This report addresses the Background and the then current issues related to Animal Waste Management and the Environment.This background report describes the livestock production industry along with the public health and environmental concerns related to the industry.

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed quality-of-care and consumer protection issues in assisted living facilities in California, Florida, Ohio, and Oregon, focusing on: (1) residents' needs and the services provided in assisted living facilities; (2) the extent to which facilities provide consumers with sufficient information for them to choose a facility that is appropriate for their needs; (3) the four states' approaches to oversight of assisted living; and (4) the types of quality-of-care and consumer protection problems they identify."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on whether consumers are able to make informed choices about their care and about the nature and extent of problems that may be occurring in assisted living, focusing on: (1) residents' needs and the services provided in assisted living facilities; (2) the extent to which facilities provide consumers with information sufficient to help them choose a facility that is appropriate for their needs; (3) state approaches to the oversight of assisted living; and (4) the type and frequency of quality-of-care and consumer protection problems identified by Congress."

This document summarizes information from worldwide sources on the beneficial use of residues from the combustion of municipal. The information presented, including results of numerous research projects, field demonstrations, and actual full-scale projects, demonstrates that the ash can be safely used. It includes data on ash characteristics, environmental considerations, guidance on selected ash use applications, and information on federal and state regulations and policies affecting ash use.

Government-industry partnerships are necessary for small businesses to successfully launch new and innovative ideas into the market place. Small businesses, the cornerstone for economic job creation, expansion and retention, is hampered with the need to fund new and innovative technologies from profits which generally occur in a cyclic manner. This cyclic funding leads to ramp ups and development during profitable years, and delays and abeyance during years of downturn. Government-industry partnerships directly addresses this problem by offering funding assistance in the form of resources eliminating the ''peaks and valleys'' of development. This paper will detail a case study of this type of assistance.

In 1998, light trucks accounted for over 48% of new vehicle sales in the U.S. and well over half the new Light Duty vehicle fuel consumption. The Light Truck Clean Diesel (LTCD) program seeks to introduce large numbers of advanced technology diesel engines in light-duty trucks that would improve their fuel economy (mpg) by at least 50% and reduce our nation's dependence on foreign oil. Incorporating diesel engines in this application represents a high-risk technical and economic challenge. To meet the challenge, a government-industry partnership (Department of Energy, diesel engine manufacturers, and the automotive original equipment manufacturers) is applying joint resources to meet specific goals that will provide benefits to the nation. [1] Caterpillar initially teamed with Ford Motor Company on a 5 year program (1997-2002) to develop prototype vehicles that demonstrate a 50% fuel economy improvement over the current 1997 gasoline powered light truck vehicle in this class while complying with EPA's Tier II emissions regulations. The light truck vehicle selected for the demonstration is a 1999 Ford F150 SuperCab. To meet the goals of the program, the 4.6 L V-8 gasoline engine in this vehicle will be replaced by an advanced compression ignition direct injection (CIDI) engine. Key …

Uranium metal corrosion products from ZPPR fuel plates involved in the March 13, 1998 pyrophoric event in the Fuel Manufacturing Facility at Argonne National Laboratory-West were characterized using thermo-gravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, and BET gas sorption techniques. Characterization was performed on corrosion products in several different conditions: immediately after separation from the source metal, after low-temperature passivation, after passivation and extended vault storage, and after burning in the pyrophoric event. The ignition temperatures and hydride fractions of the corrosion product were strongly dependent on corrosion extent. Corrosion products from plates with corrosion extents less than 0.7% did not ignite in TGA testing, while products from plates with corrosion extents greater than 1.2% consistently ignited. Corrosion extent is defined as mass of corrosion products divided by the total mass of uranium. The hydride fraction increased with corrosion extent. There was little change in corrosion product properties after low-temperature passivation or vault storage. The burned products were not reactive and contained no hydride; the principal constituents were UO{sub 2} and U{sub 3}O{sub 7}. The source of the event was a considerable quantity of reactive hydride present in the corrosion products. No specific ignition mechanism could be conclusively identified. The most likely initiator …

