A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) is in the midst of transforming military capabilities. The transformation relies in part on the Global Information Grid (GIG), which is focused on building a new Internet-like network capability that DOD envisions will enable weapons and other systems and people to share information quickly, allowing warfighters to identify threats more effectively and to respond with greater precision and lethality. DOD plans to spend at least $21 billion through 2010 to build a core GIG capability. GAO was asked (1) to describe the GIG, including the concept, key acquisitions, and implementation and (2) to identify significant challenges facing DOD in implementing the GIG."

In today's hybrid vehicle market the Toyota Prius drive system is currently considered the leader in electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing innovations. It is significant that in today's marketplace Toyota is able to manufacture and sell the vehicle for a profit. This project's objective is to analyze and study the Prius drive system to understand the design and manufacturing mechanisms Toyota utilized to achieved their performance and cost goals. During the course of this research effort ORNL has dissected both the 2003 and 2004 Toyota/Prius drive motors. This study is focused primarily on motor design considerations and an assessment of manufacturing issues.

This report provides information about the Clean Air Act Issues in the 106th Congress. Congress last enacted major amendments to the clear air act in 1990 and EPA is in the midst of implementing numerous provisions of those amendments.

Level densities and radiative strength functions in {sup 171}Yb and {sup 170}Yb nuclei have been measured using the {sup 171}Yb({sup 3}He{sup 3}He{gamma}){sup 171}Yb and {sup 171}Yb({sup 3}He,{alpha}{gamma}){sup 170}Yb reactions. New data on {sup 171}Yb are compared to a previous measurement for {sup 171}Yb from the {sup 172}Yb({sup 3}He,{alpha}{gamma}){sup 171}Yb reaction. Systematics of level densities and radiative strength functions in {sup 170,171,172}Yb are established. The entropy excess in {sup 171}Yb relative to the even-even nuclei {sup 170,172}Yb due to the unpaired neutron quasiparticle is found to be approximately 2k{sub B}. Results for the radiative strength function from the two reactions lead to consistent parameters characterizing the ''pygmy'' resonances. Pygmy resonances in the {sup 170,172}Yb populated by the ({sup 3}He,{alpha}) reaction appear to be split into two components for both of which a complete set of resonance parameters are obtained.

This report presents a profile of the membership of the 108th Congress. Included is information on numbers of Members, party affiliation, average age and length of service, occupations, religious affiliation, military service, female and minority Members, and foreign-born Members.

The report describes provisions of House rules that pertain to hearings, and citations to these rules are included for reference. While House rules generally apply to committees and subcommittees, it is House Rule XI that contains many provisions specific to hearings. House rules set the general framework in which committees hold hearings.

In June 2003, the Department of Energy (DOE) allocated funds in support of the development of A Data Exchange Format for Biological Pathway Databases (BioPAX). The primary objective of the BioPAX initiative (http://www.biopax.org) is the development of a single, consensus-based standard for a data exchange format for biological pathway databases that can be widely adopted in a timely manner as a strategy for the interchange of biological pathway data in the life science community. BioPAX Level 1, Version 1.0, released July 2004, supports metabolic pathway data and is initially supported by the BioCyc and WIT databases. This work was developed during community led workshops that were significantly funded by this grant. Subsequent releases of BioPAX will add support for protein-protein interactions, signal transduction pathways, genetic interactions, and other pathway data types.

Under the DOE Office of Industrial Technologies Forest Products program various plasma technologies were evaluated under project FWP 49885 ''Experimental Assessment of Low-Temperature Plasma Technologies for Treating Volatile Organic Compound Emissions from Pulp Mills and Wood Products Plants''. The heterogeneous pulsed corona discharge was chosen as the best non-equilibrium plasma technology for control of the vent emissions from HVLC Brownstock Washers. The technology for removal of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from gas emissions with conditions typical of the exhausts of the paper industry by means of pulsed corona plasma techniques presented in this work. For the compounds of interest in this study (methanol, acetone, dimethyl sulfide and ? -pinene), high removal efficiencies were obtained with power levels competitive with the present technologies for the VOCs removal. Laboratory experiments were made using installation with the average power up to 20 W. Pilot plant prepared for on-site test has average plasma power up to 6.4 kW. The model of the Pilot Plant operation is presented.

