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A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Agriculture's implementation of legislative reforms to the Market Access Program (MAP) and their impact on program participation."

This report briefly explains how the annual budget resolution sets forth total spending and revenue levels, which are then allocated to the appropriate House and Senate committees, which in turn help Congress determine how best to enforce spending once a budget resolution is adopted.

The authors present a preliminary analysis and design framework developed for the evaluation and optimization of infrared, Imaging Spatial Heterodyne Spectrometer (SHS) electro-optic systems. Commensurate with conventional interferometric spectrometers, SHS modeling requires an integrated analysis environment for rigorous evaluation of system error propagation due to detection process, detection noise, system motion, retrieval algorithm and calibration algorithm. The analysis tools provide for optimization of critical system parameters and components including : (1) optical aperture, f-number, and spectral transmission, (2) SHS interferometer grating and Littrow parameters, and (3) image plane requirements as well as cold shield, optical filtering, and focal-plane dimensions, pixel dimensions and quantum efficiency, (4) SHS spatial and temporal sampling parameters, and (5) retrieval and calibration algorithm issues.

The growth and properties of undoped and Mn-doped ZnGa{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin-film phosphors on (100) MgO and glass substrates using pulsed laser ablation were investigated. Blue-white and green emission were observed for as-deposited undoped and Mn-doped films, respectively. Luminescent properties as well as crystallinity were considerably affected by processing conditions and film stoichiometry. Films with enhanced luminescent characteristics were obtained on single crystal substrates without post-annealing.

The Anticipatory System (AS) formalism developed by Robert Rosen provides some insight into the problem of embedding intelligent behavior in machines. AS emulates the anticipatory behavior of biological systems. AS bases its behavior on its expectations about the near future and those expectations are modified as the system gains experience. The expectation is based on an internal model that is drawn from an appeal to physical reality. To be adaptive, the model must be able to update itself. To be practical, the model must run faster than real-time. The need for a physical model and the requirement that the model execute at extreme speeds, has held back the application of AS to practical problems. Two recent advances make it possible to consider the use of AS for practical intelligent sensors. First, advances in transducer technology make it possible to obtain previously unavailable data from which a model can be derived. For example, acoustic emissions (AE) can be fed into a Bayesian system identifier that enables the separation of a weak characterizing signal, such as the signature of pump cavitation precursors, from a strong masking signal, such as a pump vibration feature. The second advance is the development of extremely fast, …

Epitaxial thin films of the Tl cuprate superconductors Tl{sub 2}Ba{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8}, Tl{sub 2}Ba{sub 2}Ca{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 10}, and TL{sub 0.78}Bi{sub 0.22}Ba{sub 0.4}Sr{sub 1.6}Ca{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 9{minus}{delta}} are studied with x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. These data, together with previous measurements in this lab of Tl{sub 2}Ba{sub 2}CuO{sub 6+{delta}} and TlBa{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 7{minus}{delta}}, comprise a comprehensive data set for a comparative study of Tl cuprates with a range of chemical and electronic properties. In the Cu 2p spectra, a larger energy separation between the satellite and main peaks (E{sub s}-E{sub m}) and a lower intensity ratio (I{sub s}/I{sub m}) are found to correlate with higher values of T{sub c}. Analysis of these spectra within a simple configuration interaction model suggests that higher values of T{sub c} are related to low values of the O 2p {r_arrow} Cu 3d charge transfer energy. In the O 1s region, a smaller bond length between Ba and Cu-O planar oxygen is found to correlate with a lower binding energy for the signal associated with Cu-O bonding, most likely resulting from the increased polarization screening by Ba{sup 2+} ions. For samples near optimum doping, maximum T{sub c} is observed to occur when the Tl 4f{sub …

Recently there has been an increasing demand to perform real-time in-situ chemical detection of hazardous materials, contraband chemicals, and explosive chemicals. Currently, real-time chemical detection requires rather large analytical instrumentation that are expensive and complicated to use. The advent of inexpensive mass produced MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems) devices opened-up new possibilities for chemical detection. For example, microcantilevers were found to respond to chemical stimuli by undergoing changes in their bending and resonance frequency even when a small number of molecules adsorb on their surface. In our present studies, we extended this concept by studying changes in both the adsorption-induced stress and photo-induced stress as target chemicals adsorb on the surface of microcantilevers. For example, microcantilevers that have adsorbed molecules will undergo photo-induced bending that depends on the number of absorbed molecules on the surface. However, microcantilevers that have undergone photo-induced bending will adsorb molecules on their surfaces in a distinctly different way. Depending on the photon wavelength and microcantilever material, the microcantilever can be made to bend by expanding or contracting the irradiated surface. This is important in cases where the photo-induced stresses can be used to counter any adsorption-induced stresses and increase the dynamic range. Coating the surface of the …

