A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Medicare program is the nation's largest health insurer with almost 40 million beneficiaries and outlays of over $219 billion annually. Because of the susceptibility of the program to fraud and abuse, Congress enacted the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control (HCFAC) Program as part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPAA) of 1996. HCFAC, which is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), established a national framework to coordinate federal, state, and local law enforcement efforts to detect, prevent, and prosecute health care fraud and abuse in the public and private sectors. HIPPAA requires HHS and DOJ to issue a joint annual report no later than January 1 of each year to Congress for the proceeding fiscal year. The joint HCFAC reports included deposits of $210 million for fiscal year 2000 and $464 million for fiscal year 2001, pursuant to the act. In testing at DOJ, GAO found errors in the recording of criminal fines deposits to the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund in fiscal year 2001 that resulted …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Some surveys suggest that as many as two-thirds of American households have donated money to charitable organizations in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11. Although it may be difficult to precisely tally the amount of money raised, 34 of the larger charities have reported raising an estimated $2.4 billion since September 11. Of the estimated $2.4 billion reported collected by the larger charities, about two-thirds were reported to have been distributed. Fund distribution rates vary widely among these charities, in part because of differences in their operating mission. Charities reported distributing these funds for a broad range of assistance to the families of those killed or injured, for those more indirectly affected through the loss of their jobs or homes, and for disaster relief workers. To distribute aid, charities had to make extensive efforts to identify victims and survivors as there were no uniform contact lists for families of victims; charity officials also said privacy issues affected the sharing of information among charities. Charities also faced challenges in providing aid to non-English speaking people in need of assistance; some charities have focused their efforts …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The 1998 Workforce Investment Act (WIA) required states to provide most federally funded employment-related services through one-stop centers. Two years earlier, welfare reform legislation created the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant which provided flexibility to states to focus on helping needy adults with children find and maintain employment. Nearly all states reported some coordination of their TANF and WIA services at the state or local level, and the use of some of these coordination methods increased between 2000 and 2001. Historical relationships, geographic considerations, adequacy of facilities, and different perspectives on how best to serve TANF clients influenced how states and localities choose to coordinate services with one-stop centers. Several challenges, including program differences between TANF and WIA and different information systems used by welfare and workforce agencies, inhibit state and local coordination efforts. Though some states and localities have found creative ways to work around these issues, the differences remain barriers to coordination for many others."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "To ensure the completeness and accuracy of the 2000 census data, Bureau of the Census analysts were to identify, investigate, and document suspected data discrepancies or issues to clear census data files and products for subsequent processing or public release. They were to determine whether and how to correct the data by weighing quality improvements against time and budget constraints. Because the bureau lacked sufficient staff to conduct a full count review on its own, it contracted out some of the work to members of the Federal-State Cooperative Program for Population Estimates (FSCPE). FSCPE documented 1,402 data issues, 29 percent of the 4,809 issues identified by both FSCPE and bureau analysts during the full count review. Of the 4,809 issues, 1,599 dealt with "group quarters," where counts for prisons, nursing homes, dormitories, and other group living facilities differed from what analysts expected. Of the 1,599 group quarters issues, FSCPE identified 567. Discrepancies relating to housing unit counts, population data, and demographic characteristics accounted for 1,150 issues, 375 of which were identified by FSCPE. Overall, of the 4,809 issues identified during review, 4,267 were not subjected to …

On October 22, 1994, President Clinton signed legislation (P.L. 103-387) that changes social security coverage of household workers. The new law changed the threshold to a yearly amount and raised it (to $1,000 in 1994, indexed thereafter to average wage growth-it became $1,100 in 1998, 1,200 in 2000, and 1,300 in 2001). It remains at $1,300 in 2002. In addition, the new law exempted most domestic workers under age 18, and provided that Social Security and unemployment taxes will be reported on the employer's annual federal tax return.

