Memorandum of meeting with China Lake, CA community representatives to gather information regarding the proposed realignments for Naval facilities at China Lake.

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) and subsequent legislation authorized about $13.5 billion in guaranteed funding for the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) New Starts program, which is used to select fixed guideway transit projects, such as rail and trolley projects, and to award full funding grant agreements (FFGA). GAO assessed the New Starts process for the fiscal year 2006 cycle. GAO identified (1) the number of projects that were evaluated, rated, and proposed for new FFGAs and the proposed funding commitments in the administration's budget request; (2) changes FTA has made to the New Starts application, evaluation, rating, and oversight processes since the fiscal year 2001 evaluation cycle and how these changes have been communicated to project sponsors; and (3) how FTA developed the measures used to evaluate and rate projects from the criteria outlined in TEA-21 and how those measures are used in the rating process."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Medicaid--the federal-state health care financing program covering nearly 54 million low-income people at a cost of $276 billion in fiscal year 2003--is by its size and structure at risk of waste and exploitation. Because of challenges inherent in overseeing the program, administered federally by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), GAO in 2003 added Medicaid to its list of high-risk federal programs. To help administer the program, states may employ consultants in a number of roles, sometimes under contracts whereby payment is contingent upon the consultant's performance. GAO was asked to report on states' use of contingency-fee consultants. GAO examined the extent to which (1) states are using contingency-fee consultants for projects to maximize federal Medicaid reimbursements, (2) claims from contingency-fee projects in selected states are consistent with federal law and policy, and (3) states and CMS are overseeing claims from such projects."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Medicaid--the federal-state health care financing program covering almost 54 million low-income people at a cost of $276 billion in fiscal year 2003--is by its size and structure at significant risk of waste and exploitation. Because of challenges inherent in overseeing the program, which is administered federally by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), GAO added Medicaid to its list of high-risk federal programs in 2003. Over the years, states have found various ways to maximize federal Medicaid reimbursements, sometimes using consultants paid a contingency fee to help them do so. From earlier work and a report issued today (GAO-05-748), GAO's testimony addresses (1) how some states have inappropriately increased federal reimbursements; (2) some ways states have increased federal reimbursements for school-based Medicaid services and administrative costs; and (3) how states are using contingency-fee consultants to maximize federal Medicaid reimbursements and how CMS is overseeing states' efforts."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since it was established in 1982, GAO has consistently reported on the success of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program in benefiting small, innovative companies, strengthening their role in federal research and development (R&D), and helping federal agencies achieve their R&D goals. However, through these reviews GAO has also identified areas where action by participating agencies or the Congress could build on the program's successes and improve its operations. This statement for the record summarizes the program's successes and improvements over time, as well as the continuing challenge of assessing the long term results of the program."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Today's hearing addresses fraud and abuse control in Medicaid, a program that provides health care coverage for eligible low-income individuals and is jointly financed by the federal government and the states. In fiscal year 2003, Medicaid covered nearly 54 million people and the program's benefit payments totaled roughly $261 billion, of which the federal share was about $153 billion. States are primarily responsible for ensuring appropriate payments to Medicaid providers through provider enrollment screening, claims review, overpayment recoveries, and case referrals. At the federal level, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is responsible for supporting and overseeing state fraud and abuse control activities. Last year, GAO reported that CMS had initiatives to assist states, but the dollar and staff resources allocated to oversight suggested that CMS's level of effort was disproportionately small relative to the risk of federal financial loss. Concerned about the stewardship of federal Medicaid funds, Congress has raised questions about CMS's commitment to Medicaid fraud and abuse control. This statement focuses on (1) the level of resources CMS currently applies to helping states prevent and detect fraud and abuse in the Medicaid program …

Memorandum of meeting with Mississippi Senator Trent Lott regarding the BRAC 2005 recommendations for bases in Mississippi.

Memorandum of meeting with congressional and community representatives regarding Ellington AFB, TX.

The potential use of different iron phosphates as cathodematerials in lithium-ion batteries has recently been investigated.1 Oneof the promising candidates is LiFePO4. This compound has severaladvantages in comparison to the state-of-the-art cathode material incommercial rechargeable lithium batteries. Firstly, it has a hightheoretical capacity (170 mAh/g). Secondly, it occurs as mineraltriphylite in nature and is inexpensive, thermally stable, non-toxic andnon-hygroscopic. However, its low electronic conductivity (~;10-9 S/cm)results in low power capability. There has been intense worldwideresearch activity to find methods to increase the electronic conductivityof LiFePO4, including supervalent ion doping,2 introducingnon-carbonaceous network conduction3 and carbon coating, and theoptimization of the carbon coating on LiFePO4 particle surfaces.4Recently, the Li doped LiFePO4 (Li1+xFe1-xPO4) synthesized at ARL hasyield electronic conductivity increase up to 106.5 We studied electronicstructure of LiFePO4 and Li doped LiFePO4 by synchrotron based soft X-rayemission (XES) and X-ray absorption (XAS) spectroscopies. XAS probes theunoccupied partial density of states, while XES the occupied partialdensity of states. By combining XAS and XES measurements, we obtainedinformation on band gap and orbital character of both LiFePO4 and Lidoped LiFePO4. The occupied and unoccupied oxygen partial density ofstates (DOS) of LiFePO4 and 5 percent Li doped LiFePO4 are presented inFig. 1. Our experimental results clearly indicate …