The formation of quantum wires has much interest due to their novel electronic properties which may lead to enhanced optoelectronic device performance and greater photovoltaic efficiencies. One method of forming these structures is through spontaneous lateral modulation found during the epitaxial growth of III/V alloys. In this paper, we report and summarize our investigations on the formation of lateral moduation in the MBE grown InAlAs/InP(001) system. This system was grown as a short-period superlattice where n-monolayers of InAs are deposited followed by m-Monolayers of AlAs (with n and m~2) and this sequence is repeated to grown a low strain InAlAs ternary alloy on InP(001) that exhibits lateral modulation. Films were grown under a variety of condition (growth temperature, effective alloy composition, superlattice period, and growth rate). These films have been extensively analyzed using X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and microcharacterization, in addition to photon-based spectroscopes. Here we present results of several microstructural characterizations using a wide range of TEM-based techniques, and compare them to results from the other methods to obtain a unified understanding of composition modulation. Two strong points consistently emerge: 1) The lateral modulation wavelength is insensitive to growth temperature and effective alloy …

Advanced integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plants nearing completion, such as Sierra-Pacific, employ a circulating fluidized-bed (transport) reactor hot-gas desulfurization (HGD) process that uses 70-180 {micro}m average particle size (aps) zinc-based mixed-metal oxide sorbent for removing H{sub 2}S from coal gas down to less than 20 ppmv. The sorbent undergoes cycles of absorption (sulfidation) and air regeneration. The key barrier issues associated with a fluidized-bed HGD process are chemical degradation, physical attrition, high regeneration light-off (initiation) temperature, and high cost of the sorbent. Another inherent complication in all air-regeneration-based HGD processes is the disposal of the problematic dilute SO{sub 2} containing regeneration tail-gas. Direct Sulfur Recovery Process (DSRP), a leading first generation technology, efficiently reduces this SO{sub 2} to desirable elemental sulfur, but requires the use of 1-3% of the coal gas, thus resulting in an energy penalty to the plant. Advanced second-generation processes are under development that can reduce this energy penalty by modifying the sorbent so that it could be directly regenerated to elemental sulfur. The objective of this research is to support the near and long term DOE efforts to commercialize the IGCC-HGD process technology. Specifically we aim to develop: optimized low-cost sorbent materials with 70-80 …

This paper summarizes current work in the Environmental Science and Health Effects (ES and HE) Program being sponsored by DOE's Office of Heavy Vehicle Technologies (OHVT) through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The program is regulatory-driven, and focuses on ozone, airborne particles, visibility and regional haze, air toxics, and health effects of air pollutants. The goal of the ES and HE Program is to understand atmospheric impacts and potential health effects that may be caused by the use of petroleum-based and alternative transportation fuels. Each project in the program is designed to address policy-relevant objectives. Studies in the ES and HE Program have four areas of focus: improving technology for emissions measurements; vehicle emissions measurements, emission inventory development/improvement; and ambient impacts, including health effects.

Two main assumptions which underlie the Stoney formula relating substrate curvature to mis-match strain in a bonded thin film are that the film is very thin compared to the substrate, and the deformations are infinitesimally small. Expressions for the curvature-strain relastionship are derived for cases in which thses assumptions are relaxed, thereby providing a biasis for interpretation of experimental observations for a broader class of film-substrate configurations.

The objective of the Heavy Vehicle Propulsion Materials Program is to develop the enabling materials technology for the clean, high-efficiency diesel truck engines of the future. The development of cleaner, higher-efficiency diesel engines imposes greater mechanical, thermal, and tribological demands on materials of construction. Often the enabling technology for a new engine component is the material from which the part can be made. The Heavy Vehicle Propulsion Materials Program is a partnership between the Department of Energy (DOE), and the diesel engine companies in the United States, materials suppliers, national laboratories, and universities. A comprehensive research and development program has been developed to meet the enabling materials requirements for the diesel engines of the future. Advanced materials, including high-temperature metal alloys, intermetallics, cermets, ceramics, amorphous materials, metal- and ceramic-matrix composites, and coatings, are investigated for critical engine applications.

