A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), schemes to defraud the Medicare program have grown more elaborate in recent years. In particular, HHS has acknowledged Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service's (CMS) oversight of suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) is inadequate to prevent fraud and abuse. Specifically, weaknesses in the DMEPOS enrollment and inspection process have allowed sham companies to fraudulently bill Medicare for unnecessary or nonexistent supplies. From April 2006 through March 2007, CMS estimated that Medicare improperly paid $1 billion for DMEPOS supplies--in part due to fraud by suppliers. Due to the committee's concern about vulnerabilities in the enrollment process, GAO used publicly available guidance to attempt to create DMEPOS suppliers, obtain Medicare billing numbers, and complete electronic test billing. GAO also reported on closed cases provided by the HHS Inspector General (IG) to illustrate the techniques used by criminals to fraudulently bill Medicare. On June 18, 2008, we briefed CMS representatives on the results of our investigation. In response, they acknowledged that our covert tests illustrate gaps in oversight that still require improvement and stated …

Clouds of electrons in the vacuum chambers of accelerators of positively charged particle beams present a serious limitation for operation of these machines at high currents. Because of the size of these accelerators, it is difficult to probe the low energy electron clouds over substantial lengths of the beam pipe. We applied a novel technique to directly measure the electron cloud density via the phase shift induced in a TE wave which is independently excited and transmitted over a straight section of the accelerator. The modulation in the wave transmission which appear to increase in depth when the clearing solenoids are switched off, seem to be directly correlated to the electron cloud density in the section. Furthermore, we expect a larger phase shift of a wave transmitted through magnetic dipole field regions if the transmitted wave couples with the gyration motion of the electrons. We have used this technique to measure the average electron cloud density (ECD) specifically for the first time in magnetic field regions of a new 4-dipole chicane in the positron ring of the PEP-II collider at SLAC. In this paper we present and discuss the measurements taken in the Low Energy Ring (LER) between 2006 and …

Beam instability caused by the electron cloud has been observed in positron and proton storage rings, and it is expected to be a limiting factor in the performance of future colliders [1-3]. The effect is expected to be particularly severe in magnetic field regions. To test possible mitigation methods in magnetic fields, we have installed a new 4-dipole chicane experiment in the PEP-II Low Energy Ring (LER) at SLAC with both bare and TiN-coated aluminum chambers. In particular, we have observed a large variation of the electron flux at the chamber wall as a function of the chicane dipole field. We infer this is a new high order resonance effect where the energy gained by the electrons in the positron beam depends on the phase of the electron cyclotron motion with respect to the bunch crossing, leading to a modulation of the secondary electron production. Presumably the cloud density is modulated as well and this resonance effect could be used to reduce its magnitude in future colliders. We present the experimental results obtained during January 2008 until the April final shut-down of the PEP-II machine.

It is commonly believed that in confining vector-like gauge theories the center and chiral symmetry realizations are parametrically entangled, and if phase transitions occur, they must take place around the strong scale {Lambda}{sup -1} of the gauge theory. We demonstrate that (non-thermal) vector-like theories formulated on R{sup 3} x S{sup 1} where S{sup 1} is a spatial circle exhibit new dynamical scales and new phenomena. There are chiral phase transitions taking place at {Lambda}{sup -1}/N{sub c} in the absence of any change in center symmetry. {Lambda}{sup -1}/N{sub c}, invisible in (planar) perturbation theory, is also the scale where abelian versus non-abelian confinement regimes meet. Large N{sub c} volume independence (a working Eguchi-Kawai reduction) provides new insights and independently confirms the existence of these scales. We show that certain phases and scales are outside the reach of holographic (supergravity) modeling of QCD.

In the title compound, the Sr-N distances are 2.624 (3) and 2.676 (3) Angstroms. The Sr-centroid distances are 2.571 and 2.561 Angstroms. The N-C-C-N torsion angle in the bipyridine ligand is 2.2 (4){sup o}. Interestingly, the bipyridine ligand is tilted. The angle between the plane defined by Sr1, N1 and N2 and the plane defined by the 12 atoms of the bipyridine ligand is 10.7{sup o}.

The project objectives were to determine the nanoscale to molecular scale structure of the interface between muscovite mica and aqueous solutions containing various sorbates and to explore systematics that control the incorporation of inorganic and organic chemical components during aging of nanoparticles of iron-oxides and aluminosilicate clays. The basal surface of phyllosilicates is a primary sorbent of environmental contaminants, natural organic matter, and nutrients. Micas are also superb atomically-flat substrates used in materials science and surface physics applications. We applied X-ray scattering techniques using high brilliance synchrotron radiation to investigate molecular-scale details of mica’s interface structure in solutions containing common and toxic cations, anions, and natural organic molecules. Nanoparticles are ubiquitous in the environment and have a high capacity for sorbing contaminants through the combined effects of their high surface areas and pH-dependent surface charge. Aging of nanoparticles from metastable to stable phases can be inhibited by sorption of nonstructural components, but exact mechanisms are unknown. We synthesized Fe-oxides and aluminosilicate clay minerals from aqueous solutions in the presence of selected anions, and organic molecules, and quantified the uptake of these additives during aging and some implications for nanoparticle formation.

