This report discusses the revision of U.S. immigration policy on agricultural guest workers that are coming from various perspectives, and several major bills have already been introduced in the 107th Congress

Congressional Research Service (CRS) report entailing information about issues regarding "full funding" of Part B grants to states in regards to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Topics include, the current funding formula, distributional issues, the cost of special education etc..

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The USCNS/21 is charged with thinking comprehensively and creatively about how the United States should provide for its national security in the 21st century.

Other written product issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO published a report describing the activities of the Personnel Appeals Board, its Office of General Counsel, and its Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Oversight during the last two fiscal years."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The National Military Strategy calls for U.S. forces to fight and win two nearly simultaneous major theater wars. Accordingly, the Army calculates its force structure requirements on the basis of this scenario. The strategy also calls for the Army to support operations in a series of concurrent contingencies and assumes that forces thus engaged will be withdrawn and redeployed if war occurs. The Army's difficulty in supporting contingency operations without repeatedly calling on some types of units has raised questions about whether forces structured to meet the two-war scenario can also support multiple peacetime contingency operations. GAO reviewed the Army's force planning process, known as Total Army Analysis 2007, to determine whether the Army's planned force structure will meet its contingency requirements. GAO found that the Army's force structure generally provides the number and types of units required to simultaneously carry out seven illustrative contingency operations requiring Army participation. However, it does not contain the number and types of units needed to meet the needs of five simultaneous contingencies lasting for more than six months and requiring force rotations. If Army forces continue to be called …

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Endangered Species Act seeks to protect affected species and their habitats from the activities of federal agencies and individual landowners. If a landowner plans to engage in an activity that may harm endangered species or their habitats, the landowner may prepare a Habitat Conservation Plan that may include paying a fee to a third party to ensure that the affected species is protected. GAO reviewed (1) the various types of fee-based mitigation arrangements currently used by the Fish and Wildlife Service, (2) who selects the alternative used to mitigate adverse impacts, (3) the Service's role in setting fees and land exchange ratios, and (4) how the Service ensures that fees are used as intended and that desired mitigation results are achieved. GAO found that (1) eight types of fee-based arrangements are now at the locations GAO visited, seven of which require the landowner to act; (2) the landowner is ultimately responsible for deciding whether to use a fee-based mitigation arrangement after considering its advantages and disadvantages; (3) the Service's level of involvement in setting fees and establishing land exchange ratios varies by project and type of arrangement; …

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) has refocused its wind turbine design-code comparison effort to verify FAST{_}AD with ADAMS. FAST{_}AD is a wind turbine structural-response code developed by Oregon State University for the NWTC. ADAMS is a commercial, general-purpose, multibody-dynamics code developed by Mechanical Dynamics, Inc. ADAMS, which is used in many industries, has been rigorously tested. Both ADAMS and FAST{_}AD use the AeroDyn subroutine package for calculating aerodynamic forces. The University of Utah developed AeroDyn for the NWTC. To compare FAST{_}AD to ADAMS, we modeled a rough approximation of the AWT-27 P4 turbine, using the same properties for both simulators. The AWT-27 is a 275-kilowatt (kW), two-bladed wind turbine. We also created three-bladed versions of the turbine models to verify FAST{_}AD for three-bladed turbines. In this paper, we list the aerodynamic features used in the comparison. We also explain how the programs model the turbine structure, describe the degrees of freedom (DOFs) used for this study, and present simulation comparisons that show very good agreement.

