Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) hazardous waste ombudsman was established as a result of the 1984 amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Recognizing that the ombudsman provides a valuable service to the public, EPA retained the ombudsman function as a matter of policy after its legislative authorization expired in 1988. Over time, EPA expanded the national ombudsman's jurisdiction to include Superfund and other hazardous waste programs, and, by March 1996, EPA had designated ombudsmen in each of its ten regional offices. In November 2001, the agency announced that the national ombudsman would be relocated from the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and would address concerns across the spectrum of EPA programs, not just hazardous waste programs. Although there are no federal requirements or standards specific to the operation of ombudsman offices, several professional organizations have published standards of practice relevant to ombudsmen who deal with public inquiries. If EPA intends to have an ombudsman function consistent with the way the position is typically defined in the ombudsman community, placing the national ombudsman within the OIG does …

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Identity theft involves "stealing" another person's personal identifying information, such as their Social Security number, date of birth, or mother's maiden name, and using that information to fraudulently establish credit, run up debt, or take over existing financial accounts. Another pervasive category is the use of fraudulent identity documents by aliens to enter the United States illegally to obtain employment and other benefits. The prevalence of identity theft appears to be growing. Moreover, identity theft is not typically a stand-alone crime; rather identity theft is usually a component of one or more white-collar or financial crimes. According to Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) officials, the use of fraudulent documents by aliens is extensive, with INS inspectors intercepting tens of thousands of fraudulent documents at ports of entry in each of the last few years. These documents were presented by aliens attempting to enter the United States to seek employment or obtain naturalization or permanent residency status. Federal investigations have shown that some aliens use fraudulent documents in connection with more serious illegal activities, such as narcotics trafficking and terrorism. Efforts to combat identity fraud in its many forms …

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Since the terrorist attacks of September 2001, and the subsequent anthrax incidents, there has been concern about the ability of the federal government to prepare for and coordinate an effective public health response to such events. More than 20 federal departments and agencies carry some responsibility for bioterrorism preparedness and response. Emergency response is further complicated by the need to coordinate actions with agencies at the state and local level, where much of the response activity would occur. The President's proposed Homeland Security Act of 2002 would bring many of the federal entities with public health preparedness and response responsibilities into one department to mobilize and focus assets and resources at all levels of government. The proposed reorganization has the potential to repair the fragmentation in the coordination of public health preparedness and response at the federal, state, and local levels. In addition to improving overall coordination, the transfer of programs from multiple agencies to the new department could reduce overlap among programs and facilitate response in times of disaster. However, there are concerns about the proposed transfer of control from the Department of Health and Human Services …

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Since September 11, the President and Congress have taken aggressive steps to protect the nation, including creating an Office of Homeland Security (OHS); passing new laws, such as the USA Patriot Act and an emergency supplemental spending bill; establishing a new agency to improve transportation security; and working with federal, state, and local governments, private sector entities, non-governmental organizations and other countries to prevent future terrorist acts and to bring those individuals responsible to justice. More recently, Congress and the President have proposed greater consolidation and coordination of various agencies and activities. The President has proposed establishing a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and has sent draft legislation to Congress. This testimony focuses on two major issues: (1) the need for reorganization and the principles and criteria to help evaluate what agencies and missions should be included in or left out of the new DHS and (2) issues related to the transition, cost, and implementation challenges of the new department."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This testimony reviews two case studies that clearly demonstrate the need for the Department of Defense (DOD) to reform its business operations. These two case studies are microcosms of the broad management challenges facing DOD that were highlighted in GAO's June 2002 testimony (See GAO-02-784T). GAO provided views on the underlying or root causes of DOD's long-standing inability to successfully reform its business operations, including a lack of sustained top-level leadership, cultural resistance to change, and military service parochialism. In addition, GAO found seven key elements necessary for successful reform, including approaching DOD's broad array of management challenges using an integrated, enterprisewide approach."

A series of time-lapse seismic cross well and single well experiments were conducted in a diatomite reservoir to monitor the injection of CO{sub 2} into a hydrofracture zone, based on P- and S-wave data. A high-frequency piezo-electric P-wave source and an orbital-vibrator S-wave source were used to generate waves that were recorded by hydrophones as well as three-component geophones. The injection well was located about 12 m from the source well. During the pre-injection phase water was injected into the hydrofrac-zone. The set of seismic experiments was repeated after a time interval of 7 months during which CO{sub 2} was injected into the hydrofractured zone. The questions to be answered ranged from the detectability of the geologic structure in the diatomic reservoir to the detectability of CO{sub 2} within the hydrofracture. Furthermore it was intended to determine which experiment (cross well or single well) is best suited to resolve these features. During the pre-injection experiment, the P-wave velocities exhibited relatively low values between 1700-1900 m/s, which decreased to 1600-1800 m/s during the post-injection phase (-5%). The analysis of the pre-injection S-wave data revealed slow S-wave velocities between 600-800 m/s, while the post-injection data revealed velocities between 500-700 m/s (-6%). These …

This document reports on how the DOE helped to support travel of students and scientists to the conferences in Brazil. Attendee names, funding, and session titles are listed.