To meet the increasing need for higher performance, Management of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory has undertaken various projects to improve systems associated with the Tevatron high-energy particle collider located at Batavia, Illinois. One of the larger projects is the Tevatron Beam Position Monitor (BPM) system. The objective of this project is to replace the existing BPM electronics and software system that was originally installed during early 1980s, along with the original construction of the Tevatron.The original system consists of 236 beam position monitors located around the underground tunnel of the accelerator. Above ground control systems are attached to these monitors using pickup cables. When the Tevatron collider is operational, signals received from the BPMs are used to perform a number of control and diagnostic tasks. The original system can only capture the proton signals from the collider. The new system, when fully operational, will be able to capture combined proton and antiproton signals and will be able to separate the antiproton signal from the combined signal at high resolution. This significant enhancement was beyond the range of technical capabilities when the Tevatron was constructed about two decades ago. To take advantage of exceptional progress made in the hardware and software …

OAK-B135 The structure of the active-site C-cluster in CO dehydrogenase from Carboxythermus hydrogenoformans includes a {mu}{sup 2}-sulfide ion bridged to the Ni and unique Fe, while the same cluster in enzymes from Rhodospirillum rubrum (CODH{sub Rr}) and Moorella thermoacetica (CODH{sub Mt}) lack this ion. This difference was investigated by exploring the effects of sodium sulfide on activity and spectral properties. Sulfide partially inhibited the CO oxidation activity of CODH{sub Rr} and generated a lag prior to steady-state. CODH{sub Mt} was inhibited similarly but without a lag. Adding sulfide to CODH{sub Mt} in the C{sub red1} state caused the g{sub av} = 1.82 EPR signal to decline and new features to appear, including one with g = 1.95, 1.85 and (1.70 or 1.62). Removing sulfide caused the g{sub av} = 1.82 signal to reappear and activity to recover. Sulfide did not affect the g{sub av} = 1.86 signal from the C{sub red2} state. A model was developed in which sulfide binds reversibly to C{sub red1}, inhibiting catalysis. Reducing this adduct causes sulfide to dissociate, C{sub red2} to develop, and activity to recover. Using this model, apparent K{sub I} values are 40 {+-} 10 nM for CODH{sub Rr} and 60 {+-} 30 …

Questions have been raised about the accuracy of oxygen monitoring for personnel safety around systems containing gases with a molecular weight less than nitrogen. A study has been performed to test the accuracy of the oxygen monitoring devices used at Fermilab. Portable and fixed oxygen monitoring equipment is used throughout Fermilab for personnel safety in defined oxygen deficiency hazard (ODH) areas. The results are presented as well as corrective measures taken to ensure accuracy and maintain the proper level of personnel safety.

Working within the context of the Southern States Biobased Alliance (SSBA) and with officials in each state, the Southern States Energy Board (SSEB) is identifying bioenergy-related policies and programs within each state to determine their impact on the development, deployment or use of bioenergy. In addition, SSEB will determine which policies have impacted industry's efforts to develop, deploy or use biobased technologies or products. As a result, SSEB will work with the Southern States Biobased Alliance to determine how policy changes might address any negative impacts or enhance positive impacts. In addition to analysis of domestic policies and programs, this project will include the development of a U.S.-Brazil Biodiesel Pilot Project. The purpose of this effort is to promote and facilitate the commercialization of biodiesel and bioenergy production and demand in Brazil.

Design of integrated solutions fusing existing facility practices with emerging technology is creating new platforms for enhancing operations. Review of current business methods uncovered several areas of improvement including; operating efficiency, document routing, accountability, reporting, records management, format standardization, and control system interaction. A new Defense Programs (DP) facility at the Savannah River Site (SRS) is implementing an electronic procedure environment to overcome these challenges. Electronic procedures merge disciplines of design engineering, procedure writing, controls engineering, and operations into a central development platform for creating optimal plant processes. Users develop procedures through a combination of logical flowcharts, customizable properties, and Distributed Control System (DCS) functions resulting in the generation of static and dynamic operating procedures, software documentation, and automation code. Execution of developed procedures occurs in a single, uniform, procedure-oriented interface designed specifically for the operator in order to reduce process mistakes, present online information, list approved procedures, organize systems, launch audible alerts, and strengthen communications with automation. Creation of executed documents upon procedure completion and custom reports containing detailed shift turnover information are additional managerial benefits incorporated into the interface. Initial and continuing application improvements from an evaluation of developer feedback, process configurations, and facility integration are reviewed. Incorporation …