As part of the Hanford River Protection Project (RPP), the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) has conducted tests on the pretreatment and vitrification of a radioactive waste sample from Hanford Tank 241-AZ-102. The original, AZ-102 sample which was received at SRTC was characterized and filtered to remove entrained solids.1 The sample was then passed sequentially through ion exchange columns containing SuperLig{reg_sign} 644 and 639 resins for the removal of cesium and technetium ions (Tc removed as pertechnetate, TcO{sub 4}{sup {minus}}), respectively.2 The cesium and technetium absorbed to the resins was then eluted to give separate eluate solutions containing relatively high concentrations of Cs{sup +} and TcO{sub 4}{sup {minus}}. According to the current plant design, the decontaminated Tank 241-AZ-102 sample and the eluate solutions will be subjected to separate evaporation and vitrification processes to give low- and high-activity waste glasses, respectively. This report describes evaporation testing of the Tc eluate solution derived from ion exchange processing of the Tank 241-AZ-102 sample with SuperLig 639 resin.

Experiments have shown that the presence of a thin native oxide layer on the surface of a strained SiGe epilayer causes an order of magnitude increase in dislocation velocities during annealing over those observed in atomically clean samples and during crystal growth. This behavior is explained herein by stress-assisted dislocation kink nucleation at the oxide/epilayer interface. Finite element models are used to estimate the magnitude of stress local to steps at this interface due to both intrinsic and thermal expansion stresses, and dislocation theory is used to determine the resulting increase in single kink nucleation.

The Product Composition Control System (PCCS) is used to determine the acceptability of each batch of Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) melter feed in the Slurry Mix Evaporator (SME). This control system imposes several constraints on the composition of the contents of the SME to define acceptability. These constraints relate process or product properties to composition via prediction models. A SME batch is deemed acceptable if its sample composition measurements lead to acceptable property predictions after accounting for modeling, measurement and analytic uncertainties. The baseline document guiding the use of these data and models is ''SME Acceptability Determination for DWPF Process Control (U)'' by Brown and Postles [1996]. A minimum of three PCCS constraints support the prediction of the glass durability from a given SME batch. The Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) is reviewing all of the PCCS constraints associated with durability. The purpose of this review is to revisit these constraints in light of the additional knowledge gained since the beginning of radioactive operations at DWPF and to identify any supplemental studies needed to amplify this knowledge so that redundant or overly conservative constraints can be eliminated or replaced by more appropriate constraints.

The overall objective of this project is the three phase development of an Early Entrance Coproduction Plant (EECP) which produces at least one product from at least two of the following three categories: (1) electric power (or heat), (2) fuels, and (3) chemicals. The objective is to have these products produced by technologies capable of using synthesis gas derived from coal and/or other carbonaceous feedstocks. The objective of Phase I is to determine the feasibility and define the concept for the EECP located at a specific site and to develop a Research, Development, and Testing Plan (RD and T) for implementation in Phase II. The objective of Phase II is to implement the RD and T as outlined in the Phase I RD and T Plan to enhance the development and commercial acceptance of coproduction technology that produces high-value products, particularly those that are critical to our domestic fuel and power requirements. The project will resolve critical knowledge and technology gaps on the integration of gasification and downstream processing to coproduce some combination of power, fuels, and chemicals from coal and/or other carbonaceous feedstocks. The objective of Phase III is to develop an engineering design package and a financing plan …

Ion exchange tests have been completed at the Savannah River Technology Center for British Nuclear Fuels Limited, Inc. as part of the Hanford River Protection Project. Radioactive cesium and technetium (pertechnetate form only) were removed by ion exchange from a sample of Envelope C salt solution from Hanford Tank 241-AN-102 (sample volume: approximately 17 L at 4.8 M Na plus). The original sample was diluted and subjected to strontium/transuranics (Sr/TRU) precipitation and filtration processes before ion exchange processing was performed. Batch contact and column tests for the ion exchange removal of cesium and technetium were then completed on the Sr/TRU-decontaminated product. Previous ion exchange tests were conducted on a smaller portion (0.5 L) of the Tank 241-AN-102 supernate sample, which had been similarly pretreated, and the results were reported in a separate document.

