The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases (open access)

The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases

This report discusses how the total debt of the federal government can increase, an historical overview of debt limits, and how the current economic slowdown has led to higher deficits and thereby a series of debt limit increases, as well as legislation related to these increases.
Date: May 2, 2011
Creator: Austin, D. Andrew & Levit, Mindy R.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Traumatic Brain Injury Among Veterans (open access)

Traumatic Brain Injury Among Veterans

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) has been defined as "an alteration in brain function, or other evidence of brain pathology, caused by an external force." In the general population, TBI results mainly from falls, motor vehicle/traffic accidents, assaults, and other instances in which the head is struck by or strikes against an object. In military service members, TBI may also result from improvised explosive devices, mortars, grenades, bullets, or mines.
Date: May 5, 2011
Creator: Bagalman, Erin
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Argonne's Laboratory Computing Resource Center 2009 Annual Report. (open access)

Argonne's Laboratory Computing Resource Center 2009 Annual Report.

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 …
Date: May 13, 2011
Creator: Bair, R. B. (CLS-CI)
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Molecular Assemblies, Genes and Genomics Integrated Efficiently (MAGGIE) (open access)

Molecular Assemblies, Genes and Genomics Integrated Efficiently (MAGGIE)

Final report on MAGGIE. We set ambitious goals to model the functions of individual organisms and their community from molecular to systems scale. These scientific goals are driving the development of sophisticated algorithms to analyze large amounts of experimental measurements made using high throughput technologies to explain and predict how the environment influences biological function at multiple scales and how the microbial systems in turn modify the environment. By experimentally evaluating predictions made using these models we will test the degree to which our quantitative multiscale understanding wilt help to rationally steer individual microbes and their communities towards specific tasks. Towards this end we have made substantial progress towards understanding evolution of gene families, transcriptional structures, detailed structures of keystone molecular assemblies (proteins and complexes), protein interactions, biological networks, microbial interactions, and community structure. Using comparative analysis we have tracked the evolutionary history of gene functions to understand how novel functions evolve. One level up, we have used proteomics data, high-resolution genome tiling microarrays, and 5' RNA sequencing to revise genome annotations, discover new genes including ncRNAs, and map dynamically changing operon structures of five model organisms: For Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough, Pyrococcus furiosis, Sulfolobus solfataricus, Methanococcus maripaludis and Haiobacterium salinarum …
Date: May 26, 2011
Creator: Baliga, Nitin S.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Assessment of Unabated Facility Emission Potentials for Evaluating Airborne Radionuclide Monitoring Requirements at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory - 2010 (open access)

Assessment of Unabated Facility Emission Potentials for Evaluating Airborne Radionuclide Monitoring Requirements at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory - 2010

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.
Date: May 13, 2011
Creator: Ballinger, Marcel Y.; Gervais, Todd L. & Barnett, J. M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Sampling Point Compliance Tests for 325 Building at Set-Back Flow Conditions (open access)

Sampling Point Compliance Tests for 325 Building at Set-Back Flow Conditions

The stack sampling system at the 325 Building (Radiochemical Processing Laboratory [RPL]) was constructed to comply with the American National Standards Institute’s (ANSI’s) Guide to Sampling Airborne Radioactive Materials in Nuclear Facilities (ANSI N13.1-1969). This standard provided prescriptive criteria for the location of radionuclide air-sampling systems. In 1999, the standard was revised (Sampling and Monitoring Releases of Airborne Radioactive Substances From the Stacks and Ducts of Nuclear Facilities [ANSI/Health Physics Society [HPS] 13.1-1999]) to provide performance-based criteria for the location of sampling systems. Testing was conducted for the 325 Building stack to determine whether the sampling system would meet the updated criteria for uniform air velocity and contaminant concentration in the revised ANSI/HPS 13.1-1999 standard under normal operating conditions (Smith et al. 2010). Measurement results were within criteria for all tests. Additional testing and modeling was performed to determine whether the sampling system would meet criteria under set-back flow conditions. This included measurements taken from a scale model with one-third of the exhaust flow and computer modeling of the system with two-thirds of the exhaust flow. This report documents the results of the set-back flow condition measurements and modeling. Tests performed included flow angularity, uniformity of velocity, gas concentration, and …
Date: May 31, 2011
Creator: Ballinger, Marcel Y.; Glissmeyer, John A.; Barnett, J. M.; Recknagle, Kurtis P. & Yokuda, Satoru T.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library

Wind Energy Workforce Development: A Roadmap to a Wind Energy Educational Infrastructure

Wind Powering America national technical director Ian Baring-Gould made this presentation about workforce development in the wind energy industry to an audience at the American Wind Energy Association's annual WINDPOWER conference in Anaheim. The presentation outlines job projections from the 20% Wind Energy by 2030 report and steps to take at all levels of educational institutions to meet those projections.
Date: May 1, 2011
Creator: Baring-Gould, I.
Object Type: Presentation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Wind for Schools: A National Data and Curricula Development Activity for Schools (Poster) (open access)