One approach being explored as a route to practical fusion energy uses heavy ion beams focused on an indirect drive target. Such beams will lose electrons while passing through background gas in the target chamber, and therefore it is necessary to assess the rate at which the charge state of the incident beam evolves on the way to the target. Accelerators designed primarily for nuclear physics or high energy physics experiments utilize ion sources that generate highly stripped ions in order to achieve high energies economically. As a result, accelerators capable of producing heavy ion beams of 10 to 40 Mev/amu with charge state 1 currently do not exist. Hence, the stripping cross-sections used to model the performance of heavy ion fusion driver beams have, up to now, been based upon theoretical calculations. We have investigated experimentally the stripping of 3.4 Mev/amu Kr 7+ and Xe +11 in N2; 10.2 MeV/amu Ar +6 in He, N2, Ar and Xe; 19 MeV/amu Ar +8 in He, N2, Ar and Xe; 30 MeV He 1 + in He, N2, Ar and Xe; and 38 MeV/amu N +6 in He, N2, Ar and Xe. The results of these measurements are compared with the …

GEMINI will resolve reservoir parameters that control well performance; characterize subtle reservoir properties important in understanding and modeling hydrocarbon pore volume and fluid flow; expedite recognition of bypassed, subtle, and complex oil and gas reservoirs at regional and local scale; differentiate commingled reservoirs; build integrated geologic and engineering model based on real-time, iterate solutions to evaluate reservoir management options for improved recovery; provide practical tools to assist the geoscientist, engineer, and petroleum operator in making their tasks more efficient and effective; enable evaluations to be made at different scales, ranging from individual well, through lease, field, to play and region (scalable information infrastructure); and provide training and technology transfer to evaluate capabilities of the client.

The goal of this project was to improve understanding of the role of the stratosphere in inducing long-term variations of the chemical composition of the troposphere. Changes in stratospheric transport occur on decadel timescales in response to changes in the structure of planetary wave patterns, forced in the troposphere. For many important tracers, such as column amounts of ozone, this variability of the transport leads to changes with signatures very similar to those induced by anthropogenic releases of chemicals into the atmosphere. During this project, a new interactive two-dimensional model of the dynamics, chemistry and radiation of the stratosphere was developed. The model was used to interpret available data of tracers. It was found that a fairly coherent picture of tracer distributions is obtained when a layer of reduced gravity wave drag is assumed for the lower stratosphere. The results suggest that the power of models to predict variability in tracer transport in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere is limited until current theories of gravity wave breaking have been refined.

Heat-deposition and damage calculations are described for core-vessel inserts in the target area of the Spallation Neutron Source. Two separate designs for these inserts (or neutron beam tubes) were studied; a single-unit insert and a multi-unit insert. The single unit contains a neutron guide; the multi unit does not. Both units are constructed of stainless steel. For the single unit, separate studies were carried out with the guide composed of stainless steel, glass, and aluminum. Results are also reported for an aluminum window on the front of the insert, a layer of nickel on the guide, a cadmium shield surrounding the guide, and a stainless steel plug in the beam-tube opening. The locations of both inserts were the most forward positions to be occupied by each design respectively thus ensuring that the calculations are conservative.

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Endangered Species Act of 1973 was enacted to conserve plant and animal species facing extinction as well as their habitats. The act requires that at-risk species that may be candidates for listing and conservation efforts be identified and listed as threatened or endangered, critical habitat that requires special management be identified, proposed projects that could harm the listed species be mitigated, and plans to improve the status of listed species until they no longer need protection be developed and implemented. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) established an endangered species program within its ecological services program to implement the requirements of the act. The Service budgets separately allocates its endangered species program funds by distinct subcategories corresponding to the program areas of recovery, consultation, candidate conservation, listing, and landowner incentives. The Service maintains these allocations by program area as it distributes funds from headquarters to its regional offices and again as the regional offices distribute funds to their field offices. GAO's survey results showed that in fiscal year 2001, of the total time field staff spent on specific endangered species program activities, consultation accounted …

This report reviews due process limitations on assertions of personal jurisdiction by state and federal courts, and examines how lower courts have applied that law to claims involving the Internet.

