Bill introduced by the Texas House of Representatives relating to information printed by school districts on high school diplomas.

Report about the Ab-initio Reaction Calculations for Carbon-12 (ESP Technical Report): ALCF-2 Early Science Program Technical Report

This report briefly summarizes opioid-related bills that were considered during "Opioid Week" (the week of May 9, 2016) The summaries in this report may be useful illustrations of the range of approaches Members of Congress have proposed to address the problem of opioid addiction.

This report details the COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 and the American COMPETES Act, as well as policy issues: STEM education, Federal Research Programs and Activities, Broadening Participation, and Funding.

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A new multiscale simulation tool has been developed to model the strength of tantalum under high-pressure dynamic compression. This new model combines simulations at multiple length scales to explain macroscopic properties of materials. Previously known continuum models of material response under load have built upon a mixture of theoretical physics and experimental phenomenology. Experimental data, typically measured at static pressures, are used as a means of calibration to construct models that parameterize the material properties; e.g., yield stress, work hardening, strain-rate dependence, etc. The pressure dependence for most models enters through the shear modulus, which is used to scale the flow stress. When these models are applied to data taken far outside the calibrated regions of phase space (e.g., strain rate or pressure) they often diverge in their predicted behavior of material deformation. The new multiscale model, developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, starts with interatomic quantum mechanical potential and is based on the motion and multiplication of dislocations. The basis for the macroscale model is plastic deformation by phonon drag and thermally activated dislocation motion and strain hardening resulting from elastic interactions among dislocations. The dislocation density, {rho}, and dislocation velocity, {nu}, are connected to the plastic strain rate …

A major contribution to the uncertainty of finite-order perturbative QCD predictions is the perceived ambiguity in setting the renormalization scale {mu}{sub r}. For example, by using the conventional way of setting {mu}{sub r} {element_of} [m{sub t}/2, 2m{sub t}], one obtains the total t{bar t} production cross-section {sigma}{sub t{bar t}} with the uncertainty {Delta}{sigma}{sub t{bar t}}/{sigma}{sub t{bar t}} {approx} (+3%/-4%) at the Tevatron and LHC even for the present NNLO level. The Principle of Maximum Conformality (PMC) eliminates the renormalization scale ambiguity in precision tests of Abelian QED and non-Abelian QCD theories. By using the PMC, all nonconformal {l_brace}{beta}{sub i}{r_brace}-terms in the perturbative expansion series are summed into the running coupling constant, and the resulting scale-fixed predictions are independent of the renormalization scheme. The correct scale-displacement between the arguments of different renormalization schemes is automatically set, and the number of active flavors n{sub f} in the {l_brace}{beta}{sub i}{r_brace}-function is correctly determined. The PMC is consistent with the renormalization group property that a physical result is independent of the renormalization scheme and the choice of the initial renormalization scale {mu}{sub r}{sup init}. The PMC scale {mu}{sub r}{sup PMC} is unambiguous at finite order. Any residual dependence on {mu}{sub r}{sup init} for a …

Now in its seventh year of operation, the Laboratory Computing Resource Center (LCRC) continues to be an integral component of science and engineering research at Argonne, supporting a diverse portfolio of projects for the U.S. Department of Energy and other sponsors. The LCRC's ongoing mission is to enable and promote computational science and engineering across the Laboratory, primarily by operating computing facilities and supporting high-performance computing application use and development. This report describes scientific activities carried out with LCRC resources in 2009 and the broad impact on programs across the Laboratory. The LCRC computing facility, Jazz, is available to the entire Laboratory community. In addition, the LCRC staff provides training in high-performance computing and guidance on application usage, code porting, and algorithm development. All Argonne personnel and collaborators are encouraged to take advantage of this computing resource and to provide input into the vision and plans for computing and computational analysis at Argonne. The LCRC Allocations Committee makes decisions on individual project allocations for Jazz. Committee members are appointed by the Associate Laboratory Directors and span a range of computational disciplines. The 350-node LCRC cluster, Jazz, began production service in April 2003 and has been a research work horse ever …

Assessments were performed to evaluate compliance with the airborne radionuclide emission monitoring requirements in the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants ([NESHAP]; U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 40, Part 61, Subpart H) and Washington Administrative Code 246-247: Radiation Protection - Air Emissions. In these NESHAP assessments, potential unabated off-site doses were evaluated for emission locations at buildings that are part of the consolidated laboratory campus of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. This report describes the inventory-based methods and provides the results for the NESHAP assessment performed in 2010.

