The EERC developed an applied research consortium project to test cost-effective mercury (Hg) control technologies for utilities burning bituminous coals. The project goal was to test innovative Hg control technologies that have the potential to reduce Hg emissions from bituminous coal-fired power plants by {ge}90% at costs of one-half to three-quarters of current estimates for activated carbon injection (ACI). Hg control technology evaluations were performed using the EERC's combustion test facility (CTF). The CTF was fired on pulverized bituminous coals at 550,000 Btu/hr (580 MJ/hr). The CTF was configured with the following air pollution control devices (APCDs): selective catalytic reduction (SCR) unit, electrostatic precipitator (ESP), and wet flue gas desulfurization system (WFDS). The Hg control technologies investigated as part of this project included ACI (three Norit Americas, Inc., and eleven Envergex sorbents), elemental mercury (Hg{sup 0}) oxidation catalysts (i.e., the noble metals in Hitachi Zosen, Cormetech, and Hitachi SCR catalysts), sorbent enhancement additives (SEAs) (a proprietary EERC additive, trona, and limestone), and blending with a Powder River Basin (PRB) subbituminous coal. These Hg control technologies were evaluated separately, and many were also tested in combination.

To analyze the local structure and/or chemical states of boron atoms in boron-doped diamond, which can be synthesized by the microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition method (CVD-B-diamond) and the temperature gradient method at high pressure and high temperature (HPT-B-diamond), we measured the soft X-ray emission spectra in the CK and BK regions of B-diamonds using synchrotron radiation at the Advanced Light Source (ALS). X-ray spectral analyses using the fingerprint method and molecular orbital calculations confirm that boron atoms in CVD-B-diamond substitute for carbon atoms in the diamond lattice to form covalent B-C bonds, while boron atoms in HPT-B-diamond react with the impurity nitrogen atoms to form hexagonal boron nitride. This suggests that the high purity diamond without nitrogen impurities is necessary to synthesize p-type B-diamond semiconductors.

Typically 123I-MIBG is used for the study of innervation andfunction of the sympathetic nervous system in heart failure. The protocolinvolves two studies: first a planar or SPECT scan is performed tomeasure initial uptake of the tracer, followed some 3-4 hours later byanother study measuring the wash-out of the tracer from the heart. A fastwash-out is indicative of a compromised heart. In this work, a dual headpinhole SPECT system was used for imaging the distribution and kineticsof 123I-MIBG in the myocardium of spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHR) andnormotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats. The system geometry was calibratedbased on a nonlinear point projection fitting method using a three-pointsource phantom. The angle variation effect of the parameters was modeledwith a sinusoidal function. A dynamic acquisition was performed byinjecting 123I-MIBG into rats immediately after starting the dataacquisition. The detectors rotated continuously performing a 360o dataacquisition every 90 seconds. We applied the factor analysis (FA)methodand region of interest (ROI) sampling method to obtain time activitycurves (TACs)in the blood pool and myocardium and then appliedtwo-compartment modeling to estimate the kinetic parameters. Since theinitial injection bolus is too fast for obtaining a consistenttomographic data set in the first few minutes of the study, we appliedthe FA method directly …

Management of tritium inventory remains one of the grand challenges in the development of fusion energy and the choice of plasma-facing materials is a key factor for in-vessel tritium retention. The Atomic and Molecular Data Unit of the International Atomic Energy Agency organized a Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on the overall topic of tritium inventory in fusion reactors during the period 2001-2006. This dealt with hydrogenic retention in ITER's plasma-facing materials, Be, C, W, and in compounds (mixed materials) of these elements as well as tritium removal techniques. The results of the CRP are summarized in this article together with recommendations for ITER. Basic parameters of diffusivity, solubility and trapping in Be, C and W are reviewed. For Be, the development of open porosity can account for transient hydrogenic pumping but long term retention will be dominated by codeposition. Codeposition is also the dominant retention mechanism for carbon and remains a serious concern for both Be and C containing layers. Hydrogenic trapping in unirradiated tungsten is low but will increase with ion and neutron damage. Mixed materials will be formed in a tokamak and these can also retain significant amounts of hydrogen isotopes. Oxidative and photon-based techniques for detritiation of …

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In September and October 2001, contaminated letters laced with Bacillus anthracis were sent through the mail to two U.S. senators and members of the media. Postal facilities in New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere became heavily contaminated. The anthrax incidents highlighted major gaps in civilian preparedness to detect anthrax contamination in buildings. GAO was asked to describe and assess federal agencies' activities to detect anthrax in postal facilities, assess the results of agencies' testing, and assess whether agencies' detection activities were validated."

This report is categorized into six categories: (I) What is Avian Influenza?, (II) Status of Avian Influenza Outbreaks, (III) Transmission, (IV) Control, (V) Economic Impacts, and (VI) Legislative Actions.

