Upgrades and calibrations were performed on the single cylinder engine. Production of a baseline engine performance dataset has started using GE Evolution engine hardware, including the production unit pump fuel system. Long-term tests of battery cells energized at room temperature were performed. Hybrid energy storage capabilities were added to the fuel optimizer.

Consistent with the original proposal (dated April 14, 2005), the grant supported the participation in the above conference of a number of West African meteorologists, the majority of whom will be supporting the ARM Mobile Facility deployment in Niamey in various ways during 2006. The following seven individuals were fully funded (complete airfare, accommodation, registration, meals) to participate in the Conference –Yerima Ladan (Head, ASECNA Forecast Office, Niamey Airport); Dr. Ousmane Manga Adamou (University of Niamey); Abdou Adam Abdoul-Aziz Abebe (Forecasater, ASECNA Forecast Office, Niamey Airport); Hassane Abdou (Forecaster, ASECNA Forecast Office, Niamey Airport); Saley Diori (Forecaster, ASECNA Forecast Office, Niamey Airport); Alhassane Diallo (Meteorological Engineer, Burkina Faso Weather Service). The following three individuals were partly funded (for some of their airfare, accommodation, registration, meals) to participate in the Conference – Katiellou Lawan (International Relations, Niger Weather Service); Mamoutou Kouressy (Institute of Rural Economics, Niger Department of Agriculture); and Francis Dide (Benin Weather Service). I am confident that the participation of the above individuals in the Conference will facilitate both the smooth operation of the ARM Mobile Facility in Niamey during 2006 and the involvement of University of Niamey scientists in analysis of the data collected. We appreciate greatly this …

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Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO has done many studies over the past 7 years on anthrax vaccine safety and anthrax detection methods. GAO has reported the lack of validated methods for detecting anthrax contamination and has recommended a coordinated approach to improving the overall process for detecting anthrax that included a probability-based sampling strategy. GAO also reported that the vaccine has not been adequately tested on humans; no studies have been done to determine the optimum number of doses; the long-term safety has not been studied and data on short-term reactions are limited; however, women report higher rates of reactions than do men. Given these problems, GAO recommended the development, of a better, alternative vaccine."

The United States recognized the independence of all the former Soviet republics by the end of 1991, including the South Caucasus states of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. The United States has fostered these states' ties with the West in part to end the dependence of these states on Russia for trade, security, and other relations. The FREEDOM Support Act of 1992 provides authorization for assistance to the Eurasian states for humanitarian needs, democratization, and other purposes. In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, the Administration appealed for a national security waiver of the prohibition on aid to Azerbaijan, in consideration of Azerbaijan's assistance to the international coalition to combat terrorism. Azerbaijani and Georgian troops participate in stabilization efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Armenian personnel serve in Iraq.

This report is on the Automobile and Light Truck Fuel Economy: The CAFE Standards.

The band gap bowing and the electron localization ofGaxIn1-xN are calculated using both the local density approximation (LDA)and screened-exchange local density functional (sX-LDA) methods. Thecalculated sX-LDA band gaps are in good agreement with the experimentallyobserved values, with errors of -0.26 and 0.09 eV for bulk GaN and InN,respectively. The LDA band gap errors are 1.33 and 0.81 eV for GaN andInN, in order. In contrast to the gap itself, the band gap bowingparameter is found to be very similar in sX-LDA and LDA. We identify thelocalization of hole states in GaxIn1-xN alloys along In-N-In chains. Thepredicted localizationis stronger in sX-LDA.

Both the no-core shell model and the effective interaction hyperspherical harmonic approaches are applied to the calculation of different response functions to external electromagnetic probes, using the Lorentz integral transform method. The test is performed on the four-body nuclear system, within a simple potential model. The quality of the agreement in the various cases is discussed, together with the perspectives for rigorous ab initio calculations of cross sections of heavier nuclei.

This report discusses the core areas addressed in federal legislation, including the scope of coverage; data privacy and security safeguards for sensitive personal information; requirements for security breach notification; restrictions on social security numbers; credit freezes on consumer reports; identity theft penalties; causes of action; and preemption.

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We present the results of ab initio calculations for elasticelectron scattering by tetrahydrofuran (THF) using the complex Kohnvariational method. We carried out fixed-nuclei calculations at theequilibrium geometry of the target molecule for incident electronenergies up to 20 eV. The calculated momentum transfer cross sectionsclearly reveal the presence of broad shape resonance behavior in the 8-10eV energy range, in agreement with recent experiments. The calculateddifferential cross sections at 20 eV, which include the effects of thelong-range electron-dipole interaction, are alsofound to be in agreementwith the most recent experimental findings.

