 4}(s) {r_equilibrium} …

This analysis report evaluates and documents the inclusion or exclusion of the saturated zone (SZ) features, events, and processes (FEPs) with respect to modeling used to support the total system performance assessment (TSPA) for license application (LA) of a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. A screening decision, either ''Included'' or ''Excluded'', is given for each FEP along with the technical basis for the decision. This information is required by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) at 10 CFR 63.114 (d), (e), (f) (DIRS 156605). This scientific report focuses on FEP analysis of flow and transport issues relevant to the SZ (e.g., fracture flow in volcanic units, anisotropy, radionuclide transport on colloids, etc.) to be considered in the TSPA model for the LA. For included FEPs, this analysis summarizes the implementation of the FEP in TSPA-LA (i.e., how the FEP is included). For excluded FEPs, this analysis provides the technical basis for exclusion from TSPA-LA (i.e., why the FEP is excluded).

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

Funeral program for Keenon Da'Vion Shaw, born December 14, 2005 and died November 9, 2007. The funeral was held Friday, November 16, 2007 at Second Baptist Church, officiated by Rev. Dr. Robert L. Jemerson. Funeral arrangements were made through Lewis Funeral Home and he was buried in Meadowlawn Memorial Park in San Antonio, Texas.

This report discusses major provisions of the law pertaining to federal student loan borrowers who receive loans through the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) and William D. Ford Direct Loan (DL) programs. The primary emphasis is placed on discussing provisions related to borrower eligibility, loan terms and conditions, borrower repayment relief, and loan default and its consequences for borrowers.

The governments of the United Stated of America and the Russian Federation (RF) signed an Agreement September 1, 2000 to dispose of weapons plutonium that has been designated as no longer required for defense purposes. The Agreement declares that each country will disposition 34MT of excess weapons grade plutonium from their stockpiles. The preferred disposition technology is the fabrication of mixed oxide (MOx) fuel for use or burning in pressurized water reactors to destroy the plutonium. Implementation of this Agreement will require the conversion of plutonium metal to oxide and the fabrication of MOx fuel within the Russian Federation. The MOx fuel fabrication and metal to oxide conversion processes will generate solid and liquid radioactive wastes containing trace amounts of plutonium, neptunium, americium, and uranium requiring treatment, storage, and disposal. Unique to the Russian MOx fuel fabrication facility's flow-sheet is a liquid waste stream with high concentrations ({approx}1 g/l) of {sup 241}Am and non radioactive silver. The silver is used to dissolve PuO{sub 2} feed materials to the MOx fabrication facility. Technical solutions are needed to treat and solidify this liquid waste stream. Alternative treatment technologies for this liquid waste stream are being evaluated by a Russian engineering team. The …

Condor County Consulting on behalf of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has performed wet season surveys for listed branchiopods at Site 300, located in eastern Alameda County and western San Joaquin County. LLNL is collecting information for the preparation of an EIS covering ongoing explosives testing and related activities on Site 300. Related activities include maintenance of fire roads and annual control burns of approximately 607 hectares (1500 acres). Control burns typically take place on the northern portion of the site. Because natural branchiopod habitat is sparse on Site 300, it is not surprising that listed branchiopods were not observed during this 2001-2002 wet season survey. Although the site is large, a majority of it has topography and geology that precludes the formation of static seasonal pools. Even the relatively gentle topography of the northern half of the site contains few areas where water pools for more than two weeks. The rock outcrops found on the site did not provide suitable habitat for listed branchiopods. Most of the habitat available to branchiopods on the site is puddles that form in roadbeds and dry quickly. The one persistent pool on the site, the larger of the two modified vernal pools and …

To assist the University of California in obtaining biological assessment information for the ''2004 Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operation of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)'', Jones & Stokes conducted an inventory of small mammals in six major vegetation communities at Site 300. These communities were annual grassland, native grassland, oak savanna, riparian corridor, coastal scrub, and seep/spring wetlands. The principal objective of this study was to assess the diversity and abundance of small mammal species in these communities, as well as the current status of any special-status small mammal species found in these communities. Surveys in the native grassland community were conducted before and after a controlled fire management burn of the grasslands to qualitatively evaluate any potential effects of fire on small mammals in the area.