A solid-state laser system, used as a directed energy defensive weapon, possesses many compelling logistical advantages over high-average-power chemical laser systems. As an electrically-powered laser, it uses no chemicals, generates no effluents, and requires no specialized logistics support--the laser is recharged by running the vehicle engine. It provides stealth, having low signature operation without the generation of temperature, smoke, or visible light. It is silent in operation, limited only by the onboard vehicle electrical charging and propulsion system. Using the heat-capacity mode of operation, scaling of average power from a solid-state laser has been demonstrated beyond 10kW and work in progress will result in the demonstration of a 100 kW solid-state heat-capacity laser (SSHCL). The heat-capacity approach provides unprecedented power-to-weight ratios in a compact platform that is readily adapted to mobile operation. A conceptual engineering and packaging study has resulted in a 100kW SSHCL design that we believe can be integrated onto a hybrid-electric HMMWV or onto new vehicle designs emerging from the future combat system (FCS) development. 100 kW has been proposed as a power level that demonstrates a significant scaling beyond what has been demonstrated for a solid-state laser system and which could have a significant lethality against …

We used a combination of dip-pen nanolithography and scanning optical confocal microscopy to fabricate and visualize luminescent nanoscale patterns of various materials on glass substrates. We show that this method can be used successfully to push the limits of dip-pen nanolithography down to controlled deposition of single molecules. We also demonstrate that this method is able to create and visualize protein patterns on surfaces. Finally, we show that our method can be used to fabricate polymer nanowires of controlled size using conductive polymers. We also present a kinetic model that accurately describes the deposition process.

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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.

Monte Carlo simulations for radiation dosimetry and the experimental verifications of the simulations have been developed for the treatment geometry of intravascular brachytherapy, a form of radionuclide therapy for occluded coronary disease (restenosis). Monte Carlo code, MCNP4C, has been used to calculate the radiation dose from the encapsulated array of B-emitting seeds (Sr/Y-source train). Solid water phantoms have been fabricated to measure the dose on the radiochromic films that were exposed to the beta source train for both linear and curved coronary vessel geometries. While the dose difference for the 5-degree curved vessel at the prescription point of f+2.0 mm is within the 10% guideline set by the AAPM, however, the difference increased dramatically to 16.85% for the 10-degree case which requires additional adjustment for the acceptable dosimetry planning. The experimental dose measurements agree well with the simulation results

OAK B188 A Novel Approach to Materials Development for Advanced Reactor Systems - Quarterly Progress Report: Year 2; Quarter 1. There are three major goals for year two of the program. First, to build on the successful initial experiments on proton irradiation of pressure vessel steel to expand the irradiations to study dose rate and temperature effects, radiation effects on commercial alloys and to better characterize the precipitates. Second, we will begin irradiation and characterization of the Zircaloy alloys. Finally, we will continue low temperature irradiations and begin irradiation of chromium pre-enriched samples and cold-worked samples to assess the role of microstructure in IASCC of austenitic stainless steels. In quarter 1 of year 2, the project goal was to complete irradiation of model alloys of RPV steels for a range of doses and an initial sample characterization. We also planned to begin characterization of Zircalloy alloy samples and to make a set of cold-worked samples of 304 SS that would have a fixed hardness following subsequent irradiation to different doses.

The A(e,e{prime}K{sup +})Y X reaction has been investigated in Hall C at Jefferson Lab. Data were taken for Q{sup 2} {approx} 0.35 and 0.5 GeV{sup 2} at a beam energy of 3.245 GeV for {sup 1}H, {sup 2}H, {sup 3}He and {sup 4}He, C and Al targets. The missing mass spectra are fitted with Monte Carlo simulations including {Lambda}, {Sigma}{sup 0}, {Sigma}{sup -} hyperon production. Models for quasifree production are compared to the data, excess yields close to threshold are attributed to FSI. Evidence for {Lambda}-hypernuclear bound states is seen for {sup 3,4}He targets.

This report outlines U.S. military operations in Bosnia and discusses issues such as U.S. and Allied Participation in Bosnia Peacekeeping (IFOR/SFOR), duration, cost, arms control and military assistance. This report also includes most recent development, background analysis, and legislation.

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The U.S. tax code’s Foreign Sales Corporation (FSC) provisions provided a tax benefit for U.S. exporters. However, the European Union (EU) in 1997 charged that the provision was an export subsidy and thus contravened the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements. A WTO ruling upheld the EU complaint, and to avoid WTO sanctioned retaliatory tariffs, U.S. legislation in November 2000 replaced FSC with the “extraterritorial income” (ETI) provisions, consisting of a redesigned export tax benefit of the same magnitude as FSC. The EU maintained that the new provisions are also not WTO-compliant and asked the WTO to rule on the matter.