It is well known that the work function of metals decreases when they are placed in a nonpolar liquid. A similar decrease occurs when the metal is placed into contact with a semiconductor forming a Schottky barrier. We report on a new method for detecting photons using the stress caused by photo-electrons emitted from a metal film surface in contact with a semiconductor microstructure. The photoelectrons diffuse into the microstructure and produce an electronic stress. The photon detection results from the measurement of the photo-induced bending of the microstructure. Internal photoemission has been used in the past to detect photons, however, in those cases the detection was accomplished by measuring the current due to photoelectrons and not due to electronic stress. Small changes in position (displacement) of microstructures are routinely measured in atomic force microscopy (AFM) where atomic imaging of surfaces relies on the measurement of small changes (< l0{sup -9} m) in the bending of microcantilevers. In the present work we studied the photon response of Si microcantilevers coated with a thin film of Pt. The Si microcantilevers were 500 nm thick and had a 30 nm layer of Pt. Photons with sufficient energies produce electrons from the platinum-silicon …

In an X-Ray FEL like the Linear Coherent Light Source (LCLS) being designed at SLAC, electron bunches about 70 {micro}m FWHM long are sent into a beam tube only 5 mm in internal diameter and more than 100 m in length. Due to the surface roughness of the beam tube, wakefields can be generated that catch up to the bunch and interact with it, causing energy spread and emittance growth. The strength of this effect depends on the details of the roughness of the surface. We present here a study in which the roughness of the beam tube was measured, and the longitudinal impedance of the tube was calculated. Our result shows that commercially available beam tube can be made smooth enough so the resulting wakefield effects are within the tolerance determined by the requirement that the induced relative energy spread of the beam be less then 5 x 10{sup {minus}4}.

Exfoliation of Sic by hydrogen implantation and subsequent annealing forms the basis for a thin-film separation process which, when combined with hydrophilic wafer bonding, can be exploited to produce silicon-carbide-on-insulator, SiCOI. Sic thin films produced by this process exhibit unacceptably high resistivity because defects generated by the implant neutralize electrical carriers. Separation occurs because of chemical interaction of hydrogen with dangling bonds within microvoids created by the implant, and physical stresses due to gas-pressure effects during post-implant anneal. Experimental results show that exfoliation of Sic is dependent upon the concentration of implanted hydrogen, but the damage generated by the implant approaches a point when exfoliation is, in fact, retarded. This is attributed to excessive damage at the projected range of the implant which inhibits physical processes of implant-induced cleaving. Damage is controlled independently of hydrogen dosage by elevating the temperature of the SiC during implant in order to promote dynamic annealing. The resulting decrease in damage is thought to promote growth of micro-cracks which form a continuous cleave. Channeled H{sup +} implantation enhances the cleaving process while simultaneously minimizing residual damage within the separated film. It is shown that high-temperature irradiation and channeling each reduces the hydrogen fluence required to …

Application of Executive Order 12898 to risk assessment of highway or rail transport of hazardous materials has proven difficult; the location and conditions affecting the propagation of a plume of hazardous material released in a potential accident are unknown, in general. Therefore, analyses have only been possible in geographically broad or approximate manner. The advent of geographic information systems and development of software enhancements at Sandia National Laboratories have made kilometer-by-kilometer analysis of populations tallied by U.S. Census Blocks along entire routes practicable. Tabulations of total, or racially/ethnically distinct, populations close to a route, its alternatives, or the broader surrounding area, can then be compared and differences evaluated statistically. This paper presents methods of comparing populations and their racial/ethnic compositions using simple tabulations, histograms and Chi Squared tests for statistical significance of differences found. Two examples of these methods are presented: comparison of two routes and comparison of a route with its surroundings.

In order to develop an alternative buffer layer architecture using the sol-gel process to produce YBCO (YBa2Cu307+) coated conductors, Yb203 has been chosen as the candidate material. Buffer layers of fi03 were epitaxkdly grown on biaxially textured-Ni (100) substrates by the sol gel process for the first time. The ~03 precursor solution was prepared from an alkoxide sol-gel route in 2-xnetho~ethanol and was deposited on textured-Ni (100) substrates by either spin coating or dip coating methods. The amorphous film was then processed at 1160oC under flowing (96%)MH2(4%) gas mixture for one hour. The fi03 iihn exhibited a strong c-axis orientation on the Ni (100) substrates. The phi and omega scans indicated good in plane and out of plane orientations. The X-ray (222) pde figure showed a cube-on-cube epitaxy. High current YBCO films were grown on the Y&03 sol-gel buffered-Ni substrates.

