The University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI) reports on significant activity, task status, planned research, testing, development, and conclusions for the Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) Coal-Fired Flow Facility (CFFF) and the Research and Development Laboratory. Although slowed by incessant rain during several days, work on the CFFF Bid Packages progressed to nearly 100 percent completion, excluding later punchlist items. On the quench system, the cyclone separator was delivered to UTSI, and under Downstream Components, the secondary combustor was received and the radiant slagging furnace was emplaced at the CFFF. Water quality analysis of Woods Reservoir provided the expected favorable results, quite similar to last year's. Generator experiments describing local current distribution are reported along with behavior under conditions of imposed leakage. Also, during the Quarter, the shelter for the cold flow modeling facility was constructed and circuits installation begun. A jet turbine combustor was tested for use as a vitiation burner. Samples taken from the exhaust duct, besides other applications, show that the refractories used are performing well in alleviating heat loss while exhibiting acceptable degredation. A new resistive power take-off network was designed and implemented.

The use of carbonaceous adsorbents is limited by irreversible adsorption of some compounds so the use of supercritical pentane as an extracting solvent was examined. Carbon black appeared to be broken down slowly, but continuously, by the penane. To see if other types of carbon behaved similarly, high purity graphite, technical grade graphites, active carbons, and charcoals were examined. The extracts were characterized by uv spectroscopy, packed column chromatography using flame ionization and flame photometric detectors, and capillary GC/MS. The extracts were characteristic for each class of carbonaceous material. The high purity graphite yielded large, polycyclic aromatic compounds; the technical grade graphites yielded alkanes and alkyl-substituted benzenes and naphthalenes; the active carbons yielded alkanes, dienes, and small amounts of alkyl-substituted benzenes; and the charcoals yielded almost entirely alkanes in small amounts.

Disposal of high-level radioactive wastes is a major environmental problem influencing further development of nuclear energy in this country. Salt domes in the Gulf Coast Basin are being investigated as repository sites. A major concern is geologic and hydrologic stability of candidate domes and potential transport of radionuclides by groundwater to the biosphere prior to their degradation to harmless levels of activity. This report conceptualizes a regional geohydrologic model for transport of radionuclides from a salt dome repository. The model considers transport pathways and the physical and chemical changes that would occur through time prior to the radionuclides reaching the biosphere. Necessary, but unknown inputs to the regional model involve entry and movement of fluids through the repository dome and across the dome-country rock interface and the effect on the dome and surrounding strata of heat generated by the radioactive wastes.

A nationwide examination was made of grassroots energy conservation programs related to transportation. Information compiled from civic groups, trade associations, and corporations is included on driver awareness/mass transit; travel; and ride sharing. It is concluded that a willingness by the public to cooperate in transportation energy conservation exists and should be exploited. (LCL)

Today's satellite remote sensing systems rely heavily on spectral signatures for scene identification from nadir observations. We propose to use angular signatures as complementary scene identifiers when off-nadir sensing is possible. Specifically, the hot spot (Heiligenschein) of plant canopies is recognized as an atmosphere-invariant angular reflectance signature that carries information about the plant stand architecture which may be useful for instant crop identification from off-nadir satellite measurements.

In analyzing the behavior of a vacuum arc during interruption , a mathematical model has been set up to describe the events occurring in the interelectrode gap during interruption. The reliability of the results obtained using such a model depends on the accuracy of the initial assumptions made in setting up the model equations. Previous results obtained from the model analysis were compared to experimental data and it was found that there was a discrepancy close to current zero. To improve our model results some of the original model assumptions have been reconsidered in order to make the model more closely represent the physical reality of a vacuum arc.

tems were cast and cured. Results of chemical tests on aa epoxy curlang exudate are included. Comparison of solvent effects on retention of radioelements by stainless steel was started and data are tabulated for Ac/sup 227/, Th/sup 227/, a nd Ra/sup 22//sub 3/. Work on protactinium was resumed after suspension of this project in 1960. Methods for preparation of small quantities of highly enriched U isotopes are being examined. Included in the survey are chemical exchange, electromagnetic separation, gaseous and liquid thermal diffusion, gas centrifugation, and photochemical techniques. Continued investigation of viscosities of La and Pr for use in Pu alcontinued along with studies of Pu bearing glass fibers. (J.R.D.)

After a brief introduction to the present state of art of nuclear beta-decay studies in astrophysics, we report our recent work on the long-standing /sup 99/Tc problem. Having combined a detailed study of the recurrent He-shell thermal-pulse, third dredge-up episodes in a 2.25 M/sub solar/ star and an s-process network calculation, we show that a substantial amount of /sup 99/Tc can be produced by the s-process and can survive to be dredged up to the stellar surface. We stress that the factual observation of /sup 99/Tc at the surface of certain stars does not necessarily preclude the /sup 22/Ne(..cap alpha..,n)/sup 25/Mg reaction from remaining as the neutron source for the s-process. The calculated surface abundances of /sup 99/Tc and elements with neighboring atomic numbers are compared with observations. 43 refs., 5 figs.

