Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "As the lead federal agency for maritime homeland security within the Department of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard is facing extraordinary, heightened responsibilities to protect America's ports, waterways, and waterside facilities from terrorist attacks. At the same time, the Coast Guard remains responsible for many other programs important to the nation's interests, such as conducting search and rescue and protecting important fishing grounds. Its expanded responsibilities come at a time when budget resources are increasingly constrained, making prioritization among competing agencies and programs an even more critical factor in congressional decision-making. This testimony specifically addresses (1) the most recent trends in both resource usage and performance results for the Coast Guard's homeland security and non-homeland security programs; (2) challenges the agency faces as it proceeds with its Deepwater acquisition program to replace or modernize its key legacy cutters and aircraft; and (3) an overview of the President's fiscal year 2005 budget request for the Coast Guard, focusing on several areas of particular congressional interest."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Oil for Food program was established by the United Nations and Iraq in 1996 to address concerns about the humanitarian situation after international sanctions were imposed in 1990. The program allowed the Iraqi government to use the proceeds of its oil sales to pay for food, medicine, and infrastructure maintenance. The program appears to have helped the Iraqi people. From 1996 through 2001, the average daily food intake increased from 1,300 to 2,300 calories. From 1997-2002, Iraq sold more than $67 billion of oil through the program and issued $38 billion in letters of credit to purchase commodities. GAO (1) reports on its estimates of the revenue diverted from the program, (2) provides preliminary observations on the program's administration, (3) describes some challenges in its transfer to the CPA, and (4) discusses the challenges Iraq faces as it assumes program responsibility."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The federal government spends more than $230 billion annually for products and services to conduct its operations. Through its purchasing decisions, it has the opportunity to affirm its policies and goals, including those related to purchases of biobased products, as set out in the 2002 farm bill. A biobased product is a commercial or industrial product, other than food or feed that is composed of, in whole or part, biological products, renewable domestic agricultural materials, or forestry materials. GAO examined (1) actions the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other agencies have taken to carry out farm bill requirements for purchasing biobased products, (2) additional actions that may be needed to implement the requirements, and (3) views of stakeholders on the need for and costs of testing biobased products. GAO interviewed officials from USDA, major procuring agencies, testing entities, interested associations, and 15 manufacturers of biobased products."

The effect of preparation conditions on the structural and optical properties of silicon nanoparticles is investigated. Nanoscale reconstructions, unique to curved nanosurfaces, are presented for silicon nanocrystals and shown to have lower energy and larger optical gaps than bulk-derived structures. We find that high-temperature synthesis processes can produce metastable non-crystalline nanostructures with different core structures than bulk-derived crystalline clusters. The type of core structure that forms from a given synthesis process may depend on the passivation mechanism and time scale. The effect of oxygen on the optical of different types of silicon structures is calculated. In contrast to the behavior of bulk-like nanostructures, for non-crystalline and reconstructed crystalline structures surface oxygen atoms do not decrease the gap. In some cases, the presence of oxygen atoms at the nanocluster surface can significantly increase the optical absorption gap, due to decreased angular distortion of the silicon bonds. The relationship between strain and the optical gap in silicon nanoclusters is discussed.

The purpose of this report is to provide the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the public with information on the level of radioactive and nonradioactive pollutants (if any) that are added to the environment as a result of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory's (PPPL) operations. The results of the 2001 environmental surveillance and monitoring program for PPPL are presented and discussed. The report also summarizes environmental initiatives, assessments, and programs that were undertaken in 2001. PPPL has engaged in fusion energy research since 1951. The vision of the Laboratory is to create innovations to make fusion power a practical reality--a clean, alternative energy source. The Year 2001 marked the third year of National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) operations and Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) dismantlement and deconstruction activities. A collaboration among fourteen national laboratories, universities, and research institutions, the NSTX is a major element in the U.S. Fusion Energy Sciences Program. It has been designed to test the physics principles of spherical torus (ST) plasmas. The ST concept could play an important role in the development of smaller, more economical fusion reactors. In 2001, PPPL's radiological environmental monitoring program measured tritium in the air at on- and off-site sampling …

