This report discusses the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which is a block grant program under which the federal government provides states annual grants to operate multi-component home energy assistance programs for needy households.

Abstract: The technical objective in Phase I was to enhance the detection limit of beryllium using fluorescence system by a minimum factor of 10. This was to be achieved by modifying the chemistry and instrumentation. Both of these were completed independently. In each case we were able to lower the detection limit as desired. The objectives in Phase II are to adapt these changes for commercial activity (chemicals and instrument changes including automation).

The goal of this project has been to develop a lossless compression algorithm for message-passing libraries that can accelerate HPC systems by reducing the communication time. Because both compression and decompression have to be performed in software in real time, the algorithm has to be extremely fast while still delivering a good compression ratio. During the first half of this project, they designed a new compression algorithm called FPC for scientific double-precision data, made the source code available on the web, and published two papers describing its operation, the first in the proceedings of the Data Compression Conference and the second in the IEEE Transactions on Computers. At comparable average compression ratios, this algorithm compresses and decompresses 10 to 100 times faster than BZIP2, DFCM, FSD, GZIP, and PLMI on the three architectures tested. With prediction tables that fit into the CPU's L1 data acache, FPC delivers a guaranteed throughput of six gigabits per second on a 1.6 GHz Itanium 2 system. The C source code and documentation of FPC are posted on-line and have already been downloaded hundreds of times. To evaluate FPC, they gathered 13 real-world scientific datasets from around the globe, including satellite data, crash-simulation data, and …

One of the main tasks within the Aviation Performance Measurement System (APMS) program uses statistical methodologies to find atypical flights. With thousands of flights a day and hundreds of parameters being recorded every second for each flight, the amount of data escalates and the ability to find atypical flights becomes more difficult. The purpose of this paper is to explain the method known as single value decomposition (SVD) employed to search for the atypical flights and display useful graphics that facilitate understanding the causes of atypicality for these flights. Other methods could also perform this search and some are planned for future implementation.

We propose a new Monte Carlo method to study extended X-ray sources with the European Photon Imaging Camera (EPIC) aboard XMM Newton. The Smoothed Particle Inference (SPI) technique, described in a companion paper, is applied here to the EPIC data for the clusters of galaxies Abell 1689, Centaurus and RXJ 0658-55 (the ''bullet cluster''). We aim to show the advantages of this method of simultaneous spectral-spatial modeling over traditional X-ray spectral analysis. In Abell 1689 we confirm our earlier findings about structure in temperature distribution and produce a high resolution temperature map. We also confirm our findings about velocity structure within the gas. In the bullet cluster, RXJ 0658-55, we produce the highest resolution temperature map ever to be published of this cluster allowing us to trace what looks like the motion of the bullet in the cluster. We even detect a south to north temperature gradient within the bullet itself. In the Centaurus cluster we detect, by dividing up the luminosity of the cluster in bands of gas temperatures, a striking feature to the north-east of the cluster core. We hypothesize that this feature is caused by a subcluster left over from a substantial merger that slightly displaced the …

Ionization cooling requires low-Z energy absorbers immersed in a strong magnetic field and high-gradient, large-aperture RF cavities to be able to cool a muon beam as quickly as the short muon lifetime requires. RF cavities that operate in vacuum are vulnerable to dark-current- generated breakdown, which is exacerbated by strong magnetic fields, and they require extra safety windows that degrade cooling, to separate RF regions from hydrogen energy absorbers. RF cavities pressurized with dense hydrogen gas will be developed that use the same gas volume to provide the energy absorber and the RF acceleration needed for ionization cooling. The breakdown suppression by the dense gas will allow the cavities to operate in strong magnetic fields. Measurements of the operation of such a cavity will be made as functions of external magnetic field and charged particle beam intensity and compared with models to understand the characteristics of this technology and to develop mitigating strategies if necessary.