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Report that first reviews the legislative history surrounding the enactment of the 1968 and 1976 amendments to the appointment of the FBI Director, as well as information on the nominees to the FBI Directorship since 1972. The report also provides a legal overview of the extension of a Director's tenure.

Letters from a Mary Lynch to the BRAC Commissioners regarding her support of Cannon Air Force Base.

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In accordance with Public Law 108-324, GAO is required to audit the reimbursement of up to $70 million of appropriated funds to the American Red Cross (Red Cross) for disaster relief associated with 2004 hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne. The audit was performed to determine if (1) the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) established criteria and defined allowable expenditures to ensure that reimbursement claims paid to the Red Cross met the purposes of the law, (2) reimbursement funds paid to the Red Cross did not duplicate funding by other federal sources, (3) reimbursed funds assisted only eligible states and territories for disaster relief, and (4) reimbursement claims were supported by adequate documentation. The 2004 hurricane season was one of the most destructive in U.S. history. Fifteen named storms resulted in 21 federal disaster declarations. Four hurricanes affecting 19 states and 2 U.S. territories from August 13 through September 26, 2004, triggered the nation's biggest natural-disaster response up to that time. Over 150 deaths and $45 billion of estimated property damage are attributed to hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne in the United States alone. Through …

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Federal agencies need to exercise strong oversight to promote effectiveness and efficiency and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse--especially in a federal procurement program such as this, which is exempt from full and open competition requirements. However, although the AbilityOne Commission is ultimately responsible for overseeing the program, the Commission cannot control how CNAs (1) spend their funds, (2) set and manage their performance goals, or (3) set and implement governance policies and other internal controls. The Commission's authority to direct CNA budget priorities--including how much they compensate their executives and the level and growth of their reserves--is limited. As independent entities, the CNAs are responsible for determining their spending. Most of their money comes from fees they charge their affiliates as a percent of revenue earned from AbilityOne contracts. Moreover, the Commission does not have sufficient authority to set CNA performance and governance standards, so it depends on the CNAs to set and enforce such standards. Although the CNAs have instituted their own internal controls, the Commission does not have procedures to monitor alleged CNA control violations, nor is there an inspector general to provide independent …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This letter responds to Congress's May 10, 2007, request that we address questions submitted for the record related to the May 9, 2007, hearing entitled The Future of Air Traffic Control Modernization."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Energy (DOE) has long suffered from contract and management oversight weaknesses. Since 1990 DOE contract management has been on GAO's list of programs at high risk for fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement. In 2003 DOE's Office of Science (Science) unveiled its 20-year plan to acquire and upgrade potentially costly research facilities. In light of DOE's history and the potential cost of this ambitious plan, GAO was asked to examine Science's project management performance. GAO determined (1) the extent to which Science has managed its projects within cost and schedule targets, (2) the factors affecting project management performance, and (3) challenges that may affect Science's future performance. GAO reviewed DOE and Science's project management guidance and 42 selected Science projects and also interviewed DOE and laboratory officials."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 allows the use of performance-based payment (PBP) as an alternative to other forms of contract financing. According to the Department of Defense (DOD), the paying office processed about one million invoices for 363,000 major contracts. In fiscal year 1999, only 195 of these contracts contained performance-based provisions. These contracts are so few in number because they are a relatively new form of contracting within DOD. In November 2000, however, DOD indicated that performance-based financing will be military's preferred contract financing method for future fixed-price contracts. This report reviews the C-17 aircraft production program as a case study of the business processes used to make investment expenditures during the production phase of a major weapons system. GAO chose this contract because it is mature, stable, and is performance-based rather than cost-based. GAO found internal control weaknesses in the C-17 program affecting compliance with regulations, policies, and procedures over (1) establishing withhold amounts by the Air Force contracting officer for conditionally accepted items, (2) processing by the Administrative Contracting Officer for performance-based payment requests, (3) processing by the Administrative Contracting Officer of invoices …