Concurrent resolution introduced by the Texas House of Representatives and Senate relating to granting the legislature permission to adjourn for more than three days during the period beginning on Tuesday, June 21, 2005, and ending on Monday, June 27, 2005.

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether a justice of the peace may establish a standing proof of qualified volunteers to serve for jury duty (RQ-0306-GA)

We have calculated spectra of stable secondary particles ({gamma}, e{sup {+-}}, {nu}{sub e}, {bar {nu}}{sub e}, {nu}{sub {mu}}{bar {nu}}{sub {mu}}) produced in high energy p-p interactions in astrophysical environment. The calculation has incorporated the up-to-date rising inelastic cross-sections, the diffraction dissociation process, and the Feynman scaling violation for the first time. We then found that the diffractive process makes secondary particle spectra harder than that of the incident proton; that the rising inelastic cross-section and the scaling violation produces significantly more secondary particles than previous calculations. Combination of the three features explain about a half of the ''GeV Excess'' in the EGRET Galactic diffuse {gamma}-ray spectrum with the local cosmic proton spectrum (power-law index around 2.7). The excess can be fully explained if the proton spectral index in the Galactic ridge is harder by 0.2 than above. As an extension of the calculation, we have parameterized the inclusive secondary particle spectra as functions of the incident proton kinetic energy: we predict {approx} 30% more e{sup +} and {nu}{sub e} than e{sup -} and {bar {nu}}{sub e} to be produced in the GeV range by p-p interactions.

The primary objective of the project was the development of in vivo methods for the detection and evaluation of tumors in humans. The project was focused on utilizing positron emission tomography (PET) to monitor the distribution and pharamacokinetics of a current boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) agent, p-boronophenylalanine (BPA) by labeling it with a fluorine-18, a positron emitting isotope. The PET data was then used to develop enhanced treatment planning protocols. The study also involved the synthesis of new tumor selective BNCTagents that could be labeled with radioactive nuclides for the in vivo detection of boron.

The objectives of this research are to: 1) determine the catalytic behavior of model Pd and Rh catalysts on unpromoted and ceria-promoted supports, for the reduction of NO and N2O with CO, 2) determine the microstructures of the catalysts both before and after reaction in order to understand the catalytic behavior, and 3) understand the role of the metal/support interface in the catalytic process. The research examined the influence of Pd particle size and ceria loading on catalytic reaction for the NO+CO reaction. Dihydrogen chemisorption, temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) of NO, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) were used to characterize the catalyst samples. It was found that when ceria is used to promote Pd particles, the activity for NO+CO was a maximum for 2-nm-sized Pd particles. The maximum in activity results from a balance between the Pd/ceria interface, which enhances NO dissociation, and the close-packed planes of the Pd particles that facilitate product formation and/or desorption. The variations in apparent reaction orders and results from TPD were consistent with the idea that NO dissociation is promoted on very small particles (1 nm) and by the addition of ceria. Characterization of the catalysts by HRTEM showed that the ceria was typically …

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The standard for object based networking is the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA). However, CORBA is not available for Fourth Generation Languages (4GL's) such as Visual Numerics? PV-WAVE or Research Systems? Interactive Data Language (RSI-IDL), which are widely used by scientists and engineers for data visualization and analysis. The proposed work would provide a set of tools to allow 4GL's to interoperate with CORBA.

The long term goal of this laboratory is to elucidate a detailed molecular description of the process of initiation of protein synthesis and its regulation. The specific goals of the project were: (1) development of an in vivo [{sup 32}P]- and/or [{sup 35}S]-labeling system for proteins using Arabidopsis suspension cells; (2) develop an in vitro protein synthesis assay from Arabidopsis suspension cells; (3) develop an assay for locating Arabidopsis kinases that phosphorylate the initiation factors; and (4) begin to identify Arabidopsis kinases that are involved in phosphorylation of the initiation factors.