The UM Industrial Assessment Center assisted 119 primary metals, automotive parts, metal casting, chemicals, forest products, agricultural, and glass manufacturers in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana to become more productive and profitable by identifying and recommending specific measures to improve energy efficiency, reduce waste and increase productivity. This directly benefits the environment by saving a total of 309,194 MMBtu of energy resulting in reduction of 0.004 metric tons of carbon emissions. The $4,618,740 implemented cost savings generated also saves jobs that are evaporating from the manufacturing industries in the US. Most importantly, the UM Industrial Assessment Center provided extremely valuable energy education to forty one UM graduate and undergraduate students. The practical experience complements their classroom education. This also has a large multiplier effect because the students take the knowledge and training with them.

We present a search for the decay B{sup +} {yields} {ell}{sup +} {nu}{sub {ell}} ({ell} = {tau}, {mu}, or e) in (458.9 {+-} 5.1) x 10{sup 6} {Upsilon}(4S) decays recorded with the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-IIB-Factory. A sample of events with one reconstructed exclusive semi-leptonic B decay (B{sup -} {yields} D{sup 0} {ell}{sup -}{bar {nu}}X) is selected, and in the recoil a search for B{sup +} {yields} {ell}{sup +}{nu}{sub {ell}} signal is performed. The {tau} is identified in the following channels: {tau}{sup +} {yields} e{sup +}{nu}{sub e}{nu}{sub {tau}}, {tau}{sup +} {yields} {mu}{sup +}{nu}{sub {mu}}{nu}{sub {tau}}, {tau}{sup +} {yields} {pi}{sup +}{nu}{sub {tau}}, and {tau}{sup +} {yields} {pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup 0}{nu}{sub {tau}}. The analysis strategy and the statistical procedure is set up for branching fraction extraction or upper limit determination. We determine from the dataset a preliminary measurement of {Beta}(B{sup +} {yields} {tau}{sup +}{nu}{sub {tau}}) = (1.8 {+-} 0.8 {+-} 0.1) x 10{sup -4}, which excludes zero at 2.4{sigma}, and f{sub B} = 230 {+-} 57 MeV. Combination with the hadronically tagged measurement yields {Beta}(B{sup +} {yields} e{sup +}{nu}{sub e}) = (1.8 {+-} 0.6) x 10{sup -4}. We also set preliminary limits on the branching fractions at {Beta}(B{sup +} {yields} e{sup …

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This paper analyzes the scalability limitations of networking technologies based on the Virtual Interface Architecture (VIA) in supporting the runtime environment needed for an implementation of the Message Passing Interface. The authors present an overview of the important characteristics of VIA and an overview of the runtime system being developed as part of the Computational Plant (Cplant) project at Sandia National Laboratories. They discuss the characteristics of VIA that prevent implementations based on this system to meet the scalability and performance requirements of Cplant.

This document addresses the remote systems and design integration aspects of the development of the Solid Waste Processing Center (SWPC), a facility to remotely open, sort, size reduce, and repackage mixed low-level waste (MLLW) and transuranic (TRU)/TRU mixed waste that is either contact-handled (CH) waste in large containers or remote-handled (RH) waste in various-sized packages.

On April 10, 2003, the House passed comprehensive energy legislation, H.R. 6 (247- 175). The bill was a composite of four measures – H.R. 39, reported from the House Committee on Resources, H.R. 238, marked up by the House Science Committee, H.R. 1531, reported from Ways and Means, and an unnumbered bill reported out of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Unlike comprehensive energy legislation (H.R. 4) debated in the 107th Congress, H.R. 6 includes a section on electricity which has stirred some controversy. H.R. 6 would provide authorization for exploration and development of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

This volume combines the record of events relating to the development of design for both the 200-F and H Areas. Chronologically, the definition of plant facilities was first established for the 200-F Area. The second area, 200-H, was projected initially to be a supplementary plutonium separations facility. This history explains the differences in character and capacity of the manufacturing facilities in both areas as production requirements and experience with separations processes advanced.

The objective of this paper is to confirm the slow-axis loss of less than 0.1 dB/m for the PZ fiber manufactured for LLNL by 3M and to provide samples of the fiber to CEA/Thomson that will permit them to readily verify this result.

