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The long range strategic goal of the Department of Energy's Building Technologies (DOE/BT) Program is to create, by 2020, technologies and design approaches that enable the construction of net-zero energy homes at low incremental cost (DOE/BT 2005). A net zero energy home (NZEH) is a residential building with greatly reduced needs for energy through efficiency gains, with the balance of energy needs supplied by renewable technologies. While initially focused on new construction, these technologies and design approaches are intended to have application to buildings constructed before 2020 as well resulting in substantial reduction in energy use for all building types and ages. DOE/BT's Emerging Technologies (ET) team is working to support this strategic goal by identifying and developing advanced heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, and water heating (HVAC/WH) technology options applicable to NZEHs. Although the energy efficiency of heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) equipment has increased substantially in recent years, new approaches are needed to continue this trend. Dramatic efficiency improvements are necessary to enable progress toward the NZEH goals, and will require a radical rethinking of opportunities to improve system performance. The large reductions in HVAC energy consumption necessary to support the NZEH goals require a systems-oriented analysis approach that characterizes …

This report provides Background and Issues for Congress on Exemptions from Environmental Law for the Department of Defense. several environmental statutes contain national security exemptions which is a department of defense can obtain on a case by case basis.

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This report reviews the major legislative initiatives to deal with the gasoline price issue.

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This report discusses the political context and congressional consideration of various funding and other restrictive legislative language applying to military operations in Indochina between 1970 and 1973.It briefly mentions similar congressional actions applying to U.S. military operations in Somalia in 1993 and Kosovo in 1999.

The kinetic nonlinear dispersion relation, and frequency shift {delta}{omega}{sub srs}, of a plasma wave driven by stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) are presented. Our theoretical calculations are fully electromagnetic, and use an adiabatic expression for the electron susceptibility which accounts for the change in phase velocity as the wave grows. When k{lambda}{sub D} {approx}> 0.35 (k being the plasma wave number and {lambda}{sub D} the Debye length), {delta}{omega}{sub srs} is significantly larger than could be inferred by assuming that the wave is freely propagating. Our theory is in excellent agreement with 1-D Eulerian Vlasov-Maxwell simulations when 0.3 {le} k{lambda}{sub D} {le} 0.58, and allows discussion of previously proposed mechanisms for Raman saturation. In particular, we find that no 'loss of resonance' of the plasma wave would limit the Raman growth rate, and that saturation through a phase detuning between the plasma wave and the laser drive is mitigated by wave number shifts.

The Savannah River Site (SRS) Figure 1 is a 310-square-mile United States Department of Energy nuclear facility located along the Savannah River near Aiken, South Carolina. During operations, which started in 1951, hazardous substances (chemicals and radionuclides) were released to the environment. The releases occurred as a result of inadvertent spills and waste disposal in unlined pits and basins which was common practice before environmental regulations existed. The hazardous substances have migrated to the vadose zone and groundwater in many areas of the SRS, resulting in 515 waste units that are required by environmental regulations, to undergo characterization and, if needed, remediation. In the initial years of the SRS environmental cleanup program (early 1990s), the focus was to use common technologies (such as pump and treat, air stripping, excavation and removal) that actively and tangibly removed contamination. Exclusive use of these technologies required continued and significant funding while often failing to meet acceptable clean-up goals and objectives. Recognizing that a more cost-effective approach was needed, SRS implemented new and complementary remediation methods focused on active and passive technologies targeted to solve specific remediation problems. Today, SRS uses technologies such as chemical/pH-adjusting injection, phytoremediation, underground cutoff walls, dynamic underground stripping, soil …

In this paper, we present a construction of the compact form of the exceptional Lie group F4 by exponentiating the corresponding Lie algebra f4. We realize F4 as the automorphisms group of the exceptional Jordan algebra, whose elements are 3 x 3 Hermitian matrices with octonionic entries. We use a parametrization which generalizes the Euler angles for SU(2) and is based on the fibration of F4 via a Spin(9) subgroup as a fiber. This technique allows us to determine an explicit expression for the Haar invariant measure on the F4 group manifold. Apart from shedding light on the structure of F4 and its coset manifold OP2 = F4/Spin(9), the octonionic projective plane, these results are a prerequisite for the study of E6, of which F4 is a (maximal) subgroup.