The U.S. Department of Energy will immobilize excess plutonium in the proposed Plutonium Immobilization Plant (PIP) at the Savannah River site (SRS) as part of a two-track approach for dispositioning weapons-usable plutonium. The Department of Energy is funding the development and testing effort for the PIP being conducted by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory. PIP is developing the ''Can-in Canister'' (CIC) technology that immobilizes plutonium by encapsulating it in ceramic forms (or pucks) and ultimately surrounding the forms with high-level waste glass to provide a deterrent to recovery. A cold (non-radioactive) test program was conducted to develop and verify the baseline design for the canister and internal hardware. Tests were conducted in two phases. Phase 1 Cold Pour Tests, conducted in 1999, were scoping tests. This paper describes the Phase 2 tests conducted in 2000 that verified the adequacy of the baseline and demonstrated compliance with repository requirements.

A new cryostat cooled by a closed-cycle Cryomech GB-37 cryocooler for superconductor measurements at temperatures down to 20 K is described. The sample is conductively coupled to the cold stage so as to minimize vibration and thermal stresses. AC losses have been measured calorimetrically in several HTSC coils that have been wound to simulate sub-scale transformer winding pairs. Stable temperatures down to 20 K were reached on these coils, allowing measurements at practical levels of ac current and I{sub c}. By using short ac current pulses, losses on individual turns could be resolved. Results are reported mainly to showcase the apparatus, measurement procedure and analytical approach.

Inelastic and nonelastic neutron interactions with {sup 11}B have been studied for incident neutron energies between 2 and 22 MeV. Neutrons from the Oak Ridge Electron Linear Accelerator (ORELA) impinged a sample of natural boron. Gamma rays resulting from neutron interactions were detected using a well-calibrated intrinsic-Ge detection system. Data reduction included compensation for Doppler broadening of the observed peaks and corrections due to incident neutron attenuation, effects due to multiple scattering of neutrons, and sample attenuation of the outgoing gamma rays. Cross sections for gamma rays having energies (in keV) of 2124, 4445, 4741, 5020, 6434, 6743+6793 (combined), and 7286 following inelastic scattering, of 478 keV from the {sup 11}B(n,n{alpha}{gamma}){sup 7}Li reaction, and of 718 keV from the {sup 11}B(n,2n{gamma}){sup 10}B reaction as functions of incident neutron energy are presented in tabular form.

The pretreatment process for the Hanford River Protection Project Waste Treatment Plant is to provide decontaminated Low-Activity Waste and concentrated elute streams for vitrification into low- and high-activity waste glass, respectively. The pretreatment includes sludge washing, filtration, precipitation, and ion exchange processes to remove entrained solids, strontium, transuranics, cesium, and technetium.

Southwire Company has installed the world's first industrial high-temperature superconducting cable system to power three of its main manufacturing plants. The cable consists of three single-phase, 30-m long cables designed to carry 1250 A at 12.4 kV. The cable is cooled by a liquid nitrogen (LN) system that can supply LN at sub-cooled temperatures down to 72 K and at pressures up to 15 atmospheres. The design of the 30-m cables is based upon two 5-m cable prototypes, which were tested at a specially developed facility at ORNL. In addition to critical current and ac loss measurements, simulated fault-current tests were performed at ORNL on the 5-m cables. Cable terminations were designed to allow smooth transition from the cryogenic temperature and pressure environment of the HTS cable to ambient temperature and pressure for copper cables. A dielectric tape material, Cryoflex(trademark), was also developed for use at cryogenic temperatures.

Public participation in Office of Environmental Management (EM) activities throughout the DOE complex is a critical component of the overall success of remediation and waste management efforts. The challenges facing EM and its stakeholders over the next decade or more are daunting (Nuclear Waste News 1996). Achieving a mission composed of such challenges will require innovation, dedication, and a significant degree of good will among all stakeholders. EM's efforts to date, including obtaining and using inputs offered by EM stakeholders, have been notable. Public participation specialists have accepted and met challenges and have consistently tried to improve their performance. They have reported their experiences both formally and informally (e.g., at professional conferences and EM Public Participation Network Workshops, other internal meetings of DOE and contractor public participation specialists, and one-on-one consultations) in order to advance the state of their practice. Our research, and our field research in particular (including our interactions with many representatives of numerous stakeholder groups at nine DOE sites with diverse EM problems), have shown that it, is possible to develop coherent results even in a problem domain as complex as that of EM. We conclude that performance-based evaluations of public participation appear possible, and we have …