This report provides an overview of the congressional interests in carbon sequestration.

This report presents a side-by-side comparison of the major provisions of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, and includes a glossary of common terms.

We investigate the local electronic structure in aqueous NiCl{sub 2} electrolytes by Ni L edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy. The experimental findings are interpreted in conjunction with multiplet calculations of the electronic structure and the resulting spectral shape. In contrast to the situation in the solid, the electronic structure in the electrolyte reflects the absence of direct contact Ni-Cl ion pairs. We observe a systematic change of the intensity ratio of singlet and triplet-related spectral features as a function of electrolyte concentration. These changes can be described theoretically by a changed weight of transition matrix contributions with different symmetry. We interpret these findings as being due to progressive distortions of the local symmetry induced by solvent-shared ion pairs.

Accidental or terrorist releases of hazardous materials into the atmosphere can impact large populations and cause significant loss of life or property damage. Plume predictions have been shown to be extremely valuable in guiding an effective and timely response. The two greatest sources of uncertainty in the prediction of the consequences of hazardous atmospheric releases result from poorly characterized source terms and lack of knowledge about the state of the atmosphere as reflected in the available meteorological data. We have developed a new event reconstruction methodology that provides probabilistic source term estimates from field measurement data for both accidental and clandestine releases. Accurate plume dispersion prediction requires the following questions to be answered: What was released? When was it released? How much material was released? Where was it released? We have developed a dynamic-data-driven event reconstruction capability that couples data and predictive methods through Bayesian inference to obtain a solution to this inverse problem. The solution consists of a probability distribution of unknown source term parameters. For consequence assessment, we then use this probability distribution to construct a 'composite' forward plume prediction that accounts for the uncertainties in the source term. Since in most cases of practical significance it is …

We present a new sample of 4634 eclipsing binary stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), expanding on a previous sample of 611 objects and a new sample of 1509 eclipsing binary stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), that were identified in the light curve database of the MACHO project. We perform a cross correlation with the OGLE-II LMC sample, finding 1236 matches. A cross correlation with the OGLE-II SMC sample finds 698 matches. We then compare the LMC subsamples corresponding to center and the periphery of the LMC and find only minor differences between the two populations. These samples are sufficiently large and complete that statistical studies of the binary star populations are possible.

This report provides an overview of Egyptian politics and current issues in U.S.- Egyptian relations. It briefly provides a political history of modern Egypt, an overview of its political institutions, and a discussion of the prospects for democratization in Egypt. U.S.-Egyptian relations are complex and multi-faceted, and this report addresses the following current topics: the Arab-Israeli peace process, Iraq, terrorism, democratization and reform, human rights, trade, and military cooperation.

None

This report summarizes the subsidies that are available for about 25 agricultural commodities representing about one-third of gross farm sales.

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This is GAO's third report since the September 11 terrorist attacks that assesses progress that market participants and regulators have made to ensure the security and resiliency of our securities markets. This report examined (1) actions taken to improve the markets' capabilities to prevent and recover from attacks; (2) actions taken to improve disaster response and increase telecommunications resiliency; and (3) financial regulators' efforts to ensure market resiliency. GAO inspected physical and electronic security measures and business continuity capabilities using regulatory, government, and industry-established criteria and discussed improvement efforts with broker dealers, banks, regulators, telecommunications carriers, and trade associations."

This report discusses the evolution of the G8 and possible reform as background for the meeting

None

The overall objective of this grant is to develop a rational framework for the discovery of low cost, robust, and active nano-catalysts that will enable efficient hydrogen production. Our approach will be the first demonstration of integrated multiscale model, nano-catalyst synthesis, and nanoscale characterization assisted high throughput experimentation (HTE). We will initially demonstrate our approach with ammonia decomposition on noble metal catalysts. Our research focuses on many elements of the Hydrogen Initiative in the Focus Area of “Design of Catalysts at the Nanoscale’. It combines high-throughput screening methods with various nanostructure synthesis protocols, advanced measurements, novel in situ and ex situ characterization techniques, and multiscale theory, modeling and simulation. This project directly addresses several of the long-term goals of the DOE/BES program. In particular, new nanoscale catalytic materials will be synthesized, characterized and modeled for the production of hydrogen from ammonia and a computational framework will be developed for efficient extraction of information from experimental data and for rational design of catalysts whose impact goes well beyond the proposed hydrogen production project. In the first year of the grant, we have carried out HTE screening using a 16 parallel microreactor coupled with an FTIR analysis system. We screened nearly twenty …