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The size and strength of hurricane Katrina resulted in one of the largest natural disasters in our nation's history and raised major questions about our nation's readiness and ability to respond to catastrophic disasters. GAO has a large body of completed and ongoing work on a range of issues relating to all phases of the preparation, response, recovery, and rebuilding efforts related to hurricane Katrina as well as a wealth of historical experience in reviewing the federal government's response to disasters and catastrophic events. A great deal of attention has been focused on lessons learned from the 2005 hurricane season and many recommendations have been advanced on how to improve the nation's preparedness and ability to effectively respond to catastrophic disasters. GAO's testimony today describes some factors for success and other issues that Congress may wish to consider as it determines what changes to make, including those of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) organizational placement, to improve the nation's readiness and ability to respond effectively to major disasters, including catastrophic disasters, regardless of cause."

The performance of an advanced Microhole Coiled Tubing Rig (MCTR) has been measured in the field during the drilling of 25 test wells in the Niobrara formation of Western Kansas and Eastern Colorado. The coiled tubing (CT) rig designed, built and operated by Advanced Drilling Technologies (ADT), was documented in its performance by GTI staff in the course of drilling wells ranging in depth from 500 to nearly 3,000 feet. Access to well sites in the Niobrara for documenting CT rig performance was provided by Rosewood Resources of Arlington, VA. The ADT CT rig was selected for field performance evaluation because it is one of the most advanced commercial CT rig designs that demonstrate a high degree of process integration and ease of set-up and operation. Employing an information collection protocol, data was collected from the ADT CT rig during 25 drilling events that encompassed a wide range of depths and drilling conditions in the Niobrara. Information collected included time-function data, selected parametric information indicating CT rig operational conditions, staffing levels, and field observations of the CT rig in each phase of operation, from rig up to rig down. The data obtained in this field evaluation indicates that the ADT …

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This report mainly focuses on the General Services Administration Federal Facilities Affected by Hurricane Katrina where Katrina struck the Golf of coast on August 2005 causing wide spread flooding and significant infrastructure damage to various federal facilities.

This report provides information about the General Services Administration Prospectus Thresholds for Owned and Leased Federal Facilities which is a federal government primary federal real property and assets management agency.

This report provides information on the Hospital Survey and Construction Act of 1946, commonly known as the Hill-Burton Act, the obligations and eligibility requirements for free care, and sources for further information.

The history of the design and construction of the Argonne 500 MeV booster proton synchrotron from 1969 to 1982 is described. This accelerator has since been in steady use for the past 25 years to power the Argonne Intense Pulsed Neutron Source (IPNS).

Report on immigration with a focus on border security and related legislation, considered by the 109th Congress.

Traditional site characterization methods rely on preplanned sampling programs and off-site analysis of samples to determine the extent and level of hazardous waste contamination. This process is costly and time-consuming. Static work plans specify the numbers and locations of samples to be collected, as well as the analyses to be performed on collected samples. Sampling crews are mobilized, samples are collected, and the crews are demobilized before final results become available. Additional sampling programs are often required to resolve uncertainties raised by the initial sampling and analysis results. The drawbacks of a traditional approach to sampling program design and execution are high costs per sample, pressure to over sample while at the site, and inevitable surprises in the analytical results that require additional sampling to resolve. A key step in the characterization of hazardous wastes at U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sites is determination of the extent of contamination. The proper number and placement of sampling locations is required to both minimize characterization costs and guarantee that contamination extent can be estimated with reasonable confidence. Because ''soft'' information (i.e., historical records, computer modeling results, past experience, etc.) for a site are usually just as important as ''hard'' laboratory results, the …

This report discusses legislative initiatives to address the challenges facing the U.S. Intelligence Community in the 21st century.

The major challenges to coalition forces are now quelling a persistent Iraqi resistance movement and training sufficient Iraqi forces to assume responsibility for the nations domestic security. This report discusses military planning and operations in Iraq.

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Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a noninvasive andversatile methodology that has been applied in many disciplines1,2. Thedetection sensitivity of conventional Faraday detection of MRI depends onthe strength of the static magnetic field and the sample "fillingfactor." Under circumstances where only low magnetic fields can be used,and for samples with low spin density or filling factor, the conventionaldetection sensitivity is compromised. Alternative detection methods withhigh sensitivity in low magnetic fields are thus required. Here we showthe first use of a laser-based atomic magnetometer for MRI detection inlow fields. Our technique also employs remote detection which physicallyseparates the encoding and detection steps3-5, to improve the fillingfactor of the sample. Potentially inexpensive and using a compactapparatus, our technique provides a novel alternative for MRI detectionwith substantially enhanced sensitivity and time resolution whileavoiding the need for cryogenics.