Wind for Schools: A National Data and Curricula Development Activity for Schools (Poster)

As the United States dramatically expands wind energy deployment, the industry is challenged with developing a skilled workforce and addressing public resistance. Wind Powering America?s Wind for Schools project addresses these issues by: 1) Developing Wind Application Centers (WACs) at universities; WAC students assist in implementing school wind turbines and participate in wind courses. 2) Installing small wind turbines at community 'host' schools. 3) Implementing teacher training with interactive curricula at each host school.
Date: May 1, 2011
Creator: Baring-Gould, I.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Young Planet-Mass Object 2M1207b: A Cool, Cloudy, and Methane-Poor Atmosphere (open access)

The Young Planet-Mass Object 2M1207b: A Cool, Cloudy, and Methane-Poor Atmosphere

None
Date: May 31, 2011
Creator: Barman, T. S.; Macintosh, B. A.; Konopacky, Q. M. & Marois, C.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Advanced CdTe Photovoltaic Technology: September 2007 - March 2009 (open access)

Advanced CdTe Photovoltaic Technology: September 2007 - March 2009

During the last eighteen months, Abound Solar (formerly AVA Solar) has enjoyed significant success under the SAI program. During this time, a fully automated manufacturing line has been developed, fabricated and commissioned in Longmont, Colorado. The facility is fully integrated, converting glass and semiconductor materials into complete modules beneath its roof. At capacity, a glass panel will enter the factory every 10 seconds and emerge as a completed module two hours later. This facility is currently undergoing trials in preparation for large volume production of 120 x 60 cm thin film CdTe modules. Preceding the development of the large volume manufacturing capability, Abound Solar demonstrated long duration processing with excellent materials utilization for the manufacture of high efficiency 42 cm square modules. Abound Solar prototype modules have been measured with over 9% aperture area efficiency by NREL. Abound Solar demonstrated the ability to produce modules at industry leading low costs to NREL representatives. Costing models show manufacturing costs below $1/Watt and capital equipment costs below $1.50 per watt of annual manufacturing capacity. Under this SAI program, Abound Solar supported a significant research and development program at Colorado State University. The CSU team continues to make progress on device and materials …
Date: May 1, 2011
Creator: Barth, K.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
GLAMM: Genome-Linked Application for Metabolic Maps (open access)

GLAMM: Genome-Linked Application for Metabolic Maps

The Genome-Linked Application for Metabolic Maps (GLAMM) is a unified web interface for visualizing metabolic networks, reconstructing metabolic networks from annotated genome data, visualizing experimental data in the context of metabolic networks, and investigating the construction of novel, transgenic pathways. This simple, user-friendly interface is tightly integrated with the comparative genomics tools of MicrobesOnline. GLAMM is available for free to the scientific community at glamm.lbl.gov.
Date: May 29, 2011
Creator: Bates, John; Chivian, Dylan & Arkin, Adam
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Medicaid and CHIP Maintenance of Effort (MOE): Requirements and Responses (open access)

Medicaid and CHIP Maintenance of Effort (MOE): Requirements and Responses

This report summarizes the MOE requirements enacted under American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as modified by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 and what these requirements have meant for states in terms of their actions to restrict Medicaid and/or CHIP eligibility. It also summarizes recent legislative activity to repeal the MOE requirements.
Date: May 25, 2011
Creator: Baumrucker, Evelyne P.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Calculating Acceptable Biological Catch for Stocks that have Reliable Catch Data Only (Only Reliable Catch Stocks -- ORCS) (open access)

Calculating Acceptable Biological Catch for Stocks that have Reliable Catch Data Only (Only Reliable Catch Stocks -- ORCS)

From summary: This report reviews existing methods for setting catch limits for ORCS ("only reliable catch stocks"). Each approach is briefly summarized followed by a description of the required data, the major assumptions and consequent cautionary advice in utilizing the particular approach along with examples of its implementation, and the pros and cons of using the approach as views by the Working Group.
Date: May 2011
Creator: Berkson, Jim; Barbieri, Luiz; Cadrin, Steve; Cass-Calay, Shannon; Crone, Paul; Dorn, Martin et al.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Left-Handed W bosons at the LHC (open access)

