SUMMARY The United States and Mexico have a special relationship under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which removes trade and investment barriers between the countries. The relationship has been strengthened by presidential visits, including President Clinton's February 1999 trip to Mexico and President Zedillo's upcoming May 23 trip to Washington, and by regular contacts between cabinet-level officials. Major issues of concern to Congress are trade, immigration, drug trafficking, and political rights.

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Advanced Technology Program (ATP), focusing on: (1) whether, in the past, ATP had funded projects with research goals that were similar to projects funded by the private sector; and (2) if such cases were identified, whether ATP's award selection process ensures that such research would not be funded in the future."

A briefing report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on Balkans security issues, focusing on: (1) the current security situation in the Balkans, particularly in Kosovo and Bosnia; (2) the projected security in the region over the next 5 years; (3) factors in the decision to withdraw Yugoslav security forces from Kosovo; and (4) how the executive branch has defined U.S. interests in the region in the National Security Strategy and public statements."

The authors overview several of the challenges in achieving high efficiency nitride-based UV (< 400 nm) LEDs. The issue of optical efficiency is presented through temperature-dependent photoluminescence studies of various UV active regions. These studies demonstrate enhanced optical efficiencies for active regions with In-containing alloys (InGaN, AlInGaN). The authors compare the performance of two distinct UV LED structures. GaN/AlGaN quantum well LEDs with {lambda} < 360 nm emission have demonstrated output powers > 0.1 mW, but present designs suffer from internal absorption effects. InGaN/AlInGaN quantum well LEDs with 370 nm < {lambda} < 390 nm emission and > 1 mW output power are also presented.

This report describes work done by Siemens Solar Industries (SSI) from June 1998 to June 1999 during Phase 1 of a three-phase Photovoltaic Manufacturing Technology (PVMaT 5A2) subcontract from DOE/NREL. The work focuses on improvements in the cost per watt of Cz modules and improved PV module manufacturing technology. The first step toward reducing cost was to reduce wafer thickness. The approach has been a two-step reduction in thickness, from 385 microns to 250 micron cells, and then from 250 microns to 125 micron cells during Phase II. During Phase I, the handling tools, the back-surface-field process, and the confirmation of the environmental integrity of thinner wafers have all been accomplished. Cells with efficiency over 15.5% have been demonstrated in high-volume production. SSI has initiated the development and growth of 200-mm ingot to be fabricated into wafers and eventually cells. Cell and module production with 200-mm cells will begin during Phase II. Hazardous waste reduction has been attacked in two ways. The largest consumable item aside from polysilicon is silicon carbide (SiC) used in the wafer-slicing process. This SiC use has been reduced significantly through recycling and re-use. This program approach is well under way at SSI, with more than …

Highly efficient transmission of 1.5 {micro}m light in a two-dimensional (2D) photonic crystal slab waveguide is experimentally demonstrated. The light wave is shown to be guided along a triple-line defect formed within a 2D crystal and vertically by a strong index-guiding mechanism. At certain wavelength ranges, a complete transmission is observed, suggesting a lossless guiding along this photonic 1D conduction channel.

The authors show that the real space representation of the interface-roughness as a fluctuating potential in the coordinate space is equivalent to the usual energy-fluctuation representation for intrasublevel scattering in a single quantum well with a generally shaped confinement-potential profile. The coordinate picture is, however, more general and can be used for higher-order effects and multi-sublevel scattering in coupled multi-quantum-well structures.

Cavitation has been suggested to be a possible source of long range interactions between mesoscopic hydrophobic surfaces. While evaporation is predicted by thermodynamics, little is known about its kinetics. Glauber dynamics Monte Carlo simulations of a lattice gas close to liquid-gas coexistence and confined between partially drying surfaces are used to model the effect of water confinement on the dynamics of surface-induced phase transition. Specifically, they examine how kinetics of induced evaporation change as the texture of hydrophobic surfaces is varied. Evaporation rates are considerably slowed with relatively small amount of hydrophilic coverage. However, the distribution of hydrophilic patches is found to be crucial, with the homogeneous one being much more effective in slowing the formation of vapor tubes which triggers the evaporation process. They estimate the free energy barrier of vapor tube formation via transition state theory, using a constrained forward-backward umbrella sampling technique applied to the metastable, confined liquid. Furthermore, to relate simulation rates to experimental ones, they perform simulations using the mass-conserving Kawasaki algorithm. They predict evaporation time scales that range from hundreds of picoseconds in the case of mesoscopic surfaces {approximately} 10{sup 4} nm{sup 2} to tens of nanoseconds for smaller surfaces {approximately} 40 nm{sup 2}, …

The primary objective of this project was to conduct advanced reservoir characterization and modeling studies in the Antelope Shale of the Bureau Vista Hills Field. Work was subdivided into two phases or budget periods. The first phase of the project focused on a variety of advanced reservoir characterization techniques to determine the production characteristics of the Antelope Shale reservoir. Reservoir models based on the results of the characterization work would then be used to evaluate how the reservoir would respond to enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes such as of CO2 flooding. The second phase of the project would be to implement and evaluate a CO2 in the Buena Vista Hills Field. A successful project would demonstrate the economic viability and widespread applicability of CO2 flooding in siliceous shale reservoirs of the San Joaquin Valley.

