None

There were no cases of unusual blistering of slugs being followed under Production Tests. Two normal production tubes were borescoped following trouble with discharge. In Tube 3188-D a distorted slug became stuck in the region of sharp curvature near the inner end of the rear gun barrel; this is the first time this phenomenon has occurred. Examination of irradiated slugs of rolled metal after normal exposure indicates that rolled material has no particular advantages over extruded material from the standpoint of blistering. However, no extensively blistered pieces were found in either the rolled metal are being held for more extended exposure. Inspection of a large number of Van Stone flanges in the D and F Piles has confirmed that the inlet flanges are in generally good condition but that the rear Van Stone flanges of tubes in the 0.140-inch orifice sone of both piles were badly corroded and generally contained deep pits that extended about half-way through the flange. The Van Stone test units are to be installed unshielded in the risor room at the rear of the D Pile, since the shielding required in the X Sample Room exceeded the allowable floor loading. Recent experimental observations indicate that solid …

Provide a `graded approach` fire evaluation in preparation for turnover to Environmental Restoration Contractor for D&D. Scope includes revising 309 Building book value and evaluating fire hazards, radiological and toxicological releases, and life safety issues.

Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order, also known as the Tri-Party Agreement Milestone M-89-05, requires US Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office to complete a 324 Facility Special-Case Waste Assessment in Support of 324 Closure. This document, HNF-1270, has been prepared with the intent of meeting this regulatory commitment. Alternatives for the special-case wastes located in the 324 Building were defined and analyzed. Based on the criteria of safety, environmental, complexity of interfaces, risk, cost, schedule, and long-term operability and maintainability, the best alternative was chosen. Waste packaging and transportation options are also included in the recommendations. The waste disposition recommendations for the B-Cell dispersibles/tank heels and High-Level Vault packaged residuals are to direct them to the Plutonium Uranium Extraction Facility (PUREX) Number 2 storage tunnel.

This document provides an overview of the strategy for deactivating the 340 Waste Handling Complex within Hanford`s 300 Area. The plan covers the period from the pending September 30, 1998 cessation of voluntary radioactive liquid waste (RLW) transfers to the 340 Complex, until such time that those portions of the 340 Complex that remain active beyond September 30, 1998, specifically, the Retention Process Sewer (RPS), can also be shut down and deactivated. Specific activities are detailed and divided into two phases. Phase 1 ends in 2001 after the core RLW systems have been deactivated. Phase 2 covers the subsequent interim surveillance of deactivated and stand-by components during the period of continued RPS operation, through the final transfer of the entire 340 Complex to the Environmental Restoration Contractor. One of several possible scenarios was postulated and developed as a budget and schedule planning case.

The following document describes data collected from a 14-month period of analyzing crustaceans containing radioactivity. Provided is information based on the change of radioactivity through seasonal changes.

Results are presented of work performed on the Advanced Gas-Cooled Nuclear Reactor Materials Evaluation and Development Program. The objectives of this program are to evaluate candidate alloys for Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) Nuclear Process Heat (NPH) and Direct Cycle Helium Turbine (DCHT) applications, in terms of the effect of simulated reactor primary coolant (helium containing small amounts of various other gases), high temperatures, and long time exposures, on the mechanical properties and structural and surface stability of selected candidate alloys. A second objective is to select and recommend materials for future test facilities and more extensive qualification programs. Included are the activities associated with the status of the simulated reactor helium supply system, testing equipment and gas chemistry analysis instrumentation and equipment. The progress in the screening test program is described, including screening creep results and metallographic analysis for materials thermally exposed or tested at 750, 850, and 950/sup 0/C.

Develop and test advanced near vertical to wide-angle seismic methods for structural imaging and material properties estimation of the shallow subsurface for environmental characterization efforts.

This first quarterly report documents technical progress during the period 31 December 1983 through 30 March 1984. The technical effort is 17 months in duration and is divided into two major technical tasks: Task VII, Hardware Fabrication and PDU Modifications, and Task VIII, Performance Testing. The design of test hardware and process development unit modifications had been previously completed as part of Task VI of the current contract. Task VII involves the fabrication of test hardware and modification of an existing 1-ton/h hydroliquefaction PDU at Rockwell's facilities for use as a hydrogasifier test facility. During this report period, fabrication of the test hardware and modifications to the PDU were initiated. Test hardware fabrication is now approximately 80% complete and should be completed by the end of May 1984. PDU modifications are progressing well and should be completed by the end of June 1984. The completed test hardware fabrication and PDU modifications will allow the conduct of short duration (1 to 2 h) hydrogasification tests along with preburner assembly performance evaluation tests in order to fulfill the test program objectives. Separate supplies of hydrogen, oxygen, methane, carbon monoxide, and water (for steam generation) are provided for this purpose. The modified facility …

Box integrals - expectations <|{rvec r}|{sup s}> or <|{rvec r}-{rvec q}|{sup s}> over the unit n-cube (or n-box) - have over three decades been occasionally given closed forms for isolated n,s. By employing experimental mathematics together with a new, global analytic strategy, we prove that for n {le} 4 dimensions the box integrals are for any integer s hypergeometrically closed in a sense we clarify herein. For n = 5 dimensions, we show that a single unresolved integral we call K{sub 5} stands in the way of such hyperclosure proofs. We supply a compendium of exemplary closed forms that naturally arise algorithmically from this theory.

