Three-dimensional laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) simulations have recently been performed to benchmark the commonly used particle-in-cell (PIC) codes VORPAL, OSIRIS, and QuickPIC. The simulations were run in parallel on over 100 processors, using parameters relevant to LWFA with ultra-short Ti-Sapphire laser pulses propagating in hydrogen gas. Both first-order and second-order particle shapes were employed. We present the results of this benchmarking exercise, and show that accelerating gradients from full PIC agree for all values of a0 and that full and reduced PIC agree well for values of a0 approaching 4.

We review the development at the Advanced Light Source (ALS) of bendable x-ray optics widely used for focusing of beams of soft and hard x-rays. Typically, the focusing is divided in the tangential and sagittal directions into two elliptically cylindrical reflecting elements, the so-called Kirkpatrick-Baez (KB) pair [1]. Because fabrication of elliptical surfaces is complicated, the cost of directly fabricated tangential elliptical cylinders is often prohibitive. This is in contrast to flat optics, that are simpler to manufacture and easier to measure by conventional interferometry. The figure of a flat substrate can be changed by placing torques (couples) at each end. Equal couples form a tangential cylinder, and unequal couples can approximate a tangential ellipse or parabola. We review the nature of the bending, requirements and approaches to the mechanical design, and describe a technique developed at the ALS Optical Metrology Laboratory (OML) for optimal tuning of bendable mirrors before installation in the beamline [2]. The tuning technique adapts a method previously used to adjust bendable mirrors on synchrotron radiation beamlines [3]. However, in our case, optimal tuning of a bendable mirror is based on surface slope trace data obtained with a slope measuring instrument--in our case, the long trace …

This report discusses the effects of Bisphenol A (BPA) on fetal and infant development, which is used to produce certain types of plastic.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is used to produce certain types of plastic. Containers made of these plastics may expose people to small amounts of BPA in food and water. Some animal experiments have found that fetal and infant development may be harmed by small amounts of BPA, but scientists disagree about the value of the animal studies for predicting harmful effects in people. This report discusses this issue and relevant legislation, as well as inquiries into studies currently underway to determine the true harm inherent in BPA and the degree to which people are regularly exposed to BPA.

This report summarizes the Boumediene decision and analyzes several of its major implications for the U.S. detention of alien enemy combatants and legislation that limits detainees' access to judicial review.

The Congressional franking privilege, which dates from 1775, allows Members of Congress to transmit mail matter under their signature without postage. Congress, through legislative branch appropriations, reimburses the U.S. Postal Service for the franked mail it handles. This report contains information on member mail allowances, regulations, and legislation in the 110th Congress as related to Congressional franking.

Compact high-energy linacs are important to applications including monochromatic gamma sources for nuclear material security applications. Recent laser wakefield accelerator experiments at LBNL demonstrated narrow energy spread beams, now with energies of up to 1 GeV in 3 cm using a plasma channel at low density. This demonstrates the production of GeV beams from devices much smaller than conventional linacs, and confirms the anticipated scaling of laser driven accelerators to GeV energies. Stable performance at 0.5 GeV was demonstrated. Experiments and simulations are in progress to control injection of particles into the wake and hence to improve beam quality and stability. Using plasma density gradients to control injection, stable beams at 1 MeV over days of operation, and with an order of magnitude lower absolute momentum spread than previously observed, have been demonstrated. New experiments are post-accelerating the beams from controlled injection experiments to increase beam quality and stability. Thomson scattering from such beams is being developed to provide collimated multi-MeV monoenergetic gamma sources for security applications from compact devices. Such sources can reduce dose to target and increase accuracy for applications including photofission and nuclear resonance fluorescence.

We present observations of SCP 06F6, an unusual optical transient discovered during the Hubble Space Telescope Cluster Supernova Survey. The transient brightened over a period of ~;;100 days, reached a peak magnitude of ~;;21.0 in both i_775 and z_850, and then declined over a similar timescale. There is no host galaxy or progenitor star detected at the location of the transient to a 3 sigma upper limit of i_775 = 26.4 and z_850 = 26.1, giving a corresponding lower limit on the flux increase of a factor of ~;;120. Multiple spectra show five broad absorption bands between 4100 AA and 6500 AA and a mostly featureless continuum longward of 6500 AA. The shape of the lightcurve is inconsistent with microlensing. The transient's spectrum, in addition to being inconsistent with all known supernova types, is not matched to any spectrum in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) database. We suggest that the transient may be one of a new class.

