None

Affirmative action remains a focal point of public debate as the result of legal and political developments at the federal, state, and local levels. This report discusses legislation related to affirmative action, as well as legal rulings on the topic and the federal government's role in first establishing and, later, attempting to curb affirmative action policies.

This report discusses the 30 bills introduced during the 108th Congress seeking to improve campaign finance laws.

High-pressure catalytic reactions and associated processes, such as adsorption have been studied on a molecular level on single crystal surfaces. Sum Frequency Generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy together with Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES), Temperature Programmed Desorption (TPD) and Gas Chromatography (GC) were used to investigate the nature of species on catalytic surfaces and to measure the catalytic reaction rates. Special attention has been directed at studying high-pressure reactions and in particular, ammonia synthesis in order to identify reaction intermediates and the influence of adsorbates on the surface during reaction conditions. The adsorption of gases N{sub 2}, H{sub 2}, O{sub 2} and NH{sub 3} that play a role in ammonia synthesis have been studied on the Fe(111) crystal surface by sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy using an integrated Ultra-High Vacuum (UHV)/high-pressure system. SFG spectra are presented for the dissociation intermediates, NH{sub 2} ({approx}3325 cm{sup -1}) and NH ({approx}3235 cm{sup -1}) under high pressure of ammonia (200 Torr) on the clean Fe(111) surface. Addition of 0.5 Torr of oxygen to 200 Torr of ammonia does not significantly change the bonding of dissociation intermediates to the surface. However, it leads to a phase change of nearly 180{sup o} between the resonant and non-resonant second …

The Sensor Research & Development Corporation (SRD) has undertaken the development of a Continuous Emissions Monitor (CEM) for mercury based on the technique of Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CRD). The project involved building an instrument for the detection of trace levels of mercury in the flue gas emissions from coal-fired power plants. The project has occurred over two phases. The first phase concentrated on the development of the ringdown cavity and the actual detection of mercury. The second phase dealt with the construction and integration of the sampling system, used to carry the sample from the flue stack to the CRD cavity, into the overall CRD instrument. The project incorporated a Pulsed Alexandrite Laser (PAL) system from Light Age Incorporated as the source to produce the desired narrow band 254 nm ultra-violet (UV) radiation. This laser system was seeded with a diode laser to bring the linewidth of the output beam from about 150 GHz to less than 60 MHz for the fundamental beam. Through a variety of non-linear optics the 761 nm fundamental beam is converted into the 254 nm beam needed for mercury detection. Detection of the mercury transition was verified by the identification of the characteristic natural isotopic …

The predicted proteins encoded in DNA isolated from environmental microbial community samples reveal habitat-specific metabolic demands.

PureVision Technology, Inc. (PureVision) was the recipient of a $200,000 Invention and Innovations (I&I) grant from the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) to complete prepilot tasks in order to scale up its patented biomass fractionation pretreatment apparatus from batch to continuous processing. The initial goal of the I&I program, as detailed in PureVision's original application to the DOE, was to develop the design criteria to build a small continuous biomass fractionation pilot apparatus utilizing a retrofitted extruder with a novel screw configuration to create multiple reaction zones, separated by dynamic plugs within the reaction chamber that support the continuous counter-flow of liquids and solids at elevated temperature and pressure. Although the ultimate results of this 27-month I&I program exceeded the initial expectations, some of the originally planned tasks were not completed due to a modification of direction in the program. PureVision achieved its primary milestone by establishing the design criteria for a continuous process development unit (PDU). In addition, PureVision was able to complete the procurement, assembly, and initiate shake down of the PDU at Western Research Institute (WRI) in Laramie, WY during August 2003 to February 2004. During the month of March 2004, PureVision and WRI performed initial …

None

None

The need to reach high temperatures in an inertial fusion energy (IFE) target (or a target for the study of High Energy Density Physics, HEDP) requires the ability to focus ion beams down to a small spot. System models indicate that within the accelerator, the beam radius will be of order centimeters, whereas at the final focal spot on the target, a beam radius of order millimeters is required, so radial compression factors of order ten are required. The IFE target gain (and hence the overall cost of electricity) and the HEDP target temperature are sensitive functions of the final spot radius on target. Because of this sensitivity, careful attention needs to be paid to the spot radius calculation. We review our current understanding of the elements that enter into a systems model (such as emittance growth from chromatic, geometric, and non-linear space charge forces) for the final focus based on a quadrupolar magnet system.

TiO2 is as promising photocatalyst for environmental degradation of organic compounds and solar energy conversion. Commercial titania is a mixture of rutile and anatase phases, and, for as of yet unknown reasons, anatase is the photocatalytically more active form. In contrast to rutile, atomic-scale information on well-characterized anatase surfaces and their chemical properties was virtually absent at the beginning of this project. We have performed surface science investigations of anatase with the goal to understand, and ultimately control, the surface chemistry underlying its diverse applications. We have of (1) characterized all main crystallographic surface orientations of anatase, namely the (101), (100), (001), and (103) surfaces (2) have investigated the influence of surface imperfections such as defects and steps; (3) have investigated the influence of dopants on epitaxial (001) anatase films; and (3) have investigated the chemical and adsorption and reaction processes of simple molecules (water and methanol) on anatase surfaces. The experiments were performed in collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) using a variety of complementary surface science techniques. They have lead to a thorough characterization of this model system and have provided a more complete understanding of TiO2, which could possibly lead to improved efficiency in of photocatalytic …