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This report contains an overview of the Matching Grant Program for Law Enforcement Armor Vests (BPV program). It also provides a discussion of data on law enforcement agencies that require their officers to wear armor vests while on duty, research on why officers may choose to wear armor vests, research on the life cycle for armor vests, data on the use of body armor by law enforcement officers who were killed with a firearm, and research on the effectiveness of armor vests.

A new diagnostic for measuring Bragg diffraction from a laser-driven crystal using a 100ps 17.5 kV x-ray backlighter source is designed and tested successfully at the Omega EP laser facility on static Mo and Ta single crystal samples using a Mo Ka backlighter. The Bragg Diffraction Imager (BDI) consists of a heavily shielded enclosure and a precisely positioned beam block, attached to the main enclosure by an Aluminum arm. Image plate is used as the x-ray detector. The diffraction lines from Mo and Ta <222> planes are clearly detected with a high signal-to-noise using the 17.5 keV and 19.6 keV characteristic lines generated by a petawatt-driven Mo foil. This technique will be applied to shock and ramp-loaded single crystals on the Omega EP laser. Pulsed x-ray diffraction of shock- and ramp-compressed materials is an exciting new technique that can give insight into the dynamic behavior of materials at ultra-high pressure not achievable by any other means to date. X-ray diffraction can be used to determine not only the phase and compression of the lattice at high pressure, but by probing the lattice compression on a timescale equal to the 3D relaxation time of the material, information about dislocation mechanics, including …

A Pulse Forming Network (PFN), Helical Electromagnetic Launcher (HEML), Command Module (CM), and Calibration Table (CT) were built and evaluated for the combined ability to calibrate an accelerometer. The PFN has a maximum stored energy of 19.25 kJ bank and is fired by a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR), with appropriate safety precautions. The HEML is constructed out of G-10 fiberglass and is designed to accelerate 600 grams to 10 meters per second. The CM is microcontroller based running Arduino Software. The CM has a keypad input and 7 segment outputs of the bank voltage and desired voltage. After entering a desired bank voltage, the CM controls the charge of the PFN. When the two voltages are equal it allows the fire button to send a pulse to the SCR to fire the PFN and in turn, the HEML. The HEML projectile's tip hits a target that is held by the CT. The CT consists of a table to hold the PFN and HEML, a vacuum chuck, air bearing, velocity meter and catch pot. The Target is held with the vacuum chuck awaiting impact. After impact, the air bearing allows the target to fall freely for the velocity meter to get …

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This report provides background and elements of Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program, enacted in 1975, to help strengthen families by securing financial support for children from their non-custodial parent.

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A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins ""

This report provides information about the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).

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This report provides an overview of federal forfeiture law. It sketches the origins and general attributes of forfeiture, describes the distribution of the hundreds of millions of dollars it generates, and identifies some of the related constitutional issues.

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This report highlights actions taken and issues raised as a result of the April 20, 2010, explosion on the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig, and the resulting oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Readers can access more extensive discussions in various CRS reports, identified at the end of this report.

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In the conference report accompanying the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, Congress directed DOD to provide an updated report on strategic seaport facilities used for military purposes, specifying that DOD must include (1) an assessment of the structural integrity and deficiencies of the port facilities and determination of the infrastructure improvements needed to directly or indirectly meet national security and readiness requirements; (2) an assessment of the impact on operational readiness if the improvements are not undertaken; (3) an identification of potential funding sources for the needed improvements from existing authorities; and (4) an opinion as to whether DOD has the necessary authority to support section 50302 of Title 46 of the United States Code. DOD issued that report in January 2013. In summary, we found that DOD addressed all four of the elements directed by Congress, as follows:"

This report provides a detailed analysis of contractor personnel trends and contracting dollars obligated in U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), Afghanistan, and Iraq.