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Biennially, the Judicial Conference, the federal judiciary's principal policymaking body, assesses the judiciary's needs for additional judgeships. If the Conference determines that additional judgeships are needed, it transmits a request to Congress identifying the number, type (courts of appeals, district, or bankruptcy), and location of the judgeships it is requesting. In 2003, the Judicial Conference sent to Congress requests for 93 new judgeships--11 for the courts of appeals, 46 for the district courts, and 36 for the bankruptcy courts. In assessing the need for additional judgeships, the Judicial Conference considers a variety of information, including responses to its biennial survey of individual courts, temporary increases or decreases in case filings, and other factors specific to an individual court. However, the Judicial Conference's analysis begins with the courts of appeals--weighted case filings and adjusted case filings, respectively. These two measures recognize, to different degrees, that the time demands on judges are largely a function of both the number and complexity of the cases on their dockets. Some types of cases may demand relatively little time and others may require many hours of work. Generally, each case filed in a …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Strategic workforce planning helps ensure that agencies have the right people with the right skills in the right positions to carry out the agency mission both in the present and future. The Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) Taxpayer Education and Communication (TEC) unit within its Small Business and Self- Employed Division assists some 45 million small business and self-employed taxpayers. Given the number of taxpayers it is to assist and changes in its priorities and strategies, GAO was asked to determine whether TEC has a workforce plan that conforms to critical elements for what should be in a plan and how it should be developed and implemented."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The financing of the $299 billion Medicaid program is shared between the federal government and states. States pay qualified providers for covered Medicaid services and receive federal matching funds from the Department of Health & Human Services' (HHS) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for expenditures authorized in their state Medicaid plans. In addition to these standard Medicaid payments, most states make supplemental payments to certain providers, which are also matched by federal funds. GAO was asked for information about Medicaid supplemental payments. GAO examined (1) what information states report about supplemental payments on Medicaid expenditure reports and (2) in selected states, how much was distributed as supplemental payments, to what types of providers, and for what purposes. GAO analyzed CMS's Medicaid expenditure reports and surveyed five states that make large supplemental payments."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Military operations in support of the Global War on Terrorism, particularly those in Iraq and Afghanistan, have challenged the Department of Defense's (DOD) ability to provide needed ground forces. Section 354 of the Fiscal Year 2008 National Defense Authorization Act directed GAO to report on a number of military readiness issues. In this report, GAO addresses (1) the extent to which DOD's use of nonstandard forces to meet ground force requirements has impacted the force and (2) the extent to which DOD has faced challenges in managing the training and use of these forces, and taken steps to address any challenges. To address these objectives, GAO analyzed DOD policies, guidance, and data and interviewed department, joint, combatant command, and service officials as well as trainers and over 300 deploying, deployed, and redeploying servicemembers."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Wildland fires burn millions of acres each year, requiring substantial investments of firefighting assets. Since 2000, federal suppression costs alone have averaged more than $1 billion annually. Wildland fires can burn or threaten both federal and nonfederal lands and resources, including homes in or near wildlands, an area commonly called the wildland-urban interface. Cooperative agreements between federal and nonfederal firefighting entities provide the framework for working together and sharing costs. GAO was asked to (1) review how federal and nonfederal entities share the costs of suppressing wildland fires that burn or threaten both of their lands and resources and (2) identify any concerns that these entities may have with the existing cost-sharing framework."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has a demanding responsibility enforcing banking laws, regulating financial institutions, and protecting depositors. Effective information security controls are essential to ensure that FDIC systems and information are adequately protected from inadvertent misuse, fraudulent, or improper disclosure. As part of its audit of FDIC's 2007 financial statements, GAO assessed (1) the progress FDIC has made in mitigating previously reported information security weaknesses and (2) the effectiveness of FDIC's controls in protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of its financial systems and information. To do this, GAO examined security policies, procedures, reports, and other documents; observed controls over key financial applications; and interviewed key FDIC personnel."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Government agencies have a long-standing obligation under the Privacy Act of 1974 to protect the privacy of individuals about whom they collect personal information. A number of additional laws have been enacted in recent years directing agency heads to designate senior officials as focal points with overall responsibility for privacy. GAO was asked to (1) describe laws and guidance that set requirements for senior privacy officials within federal agencies, and (2) describe the organizational structures used by agencies to address privacy requirements and assess whether senior officials have oversight over key functions. To achieve these objectives, GAO analyzed the laws and related guidance and analyzed policies and procedures relating to key privacy functions at 12 agencies."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "As part of its Disability Compensation program, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides Individual Unemployability (IU) benefits to veterans of any age who are unemployable because of service-connected disabilities. Over the last decade, the number of IU beneficiaries and benefit costs have more than tripled. In 2005, about 220,000 veterans received an estimated $3.1 billion in IU benefits. In response to a congressional request, GAO assessed VA's management of IU benefits. This report (1) examines the added value of IU benefits for veterans of selected ages and disability ratings, (2) assesses the criteria, guidance, and procedures used for initial decision making, (3) assesses VA's ongoing eligibility enforcement procedures, and (4) compares VA's decision-making and enforcement procedures with those used by other disability programs."