A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers the federal crop insurance program with private insurance companies, which, in turn, work with insurance agencies that sell crop insurance. In 2008, according to USDA, the program cost $6.5 billion, including about $2.0 billion in allowances to insurance companies to cover their administrative and operating (A&O) expenses, such as salaries and sales commissions to agencies. GAO was asked to examine (1) the reasons for recent substantial increases in A&O allowances, and the purposes for which insurance companies use these allowances, and (2) insurance agencies' expenses for selling federal crop insurance policies, and questionable practices, if any, that agencies use to compete for business among farmers. GAO analyzed USDA and private insurers' data, among other things."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (NDAA 2008) requires the Departments of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) to jointly develop and implement comprehensive policies on the care, management, and transition of recovering servicemembers. The Senior Oversight Committee (SOC)--jointly chaired by DOD and VA leadership--has assumed responsibility for these policies. The NDAA 2008 also requires GAO to report on the progress DOD and VA make in developing and implementing the policies. This statement provides preliminary information on (1) the progress DOD and VA have made in jointly developing the comprehensive policies required in the NDAA 2008 and (2) the challenges DOD and VA are encountering in the joint development and initial implementation of these policies. GAO determined the current status of policy development by assessing the status reported by SOC officials and analyzing supporting documentation. To identify challenges, GAO interviewed the Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, the Executive Director and Chief of Staff of the SOC, the departmental co-leads for most of the SOC work groups, the Acting Director of DOD's Office of Transition Policy and Care Coordination, and other knowledgeable …

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates it will provide health care to 5.8 million patients with appropriations of about $41 billion in fiscal year 2009. It provides a range of services, including primary care, outpatient and inpatient services, long-term care, and prescription drugs. VA formulates its health care budget by developing annual estimates of its likely spending for all its health care programs and services, and includes these estimates in its annual congressional budget justification. GAO was asked to discuss budgeting for VA health care. As agreed, this statement addresses (1) challenges VA faces in formulating its health care budget and (2) issues surrounding the possibility of providing advance appropriations for VA health care. This testimony is based on prior GAO work, including VA Health Care: Budget Formulation and Reporting on Budget Execution Need Improvement (GAO-06-958) (Sept. 2006); VA Health Care: Long-Term Care Strategic Planning and Budgeting Need Improvement (GAO-09-145) (Jan. 2009); and VA Health Care: Challenges in Budget Formulation and Execution (GAO-09-459T) (Mar. 2009); and on GAO reviews of budgets, budget resolutions, and related legislative documents. We discussed the contents of this statement with VA officials."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Grants.gov is the central grant identification and application portal for the more than 1,000 federal grants programs offered by 26 federal grant-making agencies and organizations. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) created Grants.gov, to streamline administrative grant application requirements and reduce the burden on applicants, among other things. On March 6, 2009, Grants.gov began posting specific grant opportunities provided in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). As a result, submissions have escalated to an unprecedented level. During the first week in April, Grants.gov processed almost 11,500 applications, or about three times the weekly average number of submissions in fiscal year 2008. One day that week Grants.gov accepted 3,555 applications--the largest 1-day total to date. On March 9, 2009, OMB notified federal agencies that over the past several months Grants.gov had experienced increased activity beyond what was originally anticipated by the system, which had at times resulted in noticeably degraded performance. OMB further noted that given the expected increase in application volume because of the Recovery Act, the system was at significant risk of failure, thus potentially hampering Recovery Act implementation. To reduce demand …

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) provided $48.1 billion in additional spending at the Department of Transportation (DOT) for investments in transportation infrastructure, including highways, passenger rail, and transit. This statement provides a general overview of (1) selected states' use of Recovery Act funds for highway programs, (2) the approaches taken by these states to ensure accountability for these funds, and (3) the selected states' plans to evaluate the impact of the Recovery Act funds that they receive for highway programs. This statement is based on work in which GAO examined the use of Recovery Act funds by a core group of 16 states and the District of Columbia, representing about 65 percent of the U.S. population and two-thirds of the intergovernmental federal assistance available through the Act. GAO issued its first bimonthly report on April 23, 2009."