Left-Handed W bosons at the LHC

The production of W bosons in association with jets is an important background to new physics at the LHC. Events in which the W carries large transverse momentum and decays leptonically lead to large missing energy and are of particular importance. We show that the left-handed nature of the W coupling, combined with valence quark domination at a pp machine, leads to a large left-handed polarization for both W{sup +} and W{sup -} bosons at large transverse momenta. The polarization fractions are very stable with respect to QCD corrections. The leptonic decay of the W{sup +-} bosons translates the common left-handed polarization into a strong asymmetry in transverse momentum distributions between positrons and electrons, and between neutrinos and anti-neutrinos (missing transverse energy). Such asymmetries may provide an effective experimental handle on separating W +jets from top quark production, which exhibits very little asymmetry due to C invariance, and from various types of new physics.
Date: May 20, 2011
Creator: Bern, Z.; /UCLA; Diana, G.; /Saclay, SPhT; Dixon, L.J.; /SLAC, /CERN et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Amplitudes and Ultraviolet Behavior of N = 8 Supergravity (open access)

Amplitudes and Ultraviolet Behavior of N = 8 Supergravity

In this contribution we describe computational tools that permit the evaluation of multi-loop scattering amplitudes in N = 8 supergravity, in terms of amplitudes in N = 4 super-Yang-Mills theory. We also discuss the remarkable ultraviolet behavior of N = 8 supergravity, which follows from these amplitudes, and is as good as that of N = 4 super-Yang-Mills theory through at least four loops.
Date: May 20, 2011
Creator: Bern, Zvi; Carrasco, John Joseph; Dixon, Lance J.; Johansson, Henrik & Roiban, Radu
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Intelligence Issues for Congress (open access)

Intelligence Issues for Congress

To address the challenges facing the U.S. intelligence community in the 21st century, congressional and executive branch initiatives have sought to improve coordination among the different agencies and to encourage better analysis. In December 2004, the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (P.L. 108-458) was signed, providing for a Director of National Intelligence (DNI) with substantial authorities to manage the national intelligence effort. The legislation also established a separate Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Date: May 5, 2011
Creator: Best, Richard A., Jr.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Intelligence Issues for Congress (open access)

Intelligence Issues for Congress

To address the challenges facing the U.S. intelligence community in the 21st century, congressional and executive branch initiatives have sought to improve coordination among the different agencies and to encourage better analysis. In December 2004, the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (P.L. 108-458) was signed, providing for a Director of National Intelligence (DNI) with substantial authorities to manage the national intelligence effort. The legislation also established a separate Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Date: May 17, 2011
Creator: Best, Richard A., Jr.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
General Critical Properties of the Dynamics of Scientific Discovery (open access)

General Critical Properties of the Dynamics of Scientific Discovery

Scientific fields are difficult to define and compare, yet there is a general sense that they undergo similar stages of development. From this point of view it becomes important to determine if these superficial similarities can be translated into a general framework that would quantify the general advent and subsequent dynamics of scientific ideas. Such a framework would have important practical applications of allowing us to compare fields that superficially may appear different, in terms of their subject matter, research techniques, typical collaboration size, etc. Particularh' important in a field's history is the moment at which conceptual and technical unification allows widespread exchange of ideas and collaboration, at which point networks of collaboration show the analog of a percolation phenomenon, developing a giant connected component containing most authors. Here we investigate the generality of this topological transition in the collaboration structure of scientific fields as they grow and become denser. We develop a general theoretical framework in which each scientific field is an instantiation of the same large-scale topological critical phenomenon. We consider whether the evidence from a variety of specific fields is consistent with this picture, and estimate critical exponents associated with the transition. We then discuss the generality …
Date: May 31, 2011
Creator: Bettencourt, L. M. A. (LANL) & Kaiser, D. I. (MIT)
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Brine flow up a borehole caused by pressure perturbation from CO2 storage: Static and dynamic evaluations (open access)

Brine flow up a borehole caused by pressure perturbation from CO2 storage: Static and dynamic evaluations

Industrial-scale storage of CO{sub 2} in saline sedimentary basins will cause zones of elevated pressure, larger than the CO{sub 2} plume itself. If permeable conduits (e.g., leaking wells) exist between the injection reservoir and overlying shallow aquifers, brine could be pushed upwards along these conduits and mix with groundwater resources. This paper discusses the potential for such brine leakage to occur in temperature- and salinity-stratified systems. Using static mass-balance calculations as well as dynamic well flow simulations, we evaluate the minimum reservoir pressure that would generate continuous migration of brine up a leaking wellbore into a freshwater aquifer. Since the brine invading the well is denser than the initial fluid in the wellbore, continuous flow only occurs if the pressure perturbation in the reservoir is large enough to overcome the increased fluid column weight after full invasion of brine into the well. If the threshold pressure is exceeded, brine flow rates are dependent on various hydraulic (and other) properties, in particular the effective permeability of the wellbore and the magnitude of pressure increase. If brine flow occurs outside of the well casing, e.g., in a permeable fracture zone between the well cement and the formation, the fluid/solute transfer between the …
Date: May 1, 2011
Creator: Birkholzer, J.T.; Nicot, J.-P.; Oldenburg, C.M.; Zhou, Q.; Kraemer, S. & Bandilla, K.W.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 544: Cellars, Mud Pits, and Oil Spills, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 0 (open access)

Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 544: Cellars, Mud Pits, and Oil Spills, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 0

This Closure Report (CR) presents information supporting the closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 544: Cellars, Mud Pits, and Oil Spills, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada. This CR complies with the requirements of the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order that was agreed to by the State of Nevada; U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Environmental Management; U.S. Department of Defense; and DOE, Legacy Management. The corrective action sites (CASs) within CAU 544 are located within Areas 2, 7, 9, 10, 12, 19, and 20 of the Nevada National Security Site. Corrective Action Unit 544 comprises the following CASs: • 02-37-08, Cellar & Mud Pit • 02-37-09, Cellar & Mud Pit • 07-09-01, Mud Pit • 09-09-46, U-9itsx20 PS #1A Mud Pit • 10-09-01, Mud Pit • 12-09-03, Mud Pit • 19-09-01, Mud Pits (2) • 19-09-03, Mud Pit • 19-09-04, Mud Pit • 19-25-01, Oil Spill • 19-99-06, Waste Spill • 20-09-01, Mud Pits (2) • 20-09-02, Mud Pit • 20-09-03, Mud Pit • 20-09-04, Mud Pits (2) • 20-09-06, Mud Pit • 20-09-07, Mud Pit • 20-09-10, Mud Pit • 20-25-04, Oil Spills • 20-25-05, Oil Spills The purpose of this CR is to provide documentation supporting the completed …
Date: May 1, 2011
Creator: Birney, Mark Krauss and Catherine
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library

Polymer Self Assembly for Electronic Devices

None
Date: May 17, 2011
Creator: Black, C.T.
Object Type: Presentation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations (open access)

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

This report presents an overview of Qatar's history and recent economic and political developments. The report discusses U.S. relations with Qatar, U.S. military cooperation and foreign assistance, political reform and elections, as well as human rights and social issues.
Date: May 16, 2011
Creator: Blanchard, Christopher M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Framework for Comparative Assessments of Energy Efficiency Policy Measures (open access)

A Framework for Comparative Assessments of Energy Efficiency Policy Measures

When policy makers propose new policies, there is a need to assess the costs and benefits of the proposed policy measures, to compare them to existing and alternative policies, and to rank them according to their effectiveness. In the case of equipment energy efficiency regulations, comparing the effects of a range of alternative policy measures requires evaluating their effects on consumers’ budgets, on national energy consumption and economics, and on the environment. Such an approach should be able to represent in a single framework the particularities of each policy measure and provide comparable results. This report presents an integrated methodological framework to assess prospectively the energy, economic, and environmental impacts of energy efficiency policy measures. The framework builds on the premise that the comparative assessment of energy efficiency policy measures should (a) rely on a common set of primary data and parameters, (b) follow a single functional approach to estimate the energy, economic, and emissions savings resulting from each assessed measure, and (c) present results through a set of comparable indicators. This framework elaborates on models that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has used in support of its rulemakings on mandatory energy efficiency standards. In addition to a rigorous …
Date: May 24, 2011
Creator: Blum, Helcio; Atkinson, Barbara & Lekov, Alex
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Electronic structure and f-orbital occupancy in Yb-substituted CeCoIn5 (open access)

Electronic structure and f-orbital occupancy in Yb-substituted CeCoIn5

The local structure and 4f orbital occupancy have been investigated in Ce{sub 1−x}Yb{sub x}CoIn{sub 5} via Yb L{sub III}-edge extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), Ce and Yb L{sub III}-edge x-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES), and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements. Yb(III) (4f{sup 13}) is the hole analog of Ce(III) (4f{sup 1}). Yb is found to be strongly intermediate-valent in Ce{sub 1−x}Yb{sub x}CoIn{sub 5} throughout the entire doping range, including pure YbCoIn{sub 5}, with an f-hole occupancy for Yb of n{sub f} ≃ 0.3 (i.e. Yb{sup 2.3+}), independent of Yb concentration and independent of temperature down to T = 20 K. In contrast, the f-electron orbital occupancy for Ce remains close to 1 for all Yb concentrations, suggesting that there is no mutual influence on n{sub f} between neighboring Ce and Yb sites. Likewise, ARPES measurements at 12 K have found that the electronic structure along {Gamma} − X is not sensitive to the Yb substitution, suggesting that the Kondo hybridization of Ce f electrons with the conduction band is not affected by the presence of Yb impurities in the lattice. The emerging picture is that in Ce{sub 1−x}Yb{sub x}CoIn{sub 5} there are two networks, interlaced but independent, that couple …
Date: May 3, 2011
Creator: Booth, C. H.; Durakiewicz, T.; Capan, C.; Hurt, D.; Bianchi, A. D.; Joyce, J.J. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library