17th Edition of TOP500 List of World's Fastest Supercomputers Released MANNHEIM, GERMANY; KNOXVILLE, TENN.; BERKELEY, CALIF. In what has become a much-anticipated event in the world of high-performance computing, the 17th edition of the TOP500 list of the world's fastest supercomputers was released today (June 21). The latest edition of the twice-yearly ranking finds IBM as the leader in the field, with 40 percent in terms of installed systems and 43 percent in terms of total performance of all the installed systems. In second place in terms of installed systems is Sun Microsystems with 16 percent, while Cray Inc. retained second place in terms of performance (13 percent). SGI Inc. was third both with respect to systems with 63 (12.6 percent) and performance (10.2 percent).

The principal objective of the project is to develop an acoustic probe for determining the volume fraction of particles in a flowing suspension. This will include testing the theory of acoustic wave propagation in suspensions and demonstrating the application of the probe by installing it on a flow loop through which a suspension is flowing and determining the particle volume fraction. The signal from the probe must be processed such that the noise arising from the presence of the gas bubbles, if present in the system, is removed to yield an accurate estimate of the particle volume fraction. Once the probe is developed and tested successfully at Syracuse University, it is to be installed and tested in the flow loop at Oak Ridge National Laboratories for surrogate slurries for the Hanford Nuclear site. Particular attention is to be given to testing suspensions with low particle volume fractions since slurries to be transported in nuclear waste processing will have low particle volume fractions.

Highly alkaline radioactive waste tanks contain a number of transuranic species, in particular U, Np, Pu, and Am--the exact forms of which are currently unknown. Knowledge of actinide speciation under highly alkaline conditions is essential towards understanding and predicting their solubility and sorption behavior in tanks, determining whether chemical separations are needed for waste treatment, and designing separations processes. Baseline washing of tank sludges with NaOH solutions is being proposed to reduce the volume of HLW. Alkaline pretreatment of HLW will be needed to remove aluminum [as NaAl(OH){sub 4}] because it significantly reduces the HLW volume; however, aluminate [Al(OH){sub 4}{sup -}] enhances actinide solubility via an unknown mechanism. Thus, alkaline wash residues may require an additional treatment to remove actinides. The results of this research will determine the nature TRU (Np, Pu, Am) speciation with aluminate anions under alkaline, oxidizing tank-like conditions. Specific issues to be addressed include solubility of these actinides, speciation in aluminate-containing alkaline supernatants, the role of actinide redox states on solubility, and partitioning between supernatant and solid phases, including colloids. Studies will include thermodynamics, kinetics, spectroscopy, electrochemistry, etc. It is already known, for example, that certain high valent forms of NF and Pu are very soluble …

This project is being conducted to ascertain the shape of the dose response curve for neoplastic transformation in vitro over the dose range 0.0 to 10 cGy, and to determine how this depends on radiation quality and dose fractionation. Preliminary data already have indicated that at a dose of 1 cGy the induced transformation frequency is less than the spontaneous transformation frequency. The results will be compared with animal and human epidemiological data on the induction of cancer by low doses of radiation. This will hopefully allow for a more informed estimation of the risk of cancer induction at low doses.

This document is submitted as an addendum to the Corrective Action Investigation Plan (CAIP) for Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 98: Frenchman Flat, Nevada Test Site (NTS), Nevada. The addendum was prepared to propose work activities in response to comments resulting from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) review of the draft Frenchman Flat CAU model of groundwater flow and contaminant transport completed in April 1999. The reviewers included an external panel of experts and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection. As a result of the review, additional work scope, including new data-collection and modeling activities, has been identified for the Frenchman Flat CAU. The proposed work scope described in this addendum will be conducted in accordance with the revised Underground Test Area strategy contained in the December 2000 amendment to the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order. The Frenchman Flat CAU model is a group of interdependent models designed to predict the extent of contamination in groundwater due to the underground nuclear tests conducted within this CAU. At the time of the DOE review, the CAU model consisted of a CAU groundwater flow and transport model comprised of two major components: a groundwater flow model and a recharge model. The …

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.

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Spare parts shortages on the three Air Force systems GAO reviewed have undermined the performance of assigned missions and the economy and efficiency of maintenance activities. Specifically, the Air Force did not meet its mission-capable goals for the E-3 or C-5 aircrafts during fiscal years 1996-2000, nor did it have enough F-100-220 engines to meet peacetime and wartime goals during that period. These shortages may also affect personnel retention. GAO recently reported that the lack of parts and materials to successfully complete daily job requirements was one of six major factors causing job dissatisfaction among military personnel. Item managers at the maintenance facilities often indicated that spare parts shortages were caused by the inventory management system underestimating the need for spare parts and by delays in the Air Force's repair process as a result of the consolidation of repair facilities. Other reasons included difficulties with producing or repairing parts, reliability of spare parts, and contracting issues. The Air Force and the Defense Logistics Agency have planned or begun many initiatives to alleviate shortages of the spare parts for the three systems GAO reviewed."

