Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the United Mine Workers of America Combined Benefit Fund."

Superior Graphite Company and the US Department of Energy have entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) to study the application of ceramic barrier filters at its Hopkinsville, Kentucky graphite plant. Superior Graphite Company is a worldwide leader in the application of advanced thermal processing technology to produce high purity graphite and carbons. The objective of the CRADA is to determine the technical and economic feasibility of incorporating the use of high-temperature filters to improve the performance of the offgas treatment system. A conceptual design was developed incorporating the ceramic filters into the offgas treatment system to be used for the development of a capital cost estimate and economic feasibility assessment of this technology for improving particulate removal. This CRADA is a joint effort of Superior Graphite Company, Parsons Infrastructure and Technology Group, and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) of the US Department of Energy (DOE).

Appropriations are one part of a complex federal budget process that includes budget resolutions, appropriations (regular, supplemental, and continuing) bills, rescissions, and budget reconciliation bills. This report is a guide to one of the 13 regular appropriations bills that Congress passes each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Agriculture Appropriations.

A novel 1,2-ethanediol, bis(hydrogen sulfate), disodium salt precursor-based solid acid catalyst with a zirconia substrate was synthesized and demonstrated to have significantly enhanced activity and high selectivity in producing methyl isobutyl ether (MIBE) or isobutene from methanol-isobutanol mixtures. The precursor salt was synthesized and provided by Dr. T. H. Kalantar of the M.E. Pruitt Research Center, Dow Chemical Co., Midland, MI 48674. Molecular modeling of the catalyst synthesis steps and of the alcohol coupling reaction is being carried out. A representation of the methyl transfer from the surface activated methanol molecule (left) to the activated oxygen of the isobutanol molecule (right) to form an ether linkage to yield MIBE is shown.

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Oxidation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) by aqueous nitric acid at high temperature and pressure gives 2,4,6-trinitrobenzoic acid (TNBA) and other valuable products, such as 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene (TNB). Optimization of the kinetics proved to be critical for the selective oxidation of the methyl group. High yield of a desired product can be obtained only under a narrow range of conditions. Thus, the best yield (70 to 75%) of TNBA was achieved at a 35 to 45% conversion of TNT (80% nitric acid, 194 C, 20 min), whereas the decarboxylation product (TNB) was the major component of the reaction mixture after a 50-min reaction. Subsequent separation of TNBA was achieved by selective extraction with aqueous bicarbonate. Practical technology development steps for a continuous mode of operation leading to the chief products are also discussed. This technology can use commercial raw trotyl and trotyl from discharged ammunition as the starting material. The latter could be of particular importance for the conversion program aimed at the utilization of ammunition supplies.

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Defenses (DOD) health care system in Europe and the Pacific, focusing on: (1) what DOD health care resources are available in Europe and the Pacific and what is their cost; (2) how does DOD integrate host nation care into its military health care system; (3) how does DOD ensure the quality of such care; (4) whether beneficiaries have adequate access to medical care; and (5) whether beneficiaries encounter obstacles when obtaining healthcare."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the status and basis for the Department of Defense's (DOD) defense cooperation initiatives, focusing on the : (1) data and analysis supporting the 47 initiatives; and (2) likelihood that the initiatives will achieve DOD's desired outcomes."

The force exerted on the rotor by an active magnetic bearing (AMB) is determined by the current flow in the magnet coils. This force can be controlled very precisely, making magnetic bearings a potential benefit for grinding, where cutting forces act as external disturbances on the shaft, resulting in degraded part finish. It is possible to achieve precise shaft positioning, reduce vibration of the shaft caused by external disturbances, and even damp out resonant modes. Adaptive control is an appealing approach for these systems because the controller can tune itself to account for an unknown periodic disturbance, such as cutting or grinding forces, injected into the system. In this paper the authors show how one adaptive control algorithm can be applied to an AMB system with a periodic disturbance applied to the rotor. An adaptive algorithm was developed and implemented in both simulation and hardware, yielding significant reductions in rotor displacement in the presence of an external excitation. Ultimately, this type of algorithm could be applied to a magnetic bearing grinder to reduce unwanted motion of the spindle which leads to poor part finish and chatter.

With funding from the DOE National Biofuels Program, NREL has constructed a fermentation pilot plant facility. The plant was explicitly designed to assist industry and outside researchers develop commercial bioprocessing technology. Companies that are exploring biofuels technologies can utilize the facilities and expertise of NREL through a variety of flexible business-venture arrangements.

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the amounts of funding available and expended for implementing the states' drinking water programs, focusing on: (1) how the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) budget requests for the states' implementation of their drinking water programs compare with the amounts authorized and estimated to be needed; (2) how much the states have spent since the passage of the 1996 amendments to implement these programs and how the expenditures compare with the estimated needs; (3) what effects federal funding levels have had, and may have in the future, on the states' ability to implement their programs; and (4) what existing practices have the potential to help the states implement their drinking water programs more effectively and efficiently."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request GAO compared the Department of Education's Longitudinal Evaluation of School Change and Performance Plan (LESCP) to its previous assessment program, the Prospect Study, focusing on: (1) the purpose of each study and how these purposes relate to the needs of policymakers and educators; (2) the process used to design and implement the studies, including obtaining feedback from review panels and releasing the results to Congress and the public ; and (3) the studies' strengths and limitations in light of their purposes and determine the effect these strengths and limitations have on the conclusions that can be drawn from the data."