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The federal government is accountable for how its agencies and grantees spend hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars and is responsible for safeguarding those funds against improper payments as well as for recouping those funds when improper payments occur. The Congress enacted the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 (IPIA) and the Recovery Auditing Act to address these issues. Fiscal year 2006 marked the 3rd year that agencies were required to report improper payment and recovery audit information in their Performance and Accountability Reports. GAO was asked to testify on the progress agencies have made in these areas. Specifically, GAO focused on (1) trends in agencies' reporting under IPIA from fiscal years 2004 through 2006, (2) challenges in reporting improper payment information and improving internal control, and (3) agencies' reporting of recovery auditing efforts. This testimony is based on GAO's previous reports on agencies' efforts to implement IPIA requirements for fiscal years 2005 and 2004 and current review of available fiscal year 2006 improper payment and recovery auditing information. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) provided technical comments that were incorporated as appropriate."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The skies over America are becoming more crowded every day. The consensus of opinion is that the current system cannot be expanded to meet projected growth. In 2003, recognizing the need for system transformation, Congress authorized the creation of the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO), housed within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), to lead a collaborative effort of federal and nonfederal aviation stakeholders to conceptualize and plan the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen)--a fundamental redesign and modernization of the national airspace system. JPDO operates in conjunction with its partner agencies, which include FAA; the Departments of Transportation, Commerce, Defense, and Homeland Security; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. GAO's testimony focuses on the progress that JPDO has made in planning the NextGen initiative and some key issues and challenges that JPDO continues to face. This statement is based on GAO's November 2006 report to this subcommittee as well as ongoing work. In our November 2006 report, we recommended that JPDO take actions to institutionalize its collaboration and determine if it had the involvement of all …

A detailed spectral model has been developed for the computer simulation of the 2p {yields} 1s K{alpha} X-ray emission from highly charged Fe ions in the Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT). The spectral features of interest occur in the range from 1.84 {angstrom} to 1.94 {angstrom}. The fundamental radiative emission processes associated with radiationless electron capture or dielectronic recombination, inner-shell electron collisional excitation, and inner-shell electron collisional ionization are taken in account. For comparison, spectral observations and simulations for high-temperature magnetic-fusion (Tokamak) plasmas are reviewed. In these plasmas, small departures from steady-state corona-model charge-state distributions can occur due to ion transport processes, while the assumption of equilibrium (Maxwellian) electron energy distributions is expected to be valid. Our investigations for EBIT have been directed at the identification of spectral features that can serve as diagnostics of extreme non-equilibrium or transient-ionization conditions, and allowance has been made for general (non-Maxwellian) electron energy distributions. For the precise interpretation of the high-resolution X-ray observations, which may involve the analysis of blended spectral features composed of many lines, it has been necessary to take into account the multitude of individual fine-structure components of the K{alpha} radiative transitions in the ions from Fe XVIII to Fe …

The Department of Defense (DOD) and each of the military services have established new programs to care for the severely disabled, ensuring rehabilitative assistance and easing the transition back to civilian life. Congress has followed these initiatives with interest and recently directed DOD to develop policies and procedures to standardize these programs. This report examines the background for the new initiatives and provides a status of each program, including contact information.

The primary purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of hydrogen peroxide in combination with ultra-violet (UV) light for the reduction in the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) released into the environment during wood drying in sawmill kilns. As originally envisioned the scope of work included the optimization of reaction parameters i.e. pH, peroxide concentration, UV light intensity that would lead to successful destruction of VOC’s. The second phase involved development of a prototypical reactor that could be taken to a sawmill kiln for demonstration of treatment of a slipstream. However, after some of our initial experiments, we were forced to limit ourselves to more modest testing and development. During the project period we designed and constructed a small-scale reactor that was connected to the off-gas from a small wood drying kiln located at the Forest Products Lab at Mississippi State University. We ran a number of tests where we varied the process parameters (peroxide concentration, pH and UV light intensity) with no reasonable amount of VOC destruction. We employed a number of ways to atomize the peroxide into the kiln off-gas including using Laskin nozzles to see if that would improve the VOC …

High level waste tanks 18F and 19F have residual mounds of waste which may require removal before the tanks can be closed. Conventional slurry pump technology, previously used for waste removal and tank cleaning, has been incapable of removing theses mounds from tanks 18F and 19F. A mechanical cleaning method has been identified that is potentially capable of removing and transferring the mound material to tank 7F for incorporation in a sludge batch for eventual disposal in high level waste glass by the Defense Waste Processing Facility. The Savannah River National Laboratory has been requested to evaluate whether the material transferred from tanks 18F/19F by the mechanical cleaning technology can later be suspended in Tank 7F by conventional slurry pumps after mixing with high level waste sludge. The proposed mechanical cleaning process for removing the waste mounds from tanks 18 and 19 may utilize a high pressure water jet-eductor that creates a vacuum to mobilize solids. The high pressure jet is also used to transport the suspended solids. The jet-eductor system will be mounted on a mechanical crawler for movement around the bottom of tanks 18 and 19. Based on physical chemical property testing of the jet-eductor system processed IE-95 …