I explore a different type of approximation to the exactanisotropic wave velocities as a function of incidence angle invertically transversely isotropic (VTI) media. This method extends theThomsen weak anisotropy approach to stronger anisotropy withoutsignificantly affecting the simplicity of the formulas. One importantimprovement is that the peak of the quasi-SV-wave speed vsv(theta) islocated at the correct incidence angle theta= theta max, rather thanalways being at the position theta = 45o, which universally holds forThomsen's approximation although max theta = 45o is actually nevercorrect for any VTI anisotropic medium. The magnitudes of all the wavespeeds are also more closely approximated for all values of the incidenceangle. Furthermore, the value of theta max (which is needed in the newformulas) can be deduced from the same data that are typically used inthe weak anisotropy data analysis. The two examples presented are basedon systems having vertical fractures. The first set of model fractureshas their axes of symmetry randomly oriented in the horizontal plane.Such a system is then isotropic in the horizontal plane and, therefore,exhibits vertical transverse isotropic (VTI) symmetry. The second set offractures also has axes of symmetry in the horizontal plane, but it isassumed these axes are aligned so that the system exhibits horizontaltransverse …

Seismic wave propagation through the earth is often stronglyaffected by the presence of fractures. When these fractures are filledwith fluids (oil, gas, water, CO2, etc.), the type and state of the fluid(liquid or gas) can make a large difference in the response of theseismic waves. This paper summarizes recent work on methods ofdeconstructing the effects of fractures, and any fluids within thesefractures, on seismic wave propagation as observed in reflection seismicdata. One method explored here is Thomsen's weak anisotropy approximationfor wave moveout (since fractures often induce elastic anisotropy due tononuniform crack-orientation statistics). Another method makes use ofsome very convenient fracture parameters introduced previously thatpermit a relatively simple deconstruction of the elastic and wavepropagation behavior in terms of a small number of fracture parameters(whenever this is appropriate, as is certainly the case for small crackdensities). Then, the quantitative effects of fluids on thesecrack-influence parameters are shown to be directly related to Skempton scoefficient B of undrained poroelasticity (where B typically ranges from0 to 1). In particular, the rigorous result obtained for the low crackdensity limit is that the crack-influence parameters are multiplied by afactor (1 ? B) for undrained systems. It is also shown how fractureanisotropy affects Rayleigh wave speed, and …

A study of beam-beam collisions for an asymmetric single pass SuperB-Factory is presented [1]. In this scheme an e{sup -} and an e{sup +} beam are first stored and damped in two Damping Rings (DR), then extracted, compressed and focused to the IP. After collision the two beams are re-injected in the DR to be damped and extracted for collision again. The explored beam parameters are similar to those used in the design of the International Linear Collider, except for the beam energies. Flat beams and round beams were compared in the simulations in order to optimize both luminosity performances and beam blowup after collision. With such approach a luminosity of the order of 10{sup 36} cm{sup -2} s{sup -1} can be achieved.

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We review different routes for the generation of nanoporous metallic foams and films exhibiting well-defined pore size and short-range order. Dealloying and templating allows the generation of both two- and three-dimensional structures which promise a well defined plasmonic response determined by material constituents and porosity. Viewed in the context of metamaterials, the ease of fabrication of samples covering macroscopic dimensions is highly promising, and suggests more in-depth investigations of the plasmonic and photonic properties of this material system for photonic applications.

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This report answers frequently asked questions regarding the the implementation for the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) plans, called “Business Plans”, describe the implementing actions, their timing, cost, and other related issues.