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Experimental tests have been undertaken to determine safe levels of laser exposure on bare high explosive (HE) samples and on common metals used in intimate contact with HE. Laser light is often focused on bare HE and upon metals in contact with HE during alignment procedures and experimental metrology experiments. This paper looks at effects caused by focusing laser beams at high energy densities directly onto the surface of various bare HE samples. Laser energy densities (fluence) exceeding 19 kilowatts/cm{sup 2} using a 5-milliwatt, 670 nm, cw laser diode were generated by focusing the laser down to a spot size diameter of 4 microns. Upon careful inspection, no laser damage was observed in any of the HE samples illuminated at this fluence level. Direct laser exposure of metals directly contacting HE surfaces was also tested. Laser energy densities (fluence) varying from 188 Watts/cm{sup 2} to 12.7 KW/cm{sup 2} were generated using an 11-Watt, 532 nm frequency-doubled Nd:YAG cw laser with focal spot size diameters as small as 100 microns. These measurements look at the temperature rise of the surface of the metal in contact with HE when laser energy is incident on the opposite side of the metal. The temperature …

This report contains the status and proposals of the director of national intelligence statutory authorities.

This report discusses the "discharge rule" of the House of Representatives, which provides a means by which a majority of Members may bring to the floor for consideration a measure that has not been reported from committee.

The discharge rule of the House of Representatives affords a way for Members to bring to the floor a measure not reported from committee. Before a motion to discharge may be made, 218 Members must sign a petition for that purpose. This report provides summary data on discharge petitions filed since adoption of the present form of discharge rule in 1931. It also identifies the 32 occasions since 1967 on which a committee report or floor action occurred on a measure against which a petition was filed (or an alternative measure on the same subject).

We describe an approach used for implementing a highly efficient and scalable method for direct volume rendering. Our approach uses a pipelined-parallel decomposition composed of parallel computers and commodity desktop hardware. With our approach, desktop interactivity is divorced from the latency inherent in network-based applications.

Pulsed lasers offer the capability of rapid material removal. Here we present simulations of steel coupon tests by two solid state heat capacity lasers built at LLNL. Operating at 1.05 pm, these deliver pulse energies of about 80 J at 10 Hz, and about 500 J at 20 Hz. Each is flashlamp-pumped. The first laser was tested at LLNL, while the second laser has been delivered to HELSTF, White Sands Missile Range. Liquid ejection appears to be an important removal mechanism. We have modeled these experiments via a time-dependent code called THALES, which describes heat transport, melting, vaporization, and the hydrodynamics of liquid, vapor, and air. It was previously used, in a less advanced form, to model drilling by copper vapor lasers [1] . It was also used to model vaporization in beam dumps for a high-power laser [2]. The basic model is in 1D, while the liquid hydrodynamics is handled in 2D.

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Self-assembled monolayers (SAMS) are commonly produced by immersing substrates in organic solutions containing trichlorosilane coupling agents. Unfortunately, such deposition solutions can also form alternate structures including inverse micelles and lamellar phases. The formation of alternate phases is one reason for the sensitivity of SAM depositions to factors such as the water content of the deposition solvent. If such phases are present, the performance of thin films used for applications such as minimization of friction and stiction in micromachines can be seriously compromised. Inverse micelle formation has been studied in detail for depositions involve 1H-, 1H-, 2H-, 2H-perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane (FDTS) in isooctane. Nuclear magnetic resonance experiments have been used to monitor the kinetics of hydrolysis and condensation reactions between water and FDTS. Light scattering experiments show that when hydrolyzed FDTS concentrations reach a critical concentration, there is a burst of nucleation to form high concentrations of spherical agglomerates. Atomic force microscopy results show that the agglomerates then deposit on substrate surfaces. Deposition conditions leading to monolayer formation involve using deposition times that are short relative to the induction time for agglomeration. After deposition, inverse micelles can be converted into lamellar or monolayer structures with appropriate heat treatments if surface concentrations are relatively …