Using molecular dynamics simulations, we have studied the deformation of polysynthetically twinned (PST) TiAl at room temperature with a bicrystal model. The simulation cell was pre-strained and thermodynamically relaxed to a criterion that all stress components of the simulation cell have gone to zeros; in this way no dislocations were pre-existed in {gamma}-{alpha}{sub 2} interfaces. A uniaxial compression was then applied along one 1/6<112] direction in the surface. The results show that under the compression, the interfacial dislocation pairs were prolifically generated due to the structural transformation of {alpha}{sub 2}-lamella. The gliding and agglomerating of these dislocations would finally cause the nucleation of deformation twins from the interface. This is suggested to be a new possible twinning mechanism in the dual phase TiAl alloy. The propagation of this deformation twin, or specifically, its interaction with {gamma}-{gamma} and {gamma}-{alpha}{sub 2} interfaces has been discussed. It shows that the {alpha}{sub 2}-lamella is intent to block the propagation of the deformation twin.

Condor Country Consulting conducted surveys for listed branchiopods in the 2002-2003 wet season to complete requirements of the Guidelines (USFWS 1996) used to determine the distribution of federally-listed branchiopods within the study area. The first survey was performed during the previous wet season (2001-2002). The 2002-2003 wet season survey, combined with the previous season's survey, is intended to provide LLNL with information that will assist them in determining the effects of the proposed action on federally listed branchiopods and provide information useful in the preparation of the associated environmental documentation. It is also expected to satisfy the survey requirements of the USFWS. For the purpose of this report, the term branchiopod refers specifically to phyllopodous branchiopods and not cladocerans. Fairy shrimp, tadpole shrimp, and clam shrimp are all categorized as phyllopodous branchiopods and are currently the only members of the Class Branchiopoda that contain species that are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. Although cladocerans are branchiopods and were found on the site, they are only referred to by the Order in this report because they are not the target species of this study.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), operated under cooperative agreement between the University of California and the U. S. Department of Energy, administers and operates an approximately 11 mi{sup 2} (28 km{sup 2}) test site in the remote hills at the northern end of the South Coast Ranges of Central California (Figure 1). Known as Site 300, this expanse of rolling hills and canyons supports a diverse array of grassland communities typical of lowland central California. The facility serves a variety of functions related to testing non-nuclear explosives, lasers, and weapons subsystems. The primary purpose of this project was to determine the presence of any mesocarnivores on Site 300 that use the property for foraging, denning, and other related activities. The surveys occurred from mid-September to mid-October, 2002.

This report summarizes the critiques the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Supervision (OFHEO) made of accounting practices at Fannie Mae. The OFHEO's two main issues are under the domains of: amortization of discounts, premiums, fees involved in the purchase of home mortgages, and the other being accounting for financial derivatives contracts. The report emphasizes that these discrepancies created a false image of the company's earnings and in one case was the cause of the company's executives to receive bonuses.

A compendium of LLNL Science and Technology Review articles involving scientist and engineers from the Physics and Advanced Technologies Directorate, from January 2002 to the present.

We developed the Piecewise-Linear Haar (PLHaar) transform, an integer wavelet-like transform. PLHaar does not have dynamic range expansion, i.e. it is an n-bit to n-bit transform. To our knowledge PLHaar is the only reversible n-bit to n-bit transform that is suitable for lossy and lossless coding. We are investigating PLHaar's use in lossy image coding. Preliminary results from thresholding transform coefficients show that PLHaar does not produce objectionable artifacts like prior n-bit to n-bit transforms, such as the transform of Chao et al. (CFH). Also, at lower bitrates PLHaar images have increased contrast. For a given set of CFH and PLHaar coefficients with equal entropy, the PLHaar reconstruction is more appealing, although the PSNR may be lower.

This report describes the results of an entomological survey in 2002 to determine the presence of the federally-listed, threatened Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle or ''VELB'' (Desmocerus culifornicus dimorphus: Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) and its elderberry food plant (Sumbucus mexicana: Caprifoliaceae) on the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL) Experimental Test Site, known as Site 300. In addition, an area located immediately southeast of Site 300, which is owned and managed by the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), but secured by LLNL, was also included in this survey. This report will refer to the survey areas as the LLNL-Site 300 and the CDFG site. The 2002 survey included mapping the locations of elderberry plants that were observed using a global positioning system (GPS) to obtain positional coordinates for every elderberry plant at Site 300. In addition, observations of VELB adults and signs of their infestation on elderberry plants were also mapped using GPS technology. LLNL requested information on the VELB and its elderberry food plants to update earlier information that had been collected in 1991 (Arnold 1991) as part of the 1992 EIS/EIR for continued operation of LLNL. No VELB adults were observed as part of this prior survey. The findings of …