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) has long been challenged in implementing key information technology (IT) management controls on its thousands of business system investments. For this and other reasons, GAO has designated DOD's business systems modernization efforts as high-risk. One of the larger business system investments is the Department of the Navy's Enterprise Resource Planning (Navy ERP) program. Initiated in 2003, the program is to standardize the Navy's business processes, such as acquisition and financial management. It is being delivered in increments, the first of which is to cost about $2.4 billion over its useful life and be fully deployed in fiscal year 2013. GAO was asked to determine whether key IT management controls are being implemented on the program. To do this, GAO analyzed, for example, requirements management, economic justification, earned value management, and risk management."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO has designated the Department of Defense's (DOD) multi-billion dollar business systems modernization efforts as high risk, in part because key information technology (IT) management controls have not been implemented on key investments, such as the Navy Cash program. Initiated in 2001, Navy Cash is a joint Department of the Navy (DON) and Department of the Treasury Financial Management Service (FMS) program to create a cashless environment on ships using smart card technology, and is estimated to cost about $320 million to fully deploy. As requested, GAO analyzed whether DON is effectively implementing IT management controls on the program, including architectural alignment, economic justification, requirements development and management, risk management, security management, and system quality measurement against relevant guidance."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) has had long-standing, serious problems with its numerous military component-unique personnel and pay systems, including accurately paying its military personnel on time and monitoring and tracking them to, from, and within their duty stations. For example, in the early 1990s, Army Reserve and National Guard troops received inaccurate or late pay and benefits after serving in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. We previously reported that the lack of integration among DOD's multiple military personnel and pay systems, among other things, caused these and similar errors. To address these and other problems, in February 1998, DOD initiated a program to design and implement the Defense Integrated Military Human Resources System (DIMHRS). DIMHRS is intended to provide a joint, integrated, standardized personnel and pay system for all military components (including active and reserve components). In November 2004, DOD accepted the design of the first phase of DIMHRS for personnel and pay functions and then proceeded with development of the system. Meanwhile, as we reported in 2006, some Army Reserve and National Guard troops continued to receive inaccurate pay resulting in part from a lack …

This is the final technical/scientific report for a heavy ion research program on the PHOBOS experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

We report the discovery of five gravitationally lensed quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). All five systems are selected as two-image lensed quasar candidates from a sample of high-redshift (z > 2.2) SDSS quasars. We confirmed their lensing nature with additional imaging and spectroscopic observations. The new systems are SDSS J0819+5356 (source redshift z{sub s} = 2.237, lens redshift z{sub l} = 0.294, and image separation {theta} = 4.04 inch), SDSS J1254+2235 (z{sub s} = 3.626, {theta} = 1.56 inch), SDSS J1258+1657 (z{sub s} = 2.702, {theta} = 1.28 inch), SDSS J1339+1310 (z{sub s} = 2.243, {theta} = 1.69 cin), and SDSS J1400+3134 (z{sub s} = 3.317, {theta} = 1.74 inch). We estimate the lens redshifts of the latter four systems to be z{sub l} = 0.4-0.6 from the colors and magnitudes of the lensing galaxies. We find that the image configurations of all systems are well reproduced by standard mass models. Although these lenses will not be included in our statistical sample of z{sub s} < 2.2 lenses, they expand the number of lensed quasars which can be used for high-redshift galaxy and quasar studies.

This report discusses the overview and issues of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Agency.

This report discusses controversy regarding the franking privilege, which allows Members of Congress to transmit mail matter under their signature without postage. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the franking privilege served a fundamental democratic role, allowing Members of Congress to convey information to their constituents about the operations of government and policy matters before Congress. Conversely, it also provided a mechanism for citizens to communicate their feelings and concerns to Members (prior to 1873, Members could both send and receive mail under the frank).

This report, after analyzing factors that have contributed to high gasoline prices, describes the major legislative initiatives and discusses the issues involved.

This report begins with a brief overview of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), its organization into various titles, and the major programs and program requirements specified under each title. It then identifies and describes selected amendments made to the HEA and other laws by the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA).

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In February 2008, GAO released a report entitled Highway Public-Private Partnerships: More Rigorous Up-Front Analysis Could Better Secure Potential Benefits and Protect the Public Interest (GAO-08-44) that reviewed: (1) the benefits, costs, and trade-offs of highway public-private partnerships; (2) how public officials have identified and acted to protect the public interest in these arrangements; and (3) the federal role in highway public-private partnerships and potential changes in this role. The enclosed statement discusses these issues."

The chemical and electronic surface structure of ZnO:Zn3N2 ("ZnO:N") thin films with different N contents was investigated by soft x-ray emission spectroscopy. Upon exposure to ambient air (in contrast to storage in vacuum), the chemical and electronic surface structure of the ZnO:N films changes substantially. In particular, we find that the Zn3N2/(Zn3N2+ZnO) ratio decreases with exposure time and that this change depends on the initial N content. We suggest a degradation mechanism based on the reaction of the Zn3N2 content with atmospheric humidity.

This report discusses the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) as it applies to projects for which federal funding to recover from or prepare for a disaster has been requested by local, tribal, or state grant applicants. Specifically, the report provides an overview of the NEPA process as it applies to such projects, identifies the types of projects (categorized by federal funding source) likely to require environmental review, and delineates the types of projects for which no or minimal environmental review is required (i.e., those for which statutory or regulatory exemptions apply) and those likely to require more in-depth review.

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This report discusses issues related to peace in the Middle East, including post-Gulf War negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon; U.S. interest in these and continuing negotiations and peacetalks between Middle Eastern countries; and the role of the U.S., the U.N., the European Union, and Russia in Middle Eastern relations.

Simulation of laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA) experiments is computationally intensive due to the disparate length scales involved. Current experiments extend hundreds of laser wavelengths transversely and many thousands in the propagation direction, making explicit PIC simulations enormously expensive and requiring massively parallel execution in 3D. We can substantially improve the performance of laser wakefield simulations by modeling the envelope modulation of the laser field rather than the field itself. This allows for much coarser grids, since we need only resolve the plasma wavelength and not the laser wavelength, and therefore larger timesteps. Thus an envelope model can result in savings of several orders of magnitude in computational resources. By propagating the laser envelope in a frame moving at the speed of light, dispersive errors can be avoided and simulations over long distances become possible. Here we describe the model and its implementation, and show simulations and benchmarking of laser wakefield phenomena such as channel propagation, self-focusing, wakefield generation, and downramp injection using the model.