Laser wakefield particle accelerators have shown the potential to generate electric fields thousands of times higher than those of conventional accelerators. The resulting extremely short particle acceleration distance could yield a potential new compact source of energetic electrons and radiation, with wide applications from medicine to physics. Physicists investigate laser-plasma internal dynamics by running particle-in-cell simulations; however, this generates a large dataset that requires time-consuming, manual inspection by experts in order to detect key features such as beam formation. This paper describes a framework to automate the data analysis and classification of simulation data. First, we propose a new method to identify locations with high density of particles in the space-time domain, based on maximum extremum point detection on the particle distribution. We analyze high density electron regions using a lifetime diagram by organizing and pruning the maximum extrema as nodes in a minimum spanning tree. Second, we partition the multivariate data using fuzzy clustering to detect time steps in a experiment that may contain a high quality electron beam. Finally, we combine results from fuzzy clustering and bunch lifetime analysis to estimate spatially confined beams. We demonstrate our algorithms successfully on four different simulation datasets.

SLAC is studying an option of building a high brightness synchrotron light source machine, PEP-X, in the existing PEP-II tunnel [1]. The new machine will replace the PEPII High Energy Ring (HER) with the goal of achieving an ultra low emittance of {approx} 0.1 nm-rad at 4.5 GeV. The PEPX will utilize the same layout as in the PEP-II with 6 arcs and 6 long straight sections. The existing RF and injection systems will be re-used. The two HER FODO arcs will be replaced with the DBA arcs providing 30 dispersion free 4.26 m sections for magnetic undulators. The other four arcs will be replaced with the TME lattice for attaining the low emittance. Finally, a 89.3 m long damping wiggler with 10 cm period and 1.5 T maximum magnetic field will be installed in a long straight section to reduce the natural emittance to 0.094 nm-rad. The PEP-X dynamic aperture was studied and found sufficient for a vertical injection.

Beam instability caused by the electron cloud has been observed in positron and proton storage rings and it is expected to be a limiting factor in the performance of the positron Damping Ring (DR) of future Linear Colliders such as ILC and CLIC [1, 2]. In the Positron Low Energy Ring (LER) of the PEP-II accelerator, we have installed vacuum chambers with rectangular grooves in a straight magnetic-free section to test this promising possible electron cloud mitigation technique. We have also installed a special chamber to monitor the secondary electron yield of TiN and TiZrV (NEG) coating, Copper, Stainless Steel and Aluminum under the effect of electron and photon conditioning in situ in the beam line. In this paper, we describe the ongoing R&D effort to mitigate the electron cloud effect for the ILC damping ring, the latest results on in situ secondary electron yield conditioning and recent update on the groove tests in PEP-II.

We have searched for time modulation of the electron capture decay probability of 142Pm in an attempt to confirm a recent claim from a group at the Gesellschaft fur Schwerionenforschung (GSI). We produced 142Pm via the 124Sn(23Na, 5n)142Pm reaction at the Berkeley 88-Inch Cyclotron with a bombardment time short compared to the reported modulation period. Isotope selection by the Berkeley Gas-filled Separator is followed by implantation and a long period of monitoring the 142Nd K alpha x-rays from the daughter. The decay time spectrum of the x-rays is well-described by a simple exponential and the measured half-life of 40.68(53) seconds is consistent with the accepted value. We observed no oscillatory modulation at the proposed frequency at a level 31 times smaller than that reported by Litvinov (Phys. Lett. B 664 (2008) 162). A literature search for previous experiments that might have been sensitive to the reported modulation uncovered another example in 142Eu electron-capture decay. A reanalysis of the published data shows no oscillatory behavior.

This report describes current markets for forest carbon sequestration, the potential for using forest to offset other sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and the drawbacks related to forest carbon sequestration efforts.

This report discusses the ongoing major USDA disaster programs designed to help crop producers recover from the financial effects of natural disasters — federal crop insurance, noninsured assistance program (NAP) payments, and emergency disaster loans.

This report discusses the 2008 Farm Bill, which contains two tax-related proposals for the Conservation Reserve Program.

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; Proper formula under section 21.402, Education Code, for determining the required contributions by a school district to the Teacher Retirement System for compensation that exceeds the statutory minimum (RQ-0663-GA)

This report provides an overview of developments and considerations regarding wave, tidal, and in-stream energy generation technology. It summarizes federal involvement in the regulation of this new industry and highlights current issues in the field.

This report describes current markets for forest carbon sequestration, the potential for using forest to offset other sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and the drawbacks related to forest carbon sequestration efforts.

This report briefly discusses the Arab League's boycott of Israeli companies and Israeli-made goods since Israel's founding in 1948, as well as U.S. efforts to end the boycott and prevent U.S. firms in participating in the boycott.

This report gives an overview of issues and legislation relating to the Emergency Alert System (EAS). It includes a discussion of the EAS administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather radios, all-hazard warning technology, proposals and programs, the executive order regarding the public alert and warning system and legislation from the 109th and 110th Congresses.

This report reviews the evolution of veterans' education benefit programs and describes the types of education benefits that have been made available under these programs. The first section provides an historical overview of education benefits for military veterans, beginning with the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (GI Bill of Rights). The second section is an analysis of the estimated value of veterans' education benefits relative to average college prices. This section focuses on the estimated value of veterans' education benefits and college prices at four-year public and private institutions, and two-year public institutions. The final section briefly examines the interaction between veterans' education benefits and federal student aid benefits authorized under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended.

None

This report provides information about the U.S. Restrictions on Travel and Remittances on Cuba. Restriction on travel to Cuba has been a key and often contentious component in the U.S.

This report, one of a series of reports on the legislative process, provides a brief list of telephone numbers, room numbers, and Internet addresses (where available) of use to congressional staffers engaged in legislative procedure and research.

None

None