Nuclear organization, such as the formation of specific nuclear subdomains, is generally thought to be involved in the control of cellular phenotype; however, there are relatively few specific examples of how mammalian nuclei organize during radical changes in phenotype, such as those which occur during differentiation and growth arrest. Using human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs) in which growth arrest is essential for morphological differentiation, we show that the arrest of cell proliferation is accompanied by a reorganization of the telomere-associated protein, TIN2, into one to three large nuclear subdomains. The large TIN2 domains do not contain telomeres and occur concomitant with the continued presence of TIN2 at telomeres. The TIN2 domains were sensitive to DNAse, but not RNAse, occurred frequently, but not exclusively near nucleoli, and overlapped often with dense domains containing heterochromatin protein l{gamma}. Expression of truncated forms of TIN2 simultaneously prevented the formation of TIN2 domains and relaxed the stringent morphogenesis-induced growth arrest in HMECs. Our findings reveal a novel extra-telomeric organization of TIN2 associated with the control of cell proliferation and identify TIN2 as an important regulator of mammary epithelial differentiation.

This report discusses significant legislative provisions in the two provisional bills that are likely to be the subject of congressional discussion to reauthorize federal highway, highway safety, and transit programs.

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Homeland Security Act of 2002 authorized the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish a pilot program for the use of acquisition agreements known as "other transactions." Because they are exempt from many of the requirements that apply to government contracts, other transactions can be useful in acquiring cutting-edge technologies from entities that traditionally have declined to do business with the government. The act requires GAO to report to Congress on the use of other transactions by DHS. To fulfill this obligation, GAO (1) determined if DHS has developed policies and established a workforce to manage other transactions effectively and (2) evaluated how effectively DHS has used its other transactions authority to attract nontraditional government contractors."

This guide to finding information in libraries and on the Internet has been prepared for constituents who want to learn more about topics that interest them. It includes background directories, current information, reference books, and websites for government, politics, legislation, and other sources. It lists a number of Internet search engines, which can be used at many public libraries. It also suggests guides on how to search, including one for kids.

This report explains the design of the marketing loan program of the commodity support provisions in the 2002 farm bill (p.L. 107-171) and examines some recent data and policy issues.

BRAC 2005 Intelligence Joint Cross-Service Group Meeting Minutes of December 15, 2004. The document is redacted and includes the IJCSG Principals Meeting brief (PowerPoint slides).

The National Alliance for Clean Energy Incubators was established by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to develop an emerging network of business incubators for entrepreneurs specializing in clean energy enterprises. The Alliance provides a broad range of business services to entrepreneurs in specific geographic locales across the U.S. and in diverse clean energy technology areas such as fuel cells, alternative fuels, power generation, and renewables, to name a few. Technology Ventures Corporation (TVC) participates in the Alliance from its corporate offices in Albuquerque, NM, and from its sites in Northern and Southern New Mexico, California, and Nevada. TVC reports on the results of its attempts to accelerate the growth and success of clean energy and energy efficiency companies through its array of business support services. During the period from September 2002 through September 2004, TVC describes contributions to the Alliance including the development of 28 clients and facilitating capital raises exceeding $35M.

None

Port and Harbor Security is a daunting task to which optics and photonics offers significant solutions. We are pleased to report that the 2005 Defense and Security Symposium (DSS, Orlando, FL) will include reports on active and passive photonic systems operating from both airborne and subsurface platforms. In addition to imaging techniques, there are various photonic applications, such as total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF), which can be used to ''sniff'' for traces of explosives or contaminants in marine. These non-imaging technologies are beyond the scope of this article, but will also be represented at DSS 2005. We encourage colleagues to join our technical group to help us to make our ports and harbors safer and more secure.

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, heightened awareness about the vulnerability to the terrorist attack of all modes of transportation. Port security has emerged as a significant part of the overall debate on U.S. homeland security. The overarching issues for Congress are providing oversight on current port security programs and making or responding to proposals to improve port security.

We study protein and nucleic acid structure and dynamics using single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer measurements with alternating-laser excitation. Freely diffusing molecules are sorted into subpopulations based on stoichiometry, detecting donor and acceptor coincidence for periods over 100 {micro}s-1 ms. Faster (< 100 {micro}s) fluctuating distance distributions are studied within these subpopulations using time-resolved single photon counting measurements. We find that short double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) is more flexible than expected from persistence lengths measured on long dsDNA. We find that the electrostatic portion of the persistence length of single-stranded poly-dT varies as the ionic strength (I) to the -1/2 power (I{sup -1/2}). Lastly, we find that the unfolded protein Chymotrypsin Inhibitor 2 (CI2) is unstructured at high denaturant. However, in the presence of folded CI2 (at lower denaturant), unfolded CI2 is more compact and displays larger distance fluctuations, possibly due to unsuccessful attempts to cross the folding barrier.

None

This historical report summarizes the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act (SHVIA) and the Launching Our Communities Access to Local Television Act (LOCAL), and the debate over whether a company called Northpoint should be able to use the same frequencies as satellites to transmit data and television using terrestrial systems.