The first fossil hominid tooth recovered during 1999 excavations from the Cisanca River region in West Java, Indonesia, was associated with a series of bovid teeth from a single individual that was recovered 190 cm beneath the hominid tooth. The age of the fossil bovid teeth was determined using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis as part of an effort to bracket the age of the hominid tooth. The EPR-derived age of the bovid teeth is (5.16 {+-} 2.01) x 10{sup 5} years. However, the age estimate reported here is likely an underestimate of the actual age of deposition since evidence of heating was detected in the EPR spectra of the bovid teeth, and the heating may have caused a decrease in the intensity of EPR components on which the age calculation is based.

A technique using RF bucket reduction for acquiring information about the particle distribution in longitudinal phase space has been applied in the Fermilab Booster. Data sets were obtained at six important time intervals of a Booster cycle for three different beam intensities. Controlled RF bucket reduction also provides other opportunities for beam manipulation.

We present the first data on e{sup +}e{sup -} pair production accompanied by nuclear breakup in ultra-peripheral gold-gold collisions at a center of mass energy of 200 GeV per nucleon pair. The nuclear breakup requirement selects events at small impact parameters, where higher-order corrections to the pair production cross section should be enhanced. We compare the pair kinematic distributions with two calculations: one based on the equivalent photon approximation, and the other using lowest-order quantum electrodynamics (QED); the latter includes the photon virtuality. The cross section, pair mass, rapidity and angular distributions are in good agreement with both calculations. The pair transverse momentum, p{sub T}, spectrum agrees with the QED calculation, but not with the equivalent photon approach. We set limits on higher-order contributions to the cross section. The e{sup +} and e{sup -} p{sub T} spectra are similar, with no evidence for interference effects due to higher-order diagrams.

OAK-B135 This paper investigates the formation and breakup of the ''slinky mode'' in an RFP using analytic techniques previously employed to examine mode locking phenomena in tokamaks. The slinky mode is a toroidally localized, coherent interference pattern in the magnetic field which co-rotates with the plasma at the reversal surface. This mode forms, as a result of the nonlinear coupling of multiple m = 1 core tearing modes, via a bifurcation which is similar to that by which toroidally coupled tearing modes lock together in a tokamak. The slinky mode breaks up via a second bifurcation which is similar to that by which toroidally coupled tearing modes in a tokamak unlock. However, the typical m = 1 mode amplitude below which slinky breakup is triggered is much smaller than that above which slinky formation occurs. Analytic expressions for the slinky formation and breakup thresholds are obtained in all regimes of physical interest. The locking of the slinky mode to a static error-field is also investigated analytically. Either the error-field arrests the rotation of the plasma at the reversal surface before the formation of the slinky mode, so that the mode subsequently forms as a non-rotating mode, or the slinky mode …

A model was needed to assess material throughput and validate the conceptual design of a production facility, including equipment lists and layout. The initial desire was to use a commercially available discrete event simulation package. However, the available software was found to be too limited in capability. Database interface software was used to develop autonomous intelligent manufacturing workstations and material transporters. The initial Extend model used to assess material throughput and develop equipment lists for the preconceptual design effort was upgraded with software add-ons from Simulation Dynamics, Inc. (SDI). Use of the SDI database interface allowed the upgraded model to include: 1. a material mass balance at any level of detail required by the user, and 2. a transport system model that includes all transport system movements, time delays, and transfers between systems. This model will assist in evaluating transport system capacity, sensitive time delays in the system, and optimal operating strategies. An additional benefit of using the SDI database interface is dramatically improved run time performance. This allows significantly more runs to be completed to provide better statistics for overall plant performance. The model has all system and process parameters entered into sub-component accessible tables. All information for the …

The overall objective of this research is to delineate the process of the dilute-acid hydrolysis of biomass and seek better understanding of the reactions involving dilute-acid treatment of lignocellulosic biomass. Specifically the scope of the work entails the following two primary technical elements: Verification of the heterogeneous nature of the reaction mechanism in dilute-acid hydrolysis of cellulosic component of the biomass. Experimental investigation to identify the overall reaction pattern and the kinetic constants associated with dilute-acid hydrolysis of the cellulosic component of the agricultural residues.