The objective of the Heavy Vehicle Propulsion Materials Program is to develop the enabling materials technology for the clean, high-efficiency diesel truck engines of the future. The development of cleaner, higher-efficiency diesel engines imposes greater mechanical, thermal, and tribological demands on materials of construction. Often the enabling technology for a new engine component is the material from which the part can be made. The Heavy Vehicle Propulsion Materials Program is a partnership between the Department of Energy (DOE), and the diesel engine companies in the United States, materials suppliers, national laboratories, and universities. A comprehensive research and development program has been developed to meet the enabling materials requirements for the diesel engines of the future. Advanced materials, including high-temperature metal alloys, intermetallics, cermets, ceramics, amorphous materials, metal- and ceramic-matrix composites, and coatings, are investigated for critical engine applications.

The suitability of the wavelength range provided by silicon photodiode detector arrays for monitoring the spectral reflectance during epitaxial growth of GaSb, AlGaAsSb, and GaInAsSb, which have cutoff wavelengths at 25 degree C of 1.7, 1.2, and 2.3 um, respectively, is demonstrated. These alloys were grown lattice matched to GaSb in a vertical rotating-disk reactor, which was modified to accommodate near normal reflectance without affecting epilayer uniformity, By using a virtual interface model, the growth rate and complex refractive index at the growth temperature are extracted for these alloys over the 600 to 1000 nm spectral range. Excellent agreement is obtained between the extracted growth rate and that determined by ex-situ measurement.

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO provided information on the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) efforts to develop and implement evaluation and rating processes and procedures for evaluating new start transit projects for federal funding, focusing on: (1) the status of FTA's efforts; (2) how FTA implemented the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) requirements for evaluating, rating, and recommending projects; and (3) open issues that FTA needs to resolve to fully satisfy TEA-21 requirements."

The ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of 2000 {angstrom} thick chemical solution deposited Pb(Zr{sub x}Ti{sub 1{minus}x})O{sub 3} (PZT) thin films were investigated. Several Zr/Ti ratios were studied: 30/70, 50/50 and 65/35, which correspond to tetragonal, near-morphotropic, and rhombohedral symmetries. In all samples, a {l_brace}111{r_brace}-texture is predominant. Longitudinal piezoelectric coefficients and their dc field dependence were measured using the contact AFM method. The expected trend of a maximum piezoelectric coefficient at or near to the MPB was not observed. The composition dependence was small, with the maximum d{sub 33} occurring in the tetragonal material. To explain the results, crystallographic texture and film thickness effects are suggested. Using a modified phenomenological approach, derived electrostrictive coefficients, and experimental data, d{sub 33} values were calculated. Qualitative agreement was observed between the measured and calculated coefficients. Justifications of modifications to the calculations are discussed.

The Benehmark Project was created from a desire to identify best practices and improve the overall efficiency and performance of the Y-12 Plant's systems and personnel supprting the manufacturing mission. The mission of the benchmark team was to search out industry leaders in manufacturing and evaluate lheir engineering practices and processes to determine direction and focus fm Y-12 modmizadon efforts. The companies visited included several large established companies and anew, small, high-tech machining firm. As a result of this efforL changes are recommended that will enable Y-12 to become a more responsive cost-effective manufacturing facility capable of suppordng the needs of the Nuclear Weapons Complex (NW@) and Work Fw Others into the 21' century. The benchmark team identified key areas of interest, both focused and gencml. The focus arm included Human Resources, Information Management, Manufacturing Software Tools, and Standarda/ Policies and Practices. Areas of general interest included Inhstructure, Computer Platforms and Networking, and Organizational Structure. The method for obtaining the desired information in these areas centered on the creation of a benchmark questionnaire. The questionnaire was used throughout each of the visits as the basis for information gathering. The results of this benchmark showed that all companies are moving in …

The growth of GaAs thin films on Molybdenum foils was investigated in an attempt to find a low-cost substrate for GaAs. The films were grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The film thickness was in the 2-4{micro}m range, while the deposition temperature was in the 650-825 C range. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to investigate the film morphology and microstructure, respectively. The film morphology in general, and the grain size in particular, were found to be strongly dependent on the growth temperature. However, the defect structure observed in these films was relatively insensitive to the growth conditions.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Heavy Vehicle Technologies (OHVT) is promoting the use of natural gas as a fuel option in the transportation energy sector through its natural gas vehicle program [1]. The goal of this program is to eliminate the technical and cost barriers associated with displacing imported petroleum. This is achieved by supporting research and development in technologies that reduce manufacturing costs, reduce emissions, and improve vehicle performance and consumer acceptance for natural gas fueled vehicles. In collaboration with Brookhaven National Laboratory, projects are currently being pursued in (1) liquefied natural gas production from unconventional sources, (2) onboard natural gas storage (adsorbent, compressed, and liquefied), (3) natural gas delivery systems for both onboard the vehicle and the refueling station, and (4) regional and enduse strategies. This paper will provide an overview of these projects highlighting their achievements and current status. In addition, it will discuss how the individual technologies developed are being integrated into an overall program strategic plan.

