From Summary: "This report supplements CRS Report 97-877, which examines in detail the Senate-reported version of H.R. 1534 and the two House-passed bills (H.R. 992 and H.R. 1534) of which it consists."

In early 1993. Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) initiated a major R and D effort to develop bipolar Li-Al/LiCl-LiBr-KBr/FeS{sub 2} batteries for electric vehicles, targeting the USABC Long-Term Goals. Significant advancements were achieved in the areas of (i) chemical purity, (ii) electrode and electrolyte additives, and (iii) peripheral seals. It was determined that key chemical constituents contained undesirable impurities. ANL developed new chemical processes for preparing Li{sub 2}S, FeS, and CoS{sub 2} that were >98.5% pure. We evaluated a large variety of electrode and electrolyte additives for reducing cell area specific impedance (ASI). Candidate positive electrode additives offered increased electronic conductivity, enhanced reaction kinetics, and/or improved porous electrode morphology. CoS{sub 2}, CuFeS{sub 2}, MgO, and graphite (fibers) were identified as the most beneficial impedance-reducing positive electrode additives. Although electronically conductive carbon and graphite additives produced measurable ASI reductions in the negative electrode, they degraded its structural integrity and were deemed impractical. Lil and LiF were identified as beneficial electrolyte additives, that enhance positive electrode kinetics. ANL refined its baseline metal/ceramic peripheral seal and increased its strength by a factor of three (achieving a safety factor >10). In parallel, ANL developed a high-strength advanced metal/ceramic seal that offers appreciable cost reductions.

This report includes significant decision advancing the rights of individuals who have asymptomatic HIV infection.

A Gate-Turn-Off (GTO) thyristor switch and its gate drive circuit have been developed as a replacement for the thyratron switch used in the positron converter solenoid lens power supply at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) to deliver a current pulse of 6000 A at 60-Hz repetition rate. This paper discusses the characteristics of the GTOs under consideration, the gate drive circuit, and some test results.

Hot cells provide a unique and challenging environment for designing remotely operated equipment. A typical hot cell is an isolated room used to protect operators from highly contaminated and radioactive equipment. Hot cells usually have thick reinforced concrete walk and leaded glass windows. Operations within the hot cell are accomplished using master-slave manipulators and overhead crane or electro-mechanical manipulator systems. The inability to perform hands-on operation and maintenance in hot cells requires special design considerations. Some of these design considerations include operational interfaces, radiation, accessibility, replaceability/interchangeability, decontamination, atmospheric conditions, functionality, operator fatigue, and ease of use. This paper will discuss guidelines for designing hot cell remotely operated equipment that has been used successfully at Argonne National Laboratory. General topics in this paper will include master-slave manipulator types and limitations, overhead handling systems, viewing limitations, types and sizes of typical fasteners, hot cell compatible materials, mockup testing, guide features for mating parts, modularity, labeling, electrical fasteners, and lifting fixtures.

We have resolved the expansion of intensely irradiated atomic clusters on a femtosecond time scale. These data show evidence for resonant heating, similar to resonance absorption, in spherical cluster plasmas.

The Federal False Claims Act provides for the judicial imposition of civil monetary penalties and treble damages for the knowing submission of false claims to the United States Government. This report contains information on the background of the Federal False Claims Act, current False Claims Act provisions, and health care fraud and the False Claims Act.

Nuclear fission power reactors represent a potential solution to many aspects of global change possibly induced by inputting of either particulate or carbon or sulfur oxides into the Earth`s atmosphere. Of proven technological feasibility, they presently produce high-grade heat for large-scale electricity generation, space heating and industrial process-energizing around the world, without emitting greenhouse gases or atmospheric particulates; importantly, electricity production costs from the best nuclear plants presently are closely comparable with those of the best fossil-fired plants. However, a substantial number of issues currently stand between nuclear power and widespread substitution for large stationary fossil fuel-fired systems. These include perceptual ones regarding both long-term and acute operational safety, plant decommissioning, fuel reprocessing, radwaste disposal, fissile materials diversion to military purposes and - perhaps most seriously- readily quantifiable concerns regarding long-term fuel supply and total unit electrical energy cost. We sketch a road-map for proceeding from the present situation toward a nuclear power-intensive world, addressing along the way each of the concerns which presently impede widespread nuclear substitution for fossil fuels, particularly for coal in the most populous and rapidly developing portions of the world, e.g., China and India. This `design to societal specifications` approach to large-scale nuclear fission power …

Heat shields can often be used in place of insulation materials as an effective means of insulating glovebox furnace vessels. If used properly, shields can accomplish two important objectives: thermal insulation of the vessel to maintain a desired process temperature and protection of the glovebox, equipment, and user. A heat-shield assembly can be described as an arrangement of thin, properly-spaced, metal sheets that reduce radiation heat transfer. The main problem encountered in the design of a heat shield assembly is choosing the number of shields. In determining the heat transfer characteristics of a heat-shield assembly, a number of factors must be taken into consideration. The glovebox or outside environment, material properties, geometry, and operating temperature all have varying effects on the expected results. A simple method, for planar-horizontal and cylindrical-vertical shields, allowing the approximation of the outermost shield temperature, the practical number of shields, and the net heat-transfer rate will be presented. Methods used in the fabrication of heat-shield assemblies will also be discussed.

