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Neutron capture for incident neutron energies <1eV up to 100 keV has been measured for {sup 151,153}Eu targets. The highly efficient DANCE (Detector for Advanced Neutron Capture Experiments) array coupled with the intense neutron beam at Los Alamos Neutron Science Center is used for the experiment. Stable Eu isotopes mass separated and electroplated on Be backings were used. Properties of well-resolved, strong resonances in two Eu nuclei are examined. The parameters for most of these resonances are known. Detailed multiplicity information for each resonance is obtained employing the high granularity of the DANCE array. The radiative decay cascades corresponding to each resonance are obtained in the experiment. The measurements are compared to simulation of these cascades which calculated with various models for the radiative strength function. Comparison between the experimental data and simulation provides an opportunity to investigate the average quantities.

Radiative strength functions in {sup 152,154}Eu nuclei for {gamma}-ray energies below 6 MeV have been investigated. Neutron capture for incident neutron energies <1eV up to 100 keV has been measured for {sup 151,153}Eu targets. Properties of resonances in these two nuclei are examined. The measurements are compared to simulation of cascades performed with various models for the radiative strength function. Comparison between experimental data and simulation suggests an existence of the low-energy resonance in these two nuclei.

The Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at SLAC will be the brightest X-ray laser in the world when it comes on line. In order to achieve the brightness a 200fS length electron bunch is passed through an undulator. To create the 200fS, 3kA bunch, a 10pS electron bunch, created from a photo cathode in an RF gun, is run off crest on the RF to set up a position to energy correlation. The bunch is then compressed by chicanes. The stability of the RF system is critical in setting up the position to energy correlation. Specifications derived from simulations require the RF system to be stable to below 200fS in several critical injector stations and the last kilometer of linac. The SLAC linac RF system is being upgraded to meet these requirements.

The authors observe a new D{sub s} meson with mass (2856.6 {+-} 1.5{sub stat.} {+-} 5.0{sub syst.}) MeV/c{sup 2} and width (48 {+-} 7{sub stat.} {+-} 10{sub syst.}) MeV/c{sup 2} decaying into D{sup 0}K{sup +} and D{sup +}K{sub S}{sup 0}. In the same mass distributions they also observe a broad structure with mass (2688 {+-} 4{sub stat.} {+-} 3{sub syst.}) MeV/c{sup 2} and width (112 {+-} 7{sub stat.} {+-} 36{sub syst.}) MeV/c{sup 2}. To obtain this result they use 240 fb{sup -1} of data recorded by the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric e{sup +}e{sup -} storage rings at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center running at center-of-mass energies near 10.6 GeV.

We report a Dalitz-plot analysis of the charmless hadronic decays of charged B mesons to the state K{sup {+-}} {pi}{sup {-+}}{pi}{sup {+-}}. Using a sample of 226.0 {+-} 2.5 million B{bar B}pairs collected by the BABAR detector, measure the magnitudes and phases of the intermediate resonant and nonresonant amplitudes both charge conjugate decays. We present measurements of the corresponding branching and their charge asymmetries that supersede those of previous BABAR analyses. We find the asymmetries to be consistent with zero.

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We summarize progress in the DOE project, "A Combined Synthetic, Spectroscopic, and Theoretical Approach to the Rational Design of Photophysical and Photochemical Properties of Dendrimers."

The model results presented in this report incorporates the reported data through June 2004 and then uses the updated discharge and tritium inventory values through 2034 based on more current information . Simulation results show that the tritium concentration in the aquifer reaching 1.6 million pCi/L in 1996 After that time, predicted concentration levels at the water table were variable ranging from just over 1 million to several hundred thousand pCi/L and on a downward trend by the year 2004, These simulated results generally reflect the changes in simulated monthly effluent discharges and tritium inventories discharged to the aquifer in the model analysis. These results are also generally consistent with tritium concentration levels and trends that have been observed in well 699-48-77A, the well south of the SALDS facility that is the first well impacted by SALDS operations. Given the differences between the smaller actual facility discharges and those projected in previous modeling, the updated 2004 model was generally consistent with previous estimates made with the 1997 model with regard to plume behavior. Concentrations for the updated model did not reach levels projected in 1997 and the plume did not extend as far out as was estimated in previous modeling. …

Federal farm support, food assistance, agricultural trade, marketing, and rural development policies are governed by a variety of separate laws. Many of these laws periodically have been evaluated, revised, and renewed through an omnibus, multi-year farm bill. This report discusses the "farm bill" and it's components.

The accelerated development of digital libraries and archives, in tandem with efficient search engines and the computational ability to retrieve and parse massive amounts of information, are making it possible to quantify the time evolution of scientific literatures. These data are but one piece of the tangible recorded evidence of the processes whereby scientists create and exchange information in their journeys towards the generation of knowledge. As such, these tools provide a proxy with which to study our ability to innovate. Innovation has often been linked with prosperity and growth and, consequently, trying to understand what drives scientific innovation is of extreme interest. Identifying sets of population characteristics, factors, and mechanisms that enable scientific communities to remain at the cutting edge, accelerate their growth, or increase their ability to re-organize around new themes or research topics is therefore of special significance. Yet generating a quantitative understanding of the factors that make scientific fields arise and/or become more or less productive is still in its infancy. This is precisely the type of knowledge most needed for promoting and sustaining innovation. Ideally, the efficient and strategic allocation of resources on the part of funding agencies and corporations would be driven primarily by …