The need for advanced wireless technology has been identified in the National Research Council publication (1) ''Manufacturing Process Controls for the Industries of the Future as a Critical Technology for the Future''. The deployment challenges to be overcome in order for wireless to be a viable option include: (1) eliminating interference (assuring reliable communications); (2) easing the deployment of intelligent, wireless sensors; (3) developing reliable networks (robust architectures); (4) developing remote power (long-lasting and reliable); and (5) developing standardized communication protocols. This project demonstrated the feasibility of robust wireless sensor networks that could meet these requirements for the harsh environments common to the DOE/OIT Industries of the Future. It resulted in a wireless test bed that was demonstrated in a paper mill and a steel plant. The test bed illustrated key protocols and components that would be required in a real-life, wireless network. The technologies for low power connectivity developed and demonstrated at the plant eased fears that the radios would interfere with existing control equipment. The same direct sequence, spread spectrum (DSSS) technology that helped assure the reliability of the connection also demonstrated that wireless communication was feasible in these plants without boosting the transmitted power to dangerous levels. …

A discussion of the possibility of the United Nations promoting and planning imposition of international taxation on U.N. member states, including the United States was initiated in response to the March 2002 U.N.-sponsored International Conference on Financing for Development, held in Monterrey, Mexico.

The Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) is a flexible source of funds that states may use to support a wide variety of social services activities. States have broad discretion over the use of these funds. This short report provides background information on the SSBG and tracks relevant legislation and appropriations measures.

The goal of this demonstration was to show that it is possible to generate electronic signals that can accurately mimic the signals that are produced by a high-purity germanium (HPGe) gamma-ray detector. As an example of this fidelity, we decided to show that it was possible to perform a complex, multiplet-resolution analysis of a portion of the spectrum acquired from the gamma-ray spectrum synthesizer. We further showed that the results of this analysis were consistent with what would be obtained from a spectrum acquired from a real plutonium source and a real HPGe detector. The gamma-ray synthesizer used in the JRC Ispra demonstration was our first laboratory prototype. In this version of the synthesizer we produced signals that mimicked the output of an HPGe detector preamplifier. Although not shown at Ispra, we have also demonstrated that we can produce signals that mimic the signals produced in the detector itself.

The Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform, or FAIR, Act of 1996 (commonly known as the "farm bill"), which was due to expire in 2002, is expected to be extended for another six years when President Bush signs the bill into law. This report discusses the provisions of the new "farm bill," including the federal spending involved.

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The authors have utilized the response of Arabidopsis seedlings to the plant hormone ethylene to identify new genes involved in the regulation of ethylene biosynthesis, perception, signal transduction and differential cell growth. In building a genetic framework for the action of these genes, they developed a molecular model that has facilitated the understanding of the molecular requirements of ethylene for cell elongation processes. The ethylene response pathway in Arabidopsis appears to be primarily linear and is defined by the genes: ETR1, ETR2, ERS1, ERS2, EIN4, CTR1, EIN2, EIN3, EIN5 EIN6, and EIN. Downstream branches identified by the HLS1, EIR1, and AUX1 genes involve interactions with other hormonal (auxin) signals in the process of differential cell elongation in the hypocotyl hook. Cloning and characterization of HLS1 and three HLS1-LIKE genes in the laboratory has been supported under this award. HLS1 is required for differential elongation of cells in the hypocotyl and may act in the establishment of hormone gradients. Also during the award period, they have identified and begun preliminary characterization of two genes that genetically act upstream of the ethylene receptors. ETO1 and RAN1 encode negative regulators of ethylene biosynthesis and signaling respectively. Progress on the analysis of these genes …

Hybrid finite element (FE)--boundary integral (BI) analysis of infinite periodic arrays is extended to include planar multilayered Green's functions. In this manner, a portion of the volumetric dielectric region can be modeled via the finite element method whereas uniform multilayered regions can be modeled using a multilayered Green's function. As such, thick uniform substrates can be modeled without loss of efficiency and accuracy. The multilayered Green's function is analytically computed in the spectral domain and the resulting BI matrix-vector products are evaluated via the fast spectral domain algorithm (FSDA). As a result, the computational cost of the matrix-vector products is kept at O(N). Furthermore, the number of Floquet modes in the expansion are kept very few by placing the BI surfaces within the computational unit cell. Examples of frequency selective surface (FSS) arrays are analyzed with this method to demonstrate the accuracy and capability of the approach. One example involves complicated multilayered substrates above and below an inhomogeneous filter element and the other is an optical ring-slot array on a substrate several hundred wavelengths in thickness. Comparisons with measurements are included.