Alternative compression ignition engine fuels are of interest both to reduce emissions and to reduce U.S. petroleum fuel demand. A Malaysian Fischer-Tropsch gas-to-liquid fuel was compared with California No.2 diesel by characterizing emissions from over the road Class 8 tractors with Caterpillar 3176 engines, using a chassis dynamometer and full scale dilution tunnel. The 5-Mile route was employed as the test schedule, with a test weight of 42,000 lb. Levels of oxides of nitrogen (NO{sub x}) were reduced by an average of 12% and particulate matter (PM) by 25% for the Fischer-Tropsch fuel over the California diesel fuel. Another distillate fuel produced catalytically from Fischer-Tropsch products originally derived from natural gas by Mossgas was also compared with 49-state No.2 diesel by characterizing emissions from Detroit Diesel 6V-92 powered transit buses, three of them equipped with catalytic converters and rebuilt engines, and three without. The CBD cycle was employed as the test schedule, with a test weight of 33,050 lb. For those buses with catalytic converters and rebuilt engines, NO x was reduced by 8% and PM was reduced by 31% on average, while for those buses without, NO x was reduced by 5% and PM was reduced by 20% on …

The objectives of this paper are to describe the ongoing projects in diesel engine combustion research at Sandia National Laboratories' Combustion Research Facility and to detail recent experimental results. The approach we are employing is to assemble experimental hardware that mimic realistic engine geometries while enabling optical access. For example, we are using multi-cylinder engine heads or one-cylinder versions of production heads mated to one-cylinder engine blocks. Optical access is then obtained through a periscope in an exhaust valve, quartz windows in the piston crown, windows in spacer plates just below the head, or quartz cylinder liners. We have three diesel engine experiments supported by the Department of Energy, Office of Heavy Vehicle Technologies: a one-cylinder version of a Cummins heavy-duty engine, a diesel simulation facility, and a one-cylinder Caterpillar engine to evaluate combustion of alternative diesel fuels.

The executive budget process consists of three main phases: development of the President's budget; interaction with Congress; and execution of the budget. This fact sheet provides a brief overview of each of these phases.

Localization of light to less than a cubic wavelength, {lambda}{sup 3}, has important quantum consequences. The creation of single mode cavities and the modification of spontaneous emission are two important examples. A defect formed inside a three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystal provides an unique optical environment for light localization. Single mode defect cavities were built, for the first time, from an infrared 3D photonic crystal. A cavity state with modal volume of less than one {lambda}{sup 3} was observed.

To help guide heavy vehicle engine, fuel, and exhaust after-treatment technology development, the U.S. Department of Energy and the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute are conducting research not addressed elsewhere on aspects of the toxicity of particulate engine emissions. Advances in these technologies that reduce diesel particulate mass emissions may result in changes in particle composition, and there is concern that the number of ultrafine (<0.1 micron) particles may increase. All present epidemiological and laboratory data on the toxicity of diesel emissions were derived from emissions of older-technology engines. New, short-term toxicity data are needed to make health-based choices among diesel technologies and to compare the toxicity of diesel emissions to those of other engine technologies. This research program has two facets: (1) development and use of short-term in vitro and in vivo toxicity assays for comparing the toxicities of gasoline and diesel exhaust emissions; and (2) determination of the disposition of inhaled ultrafine particles deposited in the lung. Responses of cultured cells, cultured lung slices, and rodent lungs to various types of particles were compared to develop an improved short-term toxicity screening capability. To date, chemical toxicity indicators of cultured human A549 cells and early inflammatory and cytotoxic indicators of …