The Navy has begun a multi-billion dollar program to modernize its 84 existing Aegis cruisers and destroyers over a period of more than 20 years. This report explores this program in detail, including the reasons for the program and the oversight issues it poses for Congress. This report will be updated as events warrant.

Bill introduced by the Texas Senate relating to the definition of an agricultural business for the purposes of the Texas Agricultural Finance Authority.

The CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CHPRC) has recommended to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) a two phase approach for removal and storage (Phase 1) and treatment and packaging for offsite shipment (Phase 2) of the sludge currently stored within the 105-K West Basin. This two phased strategy enables early removal of sludge from the 105-K West Basin by 2015, allowing remediation of historical unplanned releases of waste and closure of the 100-K Area. In Phase 1, the sludge currently stored in the Engineered Containers and Settler Tanks within the 105-K West Basin will be transferred into sludge transport and storage containers (STSCs). The STSCs will be transported to an interim storage facility. In Phase 2, sludge will be processed (treated) to meet shipping and disposal requirements and the sludge will be packaged for final disposal at a geologic repository. The purpose of this study is to evaluate two alternatives for interim Phase 1 storage of K Basin sludge. The cost, schedule, and risks for sludge storage at a newly-constructed Alternate Storage Facility (ASF) are compared to those at T Plant, which has been used previously for sludge storage. Based on the results of the assessment, T Plant is …

A new set of resonances for electron cloud dynamics in the presence of a magnetic field has been found. For short beam bunch lengths and low magnetic fields where lb<< 2pi c/omega c (with lb = bunch length, omega c = non-relativistic cyclotron frequency) resonances between the bunch frequency and harmonics of the electron cyclotron frequency cause an increase in the electron cloud density in narrow ranges of magnetic field near the resonances. For ILC parameters the increase in the density is up to a factor ~;;3, and the spatial distribution of the electrons is broader near resonances, lacking the well-defined vertical density"stripes" found for non-resonant cases. Simulations with the 2D computer code POSINST, as well as a single-particle tracking code, were used to elucidate the physics of the dynamics. The existence of the resonances has been confirmed in experiments at PEP-II. The resonances are expected to affect the electron cloud dynamics in the fringe fields of conventional lattice magnets and in wigglers, where the magnetic fields are low. Results of the simulations and experimental observations, the reason for the bunch-length dependence, and details of the dynamics are discussed here.

In 1958, Courant and Snyder analyzed the problem of alternating-gradient beam transport and treated a model without focusing gaps or space charge. Recently we revisited their work and found the exactsolution for matched-beam envelopes in a linear quadrupole lattice [O.A. Anderson and L.L. LoDestro, Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams, 2009]. We extend that work here to include the effect of gaps. We derive the exact envelopes and show results for various field strengths, occupancies eta,and gap-length ratios. We find the peak envelope excursion. It has a broad minimum as a function of the phase advance sigma (typically around 34o) over which it varies less than +-1percent. The phase-advance numbers also change little over the full range of gap ratios. However, the required field strengths vary appreciably. In the second stable band, the higher field strength necessitated by the lower occupancy accentuates the remarkable compression effect predicted for the FD (gapless) model.

This paper describes the current level of understanding of the suspension of solids in Hanford double-shell waste tanks while being mixed with the baseline configuration of two 300-horsepower mixer pumps. A mixer pump test conducted in Tank AZ-101 during fiscal year 2000 provided the basis for this understanding. Information gaps must be filled to demonstrate the capability of the baseline feed delivery system to effectively mix, sample, and deliver double-shell tank waste to the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) for vitrification.