Scenario development has two primary purposes in the design and documentation of post-closure performance assessments in a regulatory setting. First, scenario development ensures a sufficiently comprehensive consideration of the possible future states of the system. Second, scenario development identifies the important scenarios that must be considered in quantitative analyses of the total system performance assessment (TSPA). Section 2.0 of this report describes the scenario development process. Steps in the process are described in Section 2.1, and terms introduced in this section are defined in Section 2.2. The electronic database used to document the process is described in Section 3, and Section 4 provides a summary of the current status of the YMP scenario development work. Section 5 contains acknowledgments, and Section 6 contains a list of the references cited.

We present experimented results directed at understanding the growth and structure of metallic barrier layer and interconnect films. Numerical simulation results associated with this experimental work are presented in an accompanying paper in these proceedings. Here, thin films of Al, Ti, Cu and Ta have been grown by magnetron sputtering onto oxidized Si substrates. Using a specially-constructed substrate holder, the orientation of the substrate with respect to the growth direction was varied from horizontal to vertical. Films were grown at both low and high argon pressure; in the case of Ta, the cathode power was varied as well. The film structure and in particular the surface roughness was measured by X-ray reflectance and also by atomic force microscopy. We find that the surface roughness increases markedly with orientation angle in the case of Ta and Cu films, and in Ti films grown at high argon pressure. At low pressure, however, the Ti film surface roughness remains constant for all substrate orientations. No variation in roughness with either orientation angle or argon pressure was observed in the Al films. These results suggest that, under certain circumstances, shadowing effects and/or grain orientation (i.e., texture) competition during growth can give rise to lower …

Tank 241-SY-101 waste level growth is an emergent, high priority issue. The purpose of this document is to record the hazards evaluation process and document potential hazardous conditions that could lead to the release of radiological and toxicological material from the proposed transfer of a limited quantity (approximately 100,000 gallons) of waste from Tank 241-SY-101 to Tank 241-SY-102. The results of the hazards evaluation were compared to the current Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Basis for Interim Operation (HNF-SD-WM-BIO-001, 1998, Revision 1) to identify any hazardous conditions where Authorization Basis (AB) controls may not be sufficient or may not exist. Comparison to LA-UR-92-3196, A Safety Assessment for Proposed Pump Mixing Operations to Mitigate Episodic Gas Releases in Tank 241-SY-101, was also made in the case of transfer pump removal activities. Revision 1 of this document deletes hazardous conditions no longer applicable to the current waste transfer design and incorporates hazardous conditions related to the use of an above ground pump pit and overground transfer line. This document is not part of the AB and is not a vehicle for requesting authorization of the activity; it is only intended to provide information about the hazardous conditions associated with this activity. The …

Surface pressure data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's ''Unsteady Aerodynamics Experiment'' were analyzed to characterize the impact of three-dimensionality, unsteadiness, and flow separation effects observed to occur on downwind horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT). Surface pressure and strain gage data were collected from two rectangular planform blades with S809 airfoil cross-sections, one flat and one twisted. Both blades were characterized by the maximum leading edge suction pressure and by the azimuth, velocity, and yaw at which it occurred. The occurrence of dynamic stall at all but the inboard station (30% span) shows good quantitative agreement with the theoretical limits on inflow velocity and yaw that should yield dynamic stall events. A full three-dimensional characterization of the surface pressure topographies combined with flow visualization data from surface mounted tufts offer key insights into the three-dimensional processes involved in the unsteady separation process and may help to explain the discrepancies observed with force measurements at 30% span. The results suggest that quasi-static separation and dynamic stall analysis methods relying on purely two-dimensional flow characterizations may not be capable of simulating the complex three-dimensional flows observed with these data.

This project used advanced reservoir characterization tools, including the pulsed acoustic cased-hole logging tool, geologic three-dimensional (3-D) modeling software, and commercially available reservoir management software to identify sands with remaining high oil saturation following waterflood. Production from the identified high oil saturated sands was stimulated by recompleting existing production and injection wells in these sands using conventional means as well as a short radius redrill candidate.