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.

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This report discusses the Better Education for Students and Teachers Act, which would eliminate the requirement for educational services to children with disabilities in certain situations.

ALSTOM Power Inc.'s Power Plant Laboratories (ALSTOM) has teamed with American Electric Power (AEP), ABB Lummus Global Inc. (ABB), the US Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory (DOE NETL), and the Ohio Coal Development Office (OCDO) to conduct a comprehensive study evaluating the technical feasibility and economics of alternate CO{sub 2} capture and sequestration technologies applied to an existing US coal-fired electric generation power plant. The motivation for this study was to provide input to potential US electric utility actions concerning GHG emissions reduction. If the US decides to reduce CO{sub 2} emissions, action would need to be taken to address existing power plants. Although fuel switching from coal to natural gas may be one scenario, it will not necessarily be a sufficient measure and some form of CO{sub 2} capture for use or disposal may also be required. The output of this CO{sub 2} capture study will enhance the public's understanding of control options and influence decisions and actions by government, regulators, and power plant owners in considering the costs of reducing greenhouse gas CO{sub 2} emissions. The total work breakdown structure is encompassed within three major reports, namely: (1) Literature Survey, (2) AEP's Conesville Unit No.5 Retrofit …

This report addresses Statutory Language and Recent Issues of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The small asymmetries measured at G{sub {gamma}} = 7.5 during the RHIC spin commissioning were a serious concern. In earlier runs, asymmetries double those from the spin commissioning time (September 2000) had sometimes been observed, and there had been few changes to the AGS polarimeter hardware or operating conditions. Recently, the observed changes in the asymmetries measured at G{sub {gamma}} = 7:5 have been ascribed to contamination of the carbon target asymmetry with that from the fishline target and vice-versa, because of the sizeable beam spot size compared to the separation of the targets. This note addresses this hypothesis using the observed asymmetries. This problem could directly impact spin physics at RHIC.

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Distribution of chemical constituents in the unsaturated zone (UZ) system of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, depends on many factors, such as hydrological and geochemical processes of surface precipitation, evapotranspiration, the water-fracture-matrix interactions, large-scale mixing via lateral flow and transport, and the history of climate changes. This study analyzes pore-water chloride-concentration data and models the transport processes. The model results are then used to calibrate the UZ flow model with the aim of refining the infiltration distribution and percolation fluxes to the potential repository. The major chemical data used in this study were pore-water chloride (Cl) concentrations. The sensitivity of this conservative tracer to the UZ flow system is well known. This constituent was directly incorporated into a three-dimensional dual-permeability flow model. Chemical transport properties were taken into account. The surface flux of chloride was determined by the total amount of precipitation reaching the surface and chemical concentration in the precipitation. The entire flow system was divided into domains based on the distribution of pore-water chemical data, infiltration data, hydrogeological and hydrostructural features. Model calibration proceeded by adjusting the site-scale infiltration map and anisotropy permeabilities to reach a satisfying agreement between the simulated subsurface chloride distribution and measured data.

This ninth edition of the Annual Report of Waste Generation and Pollution Prevention Progress highlights waste reduction, pollution prevention accomplishments, and cost savings/avoidance for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Pollution Prevention Program for Fiscal Year 2000. This edition marks the first time that progress toward meeting the 2005 Pollution Prevention Goals, issued by the Secretary of Energy in November 1999, is being reported. In addition, the Annual Report has a new format, and now contains information on a fiscal year basis, which is consistent with other DOE reports.

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. …

The Class 2 Project at West Welch was designed to demonstrate the use of advanced technologies to enhance the economics of improved oil recovery (IOR) projects in lower quality Shallow Shelf Carbonate (SSC) reservoirs, resulting in recovery of additional oil that would otherwise be left in the reservoir at project abandonment. Accurate reservoir description is critical to the effective evaluation and efficient design of IOR projects in the heterogeneous SSC reservoirs. Therefore, the majority of Budget Period 1 was devoted to reservoir characterization. Technologies being demonstrated include: (1) Advanced petrophysics; (2) Three-dimensional (3-D) seismic; (3) Crosswell bore tomography; (4) Advanced reservoir simulation; (5) Carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) stimulation treatments; (6) Hydraulic fracturing design and monitoring; and (7) Mobility control agents.

