A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "U.S. military aircraft are often at great risk from enemy air defenses, and the services use specialized aircraft to neutralize or destroy them. In January 2001, GAO reported that a gap existed between the services' suppression capabilities and their needs and recommended that a comprehensive strategy was needed to fix the situation. In response to GAO's report, DOD emphasized that a major study underway at the time would provide the basis for a Department-wide strategy and lead to a balanced set of acquisition programs between the services. This report updates our previous work and assesses actions that DOD has taken to improve its suppression capabilities."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Because of the recent growth in DOD's Selective Reenlistment Bonus Program, the House Appropriations Committee asked GAO to determine (1) the extent to which the services have followed their criteria for managing their programs and (2) whether DOD has provided adequate guidance for and oversight of the program."

Quarterly publication of the Texas Comptroller's Office regarding sales and use tax in the state of Texas, including an analysis by county, analysis by industry, and related notes.

The availability of the assembled mouse genome makespossible, for the first time, an alignment and comparison of two largevertebrate genomes. We have investigated different strategies ofalignment for the subsequent analysis of conservation of genomes that areeffective for different quality assemblies. These strategies were appliedto the comparison of the working draft of the human genome with the MouseGenome Sequencing Consortium assembly, as well as other intermediatemouse assemblies. Our methods are fast and the resulting alignmentsexhibit a high degree of sensitivity, covering more than 90 percent ofknown coding exons in the human genome. We have obtained such coveragewhile preserving specificity. With a view towards the end user, we havedeveloped a suite of tools and websites for automatically aligning, andsubsequently browsing and working with whole genome comparisons. Wedescribe the use of these tools to identify conserved non-coding regionsbetween the human and mouse genomes, some of which have not beenidentified by other methods.

Density increases in caustic-side solvent extraction (CSSX) solvent have been observed in separate experimental programs performed by different groups of researchers. Such changes indicate a change in chemical composition. Increased density adversely affects separation of solvent from denser aqueous solutions present in the CSSX process. Identification and control of factors affecting solvent density are essential for design and operation of the centrifugal contactors. The goals of this research were to identify the factors affecting solvent density (composition) and to develop correlations between easily measured solvent properties (density and viscosity) and the chemical composition of the solvent, which will permit real-time determination and adjustment of the solvent composition. In evaporation experiments, virgin solvent was subjected to evaporation under quiescent conditions at 25, 35, and 45 C with continuously flowing dry air passing over the surface of the solvent. Density and viscosity were measured periodically, and chemical analysis was performed on the solvent samples. Chemical interaction tests were completed to determine if any chemical reaction takes place over extended contact time that changes the composition and/or physical properties. Solvent and simulant, solvent and strip solution, and solvent and wash solution were contacted continuously in agitated flasks. They were periodically sampled and the …

The continuation of the collaboration with Liu and Lian on the calculation of the II A model opened up the possibility to understand calculations for higher genus curves also; many detailed calculations were carried out. They provided evidence that the method is powerful enough to calculate GW invariants in many cases. Local mirror symmetry was worked out with Chiang, Klemm, and Zaslow; it is consistent with physics intuition. Work was carried out to advance the ideas of Stroninger-Yau-Zaslow's geometric version of mirror symmetry in terms of special Lagragian torus fibration. Several papers were written on understanding such duality; it fits well with the predictions, and the ideas are still being studied.

Because reservoir production is primarily in fractured rock, a great deal of effort has been spent devising means of remotely sensing fractures and fracture zones using geophysics. Since increased fluid content or alteration of fractures can give rise to an electrical conductivity contrast, electromagnetic (EM) means of probing have been investigated extensively over the years. Although direct and indirect fracture responses have been noted in many field situations, a fracture response can be subtle and progress has been sporadic. The purpose of this project was to facilitate inductive fracture detection by providing the interpretation tools and knowledge-theoretic frame work for innovative high resolution fracture detection and delineation.

This report provides an overview and lists procedures of the export-import bank's economic impact procedures.