GaAs Blocked-Impurity-Band (BIB) photoconductor detectors have the potential to become the most sensitive, low noise detectors in the far-infrared below 45.5 cm{sup -1} (220 {micro}m). We have studied the characteristics of liquid phase epitaxial GaAs films relevant to BIB production, including impurity band formation and the infrared absorption of the active section of the device. Knowledge of the far-infrared absorption spectrum as a function of donor concentration combined with variable temperature Hall effect and resistivity studies leads us to conclude that the optimal concentration for the absorbing layer of a GaAs BIB detector lies between 1 x 10{sup 15} and 6.7 x 10{sup 15} cm{sup -3}. At these concentrations there is significant wavefunction overlap which in turn leads to absorption beyond the 1s ground to 2p bound excited state transition of 35.5 cm{sup -1} (282 {micro}m). There still remains a gap between the upper edge of the donor band and the bottom of the conduction band, a necessity for proper BIB detector operation.

This report was written for multiple audiences. Each reader will likely approach the subject from a different perspective, seeking different information. The team that developed the document consisted of several technical experts on monitored natural attenuation (MNA) and included participants who were integral in the development of US EPA's chlorinated solvent MNA protocol and the subsequent US EPA and Office of Solid Waste and emergency Response (OSWER) policy directive. The primary assignment to the interdisciplinary team was to generate a summary of the state-of-the-art, particularly for chlorinated solvent applications and to identify high-priority opportunities for advancement. A diverse jury of peers reviewed the draft report; the report was edited in response to their comments.

The National Ignition Facility requires a compact network addressable scientific grade CCD camera for use in diagnostics ranging from streak cameras to gated x-ray imaging cameras. Due to the limited space inside the diagnostic, an analog and digital input/output option in the camera controller permits control of both the camera and the diagnostic by a single Ethernet link. The system consists of a Spectral Instruments Series 1000 camera, a PC104+ controller, and power supply. The 4k by 4k CCD camera has a dynamic range of 70 dB with less than 14 electron read noise at a 1MHz readout rate. The PC104+ controller includes 16 analog inputs, 4 analog outputs and 16 digital input/output lines for interfacing to diagnostic instrumentation. A description of the system and performance characterization is reported.

A planar solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) was fabricated using a tape-cast Ni/yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) anode support, a YSZ thin film electrolyte, and a composite cathode of YSZ and (La{sub 0.85}Sr{sup 0.14}){sub 0.98}MnO{sub 3} (LSM). Using pure hydrogen as the fuel gas, a three cell stack with a cross-flow design and external manifolds produced peak power densities of 0.85 W/cm{sup 2} and 0.41 W/cm{sup 2} at 800 C and 700 C, respectively. Using wet methane as the fuel gas, the stack produced a peak power density of 0.22 W/cm{sup 2} at 700 C. Individual cells in the stack showed identical current-voltage (I -V) characteristics. Stack lifetime was limited because of degradation of the cells from oxidation products coming from the metallic interconnect used.

This report discusses Congress' power to override presidential vetoes. The President's veto authority is among his most significant tools in legislative dealings with Congress. It is effective not only in preventing the passage of legislation undesirable to the President, but also as a threat, sometimes forcing Congress to modify legislation before it is presented to the President.