This paper covers the design, development and testing of the magazines (cylinders containing cans of plutonium-ceramic pucks) and the rack that holds them in place inside the waste glass canister. Several magazine and rack concepts were evaluated to produce a design that gives the optimal balance between resistance to thermal degradation and facilitation of remote handling. This paper also reviews the effort to develop a jointed robotic arm that can remotely load seven magazines into defined locations inside a stationary canister working only through the 4 inch (102mm) diameter canister throat.

The purpose of this System Design Description (SDD) is to specify the system and component functions and requirements for the Can Loading System and provide a complete description of the system (design features, boundaries, and interfaces), principles of operation (including upsets and recovery), and the system maintenance approach. The Plutonium Immobilization Project (PIP) will immobilize up to 13 metric tons (MT) of U.S. surplus weapons usable plutonium materials.

Diesel engines have potential for use in a large number of future vehicles in the US. However, to achieve this potential, proponents of diesel engine technologies must solve diesel's pollution problems, including objectionable levels of emissions of particulates and oxides of nitrogen. To meet emissions reduction goals, diesel fuel quality improvements could enable diesel engines with advanced aftertreatment systems to achieve the necessary emissions performance. The diesel fuel would most likely have to be reformulated to be as clean as low sulfur gasoline. This report examines the small- and large-market extremes for introduction of ultra-clean diesel fuel in the US and concludes that petroleum refinery and distribution systems could produce adequate low sulfur blendstocks to satisfy small markets for low sulfur (30 parts per million) light duty diesel fuel, and deliver that fuel to retail consumers with only modest changes. Initially, there could be poor economic returns on under-utilized infrastructure investments. Subsequent growth in the diesel fuel market could be inconsistent with U.S. refinery configurations and economics. As diesel fuel volumes grow, the manufacturing cost may increase, depending upon how hydrodesulfurization technologies develop, whether significantly greater volumes of the diesel pool have to be desulfurized, to what degree other properties …

This publication contains abstracts of current reports published by the Energy Division, one of 15 research divisions at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The division's work has four principal thrusts: (1) research and development (R&D) to improve the efficiency of building energy use and delivery technologies; (2) environmental, technological, regional, and policy analysis and assessments related to energy production and use; (3) research on improving the efficiency of transportation systems; and (4) applied R&D for emergency planning capabilities. More information on the division is available from our World Wide Web home page (http://www.ornl.gov/divisions/energy/energy.html) or can be obtained by contacting the division (Kim Grubb, Energy Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Bldg. 4500N, MS 6187, P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6187, USA; telephone 865-576-8176). These reports are available to DOE, DOE contractors, and the public as noted on page ii of this publication. Please specify the report number in any inquiry. Questions on individual reports may be directed to the author address indicated at the end of each report brief.

Energy savings from the use of daylighting in commercial buildings are realized through implementation of photoelectric lighting controls that dim electric lights when sufficient daylight is available to provide adequate workplane illumination. The dimming level of electric lighting is based on the signal of a photosensor. Current simulation approaches for such systems are based on the questionable assumption that the signal of the photosensor is proportional to the task illuminance. This paper presents a method that simulates the performance of photosensor controls considering the acceptance angle, angular sensitivity, placement of the photosensor within a space, and color correction filter. The method is based on the multiplication of two fisheye images: one generated from the angular sensitivity of the photosensor and the other from a 180- or 360-degree fisheye image of the space as ''seen'' by the photosensor. The paper includes a detailed description of the method and its implementation, example applications, and validation results based on comparison with measurements in an actual office space.