"An investigation has been made in the Langley 4-by-4-foot supersonic pressure tunnel to determine the aerodynamic characteristics of a series of missile configurations having low-aspect-ratio wings at a Mach number of 2.01. The effects of wing plan form and size, length-diameter ratio, forebody and afterbody length, boattailed and flared afterbodies, and component force and moment data are presented for combined angles of attack and sideslip to about 28 degrees. No analysis of the data was made in this report" (p. 1).

This report discusses the current political state of Afghanistan, focusing particularly on the influence of the Taliban and other militant groups and on the leadership of Afghan President Hamid Karzai. This report also discusses the U.S.-Afghanistan relationship and U.S. efforts under the Obama Administration to provide military, reconstructive, and stabilization aid.

The U.S. program of assistance to Afghanistan is intended to stabilize and strengthen the Afghan economic, social, political, and security environment so as to blunt popular support for extremist forces in the region. Since 2001, nearly $47 billion has been appropriated toward this effort. This report provides a "big picture" overview of the U.S. aid program and congressional action. It describes what various aid agencies report they are doing in Afghanistan. It does not address the effectiveness of their programs.

From 1962 to 1971, the United States Air Force (USAF) sprayed various herbicide mixtures (chemicals that kill plants) in South Vietnam. The purpose of the spraying was to defoliate jungle growth to deprive the Communist forces of ground cover, and to destroy enemy crops to restrict food supplies. The most extensively used of these herbicide mixtures was known as Agent Orange, a 50:50 mix of two common herbicides called 1,4,5-T and 2,4-D (2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid). The third chemical present in the mixture in small amounts was TCDD, an inevitable by-product of the manufacture of 2,4,5-T. This chemical, called tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin or simply "dioxin," is highly toxic to laboratory animals when administered in its pure form. CRS has been unable to locate any report of a human death from exposure to pure TCDD. This report discusses the human health effects that have occurred from exposure to TCDD, as well as related Congressional concerns.

None

A chapter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO assessed the progress of the Air Force's depot maintenance reform initiatives to improve the efficiency and responsiveness of its industrial operations."

This report considers the events of Chandler v. James in 1997. The case was a federal district court ruling in Alabama holding up a statute to violate the establishment of religion of the First amendment. The Governor attempted to appeal the court's position to both the Supreme Court and the circuit court but was denied.

The waste tank in-service inspection program is an ongoing program. This report gives results of the 2001 inspections and summarizes significant findings of previous in-service inspections for each waste tank.

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report discusses the Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP) advertising contract for Phase III of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign. The contractor for the advertising portion of the Phase III anti-drug media campaign did not properly charge the government for some of the labor costs incurred under the contract. Ogilvy & Mather's submission of time sheets claiming hours that some employees said they did not work on the anti-drug media campaign was clearly improper. Moreover, Ogilvy should not have been awarded a cost accounting standards (CAS)-covered cost-reimbursement government contract until the company had an adequate cost accounting system to support this type of contract. The government poorly managed aspects of the award and administration of the contract. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) should not have awarded this cost-reimbursement contract without determining whether the contractor had an adequate cost accounting system that met CAS standards. In addition, HHS should have reviewed the appropriateness of the large amount of money that the contracting officer's technical representative (COTR) recommended be disallowed from the contractor's invoices or arranged for an audit of the contract. …

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Some small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)--which are defined by the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy as independent businesses with fewer than 500 employees--have petitioned for the imposition of antidumping (AD) and countervailing (CV) duties to seek relief from unfair trade practices. Among the 56 petitions filed between 2007 and 2012, GAO found 21 that included at least 1 SME petitioner. In addition, the 56 petitions represented a total of 147 petitioners, of which 38 were SMEs. The majority of these SME petitioners had annual sales revenue of at least $10 million. Close to half of the total SME petitioners were in the iron and steel industry. Since participation in the petitions is not mandatory, producers, including SMEs, may benefit from a successful petition even if they choose not to join as a petitioner."

An over-all description of the background material on the use of electrical arcs for heating of powders is presented as well as a summary of experimental studies on the arc calcination of thoria. Favorable results have been indicated both with heating thoria powder in an arc heated gas and with thoria formed into a consumable electrode. Use of a consumable electrode produces thoria particles 0.1 to 0.01 mu in diameter. It is recommended that additional electrodes be fabricated and further arc calcination tests be run to produce a quantity of product sufficient for evaluation. (auth)

A limestone trench was installed adjacent to the D-Area Coal Pile Runoff Basin (DCPRB) on May 4, 1999. Since limestone is considered the most likely amendment to produce the optimal pH range for sulfate reduction in the D-Area low pH/metals/sulfate plume (Phifer, et al. 2001), the existing limestone trench has undergone a re-evaluation. The re-evaluation has been conducted to determine if the hydraulic and geochemical activity of the limestone trench is similar to its initial conditions upon installation and to determine the potential to promote sulfate reduction at the limestone trench with the addition of an organic carbon substrate. The results of the re-evaluation indicate that the limestone trench is essentially as hydraulically active now as it was at its installation. Additionally it has been determined that the limestone trench remains an effective treatment for increasing the pH and removing aluminum as at its installation. Finally it has been determined that the limestone trench has increased sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) activity and has in general improved conditions relative to optimal sulfate reduction conditions. Based upon this re-evaluation it has been determined that limestone could potentially be a viable component of an in-situ sulfate reduction remediation system, and the addition of …

This report summarizes the funding and re-authorization in the 105th congress on arts and humanities.

One of the primary vehicles for federal support of the arts and humanities is the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities, composed of the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. This report describes the issues and options raised in the 105th Congress with regard to both authorization and appropriations for support of the arts and humanities.