Numerical simulation of some systems containing charged particles with highly relativistic directed motion can by speeded up by orders of magnitude by choice of the proper Lorentz-boosted frame[1]. A particularly good example is that of short wavelength free-electron lasers (FELs) in which a high energy electron beam interacts with a static magnetic undulator. In the optimal boost frame with Lorentz factor gamma_F , the red-shifted FEL radiation and blue shifted undulator have identical wavelengths and the number of required time-steps (presuming the Courant condition applies) decreases by a factor of 2(gamma_F)**2 for fully electromagnetic simulation. We have adapted the WARP code [2]to apply this method to several FEL problems involving coherent spontaneous emission (CSE) from pre-bunched ebeams, including that in a biharmonic undulator.

The collaborative development of an optimised cavity/cryomodule solution for application on ERL facilities has now progressed to final assembly and testing of the cavity string components and their subsequent cryomodule integration. This paper outlines the verification of the various cryomodule sub-components and details the processes utilised forfinal cavity string integration. The paper also describes the modifications needed to facilitate this new cryomodule installation and ultimate operation on the ALICE facility at Daresbury Laboratory.

There is considerable interest in the use of muon beams to create either an intense source of decay neutrinos aimed at a detector located 3000-7500 km away (a Neutrino Factory), or a Muon Collider that produces high-luminosity collisions at the energy frontier. R&D aimed at producing these facilities has been under way for more than 10 years. This paper will review experimental results from MuCool, MERIT, and MICE and indicate the extent to which they will provide proof-of-principle demonstrations of the key technologies required for a Neutrino Factory or Muon Collider. Progress in constructing components for the MICE experiment will also be described.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and a group of expert collaborators are using the U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site 300 Area uranium plume within the footprint of the 300-FF-5 groundwater operable unit as a site for an Integrated Field-Scale Subsurface Research Challenge (IFRC). The IFRC is entitled Multi-Scale Mass Transfer Processes Controlling Natural Attenuation and Engineered Remediation: An IFRC Focused on the Hanford Site 300 Area Uranium Plume Project. The theme is investigation of multi-scale mass transfer processes. A series of forefront science questions on mass transfer are posed for research that relate to the effect of spatial heterogeneities; the importance of scale; coupled interactions between biogeochemical, hydrologic, and mass transfer processes; and measurements/approaches needed to characterize and model a mass transfer-dominated system. This Quality Assurance Project Plan provides the quality assurance requirements and processes that will be followed by the 300 Area IFRC Project. This plan is designed to be used exclusively by project staff.

In 1958, Courant and Snyder analyzed the problem of alternating-gradient beam transport and treated a model without focusing gaps or space charge. Recently we revisited their work and found the exact solution for matchedbeam envelopes in a linear quadrupole lattice [O.A. Anderson and L.L. LoDestro, Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams, 2009]. We extend that work here to include the effect of asymmetric drift spaces. We derive the solution and show exact envelopes for the first two solution bands and the peak envelope excursions as a function of the phase advancesigma up to 360o. In the second stable band, decreased occupancy requires higher focus field-strength and accentuates the remarkable compression effect predicted for the FD (gapless) model.

The objective of the verification activities is to provide an independent review of the design, implementation, and performance of the radiological unrestricted release program for personal property, materials, and equipment (non-real property).

This presentation describes a project that uses mapping techniques to predict solar output at subhourly resolution at any spatial point, develop a methodology that is applicable to natural resources in general, and demonstrate capability of geostatistical techniques to predict the output of a potential solar plant.

Practicaldataminingrarelyfalls exactlyinto the supervisedlearning scenario. Rather, the growing amount of unlabeled data poses a big challenge to large-scale semi-supervised learning (SSL). We note that the computationalintensivenessofgraph-based SSLarises largely from the manifold or graph regularization, which in turn lead to large models that are dificult to handle. To alleviate this, we proposed the prototype vector machine (PVM), a highlyscalable,graph-based algorithm for large-scale SSL. Our key innovation is the use of"prototypes vectors" for effcient approximation on both the graph-based regularizer and model representation. The choice of prototypes are grounded upon two important criteria: they not only perform effective low-rank approximation of the kernel matrix, but also span a model suffering the minimum information loss compared with the complete model. We demonstrate encouraging performance and appealing scaling properties of the PVM on a number of machine learning benchmark data sets.

