This report addresses the Statutory Language and Recent Issues of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

This report summarizes the major provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and also discusses selected recent issues, including ten ADA Supreme Court cases.

The middle distillate fuel produced from natural gas (NG) via the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process has been proposed as a motor fuel for compression-ignition (CI) engine vehicles. FT diesel could help reduce U.S. dependence on imported oil. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is evaluating the designation of FT diesel as an alternative motor fuel under the 1992 Energy Policy Act (EPACT). As part of this evaluation, DOE has asked the Center for Transportation Research at Argonne National Laboratory to conduct an assessment of well-to-wheels (WTW) energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of FT diesel compared with conventional motor fuels (i.e., petroleum diesel). For this assessment, we applied Argonne's Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation (GREET) model to conduct WTW analysis of FT diesel and petroleum diesel. This report documents Argonne's assessment. The results are presented in Section 2. Appendix A describes the methodologies and assumptions used in the assessment.

The shock tube technique with H- and D-atom atomic resonance absorption spectrometry (ARAS) detection has been used to study the thermal decomposition of C{sub 2}D{sub 5}I and the reaction, CH{sub 3} + D'' CH{sub 2}D + H, (1) over the temperature ranges, 924-1370 K and 1294-1753 K, respectively. First-order rate constants for the thermal decomposition of C{sub 2}D{sub 5}I can be expressed by the Arrhenius equation, logk{sub C2D5I} = (10.397 {+-} 0.297) - (7700 {+-} 334 K)/T, giving k{sub C2D5I} = 2.49 x 10{sup 10} exp(-17729 K/T) s{sup -1}. The branching ratio between product channels, C{sub 2}D{sub 5} + I and C{sub 2}D{sub 4} + DI, was also determined. These results coupled with the fast decomposition of C{sub 2}D{sub 5} radicals were then used to specify [D]{sub t} in subsequent kinetics experiments with CH{sub 3} where [CH{sub 3}]{sub 0} was prepared from the concurrent thermal decomposition of CH{sub 3}I. Within experimental error, the rate constants for reaction (1) were found to be temperature independent with k{sub 1} = (2.20 {+-} 0.22) x 10{sup -10} cm{sup 3} molecule{sup -1} s{sup -1}. The present data have been combined with earlier lower temperature determinations and the joint database has been examined with unimolecular …

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In the 107th Congress, the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2001, House-passed H.R. 1699, would authorize the agency’s programs for FY2002. The report contains numerous provisions on Coast Guard operations and activities. H.R. 2481, as reported, includes certain housing and maritime safety provisions; S. 1214, as reported, would establish a seaport security program. P.L. 107-20 (H.R. 2216), the FY2001 emergency supplemental appropriations bill, increased FY2001 Coast Guard funding by $92 million.

Limit load solutions obtained by elastic-perfectly plastic finite element analysis (EPP-FEA) are compared to results of tests of low-alloy steel perforated plate geometries loaded to full plastic collapse. Results are given for two plastic-collapse tests of flat circular disks with circular penetrations arranged in a triangular pattern and drilled normal to the surface of the plate. The ligament efficiency (minimum distance between holes divided by the distance between the centers of the holes) of the pattern is 0.32 and the plate thickness is 2.39 inches (60.7 mm). The tests were designed so that a transverse load generated plastic collapse in the outer row of penetrations due to a combination of transverse shear and in-plane bending. Limit-load solutions were obtained using EPP-FEA with small-strain, small-defection linear geometry assumptions. Two FEA models are used: one where the perforated region is modeled using an equivent solid plate (EQS) representation and another where each hole is explicitly modeled by FEA. The results presented in this paper demonstrate that the deformation patterns produced by the EPP-FEA solutions match exactly with the deformation patterns produced by the test. The EQS-EPP FEA solution is about 15% lower than the explicit-hole EPP-FEA solution. Using one-third the actual ultimate …

A detailed chemical kinetic reaction mechanism is developed to describe incineration of the chemical warfare nerve agent sarin (GB), based on commonly used principles of bond additivity and hierarchical reaction mechanisms. The mechanism is based on previous kinetic models of organophosphorus compounds such as TMP, DMMP and DIMP that are often used as surrogates to predict incineration of GB. Kinetic models of the three surrogates and GB are then used to predict their consumption in a perfectly stirred reactor fueled by natural gas to simulate incineration of these chemicals. Computed results indicate that DIMP is the only one of these surrogates that adequately describes combustion of GB under comparable conditions. The kinetic pathways responsible for these differences in reactivity are identified and discussed. The most important reaction in GB and DIMP that makes them more reactive than TMP or DMMP is found to be a six-center molecular elimination reaction producing propene.