Exploratory hydrothermal synthesis in the system Cs{sub 2}O-SiO{sub 2}-TiO{sub 2}-H{sub 2}O has produced a new polymorph of Cs{sub 2}TiSi{sub 6}O{sub 15} (SNL-A) whose structure was determined using a combination of experimental and theoretical techniques ({sup 29}Si and {sup 133}Cs NMR, X-ray Rietveld refinement, and Density Functional Theory). SNL-A crystallizes in the monoclinic space-group Cc with unit cell parameters: a = 12.998(2) {angstrom}, b = 7.5014(3) {angstrom}, c = 15.156(3) {angstrom}, {eta} = 105.80(3) {degree}. The SNL-A framework consists of silicon tetrahedra and titanium octahedra which are linked in 3-, 5-, 6-, 7- and 8-membered rings in three dimensions. SNL-A is distinctive from a previously reported C2/c polymorph of Cs{sub 2}TiSi{sub 6}O{sub 15} by different ring geometries. Similarities and differences between the two structures are discussed. Other characterizations of SNL-A include TGA-DTA, Cs/Si/Ti elemental analyses, and SEM/EDS. Furthermore, the chemical and radiation durability of SNL-A was studied in interest of ceramic waste form applications. These studies show that SNL-A is durable in both radioactive and rigorous chemical environments. Finally, calculated cohesive energies of the two Cs{sub 2}TiSi{sub 6}O{sub 15} polymorphs suggest that the SNL-A phase (synthesized at 200 C) is energetically more favorable than the C2/c polymorph (synthesized at 1,050 C).

The objective of this project is to develop novel, substituted diphosphonic acid ligands that can be used for supercritical carbon dioxide extraction (SCDE) of actinide ions from solid wastes. Specifically, selected diphosphonic acids, which are known to form extremely stable complexes with actinides in aqueous and organic solution, are to be rendered carbon dioxide-soluble by the introduction of appropriate alkyl- or silicon-containing substituents. The metal complexation chemistry of these new ligands in SC-CO{sub 2} will then be investigated and techniques for their use in actinide extraction from porous solids developed. This report summarizes the work performed during the first 1.3 years of a 3-year program. Because the planned studies of metal complexation and the development of techniques for actinide removal from solids are dependent on the availability of suitable ligands, efforts to date have focused primarily on the synthesis of selected alkyl- or silicon-containing diphosphonic acids. The authors' principal targets have been derivatives in which the silicon-containing groups either serve as the ester function or are attached to the anchor carbon of the diphosphonic acid. Because methylenediphosphonic acid (MDPA) is commercially available and because its esterification with simple alcohols to yield symmetrical diesters is well-established, their initial studies have focused …

The Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order was entered into by the State of Nevada, U.S. Department of Energy, and U.S. Department of Defense to identify sites of potential historical contamination and implement corrective actions based on public health and environmental considerations. The facilities subject to this agreement include the Nevada Test Site (NTS), parts of the Tonopah Test Range, parts to the Nellis Air Force Range, the Central Nevada Test Area, and the Project Shoal Area. Corrective Action Sites (CASs) are areas potentially requiring corrective actions and may include solid waste management units, individual disposal, or release sites. Based on geography, technical similarity, agency responsibility, or other appropriate reasons, CASs are grouped together into Corrective Action Units (CAUs) for the purposes of determining corrective actions. This report contains the Closure Verification Forms for cleanup activities that were performed at 11 CASs within CAU 288 on the NTS. The Housekeeping Closure Verification Form for each CAS provides the location, directions to the site, general description, and photographs of the site before and after cleanup activities. Housekeeping activities at these sites included removal of debris, crates containing contaminated materials, chemicals, and other material. Based on these activities, no further action is …

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) Dynamometer Test Bed is one of a kind. It offers wind industry engineers a unique opportunity to conduct lifetime endurance tests on a wide range of wind turbine drivetrains and gearboxes at various speeds, using low or high torque. By testing full-scale wind turbines, engineers from NREL and industry hope to understand the impact of various wind conditions with the goal of improving hardware design.