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Clustered Regularly Interspaced Palindromic Repeats (CRISPRs) are a novel type of direct repeat found in a wide range of bacteria and archaea. CRISPRs are beginning to attract attention because of their proposed mechanism; that is, defending their hosts against invading extrachromosomal elements such as viruses. Existing repeat detection tools do a poor job of identifying CRISPRs due to the presence of unique spacer sequences separating the repeats. In this study, a new tool, CRT, is introduced that rapidly and accurately identifies CRISPRs in large DNA strings, such as genomes and metagenomes. CRT was compared to CRISPR detection tools, Patscan and Pilercr. In terms of correctness, CRT was shown to be very reliable, demonstrating significant improvements over Patscan for measures precision, recall and quality. When compared to Pilercr, CRT showed improved performance for recall and quality. In terms of speed, CRT also demonstrated superior performance, especially for genomes containing large numbers of repeats. In this paper a new tool was introduced for the automatic detection of CRISPR elements. This tool, CRT, was shown to be a significant improvement over the current techniques for CRISPR identification. CRT's approach to detecting repetitive sequences is straightforward. It uses a simple sequential scan of a …

A theory for the electroreduction/oxidation was formulated A new density formalism is discused with possible applications to pores in membranes

This Topical Report summarizes progress on Cooperative Agreement DE-FC26-04NT42309, 'Field Testing of a Wet FGD Additive'. The objective of the project is to demonstrate the use of a flue gas desulfurization (FGD) additive, Degussa Corporation's TMT-15, to prevent the reemission of elemental mercury (Hg{sup 0}) in flue gas exiting wet FGD systems on coal-fired boilers. Furthermore, the project intends to demonstrate whether the additive can be used to precipitate most of the mercury (Hg) removed in the wet FGD system as a fine TMT salt that can be separated from the FGD liquor and bulk solid byproducts for separate disposal. The project is conducting pilot- and full-scale tests of the TMT-15 additive in wet FGD absorbers. The tests are intended to determine required additive dosages to prevent Hg{sup 0} reemissions and to separate mercury from the normal FGD byproducts for three coal types: Texas lignite/Power River Basin (PRB) coal blend, high-sulfur Eastern bituminous coal, and low-sulfur Eastern bituminous coal. The project team consists of URS Group, Inc., EPRI, TXU Generation Company LP, Southern Company, and Degussa Corporation. TXU Generation has provided the Texas lignite/PRB cofired test site for pilot FGD tests, Monticello Steam Electric Station Unit 3. Southern Company is …

A relatively simple, quantitative approach is proposed to address a specific, important gap in the appr approach recommended by the USEPA Guidelines for Cancer Risk Assessment to oach address uncertainty in carcinogenic mode of action of certain chemicals when risk is extrapolated from bioassay data. These Guidelines recognize that some chemical carcinogens may have a site-specific mode of action (MOA) that is dual, involving mutation in addition to cell-killing induced hyperplasia. Although genotoxicity may contribute to increased risk at all doses, the Guidelines imply that for dual MOA (DMOA) carcinogens, judgment be used to compare and assess results obtained using separate 'linear' (genotoxic) vs. 'nonlinear' (nongenotoxic) approaches to low low-level risk extrapolation. However, the Guidelines allow the latter approach to be used only when evidence is sufficient t to parameterize a biologically based model that reliably o extrapolates risk to low levels of concern. The Guidelines thus effectively prevent MOA uncertainty from being characterized and addressed when data are insufficient to parameterize such a model, but otherwise clearly support a DMOA. A bounding factor approach - similar to that used in reference dose procedures for classic toxicity endpoints - can address MOA uncertainty in a way that avoids explicit modeling …

We have developed refined statistical and modeling techniques to assess low-level uptake and urinary excretion of plutonium from different population group in the northern Marshall Islands. Urinary excretion rates of plutonium from the resident population on Enewetak Atoll and from resettlement workers living on Rongelap Atoll range from <1 to 8 {micro}Bq per day and are well below action levels established under the latest Department regulation 10 CFR 835 in the United States for in vitro bioassay monitoring of {sup 239}Pu. However, our statistical analyses show that urinary excretion of plutonium-239 ({sup 239}Pu) from both cohort groups is significantly positively associated with volunteer age, especially for the resident population living on Enewetak Atoll. Urinary excretion of {sup 239}Pu from the Enewetak cohort was also found to be positively associated with estimates of cumulative exposure to worldwide fallout. Consequently, the age-related trends in urinary excretion of plutonium from Marshallese populations can be described by either a long-term component from residual systemic burdens acquired from previous exposures to worldwide fallout or a prompt (and eventual long-term) component acquired from low-level systemic intakes of plutonium associated with resettlement of the northern Marshall Islands, or some combination of both.