Technology Management Inc. (TMI), teamed with the Ohio Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, has engineered, constructed, and demonstrated a stationary, low power, multi-module solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) prototype system operating on propane and natural gas. Under Phase I, TMI successfully operated two systems in parallel, in conjunction with a single DC-AC inverter and battery bus, and produced net AC electricity. Phase II testing expanded to include alternative and renewable fuels typically available in rural regions of Ohio. The commercial system is expected to have ultra-low pollution, high efficiency, and low noise. The TMI SOFC uses a solid ceramic electrolyte operating at high temperature (800-1000 C) which electrochemically converts gaseous fuels (hydrogen or mixed gases) and oxygen into electricity. The TMI system design oxidizes fuel primarily via electrochemical reactions and uses no burners (which pollute and consume fuel)--resulting in extremely clean exhaust. The use of proprietary sulfur tolerant materials developed by TMI allows system operation without additional fuel pre-processing or sulfur removal. Further, the combination of high operating temperatures and solid state operation increases the potential for higher reliability and efficiencies compared to other types of fuel cells. Applications for the TMI SOFC system cover a wide range …

This project was initially targeted to the making of coke for blast furnaces by using proprietary technology of Calderon in a phased approach, and Phase I was successfully completed. The project was then re-directed to the making of iron units. In 2000, U.S. Steel teamed up with Calderon for a joint effort which will last 42 months to produce directly reduced iron with the potential of converting it into molten iron or steel consistent with the Roadmap recommendations of 1998 prepared by the Steel Industry in cooperation with the Department of Energy by using iron ore concentrate and coal as raw materials, both materials being appreciably lower in cost than using iron pellets and coke.

This summary report describes data management and visualization activities in the Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The report covers the period from approximately October 2003 to June 2004 and describes activities within the Visual Interactive Environment for Weapons Simulation (VIEWS) ASC program element. This report and the references herein are intended to document the completion of the following Level 2 Milestone from the ASC FY04-05 Implementation Plan, due at the end of Quarter 3 in FY04:

Laboratory experiments on wave propagation through saturated and partially saturated porous media have often been conducted on porous cylinders that were initially fully saturated and then allowed to dry while continuing to acquire data on the wave behavior. Since it is known that drying typically progresses from outside to inside, a sensible physical model of this process is concentric cylinders having different saturation levels--the simplest example being a fully dry outer cylindrical shell together with a fully wet inner cylinder. We use this model to formulate the equations for wave dispersion in porous cylinders for patchy saturation (i.e. drainage) conditions. In addition to multiple modes of propagation obtained numerically from these dispersion relations, we find two distinct analytical expressions for torsional wave modes. We solve the dispersion relation for torsional waves for two examples: Massillon sandstone and Sierra White granite. The drainage analysis appears to give improved agreement with the data for both these materials.

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We analyze simulations of the global climate performed at a range of spatial resolutions to assess the effects of horizontal spatial resolution on the ability to simulate precipitation in the continental United States. The model investigated is the CCM3 general circulation model. We also preliminarily assess the effect of replacing cloud and convective parameterizations in a coarse-resolution (T42) model with an embedded cloud-system resolving model (CSRM). We examine both spatial patterns of seasonal-mean precipitation and daily-timescale temporal variability of precipitation in the continental United States. For DJF and SON, high-resolution simulations produce spatial patterns of seasonal-mean precipitation that agree more closely with observed precipitation patterns than do results from the same model (CCM3) at coarse resolution. However, in JJA and MAM, there is little improvement in spatial patterns of seasonal-mean precipitation with increasing resolution, particularly in the Southeast. This is owed to the dominance of convective (i.e., parameterized) precipitation in these two seasons. We further find that higher-resolution simulations have more realistic daily precipitation statistics. In particular, the well-known tendency at coarse resolution to have too many days with weak precipitation and not enough intense precipitation is partially eliminated in higher-resolution simulations. However, even at the highest resolution examined here …

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This report describes seismic activity at and near the Hanford Site during the first and second quarters of FY 2004 (October 1, 2003-March 31, 2004).

We describe a two-step dealloying/compaction process to produce nanocrystalline Au. First, nanocrystalline/nanoporous Au foam is synthesized by electrochemically-driven dealloying. The resulting Au foams exhibit porosities of 60 and 70% with pore sizes of {approx} 40 and 100 nm, respectively, and a typical grain size of <50 nm. Second, the nanoporous foams are fully compacted to produce nanocrystalline monolithic Au. The compacted Au was characterized by TEM and X-ray diffraction and tested by depth-sensing nanoindentation. The compacted nanocrystalline Au exhibits an average grain size of <50 nm and hardness values ranging from 1.4 to 2.0 GPa, which are up to 4.5 times higher than the hardness values obtained from polycrystalline Au.

This report includes information involving major legislative issues regarding military retirement. Key elements and issues, budgeting and costs, and concurrent receipt of military retired pay and VA disability compensation are among topics discussed in this report.