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New emissions regulations will increase the need for compact, inexpensive sensors for monitoring and control of automotive exhaust gas pollutants. Species of interest include hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and oxides of nitrogen (NO{sub x}). The current work is directed towards the development of fast, high sensitivity electrochemical NO{sub x} sensors for automotive diesel applications. We have investigated potentiometric NO sensors with good sensitivity and fast response when operated in 10% O{sub 2}. The sensors consist of yttria-stabilized zirconia substrates attached with NiCr{sub 2}O{sub 4} sensing electrodes and Pt reference electrodes. A composite NiCr{sub 2}O{sub 4}:Rh sensing electrode is shown to give significantly faster response than NiCr{sub 2}O{sub 4} alone. The exact role of the Rh in enhancing the response speed is not clear at present. However, the Rh appears to accumulate at the contacts between the NiCr{sub 2}O{sub 4} particles and may enhance the inter-particle electronic conduction. Ongoing testing of these sensors is being performed to elucidate the sensing mechanisms and to quantify cross sensitivity to, for example, NO{sub 2}.

AN experimental study of the effects of residual elements in carbon steels was carried out to gain better understanding and control of the effects of residual elements emanating from recycled steel scrap. Two plain carbon steel grade compositions (one medium-carbon and one low-carbon), residual elements and levels, and four areas of study, were selected on the bases of a comprehensive literature survey and consultation with sponsor steel companies. The influence of residuals (Cu, Sn, Ni, P, Si, up to the levels studied here), on these laboratory produced hot rolled steels was studied in the areas of (a) hot ductility, (b) surface hot shortness, (c) scale formation and adherence, and (d) embrittlement and mechanical properties. This report summarizes the experimental procedures, results, discussion and conclusions of this study. The relevance of the study is also discussed in relation to steel processing and product properties and in relation to energy consumption and environmental compliance.

This report presents experimental and analytical results concerning the behavior of crossply and quasi-isotropic laminates manufactured of stitch-bonded T300 urethane 420 IMR polymeric composites. Based on extensive creep and recovery data at various levels of stress and temperature, as well as on strain-to-failure information, it was possible to arrive at empirical expressions relating deformation to the previous input as well as to input duration. These expressions were incorporated within the formalisms of viscoelasticity and laminate theory to illuminate some basic underlying mechanistic aspects of the material at hand, thereby enabling the prediction of anticipated response under more complex stress and temperature inputs.

The goals of this project have was to: (1) assemble and analyze a comprehensive database of past waste injection operations; (2) develop improved diagnostic techniques for monitoring fracture growth and formation changes; (3) develop operating guidelines to optimize daily operations and ultimate storage capacity of the target formation; and (4) to apply these improved models and guidelines in the field.

Over the past several years, significant progress has been made in the analysis of safety and environmental (S&E) issues for inertial fusion energy (IFE). Detailed safety assessments have been performed for the baseline power plant concepts, as well as for a conceptual target fabrication facility. Safety analysis results are helping to drive the agenda for experiments. A survey of the S&E characteristics--both radiological and chemical--of candidate target materials has been completed. Accident initiating events have been identified and incorporated into master logic diagrams, which will be essential to the detailed safety analyses that will be needed in the future. Studies of aerosol generation and transport will have important safety implications. A Monte Carlo-based uncertainty analysis procedure has been developed for use in neutron activation calculations. Finally, waste management issues are receiving increased attention and are deserving of further discussion.

Key water quality issues that may face the 107th Congress include: actions to implement existing provisions of the Clean Water Act (CWA), whether additional steps are necessary to achieve overall goals of the Act, and the appropriate federal role in guiding and paying for clean water activities. Legislative prospects for comprehensively amending the Act have for some time stalled over whether and exactly how to change the law. If clean water issues receive attention in the 107th Congress, consideration of specific issues will depend in part on the CWA policy agenda of the new Bush Administration and on priorities of the key committees that have major jurisdiction over the Act.

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This record provides information about The Hatch-Waxman Act: Proposed Legislative Changes Affecting Pharmaceutical Patents. Congressional interests in the cost of Pharmaceuticals have focused attention on several areas where the federal government has policies and programs.

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This report compares an approach based on a species-by-species assessment, vs. one based on pathways of entry. It also assesses the choice of an emphasis on prevention vs. post hoc control and intra-state quarantine. It describes existing federal laws and federal agency roles, federal interagency cooperation, and the federal interaction with state governments. Finally, it outlines effects, costs, and issues surrounding 47 selected harmful non-native species.