The Engineered Barrier System (EBS) Thermal-Hydraulic-Chemical (THC) Column Tests provide data needed for model validation. The EBS Degradation, Flow, and Transport Process Modeling Report (PMR) will be based on supporting models for in-drift THC coupled processes, and the in-drift physical and chemical environment. These models describe the complex chemical interaction of EBS materials, including granular materials, with the thermal and hydrologic conditions that will be present in the repository emplacement drifts. Of particular interest are the coupled processes that result in mineral and salt dissolution/precipitation in the EBS environment. Test data are needed for thermal, hydrologic, and geochemical model validation and to support selection of introduced materials (CRWMS M&O 1999c). These column tests evaluated granular crushed tuff as potential invert ballast or backfill material, under accelerated thermal and hydrologic environments. The objectives of the THC column testing are to: (1) Characterize THC coupled processes that could affect performance of EBS components, particularly the magnitude of permeability reduction (increases or decreases), the nature of minerals produced, and chemical fractionation (i.e., concentrative separation of salts and minerals due to boiling-point elevation). (2) Generate data for validating THC predictive models that will support the EBS Degradation, Flow, and Transport PMR, Rev. 01.

New results on the point defect chemistry of (Ni{sub x}Fe{sub 1-x}){sub 3-delta}O{sub 4} and on the cation tracer diffusion in this spinel solid solution are presented and discussed. The equation system for the defect chemistry of perovskites of the type A{sub 1-x}B{sub 1+x}O{sub 3-delta} have been worked out and used to derive Kr{umlt o}ger-Vink diagrams. The deviation from stoichiometry, delta, in LA{sub 1-x}Mn{sub 1+x}O{sub 3-delta} has been measured at 1100, 1200, and 1300 degrees Celsius as a function of the oxygen activity and the composition variable x. At high and low oxygen activities, the data were fit by taking into account the electrostatic interaction between the charge defects by making use of the Debye H{umlt u}ckel theory.

The High Average Power Laser Program (HAPL) is a multi-institutional, coordinated effort to develop a high-energy, repetitively pulsed laser system for Inertial Fusion Energy and other DOE and DOD applications. This program is building a laser-fusion energy base to complement the laser-fusion science developed by DOE Defense programs over the past 25 years. The primary institutions responsible for overseeing and coordinating the research activities are the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and LLNL. The current LLNL proposal is a companion proposal to that submitted by NRL, for which the driver development element is focused on the krypton fluoride excimer laser option. Aside from the driver development aspect, the NRL and LLNL companion proposals pursue complementary activities with the associated rep-rated laser technologies relating to target fabrication, target injection, final optics, fusion chamber, materials and power plant economics. This report requests continued funding in FY02 to support LLNL in its program to build a 1kW, 100J, diode-pumped, crystalline laser. In addition, research in high gain laser target design, fusion chamber issues and survivability of the final optic element will be pursued. These technologies are crucial to the feasibility of inertial fusion energy power plants and also have relevance in rep-rated stewardship experiments.

Understanding the role of grain boundaries in controlling heat flow is critical to the success of many envisioned applications of nanocrystalline materials. This study focuses on the effect of grain boundaries on thermal transport behavior in nanocrystalline yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) coatings prepared by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. A strong grain-size-dependent reduction in thermal conductivity is observed at all temperatures from 6-480 K. The behavior is due primarily to the effect of interfacial (Kapitza) resistance on thermal transport. In response to the application of heat to a material, interfacial resistance results in a small temperature discontinuity at every grain boundary, an effective that is magnified in nanocrystalline materials because of the large number of grain boundaries. The observed behavior in YSZ is compared with predictions derived from a diffuse-mismatch model. Implications for the possible development of improved thermal barriers based on nano-layered structures with large interfacial thermal resistance are discussed.

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The reaction of methyl radicals with hydrogen atoms is studied with a combination of ab initio quantum chemistry, variational transition state theory, and classical trajectory simulations. The interaction between the two radicals, including the umbrella mode of the methyl radical, is examined at the CAS+1+2 level using an augmented correlation consistent polarized valence triple zeta basis set. The implementation of an analytic representation of the ab initio data within variable reaction coordinate transition state theory yields predictions for the zero-pressure limit isotopic exchange rate constants that are about 15% greater than the available experimental data. Trajectory simulations indicate that the transition state recrossing factor for the capture process is 0.90, essentially independent of temperature and isotope. The dynamically corrected theoretical prediction for the CH{sub 3} + H high pressure rate coefficient is well reproduced by the expression 1.32 x 10{sup -10}T{sup 0.153}exp(-15.1/RT) cm{sup 3}molecule{sup -1}s{sup -1}, where R = 1.987 cal mole{sup -1} K{sup -1}, for temperatures between 200 and 2400 K. This prediction is in good agreement with the converted experimental data for all but the one measurement at 200 K. Calculations for the triplet abstraction channel suggest that it is unimportant. Methyl umbrella mode variations have surprisingly little …

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO assessed agencies' validation of data submitted by prime contractors on their subcontracting achievements. Of $77 billion in subcontracting reported in fiscal year 2000, $31 billion went to small businesses, such as women-owned, and small disadvantaged businesses, as well as those located in historically underutilized business zones. Both civilian and defense agencies follow a similar process to validate subcontracting data--one that involves visiting contractors, assessing compliance with subcontracting plans, and evaluating accounting systems as well as management support of the subcontracting program. Most contractors GAO reviewed are making good faith efforts to comply with their subcontracting plans. However, these reviews could be improved to enhance the validation and use of subcontracting data."