This document summarizes progress on Cooperative Agreement DE-FC26-01NT41185, Pilot Testing of Mercury Oxidation Catalysts for Upstream of Wet FGD Systems, during the time period July 1, 2002 through September 30, 2002. The objective of this project is to demonstrate at pilot scale the use of solid honeycomb catalysts to promote the oxidation of elemental mercury in the flue gas from coal combustion. The project is being funded by the U.S. DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory under Cooperative Agreement DE-FC26-01NT41185. EPRI, Great River Energy (GRE), and City Public Service (CPS) of San Antonio are project co-funders. URS Group is the prime contractor. The mercury catalytic oxidation process under development uses catalyst materials applied to honeycomb substrates to promote the oxidation of elemental mercury in the flue gas from coal-fired power plants that have wet lime or limestone flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems. Oxidized mercury is removed in the wet FGD absorbers and co-precipitates in a stable form with the byproducts from the FGD system. The coprecipitated mercury does not appear to adversely affect the disposal or reuse properties of the FGD byproduct. The current project will test previously identified, effective catalyst materials at a larger, pilot scale and in a commercial …

The U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement (FTA), implemented as P.L. 107-43, breaks new ground in including multiple worker rights provisions in the body of a U.S. trade agreement, rather than as a side agreement, for the first time. For this reason, it adds some controversy to the congressional debate over whether worker rights provisions should be included in future trade agreements. This report will be updated as events warrant.

In this article we will review recent BABAR measurements of Unitarity Triangle angle {beta} in B meson decays to charm and charmonium.

Growing anaerobic microorganisms in phenotypic microarrays (PM) and 96-well microtiter plates is an emerging technology that allows high throughput survey of the growth and physiology and/or phenotype of cultivable microorganisms. For non-model bacteria, a method for phenotypic analysis is invaluable, not only to serve as a starting point for further evaluation, but also to provide a broad understanding of the physiology of an uncharacterized wild-type organism or the physiology/phenotype of a newly created mutant of that organism. Given recent advances in genetic characterization and targeted mutations to elucidate genetic networks and metabolic pathways, high-throughput methods for determining phenotypic differences are essential. Here we outline challenges presented in studying the physiology and phenotype of a sulfate reducing anaerobic delta proteobacterium, Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough. Modifications of the commercially available OmniLog(TM) system (Hayward, CA) for experimental setup, and configuration, as well as considerations in PM data analysis are presented. Also highlighted here is data viewing software that enables users to view and compare multiple PM data sets. The PM method promises to be a valuable strategy in our systems biology approach to D. vulgaris studies and is readily applicable to other anaerobic and aerobic bacteria.

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This report discusses issues debated in the 107th Congress while is considering various proposals to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). Major issues in recent years have included changing the role of science in decision-making, changing the role of critical habitat, reducing conflicts with Department of Defense activities, incorporating further protection for property owners, and increasing protection of listed species, among others. In addition, many have advocated including significant changes to ESA regulations made during the Clinton Administration in the law itself.

For this study, an extensive suite of mineral particles analogous to components of cosmic dust were tested to determine if their Raman signatures can be recognized after hypervelocity capture in aerogel. The mineral particles were mainly of greater than 20 micrometers in size and were accelerated onto the silica aerogel by light gas gun shots. It was found that all the individual minerals captured in aerogel could be subsequently identified using Raman (or fluorescent) spectra. The beam spot size used for the laser illumination was of the order of 5 micrometers, and in some cases the captured particles were of a similar small size. In some samples fired into aerogel there was observed a shift in the wavenumbers of some of the Raman bands, a result of the trapped particles being at quite high temperatures due to heating by the laser. Temperatures of samples under laser illumination were estimated from the relative intensities of Stokes and anti-Stokes Raman bands, or, in the case of ruby particles, from the wavenumber of fluorescence bands excited by the laser. It was found that the temperature of particles in aerogel varied greatly, dependent upon laser power and the nature of the particle. In the …

An important goal of the US DOE Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR) program is to develop the technology necessary to increase safety margins in future fast reactor systems. Although no decision has been made yet about who will build the next demonstration fast reactor, it seems likely that the construction team will include a combination of international companies, and the safety design philosophy for the reactor will reflect a consensus of the participating countries. A significant amount of experience in the design and safety analysis of Sodium Fast Reactors (SFR) using oxide fuel has been developed in both Japan and France during last few decades. In the US, the traditional approach to reactor safety is based on the principle of defense-in-depth, which is usually expressed in physical terms as multiple barriers to release of radioactive material (e.g. cladding, reactor vessel, containment building), but it is understood that the 'barriers' may consist of active systems or even procedures. As implemented in a reactor design, defense-in-depth is classed in levels of safety. Level 1 includes measures to specify and build a reliable design with significant safety margins that will perform according to the intentions of the designers. Level 2 consists of additional design …

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The purpose of this report is to describe our work on enhanced infrared (IR) surveillance using speckle imaging for NA-22. Speckle imaging in this context is an image post-processing algorithm that aims to solve the atmospheric blurring problem of imaging through horizontal or slant path turbulence. We will describe the IR imaging systems used in our data collections and show imagery before and after speckle processing. We will also compare IR imagery with visible wavelength imagery of the same target in the same conditions and demonstrate how going to longer wavelengths can be beneficial in the presence of strong turbulence.

WRDA is the main legislative vehicle for Corps civil works authorizations. This report considers the current status of WRDA and major issues shaping WRDA consideration in the 110th Congress, including changes to Corps project development practices and policies, coastal Louisiana wetlands restoration activities, Upper Mississippi River Illinois Waterway (UMR-IWW) investments, and Everglades restoration projects.

Raising the share of income we save is a frequent aim of public policy. That may be particularly apparent in debates about the size of the federal budget deficit, but concerns about the low household saving rate have also prompted policymakers to consider ways to encourage individuals to save more. How much individuals save will directly affect their future economic well-being, but from a macroeconomic perspective, the source of saving — be it households, business, or government — makes no difference. This report presents standard economic analysis of the macroeconomic effects of raising saving.

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