The Office of Space and Defense Power Systems of the Department of Energy (DOE) provides Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) for applications where conventional power systems are not feasible. For example, radioisotope thermoelectric generators were supplied by the DOE to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for deep space missions including the Cassini Mission launched in October of 1997 to study the planet Saturn. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has been involved in developing materials and technology and producing components for the DOE for more than three decades. For the Cassini Mission, for example, ORNL was involved in the production of carbon-bonded carbon fiber (CBCF) insulator sets, iridium alloy blanks and foil, and clad vent sets (CVS). This report has been divided into three sections to reflect program guidance from the Office of Space and Defense Power Systems for fiscal year (FY) 2002. The first section deals primarily with maintenance of the capability to produce flight quality (FQ) CBCF insulator sets, iridium alloy blanks and foil, and CVS. In all three cases, production maintenance is assured by the manufacture of limited quantities of FQ components. The second section deals with several technology activities to improve the manufacturing processes, characterize materials, …

The Next Generation Turbine (NGT) Program's technological development focused on a study of the feasibility of turbine systems greater than 30 MW that offer improvement over the 1999 state-of-the-art systems. This program targeted goals of 50 percent turndown ratios, 15 percent reduction in generation cost/kW hour, improved service life, reduced emissions, 400 starts/year with 10 minutes to full load, and multiple fuel usage. Improvement in reliability, availability, and maintainability (RAM), while reducing operations, maintenance, and capital costs by 15 percent, was pursued. This program builds on the extensive low emissions stationary gas turbine work being carried out by Pratt & Whitney (P&W) for P&W Power Systems (PWPS), which is a company under the auspices of the United Technologies Corporation (UTC). This study was part of the overall Department of Energy (DOE) NGT Program that extends out to the year 2008. A follow-on plan for further full-scale component hardware testing is conceptualized for years 2002 through 2008 to insure a smooth and efficient transition to the marketplace for advanced turbine design and cycle technology. This program teamed the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), P&W, United Technologies Research Center (UTRC), kraftWork Systems Inc., a subcontractor on-site at UTRC, and Multiphase Power and …

The objective of this project is to demonstrate the use of alkaline reagents injected into the furnace of coal-fired boilers as a means of controlling sulfuric acid emissions. The project is being co-funded by the U.S. DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory, under Cooperative Agreement DE-FC26-99FT40718, along with EPRI, the American Electric Power Company (AEP), FirstEnergy Corp., the Tennessee Valley Authority, and Dravo Lime, Inc. Sulfuric acid controls are becoming of increasing interest to power generators with coal-fired units for a number of reasons. Sulfuric acid is a Toxic Release Inventory species and can cause a variety of plant operation problems such as air heater plugging and fouling, back-end corrosion, and plume opacity. These issues will likely be exacerbated with the retrofit of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) for NO{sub x} control on many coal-fired plants, as SCR catalysts are known to further oxidize a portion of the flue gas SO{sub 2} to SO{sub 3}. The project previously tested the effectiveness of furnace injection of four different calcium-and/or magnesium-based alkaline sorbents on full-scale utility boilers. These reagents were tested during four one- to two-week tests conducted on two FirstEnergy Bruce Mansfield Plant (BMP) units. One of the sorbents tested was a magnesium …

This report reviews the development and applications of molecular and materials modeling in Europe and Japan in comparison to those in the United States. Topics covered include computational quantum chemistry, molecular simulations by molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo methods, mesoscale modeling of material domains, molecular-structure/macroscale property correlations like QSARs and QSPRs, and related information technologies like informatics and special-purpose molecular-modeling computers. The panel's findings include the following: The United States leads this field in many scientific areas. However, Canada has particular strengths in DFT methods and homogeneous catalysis; Europe in heterogeneous catalysis, mesoscale, and materials modeling; and Japan in materials modeling and special-purpose computing. Major government-industry initiatives are underway in Europe and Japan, notably in multi-scale materials modeling and in development of chemistry-capable ab-initio molecular dynamics codes.

In a recent Letter, Cheng et al. calculated/predicted several new effects: that (a) fraction of the short laser pulse momentum can be imparted to plasma electrons via collisional damping of the laser, thereby exciting a long-lived (longer than an oscillation period) plasma wave, which (b) gives rise to a spatially uniform dipole moment of a plasma, which (c) emits far-field narrow-band radiation at the plasma frequency omega subscript ''p'' over the recombination time of the plasma. We claim that the calculation of the effect (a) is in error and the predicted effects (b,c) do not occur as described. In fact, predicted narrow-band emission at omega subscript ''p'' would not occur even if the momentum transfer and the dipole excitation were calculated correctly.