The U.S. Department of Energy's State Energy Program (SEP) provides leadership to maximize the benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy through communications/outreach activities, technology deployment, and accessing new partnerships/resources. The State Energy Program operates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories.

Quality metrics for structured and unstructured mesh generation are placed within an algebraic framework to form a mathematical theory of mesh quality metrics. The theory, based on the Jacobian and related matrices, provides a means of constructing, classifying, and evaluating mesh quality metrics. The Jacobian matrix is factored into geometrically meaningful parts. A nodally-invariant Jacobian matrix can be defined for simplicial elements using a weight matrix derived from the Jacobian matrix of an ideal reference element. Scale and orientation-invariant algebraic mesh quality metrics are defined. the singular value decomposition is used to study relationships between metrics. Equivalence of the element condition number and mean ratio metrics is proved. Condition number is shown to measure the distance of an element to the set of degenerate elements. Algebraic measures for skew, length ratio, shape, volume, and orientation are defined abstractly, with specific examples given. Combined metrics for shape and volume, shape-volume-orientation are algebraically defined and examples of such metrics are given. Algebraic mesh quality metrics are extended to non-simplical elements. A series of numerical tests verify the theoretical properties of the metrics defined.

A number of substantive modifications were made from Version 1.0 to Version 1.1 of the ATM Security Specification. To assist implementers in identifying these modifications, the authors propose to include a foreword to the Security 1.1 specification that lists these modifications. Typically, a revised specification provides some mechanism for implementers to determine the modifications that were made from previous versions. Since the Security 1.1 specification does not include change bars or other mechanisms that specifically direct the reader to these modifications, they proposed to include a modification table in a foreword to the document. This modification table should also be updated to include substantive modifications that are made at the San Francisco meeting.

The authors have determined the reconstructions present on AlSb and GaSb(001) under conditions typical for device growth by molecular beam epitaxy. Within the range of Sb flux and temperature where the diffraction pattern is nominally (1 x 3), three distinct (4 x 3) reconstructions actually occur. The three structures are different than those previously proposed for these growth conditions, with two incorporating mixed III-V dimers on the surface. The presence of these hetero-dimers in the top Sb layer leads to an island nucleation and growth mechanism fundamentally different than for other III-V systems.

In the manufacture of ceramic components, near-net-shape parts are commonly formed by uniaxially pressing granulated powders in rigid dies. Density gradients that are introduced into a powder compact during press-forming often increase the cost of manufacturing, and can degrade the performance and reliability of the finished part. Finite element method (FEM) modeling can be used to predict powder compaction response, and can provide insight into the causes of density gradients in green powder compacts; however, accurate numerical simulations require accurate material properties and realistic constitutive laws. To support an effort to implement an advanced cap plasticity model within the finite element framework to realistically simulate powder compaction, the authors have undertaken a project to directly measure as many of the requisite powder properties for modeling as possible. A soil mechanics approach has been refined and used to measure the pressure dependent properties of ceramic powders up to 68.9 MPa (10,000 psi). Due to the large strains associated with compacting low bulk density ceramic powders, a two-stage process was developed to accurately determine the pressure-density relationship of a ceramic powder in hydrostatic compression, and the properties of that same powder compact under deviatoric loading at the same specific pressures. Using this …

The integrated-gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) process is an emerging technology that utilizes coal for power generation and production of chemical feedstocks. However, the process generates large amounts of solid waste, consisting of vitrified ash (slag) and some unconverted carbon. In previous projects, Praxis investigated the utilization of ''as-generated'' slags for a wide variety of applications in road construction, cement and concrete production, agricultural applications, and as a landfill material. From these studies, we found that it would be extremely difficult for ''as-generated'' slag to find large-scale acceptance in the marketplace even at no cost because the materials it could replace were abundantly available at very low cost. It was further determined that the unconverted carbon, or char, in the slag is detrimental to its utilization as sand or fine aggregate. It became apparent that a more promising approach would be to develop a variety of value-added products from slag that meet specific industry requirements. This approach was made feasible by the discovery that slag undergoes expansion and forms a lightweight material when subjected to controlled heating in a kiln at temperatures between 1400 and 1700 F. These results confirmed the potential for using expanded slag as a substitute for conventional lightweight …

Significant progress has been made since the beginning of this project, in September 1999. Part of the project findings are described in References 1 and 2. So far we have found no ''show-stopper''. In fact, based on the findings accumulated so far it appears to us that the Encapsulated Nuclear Heat Source (ENHS) is technologically feasible and looks even more attractive than initially conceived.

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