This report discusses the veto power vested in the President by Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution. It provides a general overview and a table of presidential vetoes from 1789-2004, listing the coincident Congresses, regular vetoes, pocket vetoes, total vetoes, and vetoes overridden for each president.

Intermediate-scale experiments (ISEs) for flow and transport are a valuable tool for simulating subsurface features and conditions encountered in the field at government and private sites. ISEs offer the ability to study, under controlled laboratory conditions, complicated processes characteristic of mixed wastes and heterogeneous subsurface environments, in multiple dimensions and at different scales. ISEs may, therefore, result in major cost savings if employed prior to field studies. A distinct advantage of ISEs is that researchers can design physical and/or chemical heterogeneities in the porous media matrix that better approximate natural field conditions and therefore address research questions that contain the additional complexity of processes often encountered in the natural environment. A new Subsurface Flow and Transport Experimental Laboratory (SFTEL) has been developed for ISE users in the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The SFTEL offers a variety of columns and flow cells, a new state-of-the-art dual-energy gamma system, a fully automated saturation-pressure apparatus, and analytical equipment for sample processing. The new facility, including qualified staff, is available for scientists interested in collaboration on conducting high-quality flow and transport experiments, including contaminant remediation. Close linkages exist between the SFTEL and numerical modelers to aid in …

This report provides a table outlining the bills vetoed by President William Jefferson Clinton's two terms in office. It includes an overview and the bill number, date, title, and override attempts for each veto.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is evaluating design alternatives to improve the voltage regulation in our Flash X-Ray (FXR) accelerator cell and pulse-power system. The goal is to create a more mono-energetic electron beam that will create an x-ray source with a smaller spot-size. Studying the interaction of the beam and accelerator cell will generate improved designs for high-current accelerators at Livermore and elsewhere. When an electron beam crosses the energized gap of an accelerator cell, the electron energy is increased. However, the beam with the associated electromagnetic wave also looses a small amount of energy because of the increased impedance seen across the gap. The phenomenon is sometimes called beam loading. It can also be described as a beam-induced voltage at the gap which is time varying. This creates beam energy variations that we need to understand and control. A high-fidelity computer simulation of the beam and cell interaction has been completed to quantify the time varying induced voltage at the gap. The cell and pulse-power system was characterized using a Time-domain Reflectometry (TDR) measurement technique with a coaxial air-line to drive the cell gap. The beam-induced cell voltage is computed by convoluting the cell impedance with measured beam …

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A Full Aperture Backscatter Station (FABS) target diagnostic has been activated on the first four beams of the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Backscattered light from the target propagates back down the beam path into the FABS diagnostic system. FABS measures both stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) with a suite of measurement instruments. Digital cameras and spectrometers record spectrally resolved energy for both P and S polarized light. Streaked spectrometers measure the spectral and temporal behavior of the backscattered light. Calorimeters and fast photodetectors measure the integrated energy and temporal behavior of the light, respectively. This paper provides an overview of the FABS measurements system and detailed descriptions of the diagnostic instruments and the optical path.

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When such is available, many hylid frogs use artificial refugia, and this trait is frequently used as a basis for sampling populations of these frogs. Artificial refugia are any manmade objects that the animals may use for shelter (e.g. bird houses, bamboo stakes, lengths of pipe, etc.). By choosing refugia that the animals will readily enter and from which they may be easily removed, sampling can be directed toward particular species or size classes. Several variables have been considered when examining bias in sampling using these refugia. Among these variables are inside diameter of the pipes, pipe length, associated vegetation and height above ground. Our observations were not intended as an evaluation of polyvinyl chloride pipe traps as a sampling technique but rather were part of a study examining invertebrate and amphibian faunas associated with slope wetlands. Slope wetlands are wetlands formed where soil contours favor outcropping of water to the surface to form pools or channels often connected to streams. Despite the apparently small amount of appropriate data in this study, there are few enough quantified or semi-quantified data on this topic to be worth a cautionary note.