Diamondlike carbon (DLC) films have attracted great interest in recent years mainly because of their unusual optical, electrical, mechanical, and tribological properties. Such properties are currently being exploited for a wide range of engineering applications including magnetic hard disks, gears, sliding and roller bearings, scratch resistant glasses, biomedical implants, etc. Systematic studies on carbon-based materials in our laboratory have led to the development of a new class of amorphous DLC films that provide extremely low friction and wear coefficients of 0.001 to 0.005 and 10{sup -11} to 10{sup -10} mm{sup 3} /N.m, respectively, when tested in inert-gas or high-vacuum environments. These films were produced in highly hydrogenated gas discharge plasmas by a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition process at room temperature. The carbon source gases used in the deposition of these films included methane, acetylene, and ethylene. Tribological studies in our laboratory have established a very close correlation between the composition of the plasmas and the friction and wear coefficients of the resultant DLC films. Specifically, the friction and wear coefficients of DLC films grown in plasmas with higher hydrogen-to-carbon ratios were much lower than films derived from source gases with lower hydrogen-to-carbon ratios. Fundamental tribological and surface analytical studies …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 directed the Treasury to issue advance 2001 tax refunds to individual taxpayers who filed a tax year 2000 return. As a result, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) had to identify eligible taxpayers so that checks could be sent to these taxpayers by December 31, 2001. The Department of the Treasury's Financial Management Service was to issue the checks on behalf of IRS, with the first checks to be received during the week of July 23, 2001. As of September 30, 2001, 84 million taxpayers were to have received $36 billion in advance tax funds. IRS offset about $2.1 billion from these advance tax refunds to recover delinquent federal taxes. IRS spent $104 million to run the program through September 2001, which included IRS staffing costs as well as the costs associated with contracts, postage, and printing. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration identified two initial problems that affected either the accuracy or timeliness of the advance refund notices. One involved computer programming errors that resulted in 523,000 taxpayers receiving notices indicating that they would receive …

Yucca Mountain, Nevada, is under consideration as a potential site for a repository for high-level radioactive waste. Total-system performance-assessment simulations are performed to evaluate the safety of the site. Features, events, and processes have been systematically evaluated to determine which ones are significant to the safety assessment. Computer models of the disposal system have been developed within a probabilistic framework, including both engineered and natural components. Selected results are presented for three different total-system simulations, and the behavior of the disposal system is discussed. The results show that risk is dominated by igneous activity at early times, because the robust waste-package design prevents significant nominal (non-disruptive) releases for tens of thousands of years or longer. The uncertainty in the nominal performance is dominated by uncertainties related to waste-package corrosion at early times and by uncertainties in the natural system, most significantly infiltration, at late times.

The conclusions of this paper are: 0.5-1.5 G/H and/or BUSG/Y--how much time and money will it take to quantify and WHY BOTHER TO DO SO? No shortage of things to do re truckstop--+ truck!-- electrification; Better that government and industry should put many eggs in lots of baskets vs. all in one or few; Best concepts will surface as most viable; Economic appeal better than regulation or brute force; Launch Ground Freight Partnership and give it a chance to work; Demonstration is an effective means to educate, and learn from, customers--learning is a two way street; Research, Development, Demonstration, and Deployment (RD 3) are all important but only deployment gets results; TSE can start small in numbers of spaces to accommodate economically inspired growth but upfront plans should be made for expansion if meaningful idle reduction is to follow via TE; 110VAC 15A service/ parking space is minimal--if infrastructure starts like this, upfront plans must be made to increase capacity; Increased electrification of truckstop and truck alike will result in much better life on the road; Improved sleep will improve driver alertness and safety; Reduced idling will significantly reduce fuel use and emissions; Universal appeal for DOD, DOE, DOT, EPA, …

On June 6, 2000, President Bill Clinton and King Abdullah II announced that the United States and Jordan would begin negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA). The two sides signed the FTA on October 24, 2000, and President Clinton submitted the FTA to the 107th Congress on January 6, 2001.

The purpose of the Commission is to study the nature, causes, and consequences of the United States merchandise trade and current account deficits.