The research program on this grant was to develop new asymptotic and perturbation methods for approximating the performance of queueing systems. This involved obtaining approximations to complicated equations.The approximations provide accurate formulas for the performance measures. Queueing models of these types arise in the analysis of computer and communications systems such as ATM networks. In addition, the methods developed in the proposal were also found to be applicable to other stochastic and diffusion models.

Ever-stringent environmental constraints dictate that future coal cleaning technologies be compatible with micron-size particles. This research program seeks to develop an advanced coal cleaning technology uniquely suited to micron-size particles, i.e., aqueous biphase extraction. The partitioning behaviors of hematite in the dextran (Dex)/Triton X-100 (TX100) and polyethylene glycol (PEG)/dextran systems were investigated and the effects of some ionic surfactants on solid partition were studied. In both biphase systems, the particles stayed in the bottom dextran-rich phase under all pH conditions. This behavior is attributable to the fact that the hydrophilic oxide particles prefer the more hydrophilic bottom phase. Also, the strong favorable interaction between dextran and ferric oxide facilitates the dispersion of the solids in the polysaccharide-rich phase. In the Dex/TX100 system, addition of sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) or potassium oleate had no effect on the solid partition; on the other hand, addition of dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) transferred the particles to the top phase or interface at high pH values. In the PEG/Dex system, the preferred location of hematite remained the bottom phase in the presence of either SDS or DTAB. The effects of anionic surfactants on the partition behavior are attributable to the fact that they are not able to …

Ever-stringent environmental constraints dictate that future coal cleaning technologies be compatible with micron-size particles. This research program seeks to develop an advanced coal cleaning technology uniquely suited to micron-size particles, i.e., aqueous biphase extraction. The partitioning behaviors of silica in the polyethylene glycol (PEG)/dextran (Dex) and dextran/Triton X-100 (TX100) systems have been investigated, and the effects of sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) and dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) on solid partition have been studied. In both biphase systems, silica particles stayed in the top PEG-rich phase at low pH. With increase in pH, the particles moved from the top phase to the interface, then to the bottom phase. At very high pH, the solids preferred the top phase again. These trends are attributable to variations in the polymer/solid and nonionic surfactant/solid interactions. Addition of ionic surfactants into these two systems introduces a weakly charged environment, since ionic surfactants concentrate into one phase, either the top phase or the bottom phase. Therefore, coulombic forces also play a key role in the partition of silica particles because electrostatic attractive or repulsive forces are produced between the solid surface and the ionic-surfactant-concentrated phase. For the PEG/dextran system in the presence of SDS, SiO{sub 2} preferred the bottom …

The L-Area cavitation test was designed to better define the onset of cavitation in the reactor system. The onset of gas evolution in the effluent piping and pump cavitation was measured using state-of-the-art equipment to provide data with a high confidence and low uncertainty level. The limits calculated from the new data will allow an approximate two percent increase in reactor power if the reactor is effluent temperature-limited with no compromise in reactor safety.

The United States and Russia signed the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START II) on January 3, 1993. This report presents the background on the Russian parliament approval of the START II ratification. The report also discusses the linkage between U.S. withdrawal from ABM treaty and Russia’s possible withdrawal from START II. It discusses the alternative approaches for the United States and the future for the U.S.-Russian arms control process.

Some nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria are able to form symbioses with a wide variety of plants. Nostoc 2S9B is unusual in its ability to infect the roots of wheat, raising the prospect of a productive association with an important crop plant. The goal of the project was to lay the groundwork for the use of novel associations between Nostoc and crops of agronomic importance, thereby reducing our reliance on nitrogenous fertilizer. Nostoc 2S9B was found to enter roots through mechanical damage of roots and reside primarily in intercellular spaces. The strain could also be incorporated into wheat calli grown in tissue culture. In both cases, the rate of nitrogen fixation by the cyanobacterium was higher than that of the same strain grown with no plant present. Artificial nodules induced by the action of hormone 2,4D were readily infected by Nostoc 2S9B, and the cyanobacteria within such nodules fixed nitrogen under fully aerobic conditions. The nitrogen fixed was shown to be incorporated into the growing wheat seedlings. Nostoc thus differs from other bacteria in its ability to fix nitrogen in para-nodules without need for artificially microaerobic conditions. It would be useful to introduce foreign DNA into Nostoc 2S9B in order to make defined …