The major consumer electronics in U.S. homes accounted for over 10 percent of U.S. residential electricity consumption, which is comparable to the electricity consumed by refrigerators or lighting. We attribute 3.6 percent to video products, 3.3 percent to home office equipment, and 1.8 percent to audio products. Televisions use more energy than any other single product category, but computer energy use now ranks second and is likely to continue growing. In all, consumer electronics consumed 110 THw in the U.S. in 1999, over 60 percent of which was consumed while the products were not in use.

The biotechnology industry is notable both for its heavy concentration of small businesses and its weighty research and development (R&D) expenditures. Given the small size and heavy expenses of many biotechnology firms, their ability to raise venture capital may be of some consequence. The patent law has been identified as a facilitator of these R&D financing efforts. Congress may choose to exercise oversight on these issues. Such consideration would likely include examination of U.S. commitments in international agreements along with other factors.

A burst of x rays and vaporized debris from high yield targets can damage the final optics in laser inertial fusion energy (IFE) power plants and in laboratory experimental facilities such as the National Ignition Facility (NIF) or Laser MegaJoule (LMJ). Noble gases such as Xe or Kr have been proposed to protect final optics from target-produced x rays and debris. Some problems with the use of such ambient gas fills are the large amount of gas involved, heat transfer to a cryogenic target, potential resonant reradiation of x rays absorbed, and a nonuniform index of refraction due to turbulence interfering with the focusing of laser light. Also the fast igniter laser intensity may be too great for propagation through an ambient gas. We propose to provide the gas in the form of many small closely spaced liquid droplets injected in front of the optics. In the case of NIF, the droplets would be injected only when needed just before a high yield shot. The laser light that is absorbed will cause evaporation of the liquid and spreading of this gas. The liquid droplets intercept only {approx}5% of the laser light allowing {approx}95% to pass through to the target. The …

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Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) performance reports on its science programs, focusing on: (1) whether EPA links science issues in its performance report for fiscal year (FY) 1999 with performance plans for fiscal years 2000 and 2001 and whether the agency's funding request for FY 2001 is linked to specific science activities in its performance plan for that year; (2) whether EPA's performance plan for FY 2001 addresses weaknesses in the agency's science program that GAO previously identified; and (3) the extent to which EPA's draft strategic plan for fiscal years 2000-2005, complies with the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993 requirements."

Summary sheet describing the findings of an internal audit by the Texas Department of Health regarding the contract development system, including findings and recommendations.

The 200 Area State-Approved Land Disposal Site (SALDS) is a drainfield which receives treated wastewater, occasionally containing high levels of tritium from treatment of Hanford Site liquid wastes. Only the SALDS proximal wells (699-48-77A, 699-48-77C, and 699-48-77D) have been affected by tritium from the facility thus far; the highest activity observed (2.1E+6 pCi/L) occurred in well 699-48-77D in February 1998. Analytical results of groundwater geochemistry since groundwater monitoring began at the SALDS indicate that all constituents with permit enforcement limits have been below those limits with the exception of one measurement of total dissolved solids (TDS) in 1996. The revised groundwater monitoring sampling and analysis plan eliminates chloroform, acetone, tetrahydrofuran, benzene, and ammonia as constituents. Replicate field measurements will replace laboratory measurements of pH for compliance purposes. A deep companion well to well 699-51-75 will be monitored for tritium deeper in the uppermost aquifer.

The 200 Area State-Approved Land Disposal Site (SALDS) is a drainfield which receives treated wastewater, occasionally containing tritium from treatment of Hanford Site liquid wastes at the 200 Area Effluent Treatment Facility (ETF). Since operation of the SALDS began in December 1995, discharges of tritium have totaled {approx}304 Ci, only half of what was originally predicted for tritium quantity through 1999. Total discharge volumes ({approx}2.7E+8 L) have been commensurate with predicted volumes to date. This document reports the results of all tritium analyses in groundwater as determined from the SALDS tritium-tracking network since the first SALDS wells were installed in 1992 through July 1999, and provides interpretation of these results as they relate to SALDS operation and its effect on groundwater. Hydrologic and geochemical information are synthesized to derive a conceptual model, which is in turn used to arrive at an appropriate approach to continued groundwater monitoring at the facility.

The data base is an annotated bibliography of technology evaluations and demonstrations conducted in previous years by the Hanford Tank Initiative (HTI) and the Acquire Commercial Technology for Retrieval (ACTR) programs.

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) efforts to remove barriers to hazardous waste cleanup, focusing on: (1) cleanups of remediation waste at sites subject to the three Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) requirements; and (2) the management factors that had slowed the pace of cleanups under the corrective action program in particular."

The objective of Modeling for Airborne Contamination (referred to from now on as ''this report'') is to provide a documented methodology, along with supporting information, for estimating the release, transport, and assessment of dose to workers from airborne radioactive contaminants within the Monitored Geologic Repository (MGR) subsurface during the pre-closure period. Specifically, this report provides engineers and scientists with methodologies for estimating how concentrations of contaminants might be distributed in the air and on the drift surfaces if released from waste packages inside the repository. This report also provides dose conversion factors for inhalation, air submersion, and ground exposure pathways used to derive doses to potentially exposed subsurface workers. The scope of this report is limited to radiological contaminants (particulate, volatile and gaseous) resulting from waste package leaks (if any) and surface contamination and their transport processes. Neutron activation of air, dust in the air and the rock walls of the drift during the preclosure time is not considered within the scope of this report. Any neutrons causing such activation are not themselves considered to be ''contaminants'' released from the waste package. This report: (1) Documents mathematical models and model parameters for evaluating airborne contaminant transport within the MGR subsurface; …