Nuclear power production epitomizes the need for predictive geoscience (Ewing, 2004). Current global carbon emissions of {approx}7 Gt/y, largely from fossil fuel consumption, are expected to grow and result in a variety of adverse global effects, including acid rain, toxic smog, and hypothetically, sea level rise and increased frequency and severity of adverse weather conditions. One of the most reliable and sufficiently large alternative sources of energy is nuclear power, which currently provides about 17% of the world's electricity, equivalent to a reduction in carbon emissions of {approx}0.5 Gt/y. The U.S. currently consumes {approx}40% of the world's fossil fuel production, but generates only about 20% of it's electricity from nuclear plants. One major factor inhibiting increased power production form this source in the US. is the lack of a licensed repository for spent nuclear fuel, and Yucca Mountain is the only site being considered at this time. The licensing issue hinges on DOE's ability to present a credible case before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that releases of radionuclides from the repository will not pose a threat to the accessible environment. This case is being built using a performance assessment model that incorporates a thermochemical database (EQ3/6) fed by experiments and …

We present results from a preliminary assessment, via computer simulations, of the electron cloud density for the FNAL main injector upgrade at injection energy. Assuming a peak value for secondary emission yield {delta}{sub max} = 1.3, we find a threshold value of the bunch population, N{sub b,th} {approx} 1.25 x 10{sup 11}, beyond which the electron-cloud density {rho}{sub e} reaches a steady-state level that is {approx}10{sup 4} times larger than for N{sub b} < N{sub b,th}, essentially neutralizing the beam, and leading to a tune shift {approx}0.05. Our investigation is limited to a field-free region and to a dipole magnet, both of which yield similar results for both N{sub b,th} and the steady-state value of {rho}{sub e}. Possible dynamical effects from the electron cloud on the beam, such as emittance growth and instabilities, remain to be investigated separately.

Conventional organic fluorophores suffer from poor photo stability, narrow absorption spectra and broad emission feature. Semiconductor nanocrystals, on the other hand, are highly photo-stable with broad absorption spectra and narrow size-tunable emission spectra. Recent advances in the synthesis of these materials have resulted in bright, sensitive, extremely photo-stable and biocompatible semiconductor fluorophores. Commercial availability facilitates their application in a variety of unprecedented biological experiments, including multiplexed cellular imaging, long-term in vitro and in vivo labeling, deep tissue structure mapping and single particle investigation of dynamic cellular processes. Semiconductor nanocrystals are one of the first examples of nanotechnology enabling a new class of biomedical applications.

The reactive products of laser ablated metals with simple gaseous reagents were characterized using high resolution molecular beam optical spectroscopy.

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Threats to national security--such as the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and high-profile espionage cases--underscore the need for timely, high-quality determinations of who is eligible for a personnel security clearance which allows an individual to access classified information. The Department of Defense (DOD) needs an effective and efficient clearance program because it is responsible for about 2 million active clearances and provides clearances to more than 20 other executive agencies as well as the legislative branch. Despite these imperatives, DOD has for more than a decade experienced delays in completing hundreds of thousands of clearance requests and impediments to accurately estimating and eliminating its clearance backlog. In January 2005, GAO designated DOD's personnel security clearance program as a high-risk area. In February 2005, DOD transferred its personnel security investigative functions and about 1,800 positions to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), after 2 years of negotiation between the agencies. This testimony provides an update on the challenges that led to GAO's high-risk designation. It identifies both the positive steps that have been taken to address previously identified challenges and some of the remaining hurdles. GAO will continue to …

When diagnosing disease, time is often a more formidable enemy than the pathogen itself. Current detection methods rely primarily on post-symptomatic protein production (i.e. antibodies), which does not occur in noticeable levels until several weeks after infection. As such, a major goal among researchers today is to expedite pre-symptomatic disease recognition and treatment. Since most pathogens are known to leave a unique signature on the genetic expression of the host, one potential diagnostic tool is host mRNA. In my experiments, I examined several methods of isolating RNA and reading its genetic sequence. I first used two types of reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reactions (using commercial RNA) and examined the resultant complementary DNA through gel electrophoresis. I then proceeded to isolate and purify whole RNA from actual human monocytes and THP-1 cells using several published methods, and examined gene expression on the RNA itself. I compared the two RT-PCR methods and concluded that a double step RT-PCR is superior to the single step method. I also compared the various techniques of RNA isolation by examining the yield and purity of the resultant RNA. Finally, I studied the level of cellular IL-8 and IL-1 gene expression, two genes involved in the human …

This report focuses on animal ID and meat traceability. However, traceability, and the somewhat different but related concepts of “identity preservation” and “product segregation,” also pertain to other agricultural products (e.g., grains) and issues (e.g., genetically modified, or GM, crops; the labeling of GM foods; and the production and labeling of organic foods)