The NSTX multi-point Thomson scattering system has been in operation for nearly two years and provides routine Te(R,t) and ne(R,t) measurements. The laser beams from two 30-Hz Nd:YAG lasers are imaged by a spherical mirror onto 36 fiber-optics bundles. In the present configuration, the output ends of 20 of these bundles are instrumented with filter polychromators and avalanche photodiode detectors. In this paper, we discuss the laser implementation and the installed collection optics. We follow with examples of raw and analyzed data. We close with some comments about calibration.

The popularity of trucks in the class 2 category--that is, those with a 6,000 to 10,000 pounds (lbs) gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR)--has increased since the late 1970s/early 1980s. The purpose of this research is to identify and examine vehicles in the upper portion of the class 2 weight range (designated as vehicle class 2b) and to assess their impact. Vehicles in class 2b (8,500-10,000 lbs GVWR) include pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), and large vans (i.e., not minivans). Oak Ridge National Laboratory researched each individual truck model to determine which models were class 2b trucks and arrived at four methodologies to derive sales volumes. Two methods--one for calendar year and one for model year sales--were recommended for producing believable and reliable results. The study indicates that 521,000 class 2b trucks were sold in calendar year 1999--6.4% of sales of all trucks under 10,000 lbs. Eighty-two percent of class 2b trucks sold in 1999 were pickups; one third of class 2b trucks sold in 1999 were diesel. There were 5.8 million class 2b trucks on the road in 2000, which amounts to 7.8% of all trucks under 10,000 lbs. Twenty-four percent of the class 2b truck population is diesel. …

Guiding center equations for particle motion in a general toroidal magnetic equilibrium configuration are derived using magnetic coordinates. Previous derivations made use of Boozer coordinates, in which the poloidal and toroidal angle variables are chosen so that the Jacobian is inversely proportional to the square of the magnetic field. It is shown that the equations for guiding center motion in any equilibrium possessing nested flux surfaces have exactly the same simple form as those derived in this special case. This allows the use of more spatially uniform coordinates instead of the Boozer coordinates, greatly increasing the accuracy of calculations in large beta and strongly shaped equilibria.

The purpose of this study was to assess the economic and technical feasibility of producing electricity and thermal energy from biomass by gasification. For an economic model we chose a large barley malting facility operated by Rahr Malting Co. in Shakopee, Minnesota. This plant provides an excellent backdrop for this study because it has both large electrical loads and thermal loads that allowed us to consider a wide range of sizes and technical options. In the end, eleven scenarios were considered ranging from 3.1 megawatts (MWe) to 19.8 MWe. By locating the gasification and generation at an agricultural product processing plant with large electrical and thermal loads, the expectation was that some of the limitations of stand-alone biomass power plants would be overcome. In addition, since the process itself created significant volumes of low value biomass, the hope was that most of the biomass gathering and transport issues would be handled as well. The development of low-BTU gas turbines is expected to fill a niche between the upper limit of multiple spark ignited engine set systems around 5 MWe and the minimum reasonable scale for steam turbine systems around 10 MWe.

Both interstitial water and plant tissue associated with the DC-A substrate exhibited low metal concentrations. Also in agreement with the previous study, plant performance in the DC-A substrate was found to be comparable to plant performance in the dredge spoil and topsoil substrates. This was extremely important because it indicated that the drill cuttings themselves served as an excellent substrate for wetland plant growth, but that the processing and stabilization techniques and drilling fluid formulations required further refinement.

The purpose of the research reported here was to assess the leveraging benefits attributable to the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) Program. The term leveraging as used in this study refers to any additional support received by a university-based, IAC-sponsored center that the center would not have received had the IAC Program not been in place. Twenty-two IACs provided information about 120 leveraging activities over the 1997-2001 period. IAC directors indicated that the support for 115 of these projects was linked to the existence of DOE's IAC Program and the experience gained from their participation in the program. Ninety-three of the IAC-influenced projects were quantified, for a monetary value of $5,948,931. The average annual leveraged support was $1,189,786 over the time frame examined. Typical contributors of leveraged support were state governments, utilities, industry, universities, and other DOE and federal agencies. Most of the support was provided to conduct assessments outside of IAC Program criteria (e.g., assessments of government buildings or large manufacturing plants). Significant leveraged support was also provided to IACs for educational activities--such as workshops, seminars, and training--and for miscellaneous energy-related technical projects.