Membrane-bound protein, expressed in the basal-lateral region, is heterogeneous and an important endpoint for understanding biological processes. At the optical resolution, membrane-bound protein can be visualized as being diffused (e.g., E-cadherin), punctate (e.g., connexin), or simultaneously diffused and punctate as a result of sample preparation or conditioning. Furthermore, there is a significant amount of heterogeneity as a result of technical and biological variations. This paper aims at enhancing membrane-bound proteins that are expressed between epithelial cells so that quantitative analysis can be enabled on a cell-by-cell basis. We propose a method to detect and enhance membrane-bound protein signal from noisy images. More precisely, we build upon the tensor voting framework in order to produce an efficient method to detect and refine perceptually interesting linear structures in images. The novelty of the proposed method is in its iterative tuning of the tensor voting fields, which allows the concentration of the votes only over areas of interest. The method is shown to produce high quality enhancements of membrane-bound protein signals with combined punctate and diffused characteristics. Experimental results demonstrate the benefits of using tunable tensor voting for enhancing and differentiating cell-cell adhesion mediated by integral cell membrane protein.

The primary objective of the independent verification was to determine if BJC performed the appropriate actions to meet the specified “hot spot” cleanup criteria of 500 picocuries per gram (pCi/g) uranium-238 (U-238) in surface soil. Specific tasks performed by the independent verification team (IVT) to satisfy this objective included: 1) performing radiological walkover surveys, and 2) collecting soil samples for independent analyses. The independent verification (IV) efforts were designed to evaluate radioactive contaminants (specifically U-238) in the exposed surfaces below one foot of the original site grade, given that the top one foot layer of soil on the site was removed in its entirety.

This report provides background information and issues for Congress on the modernization of the Coast Guard's polar icebreaker fleet, which performs a variety of missions supporting U.S. interests in polar regions.

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "For decades, there have been allegations of discrimination in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs and workforce. Reports and congressional testimony by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a former Secretary of Agriculture, USDA's Office of Inspector General, GAO, and others have described weaknesses in USDA's programs--in particular, in resolving complaints of discrimination and in providing minorities access to programs. The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 authorized the creation of the position of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR), giving USDA an executive that could provide leadership for resolving these long-standing problems. This testimony focuses on USDA's efforts to (1) resolve discrimination complaints, (2) report on minority participation in USDA programs, and (3) strategically plan its efforts. This testimony is based on new and prior work, including analysis of ASCR's strategic plan; discrimination complaint management; and about 120 interviews with officials of USDA and other federal agencies, as well as 20 USDA stakeholder groups. USDA officials reviewed the facts upon which this statement is based, and we incorporated their additions and clarifications as appropriate. GAO plans a future …

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In 2003, the Financial Literacy and Education Improvement Act created the Financial Literacy and Education Commission, which comprises 20 federal agencies and which the Department of the Treasury's (Treasury) Office of Financial Education coordinates. Responding to a mandate in the act, GAO assessed the Commission's effectiveness and in December 2006 recommended that the Commission (1) incorporate additional elements into its national strategy to help it serve as a true implementation plan, measure results, and ensure accountability; (2) expand current efforts to cultivate sustainable partnerships with states, localities, nonprofits, and private entities; (3) obtain independent reviewers for the required assessments of overlap in federal activities and the availability and impact of federal materials; and (4) measure customer satisfaction with its Web site and test its usability. This statement discusses the Commission's progress in implementing GAO's recommendations and key challenges the Commission faces. To address these objectives, GAO reviewed annual reports, meeting minutes, budget, and other information from the Commission, Treasury, and related entities, and interviewed selected representatives."