High Temperature X-ray Diffraction (HTXRD) is a very powerful tool for studies of reaction kinetics, phase transformations, and lattice thermal expansion of advanced materials. Accurate temperature measurement is a critical part of the technique. Traditionally, thermocouples, thermistors, and optical pyrometers have been used for temperature control and measurement and temperature could only be measured at a single point. Infrared imaging was utilized in this study to characterize the thermal gradients resulting from various sample and furnace configurations in a commercial strip heater furnace. Furnace configurations include a metallic strip heater, with and without a secondary surround heater, or a surround heater alone. Sample configurations include low and high thermal conductivity powders and solids. The IR imaging results have been used to calibrate sample temperatures in the HTXRD furnace.

The following ceramics were prepared for this study: the baseline ceramic, the baseline ceramic plus process impurities, a zirconolite-rich composition, a brannerite-rich composition, a composition designed to have {approx} 10% perovskite in addition to the normal baseline phases, and an {approx} 10% phosphate-doped batch. These samples were prepared by oxide (via wet or dry milling) and alkoxide-routes. The milling method has a direct effect on the samples. Incomplete milling leads to inhomogeneity in the microstructure. The main effect of incomplete milling is that unreacted actinide oxides remain in the microstructure, usually surrounded by brannerite. The phase composition also alters due to the actinide being tied up in the unreacted oxide, e.g., the pyrochlore has less actinide and additional phases, such as zirconolite may form. The approach to equilibrium is determined by a number of factors--the efficiency of the milling, the sintering time, the sintering temperature and the batch composition. The latter is very important, e.g., the zirconolite-rich batch has a slower approach to equilibrium than the baseline ceramic requiring higher sintering temperatures or longer sintering times. The addition of process impurities dramatically alters the approach to equilibrium. The additives produce a silicate liquid phase (at the sintering temperatures), which aids …

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The authors present a detection process capable of directly imaging the transverse amplitude, phase, and Doppler shift of coherent electromagnetic fields. Based on coherent detection principles governing conventional heterodyned RADAR/LADAR systems, Fourier Transform Heterodyne incorporates transverse spatial encoding of the reference local oscillator for image capture. Appropriate selection of spatial encoding functions allows image retrieval by way of classic Fourier manipulations. Of practical interest: (1) imaging may be accomplished with a single element detector/sensor requiring no additional scanning or moving components, (2) as detection is governed by heterodyne principles, near quantum limited performance is achievable, (3) a wide variety of appropriate spatial encoding functions exist that may be adaptively configured in real-time for applications requiring optimal detection, and (4) the concept is general with the applicable electromagnetic spectrum encompassing the RF through optical.

Thin film CoPt/Co bilayers have been prepared as a model system to investigate the relationship between microstructure and exchange coupling in two-phase hard/soft composite magnets. CoPt films, with a thickness of 25 nm, were sputter-deposited from a nearly equiatomic alloy target onto oxidized Si wafers. The films were subsequently annealed at 700 C and fully transformed from the FCC phase to the magnetically hard, ordered L1{sub 0} phase. The coercivity of the films increased rapidly with annealing time until it reached a plateau at approximately 9.5 kOe. Fully-ordered CoPt films were then used as substrates for deposition of Co layers, with thicknesses in the range of 2.8--225 nm, in order to produce the hard/soft composite bilayers. As predicted by theory, the magnetic coherency between the soft Co phase and the hard, ordered CoPt phase decreased as the thickness of the soft phase increased. This decrease in coupling was clearly seen in the magnetic hysteresis loops of the bilayers. At small thicknesses of Co (a few nanometers), the shape of the loop was one of a uniform material showing no indication of the presence of two phases with extremely different coercivities. At larger Co thicknesses, constricted loops, i.e., ones showing the …

Melt-quenched NdFeB is an important modern permanent magnet material. However there still remains doubt as to the magnetization reversal mechanism which controls coercivity in material prepared by this processing route. To investigate this problem a new technique based on measurements of reversible magnetization along recoil curves has been used. The technique identifies the presence of free domain walls during magnetic reversal. For this study samples of isotropic (MQI), hot pressed (MQII) and die upset (MQIII) melt-quenched NdFeB were examined. The results indicate that in MQI free domain walls are not present during reversal and the reversal mechanism is most likely incoherent rotation of some form. Free domain walls are also not present during reversal in the majority of grains of MQII, even though initial magnetization measurements indicate that the grain size is large enough to support them. In MQIII free domain walls are present during reversal. These results are attributed to the reduced domain wall nucleation field in MQIII compared with MQII and the increased dipolar interactions in MQIII.