A job task and functional analysis was recently completed for the positions that make up the regional Divisions of Reactor Projects. Among the conclusions of that analysis was a recommendation to clarify roles and responsibilities among site, regional, and headquarters personnel. As that analysis did not cover headquarters personnel, a similar analysis was undertaken of three headquarters positions within the Division of Reactor Projects: Licensing Assistants, Project Managers, and Project Directors. The goals of this analysis were to systematically evaluate the tasks performed by these headquarters personnel to determine job training requirements, to account for variations due to division/regional assignment or differences in several experience categories, and to determine how, and by which positions, certain functions are best performed. The results of this analysis include recommendations for training and for job design. Data to support this analysis was collected by a survey instrument and through several sets of focus group meetings with representatives from each position.

A nonlinear kinetic-fluid model for high-beta plasmas with multiple ion species which can be applied to multiscale phenomena is presented. The model embeds important kinetic effects due to finite ion Larmor radius (FLR), wave-particle resonances, magnetic particle trapping, etc. in the framework of simple fluid descriptions. When further restricting to low frequency phenomena with frequencies less than the ion cyclotron frequency the kinetic-fluid model takes a simpler form in which the fluid equations of multiple ion species collapse into single-fluid density and momentum equations and a low frequency generalized Ohm's law. The kinetic effects are introduced via plasma pressure tensors for ions and electrons which are computed from particle distribution functions that are governed by the Vlasov equation or simplified plasma dynamics equations such as the gyrokinetic equation. The ion FLR effects provide a finite parallel electric field, a perpendicular velocity that modifies the ExB drift, and a gyroviscosity tensor, all of which are neglected in the usual one-fluid MHD description. Eigenmode equations are derived which include magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling effects for low frequency waves (e.g., kinetic/inertial Alfven waves and ballooning-mirror instabilities).

The structure and spectrum of magnetosonic Alfven eigenmodes in spherical torus in the presence of magnetic field well are studied. Analytical solution for eigenmodes localized in the well is obtained and compared with the numerical one. The possibility of using the eigenmode spectrum measurements for reconstructing the magnetic field well, and, thus, central magnetic safety factor profile is discussed.

Taxes are again a focus of policy debate in during the first part of 1998. Many in Congress favor a tax cut, although the size of a possible cut is under discussion. Another issue is whether a tax cut should be offset by spending cuts and revenue raisers or instead financed by the expected budget surpluses -- in effect returning the surpluses to taxpayers in a manner similar to a rebate.

On July 7, 1998, Senator Hatch introduced S. 2271, the "Property Rights Implementation Act of 1998." The bill appears to be the likely replacement on the Senate floor for H.R. 1534 as reported by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. S. 2271 retains the basic "process" approach of its predecessor, but makes numerous changes. Among these are a restriction of H.R. 1534's takings-ripeness provisions to real property rather than all types of property, a new definition of "futility," different restrictions on district court abstention, and new provisions as to attorneys fees and prior notice applicable to parties suing local governments for takings under 42 U.S.C. sec. 1983.

The induction of cancer by ionizing radiation is a matter of great practical importance to the nuclear industry, to national defense, to radiological medicine and to the general public. It is increasingly apparent that carcinogenesis is a leading dose-limiting effect of radiation exposure. The thyroid and mammary glands are among the most sensitive human tissues to radiogenic initiation of cancer, and there is a profoundly higher risk of neoplastic initiation in these glands among individuals irradiated before or during puberty than among those exposed in later life. The authors developed unique quantitative experimental models to investigate and characterize the cells of origin of thyroid and mammary cancers and the effects of radiation on them (C185). To study these progenitor cells in vivo it is necessary to have a system by which their concentrations, total numbers and responses to radiation and other factors can be measured. It is a truism that not all cells in a tissue are equally sensitive to neoplastic initiation. They reasoned that the progenitor cells are most likely members of that subpopulation that is necessary to maintenance of normal tissue cell numbers and to repair and replacement after tissue damage. They further reasoned that such cells would …

In 1995, at a conference on criticality safety, a special session was devoted to the Monte Carlo ''Eigenvalue of the World'' problem. Argonne presented a paper, at that session, in which the anomalies originally observed in that problem were reproduced in a much simplified model-problem configuration, and removed by a version of stratified source-sampling. In this paper, stratified source-sampling techniques are generalized and applied to three different Eigenvalue of the World configurations which take into account real-world statistical noise sources not included in the model problem, but which differ in the amount of neutronic coupling among the constituents of each configuration. It is concluded that, in Monte Carlo eigenvalue analysis of loosely-coupled arrays, the use of stratified source-sampling reduces the probability of encountering an anomalous result over that if conventional source-sampling methods are used. However, this gain in reliability is substantially less than that observed in the model-problem results.

A weekly publication, the Texas Register serves as the journal of state agency rulemaking for Texas. Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents such as requests for proposals. After adoption, these rulemaking actions are codified into the Texas Administrative Code.